Which ruger wheel gun for MT backpacking?

[Remington92]

Hey all, I just moved out here to Montana and am quickly learning that my concealed carry 38sp, and 45acp leave a bit to be desired against large furry critters with teeth and claws. I think I've about got it narrowed down to either a Blackhawk in 45colt with stout buffalo bore. Or else a 44mag super Blackhawk. Im also kind of leaning towards a bisley grip and a barrel under 5.5"

Does this sound like a decent load out? I know a handgun is basically a fly swatter compared to my 1895abl but it's a little hard to take hiking or fishing. Can anyone make some suggestions?

 

[Wyodog]

I think if I was going to buy a handgun specifically for large predators is would choose the .44mag out of the two you mentioned. That being said I have .45 colt instead of a .44mag because I like shooting it quite often and cowboy loads are cheaper and more fun to shoot. My .45 colt is a custom gun that picked up for a barging. It is a Roger Blackhawk that has been converted to a 5 cylinder and is built specifically for shooting +P loads. I've never shot a Grizzly with anything so I am not a expert but I can shoot this hand gun well.

 

[sedancowboy]

Bisley Grip in a 5.5" Ruger Is one of the guns I carry. A 45 Colt can be used in several pistols + 1892 and 1894 carbines. Stay with Buffalo Bore. If I had a question I would ask Tim at Buffalo Bore what works best he will know. I highly recommend all their products.
Henry

 

[Remington92]

Bisley Grip in a 5.5" Ruger Is one of the guns I carry. A 45 Colt can be used in several pistols + 1892 and 1894 carbines. Stay with Buffalo Bore. If I had a question I would ask Tim at Buffalo Bore what works best he will know. I highly recommend all their products.
Henry

Can you run the buffalo bore 44 through like an 1894? I'd like to get another lever gun eventually but right now my 1895 covers that bill pretty well. Also does anyone have any experience with the ruger Alaskan in 44? Not a huge fan of the hogue grips but it looks like gp100 grips will fit it? Dang thing feels like a lead tank though.

 

[FearNoWind]

The Rossi Ranch Hand chambered in Mag., .44 Mag.

 

[sedancowboy]

The 44 or 45 does not matter. You want heavy for Caliber hard cast bullets so they will
Travel straight in a large animal. Some Lever guns will not function with a long bullet.
Check before you buy.
The idea is to always have it with you and be quick in the draw. When you step in a grizzly's personal space they don't like it and are quick to let you know it.

 

[Remington92]

Ok I think I've got it narrowed down to either a bisley or blow grip 4.62" super Blackhawk in 44mag. Plow grip I can find all day long but the bisley they don't make any more and I'd have to find one on gunbroker (doesn't seem to difficult). The one bisley I held at the gun store felt good in the hand but it had ivory grips and felt like it would get really slick. Whereas both my 357 and pops 44 mag 3 screw Blackhawks wear pachmayer presentation grips and offer really good traction when wet or dirty.

Is the bisley that much better for recoil management and are there any grips that would offer good traction when out in the elements?

 

[sedancowboy]

S&W Mountain Gun is popular for a bear gun with Pac grips. Model 629 or 625 I carry one a lot.

 

[FEENIX]

Another vote for the .44 Rem Mag! Extracted from Buffalo Bore website ...

 

[6point5x284]

For a packing gun first, I prefer the S&W 329PD in .44 Mag. I shoot the HSM bear loads (305 hardcasts if I recall) out of it with no issues and no crimp jump, etc... If I'm going to see crimp jump, it will be with those. It's extremely light, and has been extremely durable in both MT and WA archery hunting and hiking. There are a lot of crying reviews about the recoil, but they have new grips that do not leave the metal exposed on the backstrap, and have full rubber grips now. It does come with wood grips as well, but I would swap immediately to the rubber grips provided. Crimson Trace grips are also uncomfortable as it's a much harder plastic. Recoil is very manageable however with good form.

I have various others, but this one goes 99% of the time due to weight. After about 5 minutes I forget I am wearing it. If you are looking for a gun to shoot a lot and plink with as well, then you are better suited with a heavier gun like the Rugers you have mentioned. For packing however, take a hard look at the 329PD.

Best of luck. Enjoy MT. I miss it every day I'm not there!


EDIT: FEENIX jogged my memory. I would not go with anything heavier than the HSM bear loads (305 grain at 1260fps) if selecting the 329PD. It's not as stout of a load as the 44+P+ above, but it is definitely no slouch, and I have zero penetration concerns for any of the MT black or grizz we have. If I had a planned hike in coastal brown bear country, I would switch to a 45-70 as my weapon for fishing/hiking anyway.

 

[Pdvdh]

Also does anyone have any experience with the Ruger Alaskan in 44? Not a huge fan of the Hogue grips but it looks like gp100 grips will fit it? Dang thing feels like a lead tank though.

I carry the Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull. 2 1/2" barrel. If I had my druthers, I'd prefer about 3 to 3 1/2" barrel length. I carry it in a pancake style holster, strictly for bear defense. I load 335gr gas check hard cast lead bullets. With 2400 powder, I get 1,200 fps at the muzzle from this 2.5" barrel. I'd guess another inch of barrel would yield another 100fps. But that's neither here nor there, as the gun is only available in 2.5" barrel length. Ruger does manufacture a comparable model in a 5" barrel length now. I think it's called the "Toklat", if you're wanting a longer barrel length. But 5" of barrel is more than I wanted on my belt holster. If I was ever going to hunt with the revolver, the Toklat would be the better choice.

It was a bit of a compromise for me. I never hunt with this revolver. The revolver is so compact that I never hesitate to carry it with me - it carries very well. I wanted a double action so I could fire repeatedly, and quickly with one hand, should the other arm ever end up pinned down under a paw, or be held in the mouth of a bear.

I think both models are also available in .44 Rem Mag. I knew I was going to lose some velocity with this shorter barrel length, and because I load my own ammo, I went with the .454 Casull. I gained 100fps MV by using 2400 powder, compared to H110 and 296 - the powders commonly used in longer barreled revolvers with heavy bullets. The short barrel required a slightly faster burning powder in order to gain MV.

 

[HARPERC]

I don't backpack, but I try to keep the weight down to encourage actually having the gun available.

I've got a Ruger 4 5/8" .44 Special, and load it with the Buffalo Bore 255 Keith.

The older I get, the more I think picking a good holster may be more important than what you put in it.

 

[porkchop401]

I recently purchased a Taurus tracker 44mag for a hunting trip to Idaho this September. I was quite impressed with it . 24 grains of 296 and a 250gr solids are my pet load .

 

[MachV]

I know this aint what your asking but a SA is not what I would want when SHTF
I bought a 5" SRH in 454 Casull for bear country but its just too heavy to pack around so I find myself packing my EAA witness in 10mm. It might be a little light but there's 16 rounds behind it!
My hunting partner caries a Taurus tracker in 44mag that is very easy to pack, not a Taurus fan but this little gun aint bad.