wymoosehunter
Active Member
- Messages
- 134
I have a lot of experience with brown/grizzly bears in Alaska and in Montana and Wyoming and never really considered a handgun to be the optimum choice as a bear gun. I still believe that bear spray and a 12 gauge shotgun is one of the best defense combos, but a shotgun is too unwieldy for bow hunting or generally wandering around.
A friend of mine's father shot a griz last year with a 44 mag and it went right down (I suppose it helped that the bear was 6 feet away at the shot). Since I spend a lot of time in griz/brown country, I started looking at 44 magnums and 454 Casuls. I wanted a snubnose and lightweight gun since I spend some time on horseback and want it to be comfortable enough around camp that I don't take it off (cuz you know that is when something will happen). I ended up buying a Taurus 444 Ultralight 44 mag w/2.5 inch barrel. It weighs something like 28 ounces and feels like nothing is there. Right up until you touch a round off. HOLY Crap!!!!!! I bought some Buffalo Bore 305 grain rounds and when I touched that baby off, it flat kicked. I don't think Buffalo Bullets is gong to get rich from me shooting lots of ammo. But I think that it is just what I was looking for as a griz round. Hard cast bullets and a flat point. Penetration, and even more penetration. Just what I am looking for.
I read on the websites of a couple of other specialty ammo manufactures that this is the max load for the little snubnose as it just kicks too hard for a quick followup shot. Well I believe them now. But I think the hard cast flat bullets will be bad medicine if I ever have to shoot a bear. I wanted to try the 340 grain ammo, but I have reached my threshold. Even 265 grain and 270 grain ammo has a tremendous amount of punch. Anyone else have experience with a ultralight snubnose 44 Mag. Interested to hear what round you think is best for grizzly.
A friend of mine's father shot a griz last year with a 44 mag and it went right down (I suppose it helped that the bear was 6 feet away at the shot). Since I spend a lot of time in griz/brown country, I started looking at 44 magnums and 454 Casuls. I wanted a snubnose and lightweight gun since I spend some time on horseback and want it to be comfortable enough around camp that I don't take it off (cuz you know that is when something will happen). I ended up buying a Taurus 444 Ultralight 44 mag w/2.5 inch barrel. It weighs something like 28 ounces and feels like nothing is there. Right up until you touch a round off. HOLY Crap!!!!!! I bought some Buffalo Bore 305 grain rounds and when I touched that baby off, it flat kicked. I don't think Buffalo Bullets is gong to get rich from me shooting lots of ammo. But I think that it is just what I was looking for as a griz round. Hard cast bullets and a flat point. Penetration, and even more penetration. Just what I am looking for.
I read on the websites of a couple of other specialty ammo manufactures that this is the max load for the little snubnose as it just kicks too hard for a quick followup shot. Well I believe them now. But I think the hard cast flat bullets will be bad medicine if I ever have to shoot a bear. I wanted to try the 340 grain ammo, but I have reached my threshold. Even 265 grain and 270 grain ammo has a tremendous amount of punch. Anyone else have experience with a ultralight snubnose 44 Mag. Interested to hear what round you think is best for grizzly.