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Originally posted by tsturm:

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Originally posted by 458Win:
There are an awful lot of misconceptions about Alaska, it's game and conditions perpetuated by those who have never experienced it !

Ignored post by p dog shooter Best feature on this site

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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Originally posted by tsturm:

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Originally posted by 458Win:
There are an awful lot of misconceptions about Alaska, it's game and conditions perpetuated by those who have never experienced it !

Ignored post by p dog shooter Best feature on this site

I have always found the the best arguments start with personnel attacks and ignoring the facts. /s/

But each to their own.

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Originally posted by Cougarz:
Well if I had to make a choice of sidearm I'd probably use my Ruger Singlesix Bisley in .22 RF. Just in case I ran into an aggressive grouse or ptarmigan of course!

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Originally posted by Scott King:

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Originally posted by Cougarz:
Well if I had to make a choice of sidearm I'd probably use my Ruger Singlesix Bisley in .22 RF. Just in case I ran into an aggressive grouse or ptarmigan of course!

I thought about that and decided against since I didn't want to discharge a firearm and alert potential/ future bull moose targets.

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In light of Phil's post how many times have you been to or hunted Alaska?

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I thought about that and decided against since I didn't want to discharge a firearm and alert potential/ future bull moose targets.

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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I thought about that and decided against since I didn't want to discharge a firearm and alert potential/ future bull moose targets.

All depends on what stage of the hunt you are on.

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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In light of Phil's post how many times have you been to or hunted Alaska?

4

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Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Here is my preferred brown bear sidearm. Not that I really feel I need one when bear hunting since I've already got a 375 H&H or 416 Rigby in hand, but just in case, you know!! Besides, I really like playing cowboy and kind of feel naked without some type of hog leg on my person.




I like this one because after I've emptied my four, 350 gr TTSX, 416 rounds at 2750 fps into the bear, and my guide has done the same, the bear has killed my guide or at least mauled him to the point he can't reload and shoot the bruin off of me, and I was just standing around watching the melee, unable to reload and put a couple of additional 416 rounds into the beastie while he was mauling my guide, I can now shoot, stab, and punch the critter before he does me in as well.

This is the one for me but as always, YMMV!

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Originally posted by 458Win:

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Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Here is my preferred brown bear sidearm. Not that I really feel I need one when bear hunting since I've already got a 375 H&H or 416 Rigby in hand, but just in case, you know!! Besides, I really like playing cowboy and kind of feel naked without some type of hog leg on my person.




I like this one because after I've emptied my four, 350 gr TTSX, 416 rounds at 2750 fps into the bear, and my guide has done the same, the bear has killed my guide or at least mauled him to the point he can't reload and shoot the bruin off of me, and I was just standing around watching the melee, unable to reload and put a couple of additional 416 rounds into the beastie while he was mauling my guide, I can now shoot, stab, and punch the critter before he does me in as well.

This is the one for me but as always, YMMV!

Todd, if you had half the bear experience as PDAWG you would realize you need a 1/2" longer blade on that thing !

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Originally posted by waterrat:
40+ years of guiding and many multiple bear seasons so far,,I've never had a hunter carry a sidearm on a bear hunt. A few would have a pistol in the tent under their cot and occasionally I would have a mod 25 in my duffle but never in the field. What could you do with a sidearm that a couple of belted magnums(usually) can't do?

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Originally posted by Frostbit:

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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Originally posted by tsturm:

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Originally posted by 458Win:
There are an awful lot of misconceptions about Alaska, it's game and conditions perpetuated by those who have never experienced it !

Ignored post by p dog shooter Best feature on this site

I have always found the the best arguments start with personnel attacks and ignoring the facts. /s/

But each to their own.

In light of Phil's post how many times have you been to or hunted Alaska?

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The point being is that the handgun is neither optimal for bear, nor necessary for bear hunting.

If you want to carry one, carry what you “feel” you need.

I brought a .44 mag scandium S&W for bear back up. Carried it around some, shot it enough to be proficient, then talked with my guide and outfitter and left the thing at home.

If I was fishing or hiking in AK, I’d bring it, but hunting? Even a .223 rifle is more powerful than a pistol.

Pretty simple.

I go to Africa with lions, leopards, hyena, snakes, etc. and do just fine with a rifle alone.

Situational awareness. Keep the rifle handy.

Americans do tend to be obsessed with the short gun. I’ve got a lot of them. I shoot them competitively, and by the results I’m better than average… they have their place.

But all a pistol is on a hunt is a additional piece of iron that you need to be responsible for that doesn’t materially improve your outcome over the long gun you already have.

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Originally posted by Dale:
A friend and I hunted with Jake Jefferson in June. We both killed a brown/grizzly bear and a black bear. I had no need for a handgun. It would have just been in the way. If I was not able to do it with a .375 H&H and 300 gr. TSX bullets, a handgun would not have helped. We flew into the area in a Super Cub so there was no room for unnecessary stuff.

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Originally posted by Grenadier:
This is a very interesting and entertaining thread. On the one hand we have some very experienced Alaska guides and longtime Alaska residents. On the other hand we have people who have never been to Alaska at all. Between those we have people who have been to Alaska at least once, some a handful of times. Opinions abound. Here is mine.

A handgun is a tool, nothing more and nothing less. I am very confident with that tool and quite comfortable carrying it outdoors. I have no trouble wearing a pistol outside of thick, heavy clothing and removing it and replacing it after a clothing change. I find it no trouble at all to adjust a chest holster or a holster on a shoulder supported belt to accommodate those clothing changes. I do carry pistols on waist belts but I generally reserve that style of carry for times when I want to carry concealed. In the field, I carry both a short knife and a pistol. But consider this question, which is more useful to have on the belt, a pistol or a big knife? To me it makes more sense to have the big knife in a pack and a pistol on the belt.

I have spent a considerable amount of time in a few of the world's most unfriendly environments. I have worked in and camped out in Asian jungles, east African savanna, North African deserts, and the deserts and mountains of the Middle East. In none of those instances was I hunting but neither was I a tourist. I carried a rifle but I also carried a pistol.

I've been on numerous outings of various lengths in North American. Among those are only six trips to Alaska. I've never been an Alaskan guide and I've never been an Alaska resident but I can still tell you from experience that Alaska is made up of many different environments. The Kodiak coast is not the same as the interior country. The steep mountainous areas are not the same as the vast, seemingly endless, flatlands. Sometimes you're walking in the open and sometimes you're parting the brush with your hands as you step through it. On two of those trips I spent weeks skiing and snowshoeing scores of miles cross-country. At those times, my rifle was out of the way slung over my back so I could work the poles but my pistol was always handy in the holster. There were many other occasions my rifle was on my back. When working my way hand-over-hand up a steep incline, when carrying wood, when setting up camp, and while in a sleeping bag my rifle was either over my back or not readily available but my pistol was always right at hand. It is ludicrous to believe that if you spend any meaningful time afield that your un-slung rifle will either always be in your hands or just within reach.

We have a particular, very well respected, and rightfully so, Alaska guide who is posting in this thread. His experience and considerations include not only his own well being but also those of his clients and, perhaps, his employees. In a now famous encounter he dispatched a grizzly/brown bear at close quarters using a Smith & Wesson 9mm automatic. I will not attempt to retell specifics of his story nor will I try to second guess him. Neither of those are my place. But I will say this, from his own published accounts, that little 9mm pistol saved his client's bacon. Draw from that what you will.

So, I carry a pistol, not because of "bearanoia" but because of it's utility and handiness. And it doesn't matter where I am or in what environment. If I am in the outdoors, laws and logistics allowing, I will always be carrying a pistol.

I own several pistols in various calibers. A few years ago I purchased a Kimber long-slide 1911 in 10mm. Man that was a beast. My original plan was to use it for dual purposes - general field carry and hunting. I chronographed several factory loads through it and a few shot well over 700 ft-lbs muzzle energy. I settled on one load and shot the heck out of it. I became familiar and proficient with that load and pistol. But I grew increasingly annoyed by the recoil and relatively slow recovery time. Even with considerable effort, I couldn't point and shoot it as quickly or efficiently as a 9mm or 45. Sure, I could have shot lower velocity loads but that would have been counter to my purposes. And I could have installed a muzzle brake, but I hate those things. So, I sold the 10mm.

I recently discovered (for me) the .38 Super and I really like it. A Colt .38 Super is now what I carry when afield. If I were to make another trip to Alaska that's what I would take. It would not be my choice because it is a rifle replacement, the world's most powerful big-bore handgun, or the best "bear medicine". It is none of those. No, I would take it because I am very familiar with it, very proficient with it, it's handy and easy to carry, and because I know I can use it to deliver hard-cast bullets in accurate, rapid succession. It makes a very good tool and I would rather be with it than without it.

....Mac >>>===(x)===> MacD37, ...and DUGABOY1
DRSS Charter member
"If I die today, I've had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"~ME 1982

Hands of Old Elmer Keith

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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In light of Phil's post how many times have you been to or hunted Alaska?

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Originally posted by 458Win:

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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In light of Phil's post how many times have you been to or hunted Alaska?

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Since you prefer to stick to facts,

Were those "been too"? Or hunting trips?

And I honestly would like to know what and where you hunted and if it was with a guide as that has a tremendous bearing on anyone's opinions.

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Originally posted by Jim Kobe:

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Originally posted by 458Win:

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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In light of Phil's post how many times have you been to or hunted Alaska?

4

Since you prefer to stick to facts,

Were those "been too"? Or hunting trips?

And I honestly would like to know what and where you hunted and if it was with a guide as that has a tremendous bearing on anyone's opinions.

Phil,

I am sure you know but you can't argue with an idiot, he just won't listen to anyone's point.