annasophia
Bearcat
I live in serious black bear country...and the grizzly population is on a definite rise. I also do lots of hiking in surrounding areas of high grizzly density (around Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, etc.) and am trying to decide on a practical bear protection carry rig. I own a stainless Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 5.5" barrel (.44 mag) and a LOT of different .357 mag revolvers both double and single actions (.38/.357 is my favorite cal to play with). I've always carried a .357 Mag with heavy loads in the past when I'm out hiking/fishing/camping but I'm starting to feel a bit under-gunned when it comes to hearing about some of the resent bear attacks that have occurred in my part of the country over the last couple years. I also own a full-sized Glock 9mm that is super accurate and it has a hi-cap magazine that holds something like 18 rounds. I am a decent shot with my .357s and the Glock...but have really only put maybe 50 rounds through the .44 since I've owned it....so my experience with this caliber is really quite limited. Recoil has not been a problem with the .44 mag....it's just that I've always had the most fun with my .38/.357 revolvers, so I use them the most by far.
QUESTIONS: Would I be better off using the Super Blackhawk (single action = a little slower to reload) or possibly the quick-into-action 9mm with LOTS of ammo in the magazine or just stick with my usual .357 six-guns? I use a short barreled .357 Blackhawk a quite a bit so I'm experienced enough with a Ruger single action to not always be fumbling all over the place during a reload….but who knows how cool I'd be under the kind of pressure I'd feel when a big bear is chewing on my leg??!!! I'm thinking that any of them would probably be fine regarding black bears (although I did have a close "run-in" last fall with the largest black bear I've ever seen...no shots fired… but I was REAL close to start throwing hot lead!). My worry really is the possible grizzly "run-in"....I'm wondering if 6 rounds of .357 mag would be enough in such a case. I should mention that I am going to purchase and start carrying some bear spray as my first line of defense as of this week. I should also mention that I always carry openly in a strong-side belt holster when hiking/camping. Please give me any opinions you can offer that might help me out with my dilemma. Thanks!
--Anna Sophia
QUESTIONS: Would I be better off using the Super Blackhawk (single action = a little slower to reload) or possibly the quick-into-action 9mm with LOTS of ammo in the magazine or just stick with my usual .357 six-guns? I use a short barreled .357 Blackhawk a quite a bit so I'm experienced enough with a Ruger single action to not always be fumbling all over the place during a reload….but who knows how cool I'd be under the kind of pressure I'd feel when a big bear is chewing on my leg??!!! I'm thinking that any of them would probably be fine regarding black bears (although I did have a close "run-in" last fall with the largest black bear I've ever seen...no shots fired… but I was REAL close to start throwing hot lead!). My worry really is the possible grizzly "run-in"....I'm wondering if 6 rounds of .357 mag would be enough in such a case. I should mention that I am going to purchase and start carrying some bear spray as my first line of defense as of this week. I should also mention that I always carry openly in a strong-side belt holster when hiking/camping. Please give me any opinions you can offer that might help me out with my dilemma. Thanks!
--Anna Sophia