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Not much of a pistol guy but a friend of mine wants a side arm for when he is hunting. His two choices have been narrowed down to the .41 Magnum and the .44 Special. He doesn't see grizzlies where he hunts but has been having lots of run ins with Pumas, Black bears, and wolves. What would be your choice?

Bowmag!

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Bowmag!

semi-auto Bowmag!

A .363 super mag...15 shot double stack magazine.

First of all, neither of those is a "pistol" caliber. They are revolvers (handgun would also be acceptable). That being said, .44 Special is a worthless cartridge, they aren't any cheaper than .44 Mag ammo, and finding a gun chambered in just .44 Special is going to be a chore in itself, as is finding a consistent supply of ammo. If I were going to go with the .41 Mag, I would just suggest to get a pistol chambered in 10mm, basically the same thing just more capacity. My suggestion would be something like the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan chambered for .454 Casull.

sws002 wrote:First of all, neither of those is a "pistol" caliber. They are revolvers (handgun would also be acceptable). That being said, .44 Special is a worthless cartridge, they aren't any cheaper than .44 Mag ammo, and finding a gun chambered in just .44 Special is going to be a chore in itself, as is finding a consistent supply of ammo. If I were going to go with the .41 Mag, I would just suggest to get a pistol chambered in 10mm, basically the same thing just more capacity. My suggestion would be something like the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan chambered for .454 Casull.

sws makes some valid points. Using a pistol or revolver for personal protection when in the woods is often a pain in the ass. They are heavy and take up a lot of room, especially if worn on the waist. An under arm shoulder holster seems like the most comfortable and convenient.

If the choice is .41Mag or .44 S&W, I would encourage you to re-think things and consider a 4" Smith Mod 29 in .44 Mag. Ammo is available almost everywhere. As for carrying a pistol, the 10mm as suggested is probably the best choice all around.

Keep in mind that .44 S&W Special can be used in a .44 Mag revolver if it is the recoil that concerns you.

Of the two, I say the 41.

If he ha other options, I agree with sws on the ruger in 454. You can also shoot 45 colt through it for practice or the recoil sensitive. But (around here) 10mm is easier to find than 454, or 41, so that is something to consider.

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Bowmag!

Fucking dumbass.

huntall6 wrote:If he ha other options, I agree with sws on the ruger in 454. You can also shoot 45 colt through it for practice or the recoil sensitive. But (around here) 10mm is easier to find than 454, or 41, so that is something to consider.

If you wanted a .454 why wouldn't you get a Raging Judge Magnum that shoots .454, .45 Colt, and .410. That would cover just about anything. Don't know about the quality of Judges but it seems like that would be the best all around.

Probably because it's a Taurus.

I'd stick with Ruger or S&W for my wheel guns.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Probably because it's a Taurus.

I'd stick with Ruger or S&W for my wheel guns.

This. Plus they are fucking ginormous.

Gotcha, never have seen one just saw an article on them some time last year.

sws002 wrote:

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Probably because it's a Taurus.

I'd stick with Ruger or S&W for my wheel guns.

This. Plus they are fucking ginormous.

Yup. But they are kinda fun to shoot....

sws002 wrote:First of all, neither of those is a "pistol" caliber. They are revolvers (handgun would also be acceptable). That being said, .44 Special is a worthless cartridge, they aren't any cheaper than .44 Mag ammo, and finding a gun chambered in just .44 Special is going to be a chore in itself, as is finding a consistent supply of ammo. If I were going to go with the .41 Mag, I would just suggest to get a pistol chambered in 10mm, basically the same thing just more capacity. My suggestion would be something like the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan chambered for .454 Casull.

Aaron has shot a few .454s. They definately get your attention and is a little above a healthy dose of recoil for him and makes him uncomfortable. He's also not really interested in a pistol. He's looking at a revolver and has been considering either a RedHawk or BlackHawk. I personally think he should go with a Super Black in .44 Mag. Either of the 2 choices are good though. Them Rugers can really handle big, full power loads. I personally carry a .44 Special when hunting as all I've run into is lions.

R. Chapman wrote:

sws002 wrote:First of all, neither of those is a "pistol" caliber. They are revolvers (handgun would also be acceptable). That being said, .44 Special is a worthless cartridge, they aren't any cheaper than .44 Mag ammo, and finding a gun chambered in just .44 Special is going to be a chore in itself, as is finding a consistent supply of ammo. If I were going to go with the .41 Mag, I would just suggest to get a pistol chambered in 10mm, basically the same thing just more capacity. My suggestion would be something like the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan chambered for .454 Casull.

Aaron has shot a few .454s. They definately get your attention and is a little above a healthy dose of recoil for him and makes him uncomfortable. He's also not really interested in a pistol. He's looking at a revolver and has been considering either a RedHawk or BlackHawk. I personally think he should go with a Super Black in .44 Mag. Either of the 2 choices are good though. Them Rugers can really handle big, full power loads. I personally carry a .44 Special when hunting as all I've run into is lions.

Given the choice, go Redhawk, because if it really is being carried with your safety in mind, I damn sure don't want to be shooting single action with a grizzly charging me.

sws002 wrote:

R. Chapman wrote:

sws002 wrote:First of all, neither of those is a "pistol" caliber. They are revolvers (handgun would also be acceptable). That being said, .44 Special is a worthless cartridge, they aren't any cheaper than .44 Mag ammo, and finding a gun chambered in just .44 Special is going to be a chore in itself, as is finding a consistent supply of ammo. If I were going to go with the .41 Mag, I would just suggest to get a pistol chambered in 10mm, basically the same thing just more capacity. My suggestion would be something like the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan chambered for .454 Casull.

Aaron has shot a few .454s. They definately get your attention and is a little above a healthy dose of recoil for him and makes him uncomfortable. He's also not really interested in a pistol. He's looking at a revolver and has been considering either a RedHawk or BlackHawk. I personally think he should go with a Super Black in .44 Mag. Either of the 2 choices are good though. Them Rugers can really handle big, full power loads. I personally carry a .44 Special when hunting as all I've run into is lions.

Given the choice, go Redhawk, because if it really is being carried with your safety in mind, I damn sure don't want to be shooting single action with a grizzly charging me.

Good point, now it's just a matter of talking him into spending the dough for one.

Smith & Wesson 29-2 or earlier, 6" .44 Magnum for penetration on a bear. A 4" might just do the trick. If you like stainless, get a 629. I have spoken my opinion based on reading that somewhere years ago.

After two years of thought and experience, the Smith & Wesson 29-2 blued 6" is a remarkable handgun with excellence of bluing and manufacture. It shoots the .44 specials with ease, and a moderate .44 mag isn't too much to handle.

I like the 629-1 6" if needing stainless, but the guys say up to the 629-4 are great. They started using MIM parts after the dash four and squeezing a trigger on them is a heartbreaker after using the old style triggers. I prefer a solid trigger. Not saying they don't work well, but a lot of folk still hate that internal lock on the newer versions, too.

I hear the Ruger in .44 mag is built to handle the most heavy loads better, but just like the S&Ws.

For .41 mag, I prefer the Smith & Wesson Model 58 blued with fixed sights. Smith & Wesson started making that model in 1964, called the .41 Magnum Military and Police. Lots of folk shoot the Model 57, which has adjustable sights. Many people load their own .41 mags, sometimes to add a little more punch. The counterbored, recessed cylinder(like the 29-2) and 4" barrel make it a personal preference. Production was stopped in 1969. There was no stainless version.

I would feel quite safe with a 29-2 strapped to my side, or a 58 stuck under my coat. A well-placed shot should stop most anything. Bud, S&WCA