Snub nose 44 magnum a waste?

pc.geek

pc.geek

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Is a 4 or 6 inch .357 better against 4 legged predators? I am not planning on hunting with it, but carrying for protection. Ruger Alaskan has 2.5 inch barrel. Taurus also made a model with a 2.5inch barrel. I will be carrying it for over 500 miles, possibly 1000 on foot. I have until next summer to make my purchase and get acquainted with it.

A shotgun is out of the question. I am thinking I should go with a 44mag with a 4 inch barrel, am I on the right track? Thanks for any input.
 
Here are some recent posts of glancing relevance:

.357-OR-.45-FOR-PROTECTION-AGAINST-BLACK-BEARS

As far as the length of the barrel, it really doesn't matter as far as power goes. The 4 incher may have a more impressive "flame ball", be easier to conceal, weigh less for long-term comfort, and be slightly less easy to aim accurately due to the shorter distance between sights. Frequent use and familiarity can curb that difference.

You mentioned .44 Magnum ...I'd take that over the .357 in a heartbeat ...though application would define that role. By four leggs, if you mean a grizzly bear ...well, read the thread.
 
Oh my god, EC is gonna snap!

Read this thread as well, as this has been covered about 5 times recently.
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php/97130-.40S-amp-W-vs.-the-bear

Wear a bear bell and get some bear mace! And don't plan on this thread being here much longer.

And not to be rude, this forum has a search function as well.
IBTL

Also, as has been stated by others, remove the front sight so when the bear stuffs it up your a** it doesn't hurt as much.
 
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brown bear defense..

put you hand and handgun into a picnic basket, right before he chomps the basket pull the trigger.

or bring a friend, works even if you can't out run your friend. take along a bottle of bear estrus pee sent, if you run into a bear throw the sent on your friend and run the other way.
 
Guess my post wasn't very clear.
Short barrel higher caliber vs. longer barrel lower caliber.

Bear spray is a given. Bear bells.....no thanks. I promise they can smell me long before they hear bells.
Decided on a 44 w/ 4 inch barrel. I was looking at models with barrels < 3 inches.

I did read the other thread, even posted in it. Thought this was different enough.
Thank you for responses.

Tried search, didnt see much.
 
pc.geek said:
Guess my post wasn't very clear.
Short barrel higher caliber vs. longer barrel lower caliber.

Bear spray is a given. Bear bells.....no thanks. I promise they can smell me long before they hear bells.
Decided on a 44 w/ 4 inch barrel. I was looking at models with barrels < 3 inches.

I did read the other thread, even posted in it. Thought this was different enough.
Thank you for responses.

Tried search, didnt see much.
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The bear bell is an audible alarm to help avoid bears. Them smelling you isn't nearly as effective.
If you must bring a firearm, I would suggest the largest caliber possible in at least a 4" tube.

If you have a bell and spray, you will have little need for a handgun. I have hiked, and even encountered bears, and have never even had to use my spray. Letting the bear know you are coming with a bell helps you avoid startling a protective bear, where as if he is upwind of you he will never smell you.
Using knowledge and taking precautions is far better defense than any weapon you can bring. I see no reason not to use a bear bell in bear country. It may suck to hear it, but it will suck more to be charged by a bear.

I researched this subject for a long time after I had a bear circle my tent several times one night while hiking(I was inside the tent). Every person I talked to never mentioned a gun.
 
edmorseiii said:
Why is everyone arming themselves against bears lately? Did I miss something?
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That's what I want to know. I have hiked for over 10 years, even had close encounters with black bears, and I still see little point to be armed while hiking. There are simpler, easier, and safer(legally and for the bear) solutions than bringing a gun. It is less effective than several other forms of protection, and far less effective than just educating yourself about bear avoidance and using your head.

Oh well, to each their own. I will never take a gun hiking for protection, as I have no need. I don't fear bears, and I am confident in my defense apparatus. I worry more about other humans more than animals myself, as I will trust an animal over someone I don't know.
 
Kenny474 said:
I will never take a gun hiking for protection, as I have no need.
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I will take a gun with me for protection from varmints anywhere it is legal. I'm more worried about 2-legged varmints than 4-legged varmints -- there's plenty of crime in the woods.
 
Right, I get CCW, because that's what you do everyday anyways. But taking up arms against Smokey the Bear is a bit different.
 
edmorseiii said:
Right, I get CCW, because that's what you do everyday anyways. But taking up arms against Smokey the Bear is a bit different.
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I disagree. For most of us, it is highly unlikely we will ever need to use our CCW gun against a 2-legged predator. But we take it with us because there is a small chance that our other, lesser measures (avoidance, command-voice, empty hand, OC spray, etc.) may not work.

It is highly unlikely that I would need to use deadly force against a black bear. Chances are, the bear will skedaddle as soon as he hears me. If he doesn't, bear spray will most likely work. But on rare occasion, black bears become predatory against people. It is highly unlikely that would happen to me, but it would really suck to be on the ground, with a bear snacking on my leg, thinking about all the usable handguns that I left in the safe because I thought I wouldn't need them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

You may decide that the odds of a black bear attack are so low that you won't bother to carry a gun to defend yourself from one. Others use the same reasoning for why they won't carry a gun to defend themselves against Mongo. Same reasoning, different goblin.
 
edmorseiii said:
Right, I get CCW, because that's what you do everyday anyways. But taking up arms against Smokey the Bear is a bit different.
Click to expand...

I think we are on the same wave length here. I was just saying, if you carry for self defense anyways, that is one thing. I think it would be kind of silly for me to carry a specific gun for the purpose of stopping a bear.
 
edmorseiii said:
I think we are on the same wave length here. I was just saying, if you carry for self defense anyways, that is one thing. I think it would be kind of silly for me to carry a specific gun for the purpose of stopping a bear.
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If I'm in bear country, I'm liable to be carrying a different gun than if I'm headed to the beach.
 
M1911 said:
If I'm in bear country, I'm liable to be carrying a different gun than if I'm headed to the beach.
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I can understand carrying, I have no problem with it, I agree with it 100%. But I feel there are better ways to deal with a black bear, bear spray being one. The stuff is brutally potent. But when I am hiking, I already have 60+ pounds of gear, and if I am going to bring anything firearm related it would be a .22, as it will be of great value in a survival situation. It's easy to cary a .22 and several hundred rounds, and would give me the ability to hunt small animals should the need arise. It also weighs far less than even a 4" 44mag. If I was to carry a 44 mag, that would add at least 4-5lbs between gun, holster and ammo. I would also have to carry it on a drop leg holster, as the belt strap on my pack would prohibit anything else. I just see the weight best used to carry other more useful things.

Now if I was heading off to Grizzly territory, I would have a monster mag pistol, as grizzly's are not timid like a blackie. I also wouldn't hike alone, as I often do around here, so it would be easier to share gear and lighten my load a bit.

And I also stated i am more worried about people than bears or other animals, that's why I carry a machete. I have a nice sheath that straps on my pack, and I can draw it rapidly, or just give them a hit of bear spray. Either way, they won't want to mess around for long. I just see no need to bear arms against a black bear. 95% of the time, if you piss one off enough to attack you, you weren't using the proper precautions. I have encountered a few, most a good distance away, and a quick blast from a pocket size air horn sends 'em runnin. The other circled my tent for 15 minutes in the middle of the night, and I could hear it sniffing and scratching around my tent. I will tell you straight up, it was the closest I have ever been to pissing myself. I was with my pastor from church (no, no funny stuff) and he was praying his ass off. I still don't fear them,and if that bear wanted a midnight snack I wouldn't be typing right now. Bears will do you no harm as long as you respect them. Let them know you are coming so they aren't startled and they will leave.
 
Kenny474 said:
95% of the time, if you piss one off enough to attack you, you weren't using the proper precautions.
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Whether you were at fault or not, would likely be of little comfort while Mr. blackie was chewing on your thigh.

Bears will do you no harm as long as you respect them.
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99.99% of the time, you are correct. The problem is that other 0.01% of the time. On occasion, black bears will consider people to be food. This isn't a bluff charge. This isn't because you surprised them. This isn't because you got too close to mama bear's cub. This isn't because you to brought food into your tent. This is because they're looking for a meal and decided that you looked tasty.

They will hunt down people and eat them. It is quite rare, but it does happen. Glena Ann Bradley, killed and eaten in TN. Denis Chrétien, stalked, killed, and eaten in Quebec. Jacqueline Perry, killed in a predatory attack in Ontario.

You can decide that the odds of such an attack are small enough, and bear spray is effective enough that it isn't worth carrying a gun. That's certainly a reasonable approach to take, and with the odds being as they are, almost assured to be successful.

But it isn't correct to assert that black bears are not dangerous if you just follow proper bear precautions. Certainly, following proper bear precautions is important. For 99.99% of bears, letting them know that you are there will cause them to skedaddle. But for that 0.01% of bears, letting them know you are there won't cause them to run away, because they are hunting you.

Kenny474 said:
Now if I was heading off to Grizzly territory, I would have a monster mag pistol, as grizzly's are not timid like a blackie.
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It is my understanding that black bears are more likely to be involved in predatory attacks than brown bears.
 
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Yes indeed a black bear will stalk and try to eat a human. Animal Planet had a special on it. One lady was mauled and had her scalp eaten by a black bear and only lived because someone nearby had a shotgun. She said she could hear the bear crunching her skull.

Bells and spray are one level of defense and effective 99% of the time. I would want a gun as my fallback.

The real question is will a 9mm stop a Chupracabra?
 
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Black bears are more likely to be involved in a predatory attack,as more people encounter them in the wild, but grizzly's are more likely to attack for various other reasons as most are not hunted and have no fear of humans. Only where grizzly's are hunted do they have a fear of humans. There are far fewer people in grizzly territory, so they have less contact than Black bears do, therefore many have not identified humans as predators and instead see us as prey. The exception is when black bears are fed by people or in national parks where they are not hunted. Then blackies don't fear us, and instead see us as a food source, hence the "don't feed the bears" signs you see at most parks that contain bears.

As far as the .01% chance I find a bear that isn't stopped by spray, I most likely won't be able to draw and fire quickly enough with enough accuracy to do much good.

Grizzly's will stand their ground far more often than a black bear, and in that event I would not hesitate to do whatever it took to defend myself. I would hope to have someone with me, and one of us spray it and the other open fire if it kept coming, and in that situation I want some firepower beyond .44mag. One of the S&W mags come to mind, as well as a shotgun.
 
Kenny474 said:
Only where grizzly's are hunted do they have a fear of humans.
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Actually, in some parts of Alaska, where brown bears are hunted, brown bears move towards the sound of gunfire, hoping to chase hunters away from a downed moose.

As far as the .01% chance I find a bear that isn't stopped by spray, I most likely won't be able to draw and fire quickly enough with enough accuracy to do much good.
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If a black bear has you down on the ground and is snacking on your thigh, would you rather be able to draw your handgun, stick it into his side, and pull the trigger? Or you would you rather be able to just pound on his snout with your fists?

in that situation I want some firepower beyond .44mag. One of the S&W mags come to mind, as well as a shotgun.
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More than a few Alaska hunters have been attacked so quickly from thick brush that they were unable to bring their long gun to bear, so to speak. That's why they also carry a handgun.
 
If he is already snacking on me, I may save the pistol for myself! But I do see your point. It's just not my thing. I don't really worry about it, and if I get eaten, so be it. I may take my millennium .45 with me this year, but I will have to try it on a short hike to see if it's even comfortable. But after 10 years and countless miles of not needing it, I may just leave it home. I don't own anything bigger, so a .45 with some hardball will have to do.
 
I understand and respect your reasoning. It is significant extra weight that you are unlikely to need.
 

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