Q: Double-Duty HD gun suitable for man or Large,dangerous game?

j4l said:

Well, a .44 perhaps, but a .500 may be a bit overkill. In terms of the expense of an arm I''d likely only use for such an occasion. Not to mention the potential need for a quick follow-up shot, if the 1st misses or doenst hit something vital.
Having a bear of any size coming at me from 30ft or less- away, and trying to bring the muzzle of a .500 back down on target....not an attractive thought..

And ya, I've tried a .500 at the range. The blast/recoil of that thing nearly took my arm out of socket,sent my earmuffs and goggles flying downrange, and ignited the target on fire.. a Weee bit much for anything short of stopping run-away garbage trucks, I think..

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I don't think people in most parts of the country would get much use out of a .500, but I share the fishing streams with very large grizzlies. As for the difficulty of using the .500...I don't know how so many people have concluded that it kills on both ends. Using ordinary good shooting technique, I haven't found it particularly hard to handle. The muzzle brake is quite effective in reducing felt recoil. In fact, I find the .500 with 500 grain bullets to be less punishing than the .44 with 320 grain loads. A little 90 lb nurse I used to work with carried and shot one regularly. If the .500 is too much gun for you, you should work on your technique.

09jisaac said:

Yea, but if your aim was correct you won't have to worry about it stopping short of the organs. It'll carry them out the back and lay them in a neat pill all over the forest.

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There's no such thing as too much gun for a grizzly encounter!

Cavalryman said:

There's no such thing as too much gun for a grizzly encounter!

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I like the old joke,

"The park ranger was explaining bear encounters to the newly arrived tourists and that they should carry pepper spray and wear bells to avoid startling the bears. He explained that black bear scat was brown and smelled like berries when one of the tourists asked what grizzly bear scat looked like. The park ranger responded that it was blacker smelled like pepper and had little bells in it!

If you want to stay with a Semi Auto:

The 460 Rowland kit is only a viable option if you have an extermely high quality Fullsized steel 1911.
http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/rowland.htm
The big disadvantage is you can't fire standard velocity ammo out of this firearm with the conversion kit installed.

You can shoot 45 SUPER out of some stock 45 acp+P pistols such as the Glock 21, HK USP or the full sized all steel 1911, you will batter your pistol if you do not have them modified to handle the extra pressure and slide velocity of the 45 Super.

10mm offers more rounds (10rds in 1911 or 16+ in a Glock), no mods needed to shoot light or heavy loads, however a fully supported, 6"barrel really allows this caliber to shine.
Anything other than Buffalo Bore, Double Tap, Elite Ammo, Swamp Fox, BVAC (remanufactered) , Win SilverTips or Hornady(200gr) is 10mm, and these aren't what one can usually find on Gunstore/Walmart shelves.


Another option is Coonan's .357mag (1911 variant).
www.coonaninc.com/index.php/cPath,5
The 5" barrel generates higher velocities than one can expect from a 4-6" barreled revolver, especially with 125/158gr loads.
The best thing about this firearm is it is basically a 1911, no mods needed to fire full house .357mag (which can generate >750 ft lbs of energy).
http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=20
Also, run of the mill .357 mag ammo can be readily found almost anywhere to include Walmart and with a lighter spring you can shoot hot/+p .38spl.



I also have several Black bears that visit my backyard almost daliy (especailly when wild berries are growing), most scare at the sight/bark of the dog or a loud shout.
I choose .357mag and 10mm.



If you're going to switch to a revolver single or double action there are lots of options

.357 mag
I forgot 10mm/40/38-40
.41 mag
.45 Long Colt
.44 mag
.454 Casull
.460 SW
.480 Ruger
.500 SW

and lots of big bore wildcat calibers

Good luck let us know aht you get.

Get a G20 10mm.....Full Power 200 gr loads should be plenty for bear.

My ideal bear control is a 12 guage with slugs. If that isn't practical, my next choice would be a .357 magnum. Haven't had to use them for that purpose yet, but I'm frequently in the back country in the Uinta mountains.

Swyped from my LS670 using Tapatalk

Agent19 said:

If you want to stay with a Semi Auto:

The 460 Rowland kit is only a viable option if you have an extermely high quality Fullsized steel 1911.
http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/rowland.htm.

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From Clark's, this is true. From the below link, there are many other options.

http://460rowland.com/

If only MPA had gone ahead and continued their .460 rowland model..now THAT would serve well in quiet a few roles,for both man and beast, around the home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdxvoH1LLXc

I have video of my father chasing away a black bear with a pan of water. Of course he was behind a door that was open for less than a second...

For bear country, I'd recommend a .44 magnum carried in a hip holster. Loaded for bear, of course.