I wish Ruger was putting a 3.5"- 4"bbl on the Alaskan.
I think it would be a better choice. With that short 2.5" it will be a bear to hang on to.Then having adjustables sights on that short little barrel.To me that's a waste.I'm looking forward mine getting here.It should be exciting hanging on to it with full house Casulls.

Ruger Redhawk

I would choose a powerful handgun, but one that I could shoot accurately and practice with regularly. Some, like jcb9901 can handle a .454 with confidence. Most of my friends that bought .454 Casulls or .475 Linebaughs are intimidated by their guns. Hence they seldom shoot these cannons and they are not likely to be competent in the event a bear charges. One of my buddies that fishes Alaska a lot bought a double action Smith and Wesson Mountain Gun in .44 Magnum. He loads it with heavy 305 grain hard cast bullets from Buffalo Bore (1325 ft./sec., ME 1189 ft. lbs.) when he's in the river, but practices regularly, double action style, with less expensive loads so that he is proficient in getting the gun out quickly and getting off several accurate shots.

Pick ammo that will penetrate. The usual expanding jacketed hollow points and soft points loaded in factory rounds in most .44 magnums,and even in some .454 and .480s often fail and flatten out on the skull or shoulder bones. Quality hard cast bullets or heavily constructed full metal jacket bullets with a flat nose, essentially solids, can reliably penetrate grizzly skulls or reach into the heart and lung area.

Picking out a new gun is such a kick. Have fun and good luck in Alaska.

Doug

The S&W Model 500 comes in a 4" version that would be a great pack gun. I'd load it up with a 350-400 grain solid bullet. .50cal is a more than big enough hole, and penetration would be outstanding. The recoil is stout, but not unmanageable as long as you're committed to practicing enough with it to be proficient. The only downside to the Model 500 is the high cost, but if it were me I'd look for one used before I'd buy one new.

The SRH Alaskan would also be a decent choice (I'd choose .454 Casull over the .480 Ruger, but that's just a matter of preference), but I think the 2.5" barrel is excessively short. I'f they'd made it a 4 or 4.5" barrel it'd be better. The gun is for back country defense against nasty 4-legged critters and can be carried in a manner suitable for such, not a CCW revolver to be carried in a front pants pocket during a midnight trip to the convienience store, so the 2.5" barrel is unnecessarily short and compromises performance and handling a little too much IMO.

Mike