Let's talk defensive REVOLVERS for bears...

W.R.Buchanan said:

Here in California the Bears would be the least of your worries. The two legged vermin that tend to occupy our forests and deserts are much more likely to cause problems than the relatively small Black Bears we have here in Southern CA.

I have seen two bears here in my life. One was a Cinnamon one that saw us and took off for Kern County and the other was in our back yard and left a big dump in the middle. It was just a young one and I think it was lost as it was way deep in town.

Neither one of these animals was a threat of any kind. Neither one was even 100 lbs.

However, Latino Types in the back country here tend to either be Drug Farming or just feelin' Froggy, and they have to be watched very closely. I try to avoid them at all cost, but I also I have my G23 or G21 on the belt and I usually have my Kel-Tec SU16 in the top of my back pack, or handy on the Roll Bar of the Jeep. All of my Jeep friends are well armed when we go out and if necessary we can deal with those types of threats with no lack of firepower. Luckily I haven't had to confront evil alone, but we have ran into a couple of pretty scary situations in the deep desert while Jeeping and were able to avoid confrontation by just turning around and hauling arse.

When people get that far away from civilization they tend to think nobody is watching and they can do whatever they want. I actually heard some Mexican Kids at Glammis talking about killing some white kid because he looked at them wrong.

I would caution all of you that this threat is NOT going away anytime soon and these people come from a place which has little regard for Human Life. If confronted you should really think about Shooting first and asking questions later. They most likely will. Try watching "Queen of the South" on TV and see how the Cartels operate. If you pose the slightest risk to them they will kill you in a heartbeat.

I was in Mexico for our Honeymoon 27 years ago and haven't been back, we were n Cabo and I didn't feel even slightly comfortable there. The place is not safe and you white boys are a target. The fact that only criminals have guns there should speak loudly as to what is going on there.

The fact that one party in our government wants them all to come here is pretty depressing really.

Randy

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MaxP said:

Let me put up front that I have never been attacked/charged by a bear of any sort. I have killed bears (black bears) with handguns and have used revolvers extensively on big game and in a few sticky situations. I know what a correctly loaded big-bore revolver is capable of from a terminal effectiveness standpoint. Now, that said, they are difficult to master and some would be better off with a rifle in their hands (but try taking your rifle in your sleeping bag with you). Everything boils down to placement (and penetration).

I don't like the term "stopping power" as it assumes muzzle energy or some other inane measurement to be significant in the real world. I think the only true stop is a CNS shot, but I digress. I much prefer to shoot the .480 over the .454 as 48,000 psi tends to be more agreeable on the shooters hands and ears than 65,000 psi. The .480 loaded with a big, heavy slug at moderate velocities is fairly easy to shoot (with practice) and it makes a big hole. There's not much NOT to like about the .480 Ruger. I have both a 4 5/8-inch Bisley and a 6 1/2-incher and they are both accurate and a pleasure to shoot. I doubt anyone will get more than one shot off in a bear charge situation, but being able to control your firearm I believe is essential and having a bullet/load combination that will penetrate without compromise is also critical. The .480 is simply a great round that is terminally effective and relatively gentle on the shooter.

Here is the new shorty Bisley.

View attachment 758074

The 6 1/2-incher:

View attachment 758075

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Tokugawa said:

That is a real nice looking 5" Bisley- was that a custom gun? The only .480 Bisley I see now from Ruger is the 6 1/2" version from Lipsey's.

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