Originally Posted by
Chris W.
A full size 454 revolver isn't exactly a compact carry weapon in itself. Ruger does (or did) make a compact version of their super redhawk witn a 2 1/2" barrel, but you'r going to sacrifice a lot of velocity, and energy, when compared to a 7" barrel. Plus, I can only imagine the recoil on that compact beast with full power loads. If I was truely concerned about ragging grizzlies, a marlin guide gun in 45-70 loaded with 405 or 430 gr. buffalo bore ammo would be my choice. Personally, I believe one can get off more accurate shots under stressfull situations using a compact rifle over a handgun. When you're dealing with 900+ pounds of pi$$ed off teeth and claws, you want every shot to count.
If I was going to get a rifle to specifically deal with bears I'd get something like this in .416 Ruger:
http://www.ruger.com/products/m77Haw...an/models.html
BUT that's not what I was asking. I was seeing what people thought about the ability of a large caliber handgun in stopping a Grizzly. If I were to buy a .454 Casull and bring it into bear country, I would indeed practice with it enough to have the confidence (not to mention muscle memory) to get off a few well placed shots. Having said that, I don't know how I would personally deal with the situation of having a Grizzly bear down on me but I do know (from military rifle training) that the best way to prepare for war is to practice and practice until you can do it in your sleep and then rely on your instinct to take over when the situation presents itself.