Ruger Alaskan

[JosERW]

I'm looking to get a gun for protection while hunting and also something that is just, well, cool. The Ruger Alaskan caught my eye. Last year when I was deer hunting a bobcat and her cubs basically came within arms reach of my ground blind. Luckily she wanted nothing to do with me and after her cubs passed by she went on her way. Got me thinking I need something with a little more kick than a 45.

Anyway, here's my dilemma: 44 mag or 454 casull?

With cast bullets I know the 44 is probably sufficient for anything I might come into contact with in NY, but the 454 is just cool and you can also shoot 45 colt through it.

Just looking for opinions. I've never shot a 454 before so I have no experience with the kind of recoil I'd be looking at but for shooting at the range I'd put 45 colts through it anyway.

Also I was reading about "crimp jump" with the 454 but from what I've read as long as you use ammunition from a reputable company it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Podmonkey]

What's tour recoil tolerance? What sort of animals would you expect to run afoul of? .454 can take down just about anything that walks or crawls within its range limitations. But recoil is very high. I shot a Super redhawk in .454 once and I found it unpleasant. But I don't have a lot of revolver experience either.

 

[Celt]

I have the same gun in 44 Mag. I chose 44 over 454 Casull because of the availability of ammunition. 44 mag and 44 special are more common. But pick your poison. I still need to pick up a nice 44 mag lever gun to complement it.

Here is a crappy picture of mine. Gunsick cerakoted it for me.

Oh, and Buffalo Bore make some super hot ammo for it. 340 grain with about 1700 foot pounds of muzzle energy.

 

[JosERW]

I suppose the worse thing I would encounter in NY would be a black bear. I've never shot a 454 before so I have no comparison for what the recoil would be like.

I wouldn't spend all day at the range shooting 454's like I said. I wish there was someplace to try them both.

 

[JosERW]

I have the same gun in 44 Mag. I chose 44 over 454 Casull because of the availability of ammunition. 44 mag and 44 special are more common. But pick your poison. I still need to pick up a nice 44 mag lever gun to complement it.

Here is a crappy picture of mine. Gunsick cerakoted View attachment 1795 it for me.

Oh, and Buffalo Bore make some super hot ammo for it. 340 grain with about 1700 foot pounds of muzzle energy.

And you like it? Recoil is tolerable?

I've actually found 45 colt to be more available than 44 special.

 

[Podmonkey]

.44 mag would be plenty for black bear I imagine.

 

[Bananabandit]

Of the 2, id pick 44mag. But im more 460 myself

 

[JosERW]

Of the 2, id pick 44mag. But im more 460 myself

May I ask why you wouldn't want the 454?

 

[Greywolf224]

Honestly the .454 is way over kill for protection. Buy it because you want to have it just because.....
I carried a SW .41 mag for many years than switched out to .357 mag when in the woods. Nothing that's 2 or 4 legged is going to survive a well placed shot from 357 and I can steady up and send a follow-up shot much faster if needed.

 

[Celt]

I'll be honest, I don't even shoot 44 special. 44 Mag Target ammo is reasonably priced and plentiful. The Recoil from that ammo is quite mild.

Now The Recoil from the Buffalo Bore ammo I mentioned above it's like a sledgehammer, but I still enjoy shooting that too.

And I have no idea why speech to text is capitalizing some words so please don't mind the grammar.

 

[Bananabandit]

May I ask why you wouldn't want the 454?

For a snubnose, the 44 will be a handful. 454 may not be as comfortable to shoot. Plus ammo for 454 over 44 is bit more expensive

 

[Marine Cpl]

Have you considered the Governor?

You get .410 Slugs, .45 Acp, and .45 Long Colt all in one.

Buffalo Bore also makes stout Flat Nosed Hard Cast loads for both the Colt and the Acp.

 

[meketrefe]

IMO I think it will be hard to justify anything above 357 or even 10 rounds of 10mm with that kind of barrel.
I have the 44 magnum full length and it is very hard to control with Buffalo Bore loads.
The 10mm is prett lethal yet manageable. If I was going to carry the 44mag then I would definitely
take my large frame 44 and the extra bulk and weight and live with it.

More times than not, less is more in the end.

 

[Bananabandit]

So glad I have a Glock 40, Governor and S&W 460. Options are nice.

 

[Celt]

The logic behind me buying the snub nose 44 was God forbid I had to deal with a bear at close range. And maybe it's just me, but the standard 44 mag 240 grain loads are easy to control and I'm plenty accurate with at 25 yards.

But like Meke said above it's hard to justify anything over 357 for around these parts. A hot 357 or even a 10 millimeter is plenty to deal with black bear. Butt I got the Alaskan just because I wanted it not because it was the most practical.

 

[Marine Cpl]

I agree with Meke. An autoloader that's controllable with 10 rounds of 10mm trumps a hard recoiling 5 shot revolver that'll slow down your follow up shot acquisition.

 

[Celt]

I agree with Meke. An autoloader that's controllable with 10 rounds of 10mm trumps a hard recoiling 5 shot revolver that'll slow down your follow up shot acquisition.

The only downside to a semi-auto is in a worst-case scenario that you were on the ground, a bear was on top of you and you need to push it right into the animal. Now that may not be very likely, but it was a consideration as to why I chose a revolver for that Duty.

 

[Deplorable Me]

The only downside to a semi-auto is in a worst-case scenario that you were on the ground, a bear was on top of you and you need to push it right into the animal. Now that may not be very likely, but it was a consideration as to why I chose a revolver for that Duty.

If the bear was on top they might be engaged.

 

[Celt]

If the bear was on top they might be engaged.

Just envision a scene as portrayed in the movie " the revenant".

 

[Podmonkey]

IMO I think it will be hard to justify anything above 357 or even 10 rounds of 10mm with that kind of barrel.
I have the 44 magnum full length and it is very hard to control with Buffalo Bore loads.
The 10mm is prett lethal yet manageable. If I was going to carry the 44mag then I would definitely
take my large frame 44 and the extra bulk and weight and live with it.

More times than not, less is more in the end.

In a state like NY where the biggest predator would be black bear (cougars?) I think a Glock 20 would be a great option. In an area where Alaskan brown bears roam...... I think I'd just stay near the plane actually.

 

[VietnamEraVet]

I recently picked up an unfired S&W 460XVR for a great price. Not sure that I would ever need it though! Still want to pick up a nice stainless S&W .44mag with either a 4" or 6" barrel, - then again, why not one of each!

 

[Deplorable Me]

Just envision a scene as portrayed in the movie " the revenant".

With or without the ring?

 

[Celt]

With or without the ring?

Damn, you lost me there bro. Worked a 24 hr shift yesterday). im talking about the bear attack scene..

 

[Different Drummer]

.45 Colt in a Redhawk if you like DA or a Blackhawk if you like SA.
Commercial ammo is available for what you want as well as plenty of "play" ammo.
Just make sure it is a Ruger or equivalent custom revolver for the hot loads.
You could even get one with an extra cylinder that will fire the .45 ACP that you already have.
My assumption as a .45 was mentioned in the OP

 

[Deplorable Me]

S&W 686+ with a 2" or 3" barrel. 7 rounds .357. 158gr JSP. Very controllable and reduced weight. I hike in the southern tier of NY south east of Ellicottville on state land and carry my SP101 with 5 rounds. My brother has taken deer with a GP100, single shot 6" barrel, same bullet. Black bear okay. Grizzly go for the .44.

In NY coy dogs are a bigger pain in the ass than black bears.

 

[RandallOfLegend]

would a 357 magnum with some good hard cast 180+ grain projectiles be sufficient to defend yourself against the bears we see in NY?

 

[Marine Cpl]

If a 9mm killed a Grizzly in Alaska, I'm sure any caliber from 9mm on up loaded with Hard Cast Flat Points would do the job.

Alaska Outfitter Defends Fishermen from Raging Grizzly with 9mm Pistol

 

[togmaster]

If a 9mm killed a Grizzly in Alaska, I'm sure any caliber from 9mm on up loaded with Hard Cast Flat Points would do the job.

Alaska Outfitter Defends Fishermen from Raging Grizzly with 9mm Pistol

Would you bet your life on that?

 

[Phauxtoe]

Get it in 44 mag, i look for ammo all the time and have seen 454 casull Only a few times.
about the same amount of times i have seen 44 special!

44 is an amazingly powerful round. Check out what it does to Ballistic gel!

 

[meketrefe]

would a 357 magnum with some good hard cast 180+ grain projectiles be sufficient to defend yourself against the bears we see in NY?

Possibly. 180gr is a lot of lead and high SD in 35 cal.
But one has to question the efficiency of the 357 (like many other rounds) in short revolvers unlike other rounds that were specifically designed for short barrels. Specially when you have powerful and super reliable 10rd auto-loaders.