Cheapest "BIG DANGEROUS ANIMAL" revolver?

[Hoplophile]

Something in .454 Casull or something equally large and beefy. Just for walking about the wilderness, in case a bear, a mountain lion, and an alligator all attack me at the exact same time.

Ideally, cheap.

Ideas?

 

[t george]

you get what you payfor, but i am looking for a 4 inch 44 mag redhawk or same configuration im 45 colt.

 

[General Geoff]

Just for walking about the wilderness, in case a bear, a mountain lion, and an alligator all attack me at the exact same time.

I'd want an M2HB for that scenario. Can't very well carry that around with you, though.

Ruger Alaskan would get my vote.

 

[wnycollector]

Used Ruger blackhawk .44's can be found in the $300-350 range...then load it with some of this!!!

http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#44P

 

[.38 Special]

If you handload you can get yourself a Ruger in .45 Colt -- a Blackhawk or similar, not the Vaquero -- and then using Hodgdon data with heavy cast bullets you can knock on the door of .454 performance.

If you really want a .454, I think a used Taurus is probably the least expensive route.

 

[MikePGS]

Yeah i was going to say a Taurus Raging Bull, but depending on the caliber a Ruger SA could serve you just as well (if not better).

 

[rcmodel]

In that price range, the best you could do would be a used Ruger Blackhawk .44 Mag.

The .45 Colt is also very good, but only if you hand-load, or pay a buck a shot for Buffalo Bore ammo.

.454 Casull's, .500 S&W's and the like make very poor dangerous game guns, because they kick so dang hard.

It is next to impossible to get off rapid follow-up shots, and DA fire is a recipe for disaster.
They are also too heavy to carry 24/7, and if you ain't got it on you, all the power in the world won't help..

Most folks have quite all they want with full-power .44 Magnum ammo, and gun weight is still low enough to make packing them around practical.

 

[LightningMan]

You may want to read this thread on the differance between the .44 mag. & the .454 casull.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=404033

 

[jjohnson]

Ruger.

Oh, man, looking for "cheap" artillery is like looking for a cheap race car.

You get what you pay for - if you're LUCKY.

Still, +1 on the Ruger recommendations. Cruise your local gun shows and pawn shops for a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt and pump it up with Buffalo Bore or similar ammo, or pick up a Super Blackhawk or Redhawk in .44 Mag. You may be lucky to find one at $300 or so. Some guys buy something like that, having just watched a Dirty Harry movie or something, and then find out that it's more gun than they thought then unload it after less than a box of ammo.

If you're living clean and saying your prayers, you might find one just like that. And God knows most normal humans aren't up to the task of actually wearing out a Ruger. Rugers are among the best values in firearms, AND they're built for loads that would soon wreck other firearms. I can't think of anything that's even a close second to Ruger in the "firepower for your buck" department. Good luck.

 

[madwell]

if it's a true woods gun why a revolver 12 ga slugs cheap power i have a 45 black hawk, but still carry a 870 when i'm in the woods

 

[Redhawk1]

Ruger Blackhawk 44 Mag or 45 Colt.

 

[Gtscotty]

I'm working on moving to Anchorage, Ak upon my graduation, and am pretty much settled on a 4" S&W 629 for hiking and camping purposes. When I was up there this last summer, it seemed like most people stuck with .44 mag or SD type 12 gauge shotguns (slugs only) when going salmon fishing or doing other bear intensive activities. I did know one guy that had a .500 mag, but he did not carry it too much due to the weight.

 

[rcmodel]

I just finished reading "Handguns for Bear Protection" in an old issue of Handloader.

It was noted that Phil Shoemaker, a noted Alaska guide, carries a 4" .44 Mag S&W. His daughter carries a S&W .357 Mag.
Both stoked with heavy hard-cast SWC bullets.

It was pointed out that a mad bear can cover ground at about 30 MPH, and the time from warning to full attack will run about 2 seconds.

SO, you will be in a fight for life with a bear, while on the ground, with it on top of you, before most folks can unholster a gun and get off a shot.

At that point, all that can save you is deep penetration that can break the neck or penetrate the throat and lower jaw and hit the brain or spine.

That dear friends, is no place for a 4 1/2 pound .500 S&W that is liable to knock you unconscious when the recoiling gun hits you in the head at the first shot.

The author, Brian Pierce mentioned the overwhelming popularity of the Model 29 Mountain Gun for it's fairly light weight and controllable power.

More recently, he mentioned a bear hunt with Shoemaker in the last year or so, and both he and Shoemaker were carrying 329PD's.

It has also been noted that finding a Mountain Gun or 329PD in Alaska is almost impossible, because the locals buy them faster then the dealers can get them.

 

[Redhawk1]

That dear friends, is no place for a 4 1/2 pound .500 S&W that is liable to knock you unconscious when the recoiling gun hits you in the head at the first shot.

You must not have ever shot a 4 inch 500 mag. I have and own one. I can shot it every bit as fast and accurate as I can a 44 Mag. I will take my 4 inch 500 Mag over any other handgun in big bear country.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I agree with the 500 mag post above. It's not that bad if you know how to shoot a big bore.

However, for dollars down approach, it's hard to beat a used Vaquero in 45 colt or 44 mag.

If you want a high pressure/big bore, you'll just have to pay for it.

 

[LionHunter]

Another ridiculous comment about the S&W 500. I am so tired of people who obviously have little or no experience with this handgun making silly statements. I hunt dangerous game. That is game that will run over you, gore you, throw you, eat and kill you. I've hunted them with rifle and handgun around the world. I switched to the S&W 500 shortly after it came out, both for hunting and for back-up to a rifle hunt and for those occasions when I might be fishing or simply walking away from camp in an area where dangerous game exists.

Given a choice, would you rather do those things with a .44mag or a S&W500? If you answered .44mag, you either know nothing of handgun performance or nothing of dangerous game behavior. Elephant has been killed with .22LR but that doesn't mean hunting them with it is legal or sensible or will save you from traumatic injury or death.

Under those circumstances, the weight of the gun is inconsequential. Ask a Marine or soldier who humps 60 pounds plus every day in Afganistan or Iraq. BTW, empty weight of the 4" is 3.5#s, not 4.5.

 

[Sniper X]

I'd just carry the Uberti Cattleman in .45 LC with hot loads in it. That and the ever accompanying 1911 with a 10 round mag....

 

[jaholder1971]

If you're looking for defense against dangerous game then the term "cheapest" should be nowhere in the sentence.

 

[Gtscotty]

The weight difference between a .500 mag and a .44 mag revolver is not inconsequential if you are going to be carrying the pistol 99% of the time and fending off wild beasts <1% of the time. The op was talking about a revolver to carry for some reasonable measure of safety while hiking. The op was not talking about proper armament for hunting dangerous game or going into combat zones; his needs are obviously different than yours or a marines. If that "give me the biggest gun i can carry without breaking an arm" mentality prevailed, everyone hiking in bear country would be toting magnum bolt actions..... but they are not.
Instead it seems that many people have decided that a good balance between weight and power is the .44 mag. Now this may not be what you (LionHunter) or the op feels is best for your particular situations, that's fine, to each their own, and you probably are right For your situation . But to say that, anyone who would pick a .44 mag over a .500 mag for hiking in bear country, knows nothing of firearms.... is ridiculous. People who've made that decision simply decided the added benefits of portability, size and weight of the .44 outweighed its lower power, for their purposes.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Probably go with a 44 magnum on all accounts. Get some Bear Spray while your at it. If you have never seen it work try it on yourself first.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Why is everyone talking about the .44 Magnum like it's a pop-gun? Sure, the .500 Magnum is much more powerful but shooting a gun that big is something most casual shooters just aren't good at. Besides, a .44 Magnum is not a pop-gun.

Ammo manufacturers like Grizzly Cartridges make some hard hitting ammo that is made for killing game. A 300gr Hard Cast bullet traveling at over 1300 fps which generated ~1200 ft/lbs of energy is formidable protection.

Another good ammo source for those who don't reload is Garrett Cartridges.

 

[loneviking]

I remember a few months back when I got to look at and hold a .500. The guy behind the gun counter grinned and said that some folks thought it was good for bears. Continuing on, he said that he thought it was better for humans. I asked why? Because, the recoil from the gun will knock you unconcious so you won't feel the bear eating you! he replied.

When I took my CCW class there was a guy there qualifying with a .500 and light loads. He said the gun had broke bones in his hands on the first go around with it so he was having to re-qualify a second time.

Don't get me wrong, I shoot a .357 so I can stand some recoil. But anything over a 44 maggie should be a rifle, IMHO. And a 44 mag. is no popgun and has just as good a chance at stopping a bear as a .500 would, and be a whole lot more fun to shoot on a regular basis.

 

[Redhawk1]

loneviking, I have been shooting the 500 Mag with full house loads for over 5 years now. I have well over 5000 rounds fired in all of my 500 Mags. I never suffered a broken bone much less a bruise.

Also the guy that told you the gun will knock you unconscious, does not have a clue about the 500 Mag.

Just because you can't handle recoil over a 44 Mag, does not mean , anything over a 44 mag should be in a rifle.

I find my 500 Mag more fun to shoot than any of my other handguns. All of my hunting and packing (Back up) guns are all over 44 Mag.

No the 44 Mag is not a pop gun, it is a very good round, but some of us just like bigger.
So it is more of opinion than a fact.

 

[BENELLIMONTE]

Hop',

As my sidearm I use a Taurus Ultralite in 44 mag when I am hunting big game & upland/forest birds in Idaho. It is very light and easy to wear in a hip holster rig.

 

[highlander 5]

I am not a hunter but the advice of a 44 mag or 454 sounds prudent to me. I have a Ruger SBH with a 4 5/8" barrel that I had a Bisley grip trigger and hammer fitted by MagNaPort and had it ported as well and have to admit it's my idea of a "pocket" gun assuming that you have pockets like Capt. Kangaroo. This is a very comfortable pistol to shoot,so much so that one of my shooting buddies is trying to con me out of it.