This happening has made me feel very stupid about carrying bear spray while in the Rockies/Wasatch/Tetons.... I will be in the market for a 454 real soon.... Or, is there anything else I could hip carry?
Here in SE Idaho I carry a 4” Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag loaded with 300gr solid lead bullets. If I still lived in Alaska, I’d carry the same thing. Number one, because I already have it; number two, because it is fairly controllable; and number three, because it fits nicely in a hip holster and I always have it on me. First rule of a gun fight - have a gun.
I’m not so worried about bears any more but I had a close encounter with a big, PO’d Black Angus bull last summer while hiking in the mountains and carrying a .357 Mag. Fortunately, that episode ended w/o bloodshed. I looked at that bull and I looked at that .357 and I just knew that I did not bring enough gun.
454 casull is great for brown bear. A 44 magnum would also be good. Flat nosed or hollow-points for maximum damage. The heavier the gun the better for recoil management. A rifle would be best for control, but of course harder to carry.
If money is not an issue get a desert eagle in 44 mag or 50 AE. Easy to squeeze off more shots in a shorter period of time.
44 mag should suffice
Another .454 on the other hip!