ruger alaskan in 454

[AK-49]

Looks like I will be pickiing one up pretty soon for bear protection... with either core bond or buffalo bore bullets and using a guides choice holster from diamond d leather out of chugach

http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=5301&return=Y

http://www.davidjohnstonleather.com/Pages/GuidesChoice.html

[Bill Gunn]

I like the gun but I'm sure that when you pull the trigger, there'll be no doubt in your mind that it went off !!

I have 2 SBH's and in 25 years never had a problem with them, and they got a lot of deer. How can you not like a Ruger :p

The 2 Smiths I have (Mods 27, and 66) are no where's near as tough as my Rugers.

[Smokey]

I might need to get one of those holsters. Might be easier than carrying a heavy revolver on the hip. I wonder if the holsters are interchangeable on that rig.

[Hi Ball]

AK-49.....Now is that new Ruger of yours a 2 inch snub nose? I would prefer at least a 4 inch barrel for better sighting and my Smith & Wesson 44mag has an 8-3/8 inch barrel but it is really not made for grizzly bears.

My holster for the 44 is similar to that Diamond brand but it is a Bianchi which lets the pistol hang down from under your armpit, easier to conseal or put a jacket over in the rain.

[Hi Ball]

AK-49......Now when I look at the pisture of with the Smith & Wesson model in their long barrel holster. I do NOT see where that 6 inch pistol can be drawn out properly. Meaning you have to really bring your arm up extremely high to pull that pistol out of that holster.

On a Bianchi you grab the grip and jerk downward as the pistol is held in by springsteel that is covered by the leather. It is very fast and easy to get on target with the Bianchi. Please do check them out before your purchase. Also with that Bianchi holster, it has a belt loop at the bottom to keep that holster from coming up or flopping around when you grabb the pistol by the grip.

[GF.]

Funny thing...

You guys have got me cruising around the Ruger site and damned if that Alaskan doesn't come out looking like a good alternative to anything else they make as a CCW piece...

At least to a guy who has never really looked at carrying a pistol...

But the AK weighs only a couple oz. more (and is a hair shorter overall) than a 3" bbl'd .357Mag 6-shooter. Yep, it's a pound heavier than a 5-shooter, but talk about your apples and oranges.....:eek:

[AK-49]

Highball the guides choice holster would be for the ruger alaskan in 454 for use with buffalo bore ammo... it kills on both ends but i think the bear would get to worse end of the deal... i hope i would never need it for that purpose... its an insurance policy better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[Hi Ball]

AK-49.....Exactly Brother! This is the way I feel about my .460 Smith & Wesson. Not really a target piece good hunting if one wished to do so but for those walks in bear country and no .338 mag in my hand, it will do just nicely and give me that all important piece of mind. You just make sure you practice a bounch with that new pistol. I usually put at least 300 rounds down the barrel just to break one in.......Ouch!

[Rich]

AK49,

Once you have your tool, I recomend you shoot it a few times and then dry fire. That way you will be training yourself to be able to see your hits and not begin to flinch. I shoot a Freedom Arms .454. Once it was sighted in with its 2 1/2-8X Leupold, I spent a lot of time dry firing. It is way cheaper than sending 260 grain bullets down range everytime I pull the trigger.

I used to do a lot of jack rabbit hunting. Since my muscles were trained without being hammered, I almost never missed clear out to over 100 yards. By the way, I never had to move the gun out of the way to see if I hit. And yet in the fun of the moment, I didn't notice the recoil.