Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska GP 100 44 Spl or Alaskan 44 Mag

I'd always carry a rifle on the trapline, opportunities often arise to flame wolves.

Gotta love these better/best threads!!😀 Nothing sells more guns and equipment than the idea of having to be ideally equipped for whatever comes your way. Do I really need a 358 win, and a 375/350 Rem mag, or either for that matter? Hmm? Well, maybe my 30-06(s) might be too long, too heavy, not powerful enough????


Same quandary re: 41 Blackhawk.......maybe the 44 mag?? Maybe need DA???? But perhaps 400 grains or more.... 480...500..,?????

But perhaps s light rifle, better? Bolt, lever, semi/auto... all three????


Pretty soon you’ve got an outfit, 500 lbs of which is guns. Lol


... and the wrong ammo in hand when the time comes.

Ain't dat da truf!

I can agree to that.
Before the robery, I intended to thin the herd a bit. Now I still have my grandfather's 99 Savage (300), a 1956 Winchester 94 (32 Spl), a Tikka T3 (270 WSM), a Ruger Compact Rifle (338 RCM), a Wincherster 1897 solid frame (12ga), an Ithica 66 (20ga)...dats it.

I don't own a handgun. I'm thinking I might like to. But only one, just one...no, really, just one.

Currently I have my eye and thoughts on two that I could do an eenie meenie minie moe with and be just fine.
1) Ruger SR 1911 (10mm)
2) Ruger Redhawk (45 Colt) 4.20 Barrel. Not the Super.

Leaning heavy toward the 45 Colt. Already got the dies, and I'd trade ounces for the horsepower...and the versatility of the moon clip allows for one to run the 45 ACP on the cheap for practice and such.


To clarify one more time, this would only be for times when I'm working, putting up firewood, and such, when the rifle isn't handy.
On the line, the 22LR will be primary.

I'd go with the 45 redhawk convertible. It's not a lightweight gun, but between 45 acp plinking and small game loads to full patch 45 colt loads that will take any Alaskan game I don't think you'll find a more versatile handgun.

My next revolver will be either that or the GP100 match champion 357

I hear tell that the way you shoot things scurry when you flash a water pistol.


I hear you.

I bet you change the 22LR idea, after being there. Wait till you see your first pack of wolves at 75 yards and you'll be thinking 'Damn, I should of had an AR15'

I like the Colt cartridge plenty in SA, DA, and carbine configurations. Saved mine and others’ butts a couple times too. Been an adequate if slightly overkill as a pot cartridge from ptarmigan to ‘bou as well.

the 22 LR ideal do what I did I purchased the stainless revolver with 2 cylinders 22LR and 22 mag ,22 magnum can be a dang good defense cartridge too.but if anyone is worried about bears a cheap pump 12 gauge shotgun ,with a shorter barrel and good slugs is a good choice.

On yeah, I forgot to list that one.!

Thats sweet Kilk.!!!

if you put Hogue grips on that thing, you'd really have something!

It seems like you might be overthing you’re gun selection for your move to alaska, as somebody who also is a transplant to this great state and spends a lot of time outdoors. I’d like to say, get a foot 30-06 and a good 44mag, fill in the gaps later.

Get a ruger redhawk 44 and a 30-06 in whatever style you like, I like the m70 extreme weather.

That is not the lowest scoring caribou I ever saw... and by a long shot!

Frankly, the idea of a 44 as a multi-purpose firearm is completely lost on me. I agree 100% on the 30-06...

Couldn’t a man of your talents come up with some sort of drilling-revolver? Big bore chambers on the cylinder’s circumference; rimfire on the inside, staggered. Make a selective hammer so every/other hammer strike would be dry fire practice. If you had trouble making it heavy enough, sell the idea to Magnum Research (since the seem find plenty of steel when building revolvers). 🍺

I had one of the first Redhawks to come out. As a hunting gun it was fine, accurate, crappy trigger that had to have a lot of work on it. Handled warm loads fine, was easy to shoot.

Finally took it to CO on a bow hunt as a back up... and after the first day it stayed in the tent.

It was sold years later when going on an AK hunt as a backup, there was no way in hell for a non main gun I was carrying Redhawk weight around.

Times and places for all things I suppose.

Mark, thats a heck of a bou!

AKPENDUDE,

I appreciate your contribution and comments...

I over think EVERYTHING ad nauseam (good read on you're part), it's both a blessing and a curse... a disorder of sorts one could say, but I cope with it.

As for the 30-06, well.., I've a 270 WSM Tikka T3 on the one end, and a 338 RCM on a RCR on the other. I "think" I've got the 06 covered, but if not I've a Model 70 FWT and a doner barrel just in case.

I've got the dies for the 45 Colt, and with the moon clips the 45 ACP will, well, you know.
Like 458 Lott said, it'll be a versatile...

In a gun strong enough for the 44 mag a 45 colt can do everything a 44 mag can do, as well as everything a 45 colt can do. Not to say a .452" 360 gr slug at 1200 fps is better than a .429" 330 gr slug at 1200 fps, but facts is facts. Add in the moon clips for the 45 acp and you have that option as well.

Agreed with Jeff that redhawk triggers tend to be terrible from the factory. Definately worth a trip to a smith that knows how to slick up the action. Magnaport isn't cheap, but a buddy had a pair of redhawks worked over by them and you'd think you were shooting an S&W from their glory days.

-06, 300 or 338 win mag are tough to beat for a big enough but not too big game rifle with readily available factory fodder.

Wasn’t ‘carrying’ that day and rode a few miles to grab the camp gun, which happened to be the little 16” barreled Colt Trapper carbine. Of course, those animals, which let me pass by at 75 yards or so, unarmed, weren’t going to let me get closer than more than double that distance when I came back. But at around 200 yards the Colt chunked a 320 cast bullet fast enough: 1500+, and drilled shovel, shoulder, and exited opposite ‘corner’ near the hip. Effectiveness of slow cast bullets is almost solely dependent on getting them ‘there’.