im going to alaska this june for the salmon run. as you know where there are large numbers of salmon you can count on grizley bears. i dont want to become a snack for a big grizley while im there so i just picked up a S&W 629 in 44 mag. I was wondering what the best ammo to carry to stop that bear where he stands. I have a buddy that said to epoxy a ball berring inide of the hollow point of the bullet. anyone try this will it effect the bullet?
thanks
Bad idea.
You don't want a hollowpoint. Hollowpoints drag on tissue, and you want solid penetration.
You want to probably handload some extremely hard cast lead bullets behind a healthy charge of either Hodgdon H110 powder or Winchester 296. Furthermore, you want a LOT of these cartridges because you need to practice. 1 box of 20rds of exotic ammo aint gonna cut it because you won't be accurate without some practice.
I'd suggest a 250gr Keith LSWC gas-checked bullet from Beartooth Bullets as a minimum starting point. Preferably something even heavier... you may want to hold off on going all the way up to 300gr though, in a Smith 629.
A 250gr bullet at 1400fps that you shoot well is a heck of a lot better protection than a 250gr bullet at 1500fps that you can't control because you couldn't afford to practice with it. Corbon and Buffalo Bore may be able to get 100fps above handload data, but they're going to make you pay for it.
To stop a bear where he stands, a torso shot won't do it. You need a head shot, a spine shot or a shoulder/hip shattering shot, anchoring him.
Get a lot of ammo identical to what you will carry in the field, and practice. If you end up only having 6 rounds left when you go to alaska, so be it.
