Ankeny: Before you start suggesting that I am some kind of Clintonesque liar, perhaps we could review the events that led to the Wyoming Grizzly Bear Team deploying our ammo for self defense. Back in early 1995 GUNS & AMMO (and no this is not an attempt at promotion) did a feature article about bear stopping calibers. In that article the writer Kevin Steele measured the penetration of a variety of calibers including the 375 H&H and our loads in 44 Magnum and 45-70. To make a long story short the results supported the position that the 44 Magnum was indeed a very viable bear stopper. Shortly after that hit the newstands, I received a call from I believe his name was Mark or Mike Bruscino. It was this gentleman who related to me the business of the 375s and their desire to carry something more portable that could still get the job done. As a result of this we sold them our 44 Magnum ammo. Since no one is going to be shooting bears in self defense with any great degree of frequency, the purchase they made at that time was sufficient until their last purchase earlier this year. And as I stated previously, the guy who handled that purchase was D. Moody. However, our discussion this last time was brief, and I didn't inquire or receive information from him regarding the issues I discussed with Mr. Bruscino, as those issues had already been delt with. I don't recall any comments from Mr. Bruscino regarding the use of pepper spray, probably because the subject didn't come up or pepper spray hadn't become popular yet (back in 1995).
Is it possible that in my conversation with Mr. Bruscino some 5 and 1/2 years ago that he said they were using 338s not 375s, I suppose so. However, that is a pretty small point of contention, and it may have been that 5 and 1/2 years ago that the 375 was what they were using. But it is hard to be sure regarding this as it was a small point in our discussion.
The whole point of introducing this topic was that handguns can be successfully deployed against bears, not that they are necessarily superior to heavy rifles. I made that clear in a previous reply.
However, in your efforts to discredit me you seem to have proven my point, which is that the 44 Magnum properly loaded is a viable bear gun, even for grizzlies. If it were only good as an anal suppository as many of the writers in this forum state, then the guys at Wyoming's Grizzly Bear Team would have to be regarded as foolish as you regard me. Didn't you find that they carry our ammo for defense against bear attack? I thought I read that in your most recent comments. If they use rifles for dispatching bears on the list of bad bears, then so be it. It is however, extremely significant that they carry 44 Magnums with proper hard-cast bullet ammo for close-quarters protection in the "real woods."
Again, that supports my contention that the 44 Magnum is a reasonable choice when properly loaded. Your attempt to discredit me and the obvious ranker in you discourse is completely unnecessary, as no offense or bending of the facts was intended by me. I simply have been attempting to describe how the 44 Magnum can be utilized for dangerous game, not that it is superior to all other devices. Best regards, Randy Garrett