what's the best handgun for stopping a bear attack or other large animal one might encounter?

Smith & Wesson does not make a 45-70 handgun. Nor does IMI make a 45 Desert Eagle. I would go for a minimum of a 44 magnum revolver with a few larger calibers such as the .480 Ruger, .454 Casull, and the .500 S&W. Smith & Wesson make a 329 model 44 magnum. It weighs very little and makes the perfect carry gun for that. The other side is that once you use it, they recoil like a cannon.

No handgun is going to be 100% reliable on something as large as a big bear. Practice, practice, practice. Also get some solid hunting bullets as a jacketed hollowpoint is liable to not penetrate very effectively against such a large animal.

Doc,

Yeah, it is possible, but I don't remember it. They did make the Wildey in that chambering though. It's a niche cartridge and ammo for it is non-existent or very expensive. Why get a 45Win Mag Desert Eagle when the 50Desert Eagle would be much more effective and the ammo available?

Well for backup any of the following will do:

10mm; .41 Magnum; .44 Magnum; .45 Long Colt (NOT the .45 acp). The bare minimum, a .357 Mag. preferably with a 6" barrel.

As a primary bear-hunting handgun don't go with anything smaller than the .44 Mag. & the .454 Casull would be better. The .500 S & W Mag. would not be an over-kill.

Best.

H

It really depends on your experience with large bore handguns.

I've shot .454 Casulls, and .475 Linebaugh Longs. With the possible exception of the new .500 S&W Magnum, these are the very best for hammering big bears. However, even though I have many years of experience as a handgunner shooting heavy revolvers, I find the .475 Linebaugh to be far too brutal in the recoil department for good fast shooting. A properly loaded .454 Casull is not much gentler.

Were I heading for the wilds of Alaska for a hunting or fishing trip, I'd have a 4.75" Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 RemMag on my hip.

I share the opinion of many noted handgun experts which states that the .44 RemMag is the upper level of power that most shooters can handle with speed and accuracy. With heavy handloads, or premium factory hunting ammo from companies like Garrett Cartridge Company, Buffalo Bore, or Cor-Bon, the .44 RemMag can take any game animal on earth, including elephant. Even with heavy loads, the Super Blackhawk can make fast repeat shots, and in the event of a bear attack, you'd better be able to shoot fast and accurately.

Now on the down side, I read a report from the Alaskan Fish and Game Commission which stated that there had never been an instance of a grizzly/brown bear charge being stopped by ANY HANDGUN OF ANY CALIBER without injury to the shooter.

So, in addition to a .44 RemMag revolver on my hip, I'd also have a Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70 Gov't in an over the shoulder holster at all waking moments. It would be loaded with Garrett 540 grain Hammerheads. The revolver would be for last ditch defense and for comfort under my pillow at night.

Doc

First of all, no handgun is very good for stopping a bear attack. That is why bear hunting guides carry rifles! If you insist on depending on a handgun for this use, I would suggest a S & W Model 500 (.500 S&W) with a 4" barrel. Since the gun comes with a compensator, the recoil is not that much worse than a .44 Mag.

Assuming that the side arm is going to be a back up to the primary hunting weapon, I would go with nothing less than a .44 Mag. Since we are talking about a backup, access to the weapon quickly will be paramount, and usually not shot at far distances... or you would be using a follow up shot from the rifle / shotgun to begin with.

I would not get one longer than a 6" Barrell, as drawing from a holster can be compromised with longer barrells (not to say it is impossible, just more difficult)

If bears are a concern, then the .44 Mag, .454 Casul, .500 Mag S&W are all top contenders. all are capable of the task at hand.

question is... how good are you with the revolver?

Can you get it out of the holster and on target?

how accurate are you? They generate a ton of torque

Where can you shoot them to become proficient with the weapon?

I have been toying with converting one of my .45 ACP 1911's in to a .460 Roland as a backup, as the platform is familiar to me, and can get the weapon unholstered and on target quickly.

I would opt for a 6" barrell on the 44 through the .500 . I have shot the 500 mag... it is quite a handful, even in the 10.5 " barrel configuration.

A heavy loaded .41 Magnum is considered barely adequate for black bear (and hope it's a small one). A heavy loaded .44 Magnum is the generally accepted minimum effective bear load. I haven't shot a .480 Ruger, but I have shot a .454 Casull, .475 Linebaugh, .460 S&W and .500 S&W. I've even shot 2 different 45-70 handguns. Maybe, with a compensator and all the adrenaline, you could hold them on target for the 2nd or 3rd shot you're going to need--but I certainly couldn't. And since a backup revolver will need to be small enough to draw and fire quickly a long barrelled compensated revolver probably won't fill the bill. I wouldn't count on the .50 AE either--if your life depends on a follow-up shot I just can't trust an autoloader.

Bear Hunting Handgun

I have known a few guys that have and do still hunt Alaska they all said their guide carried a 12ga shotgun with some big mean nasty slugs in it as backup.

If I was going to get a pistol. I would go with a 4" barreled Smith X-frame 500 S&W mag. I have shot one of these and with the comensator on them because of their size, weight, the comp, and the grips. The recoil is not bad at all. I am not saying this is a good starter pistol but recoil is not that much worse that a 357 mag or 44 mag.

Magnum Research Inc. Made the BFR in 45-70 and if that can fit in your pocket I want to see your pants because them are some freekin hughe pockets.

Your best backup would be 2 men with rifles. One would be the last resort weapon, something in a large bore double rifle, the other guy would have something no less than .35 whelen in a brush gun length rifle, mostly because it would be used closer than your rifle.

This is all assuming you're going to encounter a grizzly or a brown bear. Or a polar bear. Never hunt dangerous game alone, bad idea, not safe, always have at least one, prefferably two others with you. Your best back up is more eyes and more rifles to get the job done.

Don't get a handgun. Big bore handguns like a .357, .44, .454, and so on have a lot of recoil that can throw off your shot, not to mention that shot placement is going to matter a great deal. This is why the best thing to carry in the back country is a 12 gauge shotgun, which is good if you have a double gun rack in your vehicle because you can carry your hunting rifle and a shotgun closeby for predator attacks.