Reason for ported barrel is quicker follow-up shots. It will still be much slower to get back on target than a 10mm even with Underwood 200gr WFNGC ammunition.I wont port anything.
Have shot deer w 180, 200, 240 and 255gr.
They almost all go through.
Unless I crash a shoulder and spine.
It works (.44 mag) but aint magic.
Getting older, arthritis sucks.
Aren't there any former military service members who carried shotguns in Vietnam or Iraq or Afghanistan on this list? How did you use them?
I had a 6" ported .44 once upon a time (Taurus Model 44). I didn't like the pressure blast to the face that it produced. I could feel every shot in the bridge of my nose. It might help keep the muzzle down somewhat, but I found that any benefit was negated by the distraction caused by the pressure wave and blast coming out of the ports.
I recently picked up a 2 3/4" .44 mag (Model 69, not ported), and it's nicer to shoot than that 6" ported gun was. Yes, it produces a huge fireball, but it's all going downrange instead of up into my face.
I've been doing a lot of backpacking out west recently, and I picked up the Model 69 for bear defense on the trail. I do my best to avoid them, and have yet to have any issues, but I don't want to ever be in the situation where I'm getting chewed on and wishing I'd brought a gun. The last-resort insurance that it provides is worth the weight to me. It's also effective defense against 2-legged problems, which are probably more likely to be an issue than the bears where I go.
I'm sure that a 12 ga slug or a .45-70 would be more potent, but you have to balance capability with portability and the likelihood that you're going to actually need to use it. If I was fishing a river in Alaska or something like that, I'd probably take my 1895 in .45-70 or my full-stocked 870. I can't hit crap with a pistol-grip-only shotgun...they're horrible to shoot.
How about brenneke rottweil rifled slugs? Aren't they solid lead and not hollow like most slugs?I remain kind of baffled that a 12 gauge slug would perform desirably on large game. The penetrating power of a foster slug is extremely lackluster.
Maybe with modern solid sabots, or some specialty loading.
I'd must sooner trust a 45-70, or any large caliber revolver over a shotgun. The penetrating power of some of the big bore handguns with a hard cast is more than enough to deal with anything on the planet short of an elephant.
How about brenneke rottweil rifled slugs? Aren't they solid lead and not hollow like most slugs?
Bears are fairly large and certainly can be dangerous but they are not particularly thick skinned, heavy boned or tough relative to other large/dangerous game. Shotgun slugs approximate early large bore muzzleloading and cartridge rifles used more or less successfully on much larger and more dangerous game.I remain kind of baffled that a 12 gauge slug would perform desirably on large game. The penetrating power of a foster slug is extremely lackluster.
Maybe with modern solid sabots, or some specialty loading.
I'd must sooner trust a 45-70, or any large caliber revolver over a shotgun. The penetrating power of some of the big bore handguns with a hard cast is more than enough to deal with anything on the planet short of an elephant.
That's right !Easy packin and hard to beat the 1/2 inchers!
I'm heading back to AK again soon and I'll be taking my S&W 44 loaded up with 6 HSM hard cast bear loads. It's going to be in a chest rig.
Ammo is going to make a difference. Get hard cast HSM or Buffalo Bore. You might be able to step down in caliber if you don't have at least a 44 Mag. And yes, there's more rounds in a 10mm semiauto but that doesn't make the bear run slower. You have 3-6 seconds to put rounds into a charging bear. Make them count.
I've carried a Shockwave up there in a scabbard. The 1st round was a Brenneke's Black Magic. The rest were Aguila mini slugs. It was heavy and probably too slow to deploy. I'm a pretty good shot with it though.
Beautiful! Those are punishers for sure! i love the wide, flat, gas checked boomers! Big fan of Underwood Ammo and also Reeds Ammunition and Research. They make a great .475 Linebaugh 425 grain WFN HC GC...as well as the same in 500 grains for the 500 S&W. And for very packable/shootable firearms. Not that I want to spend a full day at the range shooting them, mind you...That's right !
That's right !
Put some BIG pills (hard cast) in a revolver that you can carry in a chest rig.
Do your part, and the bear loses !
This is what I put in my 500 S&W when I go to brown bear country.
Black Magic Magnums are what is loaded in my shotgun in Alaska. Carry it around using a two point sling. Also carry Bear Spray.Yeah a lot of the brenneke slugs are mostly solid.
The black magic magnum would be the best medicine for bear. Almost entirely solid, 602gr, moving at 1500fps.