Ruger .454 Casull for backpacking?

Question

Can anyone recommend the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan .454 Casull revolver with 2.5" barrel?

--I will be staying with my family in a nice big cabin in Alaska for most of 2009, and I wanted a good, durable, and very powerful revolver for conceal carry. I already own a shotgun, which I am also taking with me, but I wanted something that I can COMFORTABLY carry with me while hiking on trails with my wife. I was told by my uncle that this specific revolver, despite the harsh recoil, would be best, but I wondered what your opinions of it are?

Here is a link with a picture of the gun:

http://www.impactguns.com/store/media/ruger_sup_redhawk_alaskan.jpg

Answer 1

Ah.....Well, it'll work, but for concealed carry....Hope you're a BIG guy. The gun is HUGE. Even with the short barrel. It is so wide, you can park a semi on it & still have room to walk around. Well, ok maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration but not much. I noticed you capitalized COMFORTABLY. That word does not belong in the same sentence with concealed when discussing that gun. It will be HARD to conceal a revolver that big and almost impossible to do it comfortably. The caliber is plenty for bears and everything else you might run into there, including bigfoot. If you really want a 454, take a look at the Taurus Raging Bull 454. It is a 5 shot & is MUCH thinner. It does have a longer barrel which makes it easier to hit with but slightly harder to conceal. It will also be LOTS more comfortable. It is ported which makes it a whole lot easier to shoot & the ports DEFINATELY do work. It is louder because of the ports but if you need it in self defense, you're not going to mind. Here is a link. Good luck with your choice & if you have any extra room in your suitcase, I can squeeze down into a pretty small package.

http://www.taurususa.com/products/produc...

Answer 2

That's one mean gun your planning on packing! I dont see any reason not to go with that caliber considering what you may be facing in your area. Its not a small gun but you dont want a small gun if your in bear territory.

Get yourself comfortable with the recoil is my only recommendation, ohh and get yourself some good earplugs. One shot without ear plugs would be enough to make a rookie trade it in.  

Answer 3

hahah...my stepdad has the exact same revolver but with a 7" barrel. This thing is one of the easiest things I've ever shot. I would recommend a semi-auto(cleaned often) though. I heard once that a hiker found somewhere over in Eastern WA was backpacking and later they found his body, and an empty .44 redhawk in momma bear's stomach. not nice.

Answer 4

I recently examined just this revolver.  Seems someone bought it, fired it once and traded for something else.  The guy at the gun shop even told me he'd throw in a box of ammo with only one shell missing.  I thought he was kidding until I opened the cylinder and noticed only one slot of six smoked-up.  Guess he fired it once and decided he wanted something less intense!

I was impressed with the revolver itself.  It feels sturdy, solid and well-made (like other Ruger products).  You know that this revolver will also shoot the .45 LC?  That would be better for anything but more serious threats like big bear.  I hear this model is also chambered for .480 Ruger and even though the .480 is bigger than the .454 Casull for some reason I can't really understand the reviews say it is more manageable to shoot than the .454 Casull???

Consider also the Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull with at least a 6" barrel.  Although its only a five-shot it is heavier and has a longer compensated barrel and better grips for managing the intense recoil.  

I'll be staying in a cabin in South Texas the rest of this year (while our retirement home is being built).  I'll take my Glock Model 20 10mm and a .357 Magnum with me.  This besides my hunting rifles and shotgun because deer and bird seasons are right around the corner.

Happy hunting.

H