Posted: 8/30/2010 10:26:19 AM EDT
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So next year I'll be headed up to Alaska to visit my uncle. He lives in bear country and I have a question on what to bring/buy for defense.
The two heaviest hitting guns in my armory are my .300 win mag and my mossy 12g.(I've heard Brenneke 3" Black Magic were the way to go.) 
By the time I head up there I should have enough saved up to buy either a marlin 45-70 ( That my uncles keeps trying to talk me into) or a .44mag wheel gun. My question for the hive is would you take, One of the long guns I have and buy a .44mag or buy the 45-70? I'm a poor college student so there's no buy both option. Also the only other pistol I have is a xd9. EDIT for clarification I'm talking about a 45/70 lever gun and a .44 mag revolver |
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Quoted:
So next year I'll be headed up to Alaska to visit my uncle. He lives in bear country and I have a question on what to bring/buy for defense. The two heaviest hitting guns in my armory are my .300 win mag and my mossy 12g.(I've heard Brenneke 3" Black Magic were the way to go.) http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a335/punkaf/PART_1283190929151.jpg By the time I head up there I should have enough saved up to buy either a marlin 45-70 ( That my uncles keeps trying to talk me into) or a .44mag wheel gun. My question for the hive is would you take, One of the long guns I have and buy a .44mag or buy the 45-70? I'm a poor college student so there's no buy both option. Also the only other pistol I have is a xd9. What you going to be doing? 12 gauge will be fine with slugs. Post this in the Alaska+Hawaii htf for more responses. 
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I agree with the 12ga suggestion. My only minor point it that the 2 3/4" Brennneke Black magic slugs are a better choice. It's not the recoil of the 3" that is an issue, it's the ability to be back on target as soon as possible. The 2 3/4" slugs have more than enough oomph to achieve a stop on bears. That's what I keep my 870 stoked with for just that reason. If you do decide to buy either the 45/70 or the .44, in terms of stopping a bear hellbent upon your destruction, the 45/70 will serve you better.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
So next year I'll be headed up to Alaska to visit my uncle. He lives in bear country and I have a question on what to bring/buy for defense. The two heaviest hitting guns in my armory are my .300 win mag and my mossy 12g.(I've heard Brenneke 3" Black Magic were the way to go.) http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a335/punkaf/PART_1283190929151.jpg By the time I head up there I should have enough saved up to buy either a marlin 45-70 ( That my uncles keeps trying to talk me into) or a .44mag wheel gun. My question for the hive is would you take, One of the long guns I have and buy a .44mag or buy the 45-70? I'm a poor college student so there's no buy both option. Also the only other pistol I have is a xd9. What you going to be doing? 12 gauge will be fine with slugs. Post this in the Alaska+Hawaii htf for more responses.
just hiking around and what not, maybe some fishing. Not bear hunting just pertection just in case we come across a grizzly and her cubs or something. |
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Quoted:
I agree with the 12ga suggestion. My only minor point it that the 2 3/4" Brennneke Black magic slugs are a better choice. It's not the recoil of the 3" that is an issue, it's the ability to be back on target as soon as possible. The 2 3/4" slugs have more than enough oomph to achieve a stop on bears. That's what I keep my 870 stoked with for just that reason. If you do decide to buy either the 45/70 or the .44, in terms of stopping a bear hellbent upon your destruction, the 45/70 will serve you better. Thanks for the advice. My thought was if I take my 12g then I can buy a .44 as a back up Or buy a 45/70 and no pistol. I like the idea of have a second chance with a pistol though. |
| If you go the guide gun route, either reload or buy the loads from Buffalo Bore ammo. Regular factory stuff for 45-70 is pretty weak because of all the old Trapdoor Springfields out there. Buffalo Bore makes loadings using up to a 500 grain bullet, a genuine smasher. |
It's not very often that I find myself in a situation where I feel I need to be armed for bear but when I do I carry a Ruger Redhawk .44 in a chest holster. And I get out in bear habitat fairly often. I don't see the need to lug a shottie or 45-70 all the way up here. Travel light......
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I have shot a treed blcak bear with a 44 mag. The shot was to the neck and resulted in a severed jugular, blood spurting out and everything. It took the bear a bit over a minute to die. So if you are planning on using a 44 Mag pistol for bear protection, I suggest that you file off the front site so it does not hurt too much when the bear shoves it up where the sun does not shine.
When doing field work in Alaska, we use either a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs or 375 H&H. A 30-06 with 200 gr bullets would be a minimum. A a good sling is a must! A long gun is a pain to carry but if you ever really need to use it... You will be very happy to have a rifle instead of a pistol. P.S. I know the women that got mauled by a black bear about 20 years ago in Alaska while doing field work. She lost both arms. That is why I do not mess around with pistols any more. |
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i would just toss the shotgun over ur shoulder and go have fun and do some fishing. if you have problems with a bear ur not going to get a lot of shooting time. go with the shotgun and have plenty of power and spend your money on another gun u will shoot more in ur home state.
stuck |
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I take it you're not going up ther to hunt. So, leave the bolt gun at home. Take the shotgun with slugs for a long gun. But things being as they are, you cannot always have a long gun in your hands. So a large bore handgun would be the backup. .44 mag is good. So is the aforementioned .45 Colt. Then again, so is the .41 mag. As mentioned, you can load or buy .45 colt rounds that hit harder than .44 mag, but really it's pretty academic. Even handgun rounds like the .454 casull or .500 S&W won't hit as hard as the shotgun with slugs, but any of the listed rounds is better than fingernails, and teeth.
Consider this, if you do buy a handgun, will you use it in the future? It seems silly (especially on a student's budget) to buy an expensive handgun that won't be used again. |