I'm a big fan of the IDEA of the Alaskans, and I do love owning them. I'm short a 5 shot 480, else my collection of the offerings would be complete. Personally, I think the Redhawk Kodiak Backpacker is more of what the Alaskan 44mag really should be, but the 454 and 480 versions are fun. One particular "con" for the Alaskans: they handle like a cantaloupe. It's all in your hand, with no muzzle weight to help hold anything on target. Prior to the Toklat, there was a huge gap for carry size and handling speed between the Alaskan and the 7.5" and 9.5" standard models, so the Alaskan seemed to make sense for a defensive revolver. Now that we have the 5.5" Toklat on the market, my choice is very clear - the Toklat is the far better option for a defensive revolver than the Alaskan. Better sight radius, better pointability, same power, little less muzzle flip, same action. I've found the Toklat to be one of the better handling revolvers, if not best handling big bore revolver I have ever owned. Absolutely love it. The Alaskan is a great revolver, but the Toklat's extra few inches of barrel make a huge difference.