I appreciate the responses here, but I have to say, a common THR phenomonen has occurred. I asked a simple question about taking a sidearm to Alaska. NOWHERE did I state I wanted it for bear, nor did I state that I was only going to go armed with a handgun.
I'm seriously thinking of using this as an excuse for a Redhawk in .44 mag. I was thinking of taking my .22 to piss off the bears.
I shot a Super Redhawk 7.5" in .480 Ruger. It really wasn't half-bad. I wouldn't pass it around to friends for a casual afternoon of plinking near the campsite, but it's manageable and it doesn't hurt if you don't shoot too many cylinders in rapid succession.
I appreciate the responses here, but I have to say, a common THR phenomonen has occurred. I asked a simple question about taking a sidearm to Alaska. NOWHERE did I state I wanted it for bear, nor did I state that I was only going to go armed with a handgun.
Less than ideal, perhaps, but this guy (who stopped a brown bear charge with his 9mm--and a lot of luck) probably believes that a side arm can be very useful when it comes to big bears.Side arms are basically worthless when it comes to big bears.
The Brenners and Pennington had dull knives and no idea of how to skin a bear. It took them hours to get the hide off.
"We had no idea of what we were doing," Garen said. "Knowing what we know now, I don't ever want to go bear hunting."
That Garen hit the fast-moving bear with his handgun was fortunate, he admits. That one of the 9 mm, full-metal-jacket bullets -- woefully inadequate for stopping a charging brown bear -- happened to slam into the socket of the bear's front shoulder might almost be considered a miracle.
That bullet blew up the shoulder. The bear went down, rolled over and spun.
Quote:
Pennington threw down his fishing rod and began wrestling the pistol-gripped Mossberg, pump-action 12-gauge off his back. He was unsure whether he'd been able to chamber a shell when he realized the bear was almost on him.
Talk about being behind the curve. Bears don't give advance notice.
I would also suggest the 357mag with hunting rounds but this is a very good excuse for a new revolver in .454, .460. .480 or .500!
The Alaskan wilderness is littered with the remains of people who've not had enough gun if any at all. Timothy Treadwell, a supposedly EXPERT on grizzly/browns/kodiaks met his demise along with his girlfriends due to his stupidity. If you fell to believe me, PM me and I will give you my buddies email address so you can write to him. I've been from Sitka, Alaska, to St. Lawrence Island, to Adak, to Pt. Barrow, with a few other fine places in between
You've said you won't be relying 100% on the handgun, so I assume you've got a rifle or shotgun along. For a secondary, I'd prefer the .357 over the .45ACP. As much as I love my 1911's, I also realize that a stoked up load for a .357 is going to beat a .45 load every time.
NOWHERE did I state I wanted it for bear, nor did I state that I was only going to go armed with a handgun. Notwithstanding, many of the responses here (1) assume I am going to hunt bear with handgun, and (2) that I am not taking anything else.