Ruger Forum

fbks ak · October 13th, 2012, 10:33 AM

ok guys and gals,info annd questions. I have tgwo revolvers that I love
ruger blackhawk 357 and ruger vaquero 45lc

live in bear and moose country [fairbanks AK]
I do not rfeload and in my old age 79 can't take
the recoil of 44magOff the shelf which revolver
can I get amo powerful enough to carry on my walks inthe boonies
and what should I buy??? Thanks for ur help. \Gereat forum

Tom P,S. DONT WANT TO HURT eather weapon

arg0naut22 · October 13th, 2012, 10:52 AM

i've heard people say great things about the S&W 500 as far as a bear revolver goes, but i'm pretty sure that one would hurt a bit.

Sr40ken · October 13th, 2012, 10:55 AM

Depends on what's in the boonies. I would probably opt for the .357. JMHO

Spike12 · October 13th, 2012, 11:51 AM

Well, if you're limited to those two weapons...

A 357 with the right load will be fairly effective on bear. You want a heavy *hard* bullet for penetration, no so much expansion, but rather penetration. Hard cast lead or guilding metal. I wouldn't worry about 'hurting' the Blackhawk, it's very strong. Any off the shelf load will be OK. If you go Hornady, go for Critical DUTY not Critical Defense. Their Duty ammo is designed for higher levels of penetration vs. Defense.

Since recoil is a problem for you and I know what you're talking about, my .44mag days are over too, you'll get good relief from installing different grips. There are *many* out there for the BlackHawk. Try rubber Packy or Hogue. They'll be a lot softer on your hands vs. using the standard Ruger wood grips.

No opinion on 45LC.

Hans13 · October 13th, 2012, 11:57 AM

As for which would be better, weigh them and take the lightest. I take my BH checking fence all the time. I'm 16 and by the time I get around the 3 or so miles of fields, it sucks, lets just say that. I am a fan of the .357 and I have no experience with the .45 colt. Good Luck and stay safe,

Amishman44 · October 13th, 2012, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike12

Well, if you're limited to those two weapons...a 357 with the right load will be fairly effective on bear. You want a heavy *hard* bullet for penetration, no so much expansion, but rather penetration. Hard cast lead or guilding metal. I wouldn't worry about 'hurting' the Blackhawk, it's very strong. Any off the shelf load will be OK. If you go Hornady, go for Critical DUTY not Critical Defense. Their Duty ammo is designed for higher levels of penetration vs. Defense.

Well stated...the BH will handle just about anything you can do to a .357 Mag...and the hard bullets will get you significant penetration...which is more important than expansion in a large animal! Otherwise, I would have recommended an Alaskan in .454 Casull!

TMB · October 13th, 2012, 02:57 PM

The 45 colt would be good with 255 gr flat nose or semi wadcutters. You can get loads that are hotter than regular factory loads but not as bad as 44 mag. Around here the only dangerous animals are blackbear and mountain lion so either would be good. I carry either my 44 special with 240 gr semi wadcutters at about 850 fps or my Blackhawk 45 colt with 255 flat nose at about 1000 fps,

Rosie · October 13th, 2012, 04:09 PM

Guys I'm 71 and have a Taurus 44 mag 7 inch ported barrel and I can shoot it all day if need be with full blown loads with one hand. Softest shooting 44 mag I ever owned. I know a guy that has a RED HAWK 357 that is very heavy and plus P loads are a breeze to shoot in it. Both are SS

chief1 · October 13th, 2012, 04:27 PM

Sort of depends if you want to injure the bear or kill it. Also, depends on whether you want to shoot and run or shoot and see what happens. I suggest shoot to kill, run, come back tomorrow. If you agree, the .357 mag in a Vaquaro aiming for the head then the heart then moving quickly in the opposite direction while reloading six shots is best. The .45 is a bit large and slow for penetration. The .457 may be too much recoil for the 6 aimed shots you need. In any case, you need your gun to be where you need it and good luck, bears are very hard to kill.

bwinters · October 13th, 2012, 04:39 PM

I would use the hard cast round from federal in 45 colt or Buffalo bore's medium heavy 445 colt load 260 grain swc at 1100 fps.

ColoradoChris · October 13th, 2012, 04:46 PM

My friend has a S&W 500 and i've yet to shoot it. He tells me its a beast.

TMB · October 13th, 2012, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chief1

Sort of depends if you want to injure the bear or kill it. Also, depends on whether you want to shoot and run or shoot and see what happens. I suggest shoot to kill, run, come back tomorrow. If you agree, the .357 mag in a Vaquaro aiming for the head then the heart then moving quickly in the opposite direction while reloading six shots is best. The .45 is a bit large and slow for penetration. The .457 may be too much recoil for the 6 aimed shots you need. In any case, you need your gun to be where you need it and good luck, bears are very hard to kill.

The 45 beside being big and slow is heavy that helps with penetration and breaking bone etc

Ruger41 · October 13th, 2012, 06:47 PM

Is your .45 Vaquero an Old model or one of the newer versions? The original versions are built strong enough to handle .44 mag level .45 Colt loads(+p stuff from Buffalo Bore). Newer versions are built on a smaller frame and you have to stick with standard pressure loads. If its the old model Id choose it over the .357 and load it with the +p stuff from Buffalo Bore. If it's the newer version I think I'd choose the .357 and load it with Buffalo Bores 180 grain hardcast load. This .357 load should do 1375-1400 ft per sec and give over 600 ft lbs...this is enough to kill a bear provided you can make a brain shot. You might want to carry bear spray too.

Having said that since recoil bothers you, you could just use standard .45 Colt ammo with hardcast bullets.

RAC55 · October 13th, 2012, 10:45 PM

If you would feel better with a bigger gun like the .44 Mag, but a revolver is painful to shoot, you might consider an auto like the Desert Eagle .44 Mag. I have several .44 revolvers ranging from 3" to 9", but my Desert Eagle shoots a lot softer than the revolvers because of the gas operation. The only thing is, if you are going to use cast bullets, make sure they are gas check loads. Drawback is that the D.E. is a heavy piece to tote around.

batmann · October 14th, 2012, 05:53 AM

I DO NOT live in Bear country so any advise is strickly based on on the question of recoil. IMHO, the recoil of a 'heavy' .357M can be harsh, but is still going to be less than a .44M.
I have always gone with the .44m, but like the OP, I am starting to find the recoil on the boarder line for me and have taken to carry my Ruger 50TH in .357M. I have it loaded with 158 gr GDHP from Double Tap ( no longer available) and for my use, that is a very good load. For bigger game (Bear) I would get the Buffalo Bore 180 gr HC.