kansaswiderack

Thinking about getting a pistol to pack along when hunting. More of a finishing gun than a hunting gun. Might also use it for some hunting but don't have any plans. Should I gear up for something to use on grizzlies in tight quarters or more of a mid caliber gun. I have gone griz hunting one time and would like to do it again Most likely would be Alaska so caring a pistol would not be an issue. Thinking somewhere between 357 mag and 44 mag. I am totally clueless on this so any input would be appreciated.

Oldtimr

If you are going to hunt in areas that have brown bear or grizzlies I wouldn't choose anything smaller than a .44 mag. In addition, just having a handgun will not help you unless you know how to shoot it well because under the stress of self defense you will not shoot the same as you do when poking holes in targets. Practice often and under different conditions and if you can do it shoot at targets moving towards you. You cannot practice too much.

d80hunter

44 magnum, 454 casull, 480 ruger, 460 S&W to name a few. The more power you get the more recoil you get so consider shooting all your bullets quickly without flinching and losing accuracy. Most big game rifle calibers would still have more power than a handgun and if you don't hunt around bears 99.9% of the time getting whatever you enjoy shooting would be a huge factor.

jeepkid

Glock 10mm if big bears aren't on the agenda the majority of the time.

BRUSE

I second the glock 10mm. That's the reason I got mine

SecondChance

I as well as have a 10mm in a Kimber, too nice to beat around like that, but when I am out with the big boys, its my 6" .44 mag with 300 XTP's and Buffalo Bullets. I also have a .460 but too much too pack around with an 8-3/8ths barrel and scope.

Big Uncle

I would suggest a revolver that has ammunition that you can easily find. With a revolver you can shoot mild loads for some purposes and heavy loads for other purposes. With a semiautomatic you have a fairly narrow range of different power ammunition to make the pistol work with reliability.

Long barrels are easier to hit targets with but a real pain to carry around. A 4" barrel works well, a 6" barrel is still manageable but a bit awkward, and anything over that usually stays in the truck.

A 44 Magnum works, as does a 45 Colt. The 45 Colt can be loaded much more heavily if it is used in a Ruger firearm and it can come pretty darn close to the 44 Mag. Ammunition for both cartridges is fairly easy to find.

d80hunter

You can shoot 45 long colt and bust out the 454 rounds if you need that extra firepower.

super_hunt54

#1, stay away from a semi auto if you are getting it as a backup piece for Alaska. #2, 10mm is NOT a caliber I would suggest for anyone to carry for a Bear defense firearm against a Brownie. I actually wouldn't suggest anyone to carry a sidearm for Brownie defense period unless you have tons of practice shooting a a bouncing tennis ball because that is around the size of the target you will have to connect with. Not to mention the speed that that freight train with teeth will be coming at you. If you do decide on a sidearm instead of a 12 gauge SG loaded with slug, 00buck, slug combination, then I would have to recommend something in .44mag or bigger. So when you DO miss that tennis ball sized target coming at you, an believe me when I tell you, you WILL miss, at least you just might have a powerful enough round to deter that massive furball enough to give you another shot.

Nomercy448

I suppose I fancy myself a handgunner, so I highlighted/bolded 3 comments in your post that jump out at me.

You're wanting a 1) finishing gun, 2) possibly a hunting gun, and 3) possibly a bear defense gun.

Those are 3 different handguns in my book. My personal "finishing gun" is a Ruger Mark II 22LR (lots of pictures of it on this forum). My personal go-to "hunting gun" is a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44mag 7.5" or 357-44 Redhawk 7.5". My bear defense gun is a 454 Casull Ruger Alaskan or Ruger Toklat (stock picture below, but I've also plastered this place with my newest Alaskan with my first Toklat.

In this case, a master of all is a master of none - but a few options out there would be pretty d@mn good at all 3 of your needs. For Bear Defense, you'll need at least a 44mag or a 45colt that can be loaded hot - If I recall correctly, you don't reload, so that limits your options to 44mag. For a defense gun, a long barrel is a pain in the butt, as it is for a packing/belt gun, so something on the order of a 5.5" should fit the bill. You won't want anything too short, else it won't be able to hunt effectively at all, but a 5.5" won't be ideal for hunting either.

A Trijicon RMR on a JPoint mount with an Aredondo JP to RMR adapter on top of a 5.5" Ruger Redhawk in 44mag with a Tyler T-grip to fill in under the grip neck would make a fine hunting, finishing, bear defense revolver. The RMR will offer a bit more precision aiming than the factory sights with less dependence upon sight alignment for hunting, and since it's tritium and FO illuminated, it'll be on if you ever need to quick draw on a charging bear.

A 5" Smith & Wesson 629 in 44mag is another fantastic option, if you're not adverse to the policies S&W has supported over the years.

I have two Toklat's (The Talo exclusive 5.5" slab sided Super Redhawks). It's far and away the best balancing SRH I've ever handled. Incredible power in a very manageable, great balancing package.

However, the 454C isn't for everybody. The recoil is extreme. It's absolutely not a novice's revolver, especially when you consider the competency requirement of rapid fire accuracy for bear hunting. I'd highly recommend trying one out before buying.