Large Caliber Handgun Questions

[inrunner75]

I'm wanting to purchase something on the order of a .454 Casull or a .500 S&W magnum for protection against grizzly bears and moose for backcountry camping out west. I also want to be very well practiced with my gun, but the astronomical price of ammunition for these calibers is insane.
Are there any caliber converters you can slip into a revolver so I can shoot less expensive ammunition? How many rounds of .454 or .500 should I practice with before heading out into the wild? And what distance should I practice shooting from?
I'm new to shooting handguns, but I've plinked on and off for the past 6 or 7 years with a .22 rifle. With a .22 rifle though, I suspect there isn't quite the "learning curve" that shooting a handgun might require, am I right about that? Also, my dad's a cop and has a few retired handguns in smaller calibers like 9mm, .38 special, a .357, and a .40 S&W and has a bunch of ammo that he won't ever use to go along with it. If I practiced with these rounds would my skill transfer over to the hand cannon?

 

[451_Detonics]

Go with the 460 S&W, you can shoot 45 Colt, 454, and 460S&W, trust me a 360 Gr Buffalo Bore at 1900fps will ruin a bears day. Recoil is much more manageable as well.

 

[johncarbaugh]

The 50 post count is there for a reason. Asking a bunch of questions and saying by the way I WTB dose not make it ok.

 

[451_Detonics]

I would add any large bore is not a good gun to start learning with. Start with a 22 and work up. In about 5000 rounds you should be able handle the 460. You would be better off with a 12 gauge with slugs till you are very proficient.

 

[sloughfoot]

Protection against a moose???? I would be more worried about Rockie because he can fly.....I know, all those wild charging mooses once you leave your front yard and enter the wilderness "out west". And what part of the "west" is populated with moose? Minnesota? Wyoming? Idaho? Utah? Are you going to camp in the middle of a lake?

LMAO

Take a 22 pistol, you won't need anything more. Proper campsite set up keeps the charging grizzes away too.. Worry more about having a good pair of boots than having some kind of hand cannon that is heavy, impractical to carry all day on your hip and usually inaccessible if you screw up and really need it.

 

[barryG]

If you are serious, get a nice ruger blackhawk in .44 magnum and practice with 44 special loads. Look around for one with a shortened barrel which can pack easy.

But back to what someone else posted. Where are you going that you need to worry about this? Grizzly ain't to common no more in most parts.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

staying home would ensure your safety and be the cheapest route.

 

[tv1217]

Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan is basically supposed to be made for exactly this purpose.

Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan Double-Action Revolver Models

 

[inrunner75]

I'll give serious consideration to the .460 since it you can shoot those others out of it and when I hit the trail I can bring along some hot .460 loads.
.44magnum sounds like my next best bet

I've thought about the 12 gauge, but the extra weight and the inconvenience of having to put it on my pack and out of reach is a disadvantage if I need to whip it out fast in case of a charge. Can't really carry it in my hands either because those are reserved for the trekking poles which are essential when you got a bunch of weight you're carrying on your back.

You also gotta think about at night, you're gonna be in the confines of a tent or bivy sack is in my case and you can't really wheel a shotgun around like you can with a pistol if a bear decides he wants pigs in a blanket.

I also took a backcountry camping trip in the smokys this summer and the backcountry office said that open carry of longuns was allowed on the Carolina side and weren't on the TN side and irregardless of where I was if I was caught open carrying a long gun in the backcountry by a ranger they'd treat me as if I was hunting. So I'm guessing this is how the rest of the NP operates in the lower 48. I'm not much of a people person either and don't want to have to explain to a poindexter ranger as to my motivations for carrying a shotgun in griz territory either. So I'm stickin' with a handgun.

And to sloughfoot...Moose are dangerous and like bears, if you startle or get between one and their young they're bound to charge and since moose are the second largest game in North America that's something you definitely don't want trampling you. And they got a population of em' in Yellowstone and the Tetons which are my two favorite places to go out west.
Thanks for the replies

 

[jbombelli]

Magnum Research BFR. My favorite hand cannon:

This one is in .45-70.

 

[Whosyer]

Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan is basically supposed to be made for exactly this purpose.

Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan Double-Action Revolver Models

You can shoot .45 Colts in the 454 for practice.

 

[Whosyer]

Protection against a moose???? I would be more worried about Rockie because he can fly.....I know, all those wild charging mooses once you leave your front yard and enter the wilderness "out west". And what part of the "west" is populated with moose? Minnesota? Wyoming? Idaho? Utah? Are you going to camp in the middle of a lake?

LMAO

Take a 22 pistol, you won't need anything more. Proper campsite set up keeps the charging grizzes away too.. Worry more about having a good pair of boots than having some kind of hand cannon that is heavy, impractical to carry all day on your hip and usually inaccessible if you screw up and really need it.

Sorry.
Man Improving After Moose Attack
GRAND LAKE, Colo. -- A 92-year-old man who was attacked by a bull moose while walking to church in a small mountain town was upgraded to serious condition on Monday.
Man Improving After Moose Attack - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver

Why are moose more dangerous than bears in Alaska?
.............."Although moose aren't more dangerous than bears in terms of behavior, they pose a greater threat of injuring you simply because of their population size. Moose outnumber bears nearly three to one in Alaska, wounding around five to 10 people in the state annually. That's more than grizzly bear and black bear attacks combined "
HowStuffWorks "Why are moose more dangerous than bears in Alaska?"


Couldn't help myself. And now we return to your regular programming.

 

[Joe Williams]

Protection against a moose???? I would be more worried about Rockie because he can fly.....I know, all those wild charging mooses once you leave your front yard and enter the wilderness "out west". And what part of the "west" is populated with moose? Minnesota? Wyoming? Idaho? Utah? Are you going to camp in the middle of a lake?
snip.

When I was hiking in Alaska, I was far more worried about moose than bear. Bears can be scared of 'em too.

 

[jd4320t]

I was reading something not too long ago about 10mm being a good bear gun. Packs a punch and more rounds. Anyone else heard this??

 

[Cam]

If you are serious, get a nice ruger blackhawk in .44 magnum and practice with 44 special loads. Look around for one with a shortened barrel which can pack easy.

This . Very manageable recoil, very effective, cheaper ammo.

 

[starcrack]

I can attest to that. If you're an experienced hiker, you should know that moose can really mess you up.

Of course if you set up your camp correctly you won't get besieged by grizzly bears. But sometimes hiking through grizzly country is inevitable. Taking a high caliber weapon seems to be a pretty sensible thing to me.