If I ever shoot a bear then even if it looks dead as a doornail it'll get another rifle round in the ear before I go near it.
I ain't skeered of being skeered.

A wise man that English Mike....

I said the same thing! Bang the ear....twice!

I like shooting my Alaskan at my 60' indoor range...ya get some "looks". Target smolders too if it's too close.

My wifes cousin has been hunting in Alaska for bear 4 times in 20 years and has shot 3 grizzly and 1 brown with 44 SRH with handloads at my house using nosler partition and hornady bullets. The guide outfit he used was AK coastal guides and their were 2 guides with him on the hunt.

The owner (founder) had his 30/30 marlin (jackhandle as Bushy says) for a backup to clients rifle. His nephew who now runs the business now has a custom built .475 A&M rifle. My wifes cousin has shot this gun .475 A&M 8 years ago and said the recoil knocked him on his arse that he could not get up if he had to take another shot asap.

The owner who opened up AK guides told my wifes cousin that you are in their territory, the first shot must count, even if a second is needed, that first shot must count. His sidearm was and still is the 44 magnum.

The "back-up" twins:

Big'n- 4 leggers. (44m)

Litt'n- 2 leggers. (357m)

Man them holsters look new there!

Stove, they look so small, did you wash them at the wrong temperature? But they do look shiny.

They are back-up's, not bullseye shooters. Fer up-close and personal action. That Alaskan is a TANK when it's full of 300gr'rs bud! Sweet triggers on both, from the factory. That Ruger's trigger is like butter. Never had a missfire.

All the info is well and good. I was just talking hypothetically speaking. The reason for a handgun when going in on a bear is for several reasons. One is most shots made on a bear here are long distance and in revines and the bottom of steep mountians, packing in a rifle is an option but its a lot of weight that a guy could do without. Two the black bear here do not get huge so most people don't worry about packing a 44 mag, i have a friend that packs one in Alaska as a backup to his 450 marlin when it comes to griz. I am not intending to hunt with the gun or make long shots, it is just as a precautionary measure. I figure whatever I use with most likely end up being my CCW. I am getting the 7.62 Tokarev just as a fun gun to shoot and perhaps my wifes CCW. Plus its way cheap for me to pick up at this time.

Old saying goes:

BRING ENOUGH GUN.

Something fly's out of the bush or gets up and gets too close I'm dropping my longgun and pulling my burner. Even if I dont make it Mr. Chomper's will get some, of that you can be sure. Nice thing about rollers is you can "press fire" them, auto's come out of battery way to easy.

Aloysius wrote:

Stove, they look so small, did you wash them at the wrong temperature? But they do look shiny.

Cheers, Vince

Stovey wrote:

...Nice thing about rollers is you can "press fire" them, auto's come out of battery way to easy.

Interesting point Stovey...that is certainly not something I would have considered. But then again, I would not let a beastie that is capable of chewin' on me body get that close if I had any say in the matter. The wee beastie would have to negotiate a "wall of lead" before gettin' to me, and in the meantime I would be laying down a smokescreen from burnin' boot leather.

Cheers, Vince

I approach a dead deer with a round up the spout and poke it in the eyeball with finger on trigger if it moves it gets it. with a bear as has been said before shoot the plurry thing again. If you can hit it once hit it again if you are shooting at a distance sit and have a snack watching the carcase for signs of life before moving in. you could even leave a TRUSTED member of your party to keep watch while you move closer so they can pelt it a 3rd time ifn it twitches as you get nearer.I sure wouldnt be leaving my rifle behind to go get a an animal.

I remember walking up on a deer for the first time- from the belly.

I got kicked- not by the deer, my buddy's dad that took us. He booted me out of the way so I didn't get gutted.

What ever you decide, go into it with a plan. Remember that even the most potent .44 Magnum load is inferior to a good .30-30 load in energy figures (even though I don't believe that energy figures tell the whole story). A good stout .44 Mag or .45 Colt load can be good insurance if loaded with heavy cast bullets, but I would opt for a Marlin 1895 .45-70 with 405-grain bullets at top velocity for any close and personal debates with a wounded bear. As Bushy points out, a lever gun is fast to operate as well as reliable. As to the .454, it's not a bad round but you mentioned shooting .45 Colt rounds in it. Every manufacturer that I know of specifically states that shooting .45 Colt loads in the .454 voids the warranty.

You could try this >> www.cabelas.com/pistol...stol.shtml

I agree with SSL. In a handgun I'd want a .44 Mag or hot .45 Colt with a bullet designed for penetration. But I think a better choice would be a rifle.