Who has a Alaskan , tell me what you think ..

So I have a SRH with the 9.5 inch barrel in 44 for hunting and I have been eyeing the Alaskan for a general woods carry. Just wanted to know what others thought and if you have a barreled SRH and a Alaskan what are if any differences when shooting them..

I have an Alaskan in 480 Ruger. I also have a 7-1/2" SRH in the same caliber. The Alaskan produces about 200 fps lower velocity than the 7-1/2 inch gun with the exact same load.

Now, a 365 grain bullet at 1050 vs 1250 fps may occasionally be important, but I doubt it.

The thing that surprises me is that the Alaskan doe not produce any more felt recoil than the longer gun. 8)

I have 3 of them. One of each caliber. What surprises me the most is how easy they shoot. The OP doesn't say where he's located but if you anticipate coming up against something big with sharp teeth that wants to kill you, I don't use the hottest loads. I prefer a heavy bullet that I can get back on target quickly, for multiple shots if necessary.

I have the .454/.45 Colt and shoot hot .45 Colt loads out of it.
Great shooter and the large grip absorbs the recoil well. You will break your hand before the gun!

Since you mentioned .44 Mag....Well while not the Alaskan I have the S&W version which is the 629-2E in .44 Mag. I swapped on the S&W 500 grips which were MUCH better than the ones that came on it.

Thanks all, I live in upstate ny so really the only thing I have to worry about in the woods is a occasional coyote, black bear or the most common threat a 2 legged one.

I got my Alaskan for defense from toothy/sharp clawed things that would want to eat me. :shock:

In that role, I think its a great tool for the job.

I bought one in .454 a few years ago "Just Because" LOL
Carried it in my truck for a while, and played with it.....then sold it for what I paid for it..
One Hellova handgun....
I did really enjoy it when sitting around a campfire up north where there were bears nearby ...
Good luck and let us know what you do.
Cheers,
HD

I have a 44 mag version and concur with the others...great revolver. I know your 9.5 incher has no muzzle rise or recoil to speak of, and its amazing that the alaskan feels the same way when shooting it. I have the compact suze gp100 ruger grips on mine and it gives the gun a much more proportionate look and makes it a little easier to pack. But overall its just amazing how pleasant they are to shoot.
I think it would be a great addition to your 9.5---and by the way another difference is they have no scope cut outs on the frame making it a cleaner look.

A final advantage to the alaskan is that you dont ever have to worry about the canted barrel issues we see quite ofter! The front and rear sight are on the same steel plane!

Ron

The 454 most people fire it once and hand it back.
44 Magnum, myself and most people can fire it all day.
Don't have a 480 but will trade a 44 for one.

Got the 480, carry it when go to visit in daughter in Alaska.

I have one in 454. I can't handle it with the full power loads I use in my 7 1/2" SRH. In the 7 1/2" I shoot a 325 grain bullet at 1286 FPS. In the Alaskan I download the same bullet to just under 1000 FPS. Still very potent, and I'm able to shoot them without any issues. When I shoot the full power loads in the Alaskan, I get about 5 shots off before I start shaking too much to control it.

I've shot handguns all my life. I was amazed at how much difference in felt recoil there was between the two barrel lengths.

I have all 3 Alaskans. They're hugely impractical, but are a ton of fun. I have compact GP100 grips on one of my 454's, it's inexcusably violent.

Varminterror said:

I have compact GP100 grips on one of my 454's, it's inexcusably violent.

Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have one in 454. People who are accustomed to shooting big bore handguns don't hand it back after one shot. It is surprisingly easy to shoot well given the sight radius. 300+gr bullets can be easily pushed over 1000-1200fps even in 45 Colt brass and I see no need for more out of a snub. More velocity just gets you more range, not more stopping power/penetration. The harshest part of shooting it is the blast and concussion, especially with full house 454 loads. Double hearing protection is a good idea. The grip really is outstanding for controlling recoil. I wouldn't swap them out for GP100 grips, ever. I think the 480 version is probably the ultimate if you reload, but i already loaded 45 Colt so that was the logical choice for me.

I have the SRH in 44 that has been chopped to 5". I recently got an Alaskan from here on the forum, and must say it is fun to shoot. Have only been out a few times with it, and have shot loads from 240 grains up to 305 grains. It is an accurate gun. I have put an XS big dot sight on it. Both 44's are fun and easy to handle.

I two have all three & my 120lb. Daughter loves the 454. I enjoy them all.