Have I made a mistake?

If you had to choose one as a woods gun:

  • .44 magnum revolver

    Votes: 108 88.5%

  • Hi capacity .45 acp Semi automatic

    Votes: 14 11.5%
  • Total voters
    122
  • Poll closed .
P

Pond James Pond

New member
Mistake is a strong word, but was my purchase perhaps not the best for the job?

A few months back I bought a gorgeous Ruger Redhawk in .44 Mag. I love it, but I like my guns to have a purpose.

Although a point of principle, I also can't afford to buy a gun just because I like the look of it, despite seeing a few that would qualify for exceptions!

Now today, I was getting some IPSC training and I fired off a dozen magnums with my Ruger.

I explained that I had bought the gun as it was a good price and because I wanted it as a woods gun, in case my dogs ever disturbed something big and hungry when in the sticks.

My instructor seemed a little dubious. His view was that .44 was OK but not the best and if it came to it, he felt that 10 .45ACPs from a hi-cap semi would be his choice against a bear, then my six .44s.

His rationale is that in a bear attack, you need luck on your side.

Failing that the statistics of probability make a reasonable alternative, and you have a greater probability of a incapacitating hit if you shoot 10, 12 or 14 .45s than if you shoot your 6 .44s, even if they are more powerful.
In either case a reload is unlikely!! By the last shot the bear is either dead, running away or chowing down...

His logic is not all that bad, in my view...

So I am curious as to people's opinion on this:
Would you take a hi-cap .45 over a .44 mag six gun for going into the woods?

Please keep your comments to those two platforms and calibres as I have the .44 and would only really consider a .45 as another semi/replacement for the Redhawk... if it came to it
 
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I voted for the Ruger. In a stress situation with a bear, I would rather have a 44 mag double action revolver than a 45.
 
I recently bought a ruger for that specific reason. Though I have to say the biggest reason I bought the revolver was because most states it is illegal to carry a semi-auto for hunting. That being said, if you can manage to stay calm enough to actually aim you can probably drop the bear with little effort no matter which weapon.
 
What kind of bear? In the unlikely event of a dangerous encounter with a black bear, just about any common handgun caliber in the realm of 9mm and up should suffice. For brown bears, I want to most powerful cartridge I can control, in which from your 2 choices would most certainly be the .44
 
Where I am from, you are more likely to run into a mountain lion than a bear. So in that case I would like a fast reload, hi-cap .45 as a woods gun. If I am ever in bear country I am probably going to pack a rifle.
 
What kind of bear?
Click to expand...

European Brown Bear:
Ursus Arctos

Here is a link to a youtube video from a local wildlife fund managed camera hide allowing people to see and photograph the local fauna in the wild, live!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK0Z4MuNb-E&feature=related

I hope it allows people to see what the animals look like compared to species you might get in the U.S.

Hmmm... they really are quite big.
I hope I don't meet one up too close!! Within 500mm zoom distance is plenty!! :eek:
 
European Brown Bear

I think the .44 is the better choice in this situation. However like a previous member stated.
I would not go in the woods with just a pistol.
I would have a rifle with the .44 as a back up.
 
Nither

My choice is a 10mm G20 with a 16 round capacity. I have one ordered at an LGS and when it comes in it will come home. This has the correct combination of power, capacity, and physical size to carry as a woods gun.

The only draw back is that a semi cam be rammed out of battery if you have to make a direct contact shot. This is impossible for a revolver.

The true best answer to this question is whatever you can shoot the best in a stressful situation.

Regards, Vermonter
 
My view is that if confronted by a bear and you have to take action, you will ONLY have time to take accurate, controlled shots. Anything else would be counterproductive and would likely lead to your demise. I would probably never have time to even fire off six rounds, so I want the biggest bore I can find. All things considered, I would also be taking a rifle. I wouldn't trust the pistol against a massive creature.
 
If I had to choose between a six shot revolver in .44 magnum and a ten shot auto in .45 ACP that would have to be carried without a round chambered, I'd go revolver. The .44 has more power and it will be quicker into action especially if you can only use one hand. Your other hand could be holding a leash or otherwise occupied.
 
If I had to choose between a six shot revolver in .44 magnum and a ten shot auto in .45 ACP that would have to be carried without a round chambered, I'd go revolver.
Click to expand...

I must confess that if I were in the forest, I would probably be cheeky and chamber the gun.

Carrying in town, it'd be a different story, but in the booneys it wouldn't hurt anyone and may keep me and mine intact!

In this instance, I am really just trying to get a feel for the relative merits of big calibre low cap, and medium calibre, higher cap.
 
Six shots of .44 magnum totals more energy than ten shots of .45ACP. If a bear is attacking, you will be lucky to get many shots off. The ones you do fire better count.
 
I love the .45 ACP, always have but I would rather have the energy of the .44 Mag than the .45 ACP. Now if you through .45 Colt into the mix I'd take that of the 3 cartridges in a Ruger Blackhawk and I'd use 300gr hard cast lead bullets. In the .44 I'd go with the heaviest hard cast lead solid I could find. I don't think the round count is going to matter much if a bear decides it wants you, but you better make 'em count if you can get the shots off at all.

Stu
 
Pond,

Your choice of .44 mag is excellent for bear repellant! Here in the Rockies we have an over abundance of Grizzly (very close kin to your European Brownies) and pretty much every outfitter, guide, and hunter packs a .44 mag. six shooter. Same in Alaska.

I had a close encounter a few years back. I just finished field dressing a small bull elk and was trying to load it on the horses when a grizz walked out of the timber. As he approached 20 yards, I shot once right in front of him. Luck for me, the slug hit a rock and splattered him pretty good. That and the loud report caused him to change his mind and off he went. I feel confident that had I needed to use them, the other five 300gr. Speer slugs would have ended his day! Thank god the bear left and I didn't need to deal with the Federal Wildlife Officers over a dead bear!
 
45 ACP 230 GR FMJ FP Max load 16,800 CUP, 851 FPS.

44 MAG 325 GR BTB, Max loads 36,000 CUP, 1368 FPS.

My only comment is that I think your instructor is smoking crack. I would take 3, 44 mags over a magazine full of ACP if a bear is in your sight.
Understand those loads are NOT Ruger specific loads. With a Ruger like yours you can load much hotter.
With a bear, (which I have never hunted) you don’t need number of rounds you need penetration. Having hunted wild boar, big wild boar with a 44 magnum. One round in the shoulder with 330 GR lead out of a Contender at 35 yards broke the entire shoulder bone and dropped him in his tracks. I won’t say that a 45 ACP wouldn’t stop him but with a dangerous animal I want as much energy and as heavy penetrating bullet as I can get.
Someone suggested 45 COLT. I agree with him if you reload. But factory loads for the Colt are light loads that are safe to shoot in all guns.
 
Yep!

My buckskin was tied to a 4" lodgepole and he pulled it out of the ground. The Sorel and the bay were tied to the same 8" tree so they didn't get it uprooted, but they did manage to get their halter ropes so tight I had to cut them off the tree!

The real funny thing was I was trying to zip my shotguns back up when the bear appeared! One zipper up, the other halfway, me hopping around on one leg trying to draw my pistol! My rifle was in the scabbard and my buddys were leaning against a tree 30' away! If I had to run, I would have just been a fool, tripping over my chaps!

That bear was sharp, he left, lived and got to dine on the gut pile after I high tailed it out of there! Was a pretty scary few moments getting that elk loaded after that. Glad I was with friends (they witnessed it all) or I might have had to give the whole elk to that bear!
 
Personally, if I was going somewhere where the bears were likely to be on top of the food chain, Id carry a 12ga. with slugs. Screw the pistol.

If it has to be the pistol, I chose what you can "realistically" shoot well with under stress. Everyone is a great shot at the range when the target isnt moving and looks like a black circle. ;)

I had a 4" S&W model 29 that I converted to DAO. It would shoot, but heavy loads were not fun to shoot, and they were tough to shoot well with in anything but deliberate fire. .44 Special powered LSWC's were a breeze to shoot with, and easier to place hits where I was looking when shooting fast.

Just a side note here, I've worked in the woods most of my life, and have encountered bears on occasion. Around here, they are black bears, and 99% of those we saw, were hauling ass south when we did see them. The few that didnt, stood and looked at us first, took a couple of snorts, and took off. I dont know what it is, but you take someone who hasnt been out in the woods much, and the first two things most of them ask about, are bears and snakes. To me, deer ticks are a lot scarier. :)
 
I have a 4 5/8" Ruger single action that I carry on the farm at times. I seldom shoot full power loads in this gun but the option is there. Mostly I use handloads at the lower end of magnum level but still above normal 44 specials. This combination is accurate and comfortable to use and fully capable of handling any situation I'm likely to encounter in the midwest.
I'm fairly certain a 45 ACP capable of this level of accuracy would cost much more than the simple, rugged Ruger and doubt that many 45's in that class would hold up to the beating that the Ruger would shrug off.
 
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