Hand guns for Bear Insurance

If you must have a pistol ... Ruger’s Super Redhawk Alaskan .454 Casull

-Allen

Sawed off 12 gauge pump with a pistol grip.
Just like Piscean said, the first with shot, the rest with slugs.


Sawed off with a pistol grip is of course illegal, but can be concealed in camping gear and handy to swing into action in close quarters like trees, or inside your tent...

Sweet dreams
Hope you never need to use it.

Stoggie

Dan Wesson 44mag if you are going to be fishing you want something you won't set down

yeah, the shotgun is no doubt a power house, but lugging that around to fish isn't fun. Might as well get that S&W .50  or the .50 desert eagle.

But, like Stoggie said, hope ya never need it.

Some say only carry what you can shoot accurately and quickly.

Mooch,
My sister has lived in Alaska for the past 15 years. I just gave her a call and asked her your question and this was her response:

"The idea of the judge is great but in reality the 410 is only going to piss off the bear and if you have enough life left to shoot him with the 45 than you will have an angry bear with a tooth ache chewing on you.
The only way to stop a Grizzly from attacking is to STOP a GRIZLY.
The best choice would be a large caliber like S&W 500 or a 460"

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11101&storeId=10001&productId=44954&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=15707&isFirearm=Y

She said her preference was for the 460 because it shoots flatter.

In Glacier national park they would offer bells to the tourists that came to hike, they would tie them on there shoes. of course you don't need bells, but a little noisie goes a long way when tooling around in the brush.

They say the same thing in AK. They sell tons of those bear bells during the summer.
 Then you get the old question:

Q: "how can you tell brown bear scat from black bear scat?"
A: "the brown bear scat has little bells in it"
 

BUT, I agree with Porky. My only run in with a bear was because I didn't see it & was being stealthy.

Eric, I like the 460 - looks like it's got the stopping power and I like the fact that it's compact and way easier to carry around compared to a shotgun. It's a lot of money but if it will protect me (hopefully) then I think it's worth it.

Thanks for the tips fellas - I do hope I wouldn't have to fire a single shot, but I'd rather be safe, alive and in one piece than dead....or even worse, partially alive and badly mangled


Sean...thanks for giving me the books thats giving me the nightmares. I almost stabbed my dog with a letter opener after he licked my face early in the morning....I almost had mistaken him for a hungry baby bear 

I'll preface my comments with I don't know a darn thing about hunting and guns or Alaska for that matter, but I was thinking along the lines of Mickfish and Porky:

if you are going to be fishing you want something you won't set down

yeah, the shotgun is no doubt a power house, but lugging that around to fish isn't fun.

But, like Stoggie said, hope ya never need it.

+1

Mooch,

You should still check out that Ruger’s Super Redhawk Alaskan .454 Casull I mentioned.  It was made specifically for bear stopping, is more compact (because of a shorter barrel), and is 1/2 the price.

In the Ketchikan area, most of the bears you'll run into are blacks.  Occasionally you'll run into a grizzly on the mainland.  These still aren't as large as the brown bears further north in Alaska.

-Allen

Whatever you decide on, practice, practice, practice.

I'll definitely take a safety course and educate my self even more before I even think of making a purchase.

Thanks for the tips - keep 'em coming

Best tip of the day other then practice, practice, practice,...when you are practicing, use a life sized pic of Rosie O'Donnell, if that does not strike fear as in you just as a spooked a bear would, you have something wrong with you. 

go for the heart lung shot. 

Shotgun, pain in the ass to carry while fishing and hard to get into position if you're the one to get surprised.
.454, .50, .460,  are some really (really) expensive firearms.

For an extremely powerful handgun, look at the Rugers (single action if you really want to save a buck) in either 44 mag, or 45 Long Colt, (custom loaded for the .45, the ruger models can handle hotter .45 loads than standard over the counter ammo). These common readily available calibers have impressive ballistics without the price tags of some of the realtive "super powered" newcomers. (relative newcomer depends on how old you are)

Just my 2 cents, of course if price is no object, then yeah read the ballistics charts and get the big one.....

I will agree that the S&W460v is a bit pricy, But you are talking about a gun to carry on a daily basis and it is also versatile with which ammo you could shoot:

•The World's Most Versatile Big Bore Revolver
◦A Great Hunting Gun For Large Game
◦An Intimidating Personal Protection Gun
◦Fires .460 S&W Magnum, .454 Casull and .45 Colt
•2100 Ft/Sec Muzzle Velocity
•Gain Twist Rifling For Accuracy and Velocity
•Low Perceived Recoil With All Loads
•Includes Two Rear Sights to Allow for Precise Targeting With All Chamberings

Also remember in Alaska when in remote areas it is legal to carry your sidearm in full view on say a thigh holster

High caliber revolver - max firepower, min chance of failure, you may not get a chance to get it right the second time.

Rent the original Dirty Harry movie for guidance! 

Been false charged by a grizz, came across a "solo" griz cub another time, been charged by a black bear - memorable but not fun.

Lot of good bear attacks on You Tube - Good luck Mooch! 

One more vote for the 12 guage pump action.  I saw the remington 870 express on sale for $329 at big five the other day. If you don't have much experience shooting handguns you will be hardpressed to stop a charging bear.

I would keep the magazine full of slugs myself. No reason you can't make a warning shot with a slug if you need to. If you get a hunting license you could also bring along a couple of rounds of birdshot to harvest a ptarmigan or grouse for the table.

I've heard good things about pepper spray as well. If nothing else you could at least give the bear some indigestion after their meal.


-Eliot

Joel, you don't need a gun for bear insurance you need a buddy to go with you....a slow and smelly buddy. Maybe your buddy would be unknowingly packing some berries and smoked salmon in his tackle box too....