I have moose/brown bear hunt coming in September. I feel like I need a sidearm. I'm looking at a revolver in 460 S&W. Is this practical or is 44 Mag a better idea?

Since you are out of state you will have a guide. I'd skip the added weight of the handgun.

Only time I carry one now is recreational hiking or if hunting with one rifle (Joyce and I share sometimes).

Your mileage may vary. That said, I carry a 10mm when I do carry.

Jim

I used a 45/70 T/C Contender for several, then a 450 Marlin BFG but think the best is 454 Casull Raging Bull. This was written 21 years ago by pro gun testers & nothings changed but the ammo's 20% hotter. I have the lever action also & love all 3
I have Glock 10mms also but they don't hold a candle to the Raging Bulls.https://www.gun-tests.com/hand...-real-world-utility/

Your rifle will be in your hands. Use it.
If your in a place where a bear attack is likely, you'll already have your hands full of rifle. If you're butchering moose and might have a bear move in on you, your rifle will be right next to you. Fill your hands with rifle.
Your guide will be on 24/7-365, " don't let anything happen to you!" If there a bear around, they'll undoubtedly beat you to it.
I'd bring a reasonable size rifle and nothing else.

I am guessing you do not have much handgun experience. Other wise you wouldn't be asking.

Sounds like you want one as a secondary weapon not a primary hunting arm.

Here is a good read on handguns and bears.

https://www.ammoland.com/2020/...-cases-97-effective/

There are dozens of models and the most popular calibers are 357mag, 41mag, 10mm, 44mag.

The real big mags like the 454, 460S@W and the 500S@W work also but for a new hand gun shooter take a longer learning curve.

When I am rifle hunting I like my Ti.41mag at 27oz.

I carry a handgun everyday just because that is what I do.

Humping up and down the mountains with a full weight 44 or bigger can be a drag.

The best holster and suspension system is a must.

If you haven't carried a handgun a lot before it takes trial and error to find the best rig.

I have boxes full of holsters.

If you really are set on carrying a handgun and do not own one. You still have time to acquire one and learn to carry and shoot it.

Might be hard to find one in todays market.

Go to a gun store handle many different ones and if possible shoot them.

Find a instructor that can instruct you in proper handgun shooting.

You might find you don't want the extra weight and hassle.

Or the opposite might happen.

To bad you are so far from Wis.

Or I would offer you my services as a instructor.

I have decades of instructing expertise I have/hold instructor certificates for Handgun, rifle and shotgun.

From 3 different certifying organizations.

Good luck in your quest but is just not as simple as wanting to carry.

If one wants to make the best choice and be effective.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
Your rifle will be in your hands. Use it.
If your in a place where a bear attack is likely, you'll already have your hands full of rifle. If you're butchering moose and might have a bear move in on you, your rifle will be right next to you. Fill your hands with rifle.
Your guide will be on 24/7-365, " don't let anything happen to you!" If there a bear around, they'll undoubtedly beat you to it.
I'd bring a reasonable size rifle and nothing else.

+1

you're wasting your money. do what scott king says

quote:

Originally posted by devere:
you're wasting your money. do what scott king says

I take it you do not own any handguns or more then one rifle.

Because they are a waste of money.

Need, want and desire are 3 different things.

Need went away with my first 4 firearms.


Want and desire are the reasons I own dozens.

Want and need, a never ending subject. Ditto on what Scott said.

Dave

22 years guiding brown bear hunters. I don’t carry a sidearm

Phil? Your thoughts?

quote:

but think the best is 454 Casull Raging Bull

x2

I'd say listen to the Alaska fellows here, Jim, Jake, and Scott. I'm sure Phil will weigh in as well and I'll bet he's going to advise against carrying the extra weight.

I don't have a lot of brown / griz experience but what little I do have tells me the best bet is being alert to your situation ... like when butchering a downed animal.

I remember on my first cape buff hunt in 2006, I had listened to all the dangerous game hype of these great beasts. I didn't want to get out of the truck unless I had my rifle in hand! LOL, well, maybe not that bad but close. You quickly learn that although dangerous game animals are definitely dangerous, that danger is largely circumstance based. Avoid those circumstances and you'll be fine. Find yourself in one of those circumstances; keep your rifle handy and head on a swivel.

I never rely on the guide to save my bacon as I always want to be fully capable of handling the situation myself, but the fact that your guide will be with you, with a second rifle, is a better back up than any hog leg.

That said, I like to play Cowboy as much as the next guy! I do have a FA 454. Carried it on my 1998 Moose / Caribou hunt ... the first day!! Left it in camp after that.

RSIMMONS

You do not need to pack a handgun when hunting. I lived in the same place that Scott King does for 22 years. That area may have the highest density of brown bears in Alaska. I had several handguns during that time but left them in camp or at home when hunting. Unless you are hunting with or packing a handgun only a handgun will be a total PIA. If you want an excuse to buy a new gun go for it but you don't need a handgun for your hunt.

Enjoy your hunt!

Mark

The only time I carry a handgun is when I am not carrying a long gun. If a person can not fix a problem with a rifle, they are certainly not likely to do so with a pistol

So here is the scenario I had in mind; I get up in the morning and head to the outhouse. I have toilet paper in one hand and feel like I might need a pistol in the other. So, in this case, is a 460 S&W appropriate?

quote:

Originally posted by RSIMMONS:
So here is the scenario I had in mind; I get up in the morning and head to the outhouse. I have toilet paper in one hand and feel like I might need a pistol in the other. So, in this case, is a 460 S&W appropriate?

I wouldn't.
The bears in my opinion are opportunists.

If you're in camp and headed for the Outhouse, your also with planes/ horses/ atvs, other humans, maybe dogs and campfires, outboard jet skiffs, woodstoves lanterns and loud white men.
All very bear unappetizing.

A bear in camp is possible but you see my point?
An opportunistic bear looking for an easy meal thinks your camp is a major pain in the butt.

Toilet paper in one hand, baby wipes in the other.

When I Bear hunted at Cold Bay my guide wanted me to have at least a .357 Mag on me while I hunted. He said if the Bear got to me the first thing he would do if I didn't kill him was swat the rifle out of my hands and then maul me. He said if the Bear got me down to put the pistol in his mouth and shoot him. I managed to take a 9.5 ft Bear on the third day and was proud of the pistol the whole hunt. If I ever go back I will follow the same procedure. Good Shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by RSIMMONS:
So here is the scenario I had in mind; I get up in the morning and head to the outhouse. I have toilet paper in one hand and feel like I might need a pistol in the other. So, in this case, is a 460 S&W appropriate?

Yes a 460S@W X frame would do the job mention.

If you haven't handled one is big and heavy.

Carry a handgun if you want.

Don't carry one if you do not want to.

I agree with Jim (Frostbit).
If I'm hunting I carry a long gun, not a sidearm. If I don't have a long gun I carry a side arm. For years I've carried a 44 S&W in a shoulder rig, but I have switched to a 10mm. I carry it with 10 rounds, keeping it as light as possible. It delivers a massive amount of killing power in seconds with fairly light recoil. With the revolver I'd get one shot and trying to recover my sight plain took seconds. The 454 or 460 is even worst than the 44, not to mention much heavier.
Rely on your guide and your long gun, you won't miss that sidearm at all.

quote:

Originally posted by phurley5:
When I Bear hunted at Cold Bay my guide wanted me to have at least a .357 Mag on me while I hunted. He said if the Bear got to me the first thing he would do if I didn't kill him was swat the rifle out of my hands and then maul me. He said if the Bear got me down to put the pistol in his mouth and shoot him. I managed to take a 9.5 ft Bear on the third day and was proud of the pistol the whole hunt. If I ever go back I will follow the same procedure. Good Shooting.

Who was this guide?

quote:

Originally posted by RSIMMONS:
So here is the scenario I had in mind; I get up in the morning and head to the outhouse. I have toilet paper in one hand and feel like I might need a pistol in the other. So, in this case, is a 460 S&W appropriate?

Our family Homestead in Alaska is within a National Wildlife Refuge, surrounded by federally designated wilderness and situated in the densest population of Brown bears in the state, and probably the entire world !
For over forty years My entire family and hundreds of guests wander to the outhouse with nothing in our hands stronger than a cup of coffee !
And over the years we have run into a few bears ! Fortunately they don't seem to care for coffee.

I have seen a lot of bush outhouses with an old gun in them, I spend a lot of time running my jet boats up remote rivers I tend to spend more time
unarmed but aware of my surroundings. Has worked for 32 plus years.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:

quote:

Originally posted by RSIMMONS:
So here is the scenario I had in mind; I get up in the morning and head to the outhouse. I have toilet paper in one hand and feel like I might need a pistol in the other. So, in this case, is a 460 S&W appropriate?

Our family Homestead in Alaska is within a National Wildlife Refuge, surrounded by federally designated wilderness and situated in the densest population of Brown bears in the state, and probably the entire world !
For over forty years My entire family and hundreds of guests wander to the outhouse with nothing in our hands stronger than a cup of coffee !
And over the years we have run into a few bears ! Fortunately they don't seem to care for coffee.

I don't think you will find a better person that is qualified to offer this advice than Phil Shoemaker when a NON resident client is booked for brown bear in Alaska. In that case I don't think one needs a hand gun at all. However, that advice doesn't apply when hunting without a guide for caribou and moose in a fly in drop off camp alone or with a friend.
In that case I always have a .41 Mag Rugar Black hawk when hunting on my own, and around camp when doing camp work, like cooking, or sleeping in my tent, or fishing along a river, or cutting up a downed moose with the rifle out of reach, on a lake shore. In those type things one often has his/her hands full. I carry the 41 Mag in a chest tanker rig just inside my rain gear, and have it handy in my tent at night. At 84 years of age I didn't get that old being careless. A pistol is not a brown bear firearm but it Sure beats hell out of a my fists.
....................................if hunting brown bear with a guide, then that is a different matter! MacD37

quote:

A pistol is not a brown bear firearm but it Shure beats hell out of a my fists.

Again I refer you to this. If you haven't read it all ready.

https://www.ammoland.com/2020/...-cases-97-effective/

Oh and by the way ask Phil. how a 9mm works on charging brown bears.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

A pistol is not a brown bear firearm but it Shure beats hell out of a my fists.

Again I refer you to this. If you haven't read it all ready.

https://www.ammoland.com/2020/...-cases-97-effective/

Oh and by the way ask Phil. how a 9mm works on charging brown bears.

And if things get really bad, you can always shoot yourself.

Grizz

quote:

And if things get really bad, you can always shoot yourself.

Right after you filed off the front sight.

Keep it simple. If you get eaten by a bear going to the outhouse,you'll be a legend.

quote:

Originally posted by HAY-MAN:
Keep it simple. If you get eaten by a bear going to the outhouse,you'll be a legend.

I guess these people are legends.


https://www.nydailynews.com/ne...ip-article-1.1083952

https://www.greatfallstribune....r-canyon/5209814002/

https://www.washingtonpost.com...bat-with-black-bear/

quote:

Originally posted by HAY-MAN:
Keep it simple. If you get eaten by a bear going to the outhouse,you'll be a legend.

I've only been in Alaska hunting brown bear once. I used to guide in Montana a long time ago. On that hunt a 3 year old approx 7' bear walked up to my guide while he was taking his morning constitutional. A few days later a larger sow and two cubs did the same thing to him. He had his rifle with him for good reason.

quote:

I've only been in Alaska hunting brown bear once. I used to guide in Montana a long time ago. On that hunt a 3 year old approx 7' bear walked up to my guide while he was taking his morning constitutional. A few days later a larger sow and two cubs did the same thing to him. He had his rifle with him for good reason.

A sure cure for constipation.

Dave

For those of you suffering badly from a severe bout of bearanoia, I have the perfect handgun for you. No wimpy 9mm !
It's an AMT V, automag 50AE with three boxes of Buffalo Bore ammo.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
For those of you suffering badly from a severe bout of bearanoia, I have the perfect handgun to sell you. No wimpy 9mm !
It's an AMT V, automag 50AE with three boxes of Buffalo Bore ammo.

458
You better be careful where you mention anything for sale on this website . We now have a New Self Proclaimed Internet Cop on this website that goes by the name of “Prairie Dog Shooter”. You too should be policed by him soon!

Per PDS , the new AR internet COP , he is very concerned anything is mentioned for sale outside of the “ Classified Adds”. Just ask me, I got a ticket from him this morning.

It was tongue in cheek but as sensitive as some folks are now days I will reword it.

quote:

It's an AMT V, automag 50AE with three boxes of Buffalo Bore ammo.

I am sure it would work.

Having shot the desert eagle in 50AE the 500S@W in 4" and longer barrels X-frames, Having fired full house 454's, owning, carried, hunted with my 460S@W, TC in 45-70.

For non-handgun hunting purposes I prefer smaller guns with less recoil.

As the amount of ammo needed 3 box's would be a good amount to start with, when learning how to use your new handgun.

I personally carry A lot less when in the woods.

quote:

Originally posted by 4WD:

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
For those of you suffering badly from a severe bout of bearanoia, I have the perfect handgun to sell you. No wimpy 9mm !
It's an AMT V, automag 50AE with three boxes of Buffalo Bore ammo.

458
You better be careful where you mention anything for sale on this website . We now have a New Self Proclaimed Internet Cop on this website that goes by the name of “Prairie Dog Shooter”. You too should be policed by him soon!

Per PDS , the new AR internet COP , he is very concerned anything is mentioned for sale outside of the “ Classified Adds”. Just ask me, I got a ticket from him this morning.

There ain't nothing this guy don't know; he is the "Martha Stewart" of AR

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
The only time I carry a handgun is when I am not carrying a long gun. If a person can not fix a problem with a rifle, they are certainly not likely to do so with a pistol

You are 100% correct. Also, with a pistol hiding somewhere in bulky clothes, you stand a chance of shooting yourself will just moving about or if you attempt to draw it in a moment of panic...

quote:

You are 100% correct. Also, with a pistol hiding somewhere in bulky clothes, you stand a chance of shooting yourself will just moving about or if you attempt to draw it in a moment of panic...

Totally BS.

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:

quote:

Originally posted by HAY-MAN:
Keep it simple. If you get eaten by a bear going to the outhouse,you'll be a legend.

I've only been in Alaska hunting brown bear once. I used to guide in Montana a long time ago. On that hunt a 3 year old approx 7' bear walked up to my guide while he was taking his morning constitutional. A few days later a larger sow and two cubs did the same thing to him. He had his rifle with him for good reason.

This seems like a good time to have a handgun 'in hand'.

The ony use I see is save the last shot for yourself, cause all thats left is the sad singing!