Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns You guys want an autoloading bear handgun???

Well here's an autoloading bear gun for your walk about.

http://www.wildeyguns.com/

The 44 Automag be bad assed too.

Yup and I think it has to be made out of .308 cases to. I don't think there are any .44 Automag cases made any more but I could be wrong.

It'd be fun to own one for those nostalgic Death Wish 3 moments, but I'd much rather have one of these for woods packin'......
LAR Grizzly

I don't know if those guys are still around?

The thing about the Wildey is that the barrels are interchangeable and the gas plug is adjustable. Plus it has a rotating rifle style bolt. I think it would be tough to blow one up.

Screw that none of the big autoloaders are anywhere near reliable enough for me to trust my life to them. I'll pass.

Aside from what Kevin said, that thing is hideous in my opinion. I think I will stick with my Redhawk.

The Wildy is the one that uses .308 brass, the Auto mag was chambered in .357 & .44 Remington Magnum, standard revolver ammo. the .44 I shot recoiled about like a .45 ACP 1911.

Thanks for the clarification.

Your probably right. I don't think I'd trust my life to any handgun for bear defense. Give me a rifle or shot gun any day.

The Wildey is chambered in the 45 Winchester Magnum caliber as well as the 475 Wildey Magnum with a few variations based on the 45 Win Mag and 475 Wildey Mag brass. they never had a round based on the 308 case.

Headache

I've shot a .50 Desert Eagle. The grip was like a 2x4 and my thumb seemed to bear the brunt of the recoil, which was not trivial I think if a 10mm 1911 won't fix the problem, I want a revolver.

Unless of course someone makes a .50 Beowulf AR pistol

Ask yourself if you would trust your life on a quality 1911 in an alley fight or on the battlefield.
If you nod,yes - then you wouldn't have any issue using the LAR Griz in 45 Win Mag against a real griz or brown bear.
IMO......it's more of a ques about the ability of the man behind the trigger than the handgun in either event.

I just wish I had been aware that LAR had dropped the line so I could have acquired some spare parts and a couple more 45 Win Mag magazines.

Mine work just fine. When I shoot the 45wm it functions fine as long as the rail is lubed,but never shot the 50AE. Thinking of selling them both.

We are both a bit wrong Sir, after a bit of research I found this, and Tim was right, the ORIGINAL .44 Auto mag fired a custom cartridge made from .308 brass. The one I shot however was the one that used regular .44 Remington Mag. ammo.:

The .44 AMP was originally based on the .308 case cut to the proper length, inside necked reamed and loaded with the custom dies from RCBS. Things are much simpler today as Starline offers excellent brass and the dies are no longer a custom proposition as they are a standard production item from RCBS. Although the .44 AMP is basically a rimless .44 Magnum they do not use the same dies, as the .44 AMP case is slightly tapered. This, of course, precludes the use of a carbide sizing die and cases must be lubed before sizing. The loading of 300 rounds of .44 AMP proved I am not too old to learn. I have always cautioned shooters about loading a large batch of ammunition while awaiting the arrival of a new sixgun as they could easily wind up with loads that would not fit the cylinder. The Wildey does not have a cylinder, however it has a magazine which restricts overall cartridge length. I loaded 300 rounds with bullets seated the same as I would for a sixgun, which is right to the cannelure; fortunately I did not apply a crimp of any kind. When I found none of my loads would fit the magazine it was necessary to reseat the bullets to an overall length of 1.59″, which is much shorter than most 44 Magnum sixgun rounds.

Break It In

The .44 AMP Wildey used for testing was custom ordered and brand-new. At first it was a little cranky but after about 30 rounds settled and then started shooting seriously. I still get a stovepipe once in a while but this may be able to be corrected by adjusting the gas piston. Some of the fired cases would come straight back and hit me on the forehead, however as this did not happen consistently this could also possibly be corrected by adjusting the gas piston.

The .44 AMP Wildey was tested with five different bullets from three companies, Hornady, Sierra and Speer, and also three of the most-used powders for .44 Magnum sixgun loads, #2400, H4227, and H110 as well as some slightly lighter loads using 12 grains of Unique. The latter loads were especially comfortable to shoot. The most accurate load I have found in the combinations tried was a longtime favorite semi- heavyweight bullet, Hornady�s 265 grain JFP over 22 grains of H4227. Muzzle velocity is 1,370 fps and it shoots one-hole groups. The same bullet has always given excellent service in .44 Magnums sixguns as well as .44 Magnum and .444 Marlin leverguns, and now we can add .44 semiautos to the list.

Harry Sanford had an excellent idea with his .44 semiauto. I�m most pleased to see Wildey carry on by supplying a home for the .44 AutoMag Pistol cartridge.The .44 AMP was originally based on the .308 case cut to the proper length, inside necked reamed and loaded with the custom dies from RCBS. Things are much simpler today as Starline offers excellent brass and the dies are no longer a custom proposition as they are a standard production item from RCBS. Although the .44 AMP is basically a rimless .44 Magnum they do not use the same dies, as the .44 AMP case is slightly tapered. This, of course, precludes the use of a carbide sizing die and cases must be lubed before sizing. The loading of 300 rounds of .44 AMP proved I am not too old to learn. I have always cautioned shooters about loading a large batch of ammunition while awaiting the arrival of a new sixgun as they could easily wind up with loads that would not fit the cylinder. The Wildey does not have a cylinder, however it has a magazine which restricts overall cartridge length. I loaded 300 rounds with bullets seated the same as I would for a sixgun, which is right to the cannelure; fortunately I did not apply a crimp of any kind. When I found none of my loads would fit the magazine it was necessary to reseat the bullets to an overall length of 1.59″, which is much shorter than most 44 Magnum sixgun rounds.

I'm sorry, but taking on a human being on the street is nothing like taking on a tough old grizzly determined to get a piece of you. E

Hey Terry, I found that Corbon loads the .44 automag with a 240 grain bullet that they make for tough customers like bears and such. Over 1400 FPS with a muzzle energy over 1100 FP. This out of a six inch barrel. The Wildey with the standard 10 inch barrel probably does a little better.

According to Corbon, the .44 automag at a hundred yards has about the same velocity and energy as the .45 Winchester mag or .44 mag at the muzzle. The .44 automag is one high pressure cartridge.

Yeah but if I am gonna tote that much weight around might as well carry Marlin GG in 45-70 and be done with it. It will actually handle better and get on target faster and easier.

Hey, I was just trying to help out the guys who want to carry autoloader for bear back up.

Personally, I agree with you. Now that Winchester is manufacturing new model 1892's in .44mag in the trapper model with the 16 inch barrel that's the way to go in Montana.

T Lee,

I was wrong! It has been many years since I have be at Wildey and after reviewing their websight I see that they do offer it in the 44AMP. My bad.

Headache