Who Likes Big Bore Snubbies?

You give up some velocity with a short barrel, but make up for it with quick shooting, and the ability to have your hands free all the time to do other things. Formerly lived in SE Alaska, where we dealt with really big bears every day. I showed up with a 6" barrel 44 Mag, and quickly realized that in thick brush country it was way to slow to get into action. Switched it out for a 4", which was better but not ideal. This was before the days of the Ruger Alaskan, and the like....

Now, I live in the southwest, at the base of a large mountain range that is absolutely loaded with Black Bears. But, my work takes me all over the western US, so I am sometimes also in Grizzly country.

Defensive close range shooting in Black Bear country: If I am traveling light (mountain bike, dirt bike/ATV, or hiking), I like the aluminum/scandium alloy frame .44 S&W 329NG. It is a relative feather weight at less then 30 oz. Loaded with Hornady factory 240gr XTP, this gun is superbly accurate!

Where weight of either the gun or the ammo isn't a factor (camping off the truck for example), I like the .44 Ruger Alaskan, loaded with one of the mid to very hot hardcast solid loads from Garrett or Buffalo Bore.

Defensive close range shooting in Grizzly, Moose, etc. country: Here I like the .454 Ruger Alaskan. It shoots Buffalo Bore 360 gr extremely nicely, and Garrett has a new 365 gr I have tested (soon to be released!), that is even hotter.

Of course, if I have the luxury of being able to have a long gun along, it is one of the .45-70 Marlin 1895 Guide Guns, again stoked with something heavy from Garrett or Buffalo Bore.

 

Have to say that I briefly owned a 4" .50 cal X-frame S&W. Did not keep it long! It had nothing to do with recoil, but had everything to do with the bulk and weight of the gun. Once you reach a certain size and weight in a handgun, you might as well just carry a rifle.