454 casull for Kodiak Bear hunting?

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Chicken-Farmer

Chicken-Farmer

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Anybody use 454 casull for dangerous game hunting? I'm moving up to kodiak, AK with my wife and family. I want a pistol to carry for bear protection but would also like a hunting handgun as well. I see many posts about people carrying the casull for bear protection, but no posts on people hunting the big critters with them.

Jeff Mays
 
I do not own or hunt with a .454. So my information is second hand. I have a friend who's killed cape buffalo and elephant with his .454.

Any handgun cartridge is going to be minimal on dangerous or large game but the .454 is about as good a choice as there is for a hunting handgun and bear protection. That is if you have to use a handgun. There are alot better choices out there.
 
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I'd look more towards a 45/70 lever-gun and leave the hand gun at home.
 
Gees Chicken, you have a much bigger set of brass ones than I do. If you were single I might respect it, but you've got a wife and kids. I just cannot conceive of hunting a Kodiak with any handgun, unless you've got a couple of buddies with big rifles to back you up. I freely admit I have no actual experience in this department, but then again I'm still alive. Others here can answer the question better than I, but remember that Murphy's Law can and probably will come into play, and it really isn't a good idea to go after a big brownie with just a handgun. Any handgun.
 
Bears, handguns & Alaska........

Having lived up here in Alaska since 1968 and selling firearms for a living, I am asked this kind of question just about everyday. If you are looking for a handgun for "bear protection" I would consider the .357 Magnum in a revolver or the 10mm in a pistol loaded with some sort of 200 grain hard cast lead or solid (be it Cor-Bon, Buffalo Bore or a pet handload) to be the minimum. If you are looking at a handgun for hunting one the Kodiak Bruins, well I'd start with the .44 Magnum loaded with one of the "heavy for caliber bullet" (again, be it Cor-Bon, Buffalo Bore, Garretts or a pet handload) and go up from there caliber-wise - keeping in mind the handgun you select shouldn't be so overly powerful (recoil-wise) that you can't control it for that ever so critical second follow up shop....i.e. the .500 S&W, .475 & .500 Linebaugh, ect. Bring someone with a rifle as a back-up is a no-brainer.....remember this game that can or will turn around and hunt you.
 
Just chant this magic mantra: I am on the top of the food chain. I am on the top of the food chain. (note: doesn't work for vegetarians)

If that doesn't work, wait until you're reincarnated as a Grizzly or Polar Bear. :)
 
Brown bears are BIG! And FAST! The ONLY way I would consider hunting one with a handgun of any type is with a buddy backing me up with a .375 H&H or better. You can blow his heart away, and Mr. Brown will have enough blood pressure left to allow him to wail away on you for about five minutes before he dies. Keep a large revolver for backup, but carry a rifle, preferably .338 Mag or larger with the heaviest bullets you can get. Hot .45-70 is popular here too.
 
I guess a summation of opinion of those who have hunted Alaska brownies is that hunting one of them with a pistol is foolish, unless there is competent backup on the scene. Similar to the gal on the Outdoor Channel who used a bow to collect a grizzly; she had two guys along with big-bore rifles.

Comparing a handgun to a rifle, seems to me, would involve the time element. If there is time to bring a rifle to bear--pun intended--it would be superior. In the event of a very-sudden encounter with a hostile bear, the handgun can be brought into action faster--if that makes a difference. But this is indeed a "seems to me" deal. :)

Art
 
I like being the odd ball but I would hunt a brownie or kodiak with a 454casull. It wouldnt be a boiler room shot I know that for a fact. I would definitly be more picky on my shots but I would do it.

This weekend I'm gonna finish working on a guys truck and in return hes giving me a 7 1/2" ruger in 45LC. I've been thinking about scoping it and giving it a try for bears. Will my wife be there with the 45/70 or 338? you bet she will and she will know when to shoot. Guys it can be done, bears are not made out of iron and steel. Yes they have a much slower heartbeat so they can go longer on a fatal shot but why shoot at an animal like that and aim for the vitals? Go for the breaking shot. CNS or shoulders incapacitate him (which a proper handgun will do), then go for the kill if hes still alive, just make sure you hit where you aim at (wait that goes for rifles also) otherwise the bear might get a touch upset:D
 
What Biff, Art and lilbiggun said...

Hey I know where ya can get a nice tuned up levergun in 457 mag or 50 Alaskan...the latter being good bear medicine...

Wildimgoinbearhuntinthisspringwithmypre64300h&Hbecasueitsmynewtoyandmy6.5wontbereadyAlaska
 
If I am going hunting for Kodiak I would go with the biggest rifle caliber that I could handle. It runs as fast as a racehorse, has claws that can disembowel you with one swipe, and jaws that snap bones like toothpicks.

You Sir are far braver than I am! The closest I have come to a big bear of this type is at the Bronx Zoo. Damn bears are huge!!! Big males can weigh a ton or more. Can someone point me to an account where a Kodiak was successfully hunted with a handgun? How often is ths sort of thing done?

Arguably the Kodiak is the most powerful carnivore on the North American land mass. The are extremely intelligent when hunting. That includes hunting you. Not surprising as that is how they make a living.

I'd bring artillery of heavy rifle caliber. I think ending up in a Kodiaks scat pile would really put a damper on any sort of good day I might have been having!:uhoh: :D
 
Folks have hunted every...

Folks have hunted every land based animal with the 454 casull. Now in saying that, dangerous game deserves a back-up gun or two just for safety. The mag-na port ads show a elephant that was taken down by a pistol, i believe a 454 casull or 44 mag! Obviously the hunter had back-up rifles but the picture only shows one hole to the head of the big bull elephant. So the back ups weren't needed.
I realize that dangerous game is classified as dangerous for a reason. I won't be hunting Kodiak browns on a daily basis but i would like to hunt one when i'm stationed on kodiak. Most of the time the 454 will accompany me when i'm out and about in the woods. I can't see myself "always" carrying a marlin guide gun. But how hard is it to strap a chest holster on and go hiking or scouting for deer? The pistol seems like a more likely option to me, and one i'll reach for.
I have also been looking into the S&W 500 which is comparable to a rifle in the ft/lb catagory. My only complaint is that the S&W pistols are HUGE. I have looked at the BFR by magnum research and have considered one of them.

Jeff Mays
 
Can someone point me to an account where a Kodiak was successfully hunted with a handgun? How often is ths sort of thing done?
Click to expand...

Path,

It isn't really all that uncommon.

Go to.

http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/inbush.html

SCI Magazine has several accounts

Jack Britingham has a fanatstic video called Alaskan extreme hunting in which a very nice brownie is taken with a bow and a handgun.


You sir will NOT find me out there hunting large brownies with a handgun.
;)
 
H&Hhunter,

Thank you for the heads up. Those were some great pics.

I gotta tell you though that it must take a great deal of intestinal fortitude to take on a Brown with a handgun. That is the kind of excitement I shall leave to others. WOW!!!

Good luck to those willing to try. I think I'd rather take my chances playing hop-scotch in a mine field.:D
 
Although I've never hunted browns ($$$$), I've taken 3, black bear. All were perfect hits, at less than 60 yards, and all three ran off, 50-75 yards.
The last one was taken with a .458 Winchester mag. RIFLE. It was a broadside shot at less than 50 yards. Perfect hit, just behind the shoulder. It took out lungs and heart, but, the bugger still ran about 50 yards, before he expired! Just glad all of them went the OTHER way, instead of trying to eat me!
I finally got to take a wild boar with my .454 Ruger Super Redhawk, yesterday. The 1st shot was less than 25 yards, broadside. I put the 265 grain Swift A-Frame, right behind his shoulder. Although it knocked it down, the bugger got back up again, and when it turned, I BROKE the other shoulder. The bugger still didn't know he was dead, and got up again! I couldn't believe that it could even move, after breaking the shoulder, so, I pumped a couple more in it, and it FINALLY stayed down.
I've hunted in Africa, and always took shoulder shots, when possible, and it has always dropped them like a rock.
Although I prefer to hunt with a handgun, if I was going after a brown, I think I would like to have SEVERAL people with BIG guns backing me up!
Good Luck on your hunt!!
 
Lemme just add that there is a really big difference between killing and stopping. The issue is what the animal does between the time it's hit and the time it quits wanting to bite or stomp somebody.

Dangerous game is less dangerous when major bones are broken. Dangerous game is less dangerous when there is a bit of distance between the shooter and the shootee. "Up close and personal" is not a Good Thing. Exciting, yes, but Not Good.

Art
 
Hey I know where ya can get a nice tuned up levergun in 457 mag or 50 Alaskan...the latter being good bear medicine...
Click to expand...

Purely out of curiosity, I note that you recommend a levergun for big bear hunting, I assume that is because they are known for reliable feeding?? Is there such thing as a very large caliber autoloading rifle that would be suitable for very large game? How would feeding reliability compare (if there is one)?
 
Its not a "magnum", but many consider .35 Whelan as a good option for brownies. Didn't Remington chamber their auto rifle in .35 Whelan?
 
Biff, I dont think they ever made a semi-auto in 35whelen. I love my pump 35whelen (especially since it was tweaked by ken and his boys) and I dont see a need for a semi-auto for big bears. IMO pumps, levers and bolts are more reliable.

If you want a semi-auto, I'm sure it wouldnt be that hard to rebarrel a 7400 (30-06) to 35.
 
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