I own 44 Mags and 445 Supermags. While the 44's will do well for HUNTING most things in North America, the place where the bigger guns offer a distinct advantage is their greater velocity and penetration for dangerous game DEFENSE. I could be argued that by the time the animal gets to large for the 44, you really need a rifle anyway. While that is probably true, there seems to be a certain velocity at which a round will deter an attack, even if it does not immediately dispatch the animal. The larger rounds, especially the 2 S&W rounds, get a person a lot closer with a practical, multishot handgun than any other round out there. I consider the 44's just fine for cougars, hogs and black bear, but for moose and brown bear, the 460 or the 500 offer SIGNIFICANTLY more deterance for defense. As long as you are talking the lower 48, it is hard to justify anything bigger than a 44 for hunting or defense. In AK, although I would prefer a 375 H&H for defense, the bigger handgun rounds offer a distinct advantage over the 44's for handgun defense work on dangerous game. Although any handgun should only be thought of as a secondary, last ditch option for brown bear and moose defense, if you have to excercise that last option, even a little advantage can make a lot of difference.
Roll Tide