What is everyone's opinion of the perfect do all 10" Encore barrel for deer, bear, and elk hunting. I'm thinking of getting one from Gary Reeder as a Christmas present for myself.

The 500 S&W was my first thought, but some of his proprietary calibers look interesting to. Lets hear your opinions.

The thing to think about before going for a proprietary cartridge is that:

1. The brass will be more expensive if you can buy it.
2. You may have to make the brass yourself.
3. If you decide to take your gun into some foreign country, you may have to explain carefully why your cartridge headstamp is different than what is stamped on your gun.
4. There are plenty of suitable nonproprietary cartridges to serve your purposes.

As for particular cartridges, the 500 S&W would certainly be suitable for what you want to do but, when facing the same question, I got a 460 S&W barrel for its flatter trajectory (shots at the farm can be pretty long here in Ohio). The 375 JDJ (yes, you can get brass and loaded ammunition for it) would be another good choice. Then there is the 357 Herrett; the recoil is pretty light and brass is available for it. It's more of a Contender chambering though.

A 10 inch barrel is a handy length but you might consider another couple of inches since a 12 inch barrel is fairly handy as well. Then there is the question of a muzzel brake; if you aren't used to recoil, you might find the above cartridges abusive without one.

The 454 Casull or 480 Ruger would among be my first choice as a fella might be able to enjoy them without a muzzlebrake if he finds a comfortable grip that fits his hand. Depending on hunting conditions, and whether bear hunting means black bear or all bears, I expect even a properly loaded 44 magnum or 45 Colt would serve.

I didn't think to put this in the post, but I currently have a 14" 460 S&W (12" plus brake). I love this caliber, but it's just a pain to pack around because of that long barrel.

I like to carry the large hunting pistols in a vertical shoulder holster. This keeps them out of the way when I carry a rifle as well as the handgun. But since I'm not all that tall, I have to carry anything much longer than a 10" in a bandolier holster.

When I had a Contender, I played with a few different barrels: 30-30Win, 44mag, 357max, 7TCU, 45 Win mag, 45-70, and 375 JDJ. The 7TCU quickly became my go to barrel because it was the only 10" in the bunch. I loved the 45-70 and the 375JDJ, but only carried either of those if I didn't plan to take a rifle.

For the most part, the handguns come along as backup weapons. But after missing two chances at animals this year (one deer and one elk) because of my rifle barrel snagging on brush, I want to go back to hunting with a handgun in the thick, heavy stuff here in western Washington. I had the 14" 460S&W in the truck, but left it behind because it's a pain to carry accross my chest. With the shorter barrel, I can just put the hoster on, and forget about it.

I would go with the 410GNR. Plenty of power and its flat shooting as well. Gary's new 455GNR sounds like a very good option as well. Its the 475L necked down to 45 caliber. Both could be used without a muzzle brake and still be manageable.