My parents (who camped in both Yellowstone and Glacier when they were newly married) bought a Super Blackhawk when they first came out.
Something they related to me is that some people can handle the recoil of a .44 Magnum better with the “hawgleg” design of a Super Blackhawk better than a modern S&W/Colt DA frame. Once they saw a shooter firing a S&W .44 Magnum at a range...they were holding it wrong, and the recoiling pistol split the web of the guy’s hand.
I’ve read that .38 Super was once marketed as an anti-bear cartridge for its high velocity...any thoughts on this?
When I was younger I noticed that the guys who really knew guns tended to carry .38 supers. It was probably as much a fad as anything else tho I guess it would be better than a lot.
If I could afford a new gun it probably would be a Glock, can’t recall the model number but the full size ones chambered for 10mm. They would seem to be a good choice for bears but the number of people who have actually had a lot of experience shooting them must be minuscule.
One of the best guns I ever owned and I have owned several hundred, was a Smith, model 57. About as good a choice for protection from large animals as any.
And I recall my parents talking about bear attacks at Glacier after they had been there. At least one of them was a woman...they said it was speculated that she was menstruating at the time, and the bear picked up on that somehow as a rival threat.
Once they saw a shooter firing a S&W .44 Magnum at a range...they were holding it wrong, and the recoiling pistol split the web of the guy’s hand.>>>>>>>>>>
I can’t hold a S&W properly. To much distance from the back strap to the trigger, my trigger finger is then not long enough to squeeze properly with the gun lined up center web between thumb and forefinger.If an S&W would fit my hand, I would use one. But Colts and Rugers are about 1/4 inch shorter in that distance.
Also one should not fire a 44 magnum without a nice uninsulated thin leather glove.I use driving gloves. It keeps the best grip on the gun so it won’t roll back.Its not the scales or backstrap of the gun that can split the web of one’s hand, but the hammer rolling back into the web of ones grip. That can slice you between thumb and forefinger pretty badly.
I always fire with a two handed grip. To fire off handed would require hands the size of cabbages.I also know from experience that I can only fire 3 successive shots accurately , after that, my right hand goes wobbly.It takes about 7 minutes rest before I can fire another 3 rounds accurately.
But three rounds should be enough to dispatch any bear if one stands and shoots. Anyone who runs from a bear and then tries to fire a .44 magnum while out of breath is really asking to be eaten.
A .38 super just is not a heavy enough bullet.
The smallest pistol bullet anyone should use on a bear is a .44 magnum, and even then one should use hollow points.