What caliber revolver for multi purpose use?

[CyberSnow]

As much as I love my semi automatic 10mm, I have always felt more comfortable with the reliability of a revolver. I live in a jaws and claws area but very seldom see something up close. However I usually accompany my wife as she does her annual forage for mushrooms and berries. I als do a bit of fishing on more remote rivers and lakes. Now Fish and Game have said that it won’t be long before we see Grizzlies in our area. I am thinking about what caliber of revolver to start carrying. I think my options are .357 mag., 45acp, .45 Long Colt, and .44 Mag. My carpenter carries a pistol that shoots both .410 shotgun and .45 Long Colt and he swears by it, but I thought I would throw that question out.

 

[Alan]

.44 Mag is king for bears but .357 Mag is way easier to live with daily

 

[TexasJackKin]

^^^^ yep, what Alan said...

 

[CyberSnow]

Ok, what is the best OWB carry ,357mag out there? Just curious as I have a Ruger 101.

 

[TexasJackKin]

I've got a Ruger 101, 4.1 inch barrel, with adjustable sites, it's a great little revolver, but not that much fun to shoot full power .357 loads out of. I've also got a S&W 686, with a 6 inch barrel, that's much more pleasant to shoot, because it's much heavier and has a longer barrel. The 101 is easier to carry but much less fun to shoot....

 

[CyberSnow]

I just bought a box of .357 mag, will take it down to a range next week and see how much fun it is to shoot. I am wondering about .45 acp+ with hardcore.

 

[DR505]

My choice is the .45 Colt. If one reloads you can make a load that will handle grizzlies and is not as obnoxious as a .44 Magnum. This is from John Linebaugh, excerpted from Gunnotes...Smith & Wesson Mod 25-5 By: John Linebaugh

...Perhaps some will wonder why I would choose the .45 over the mighty .44 magnum and lose the power advantage. In our testing over the years we have proven in pressure barrels using the copper crusher method that the .45 Colt cartridge will do anything the .44 magnum round will do with 5,000 to around 10,000 PSI less pressure depending on the load and bullet weight combination. This is not a great secret, it’s just a matter of capacity...The (S&W) .45 just isn't quite as strong mechanically as the .44 magnum in the cylinder, but in turn the .45 does an equal amount of work with less pressure. It all balances out.

Here he is talking about the S&W Model 25, but if you have a Ruger Blackhawk on the large frame, the sky is the limit. I'm not going to post the load data Linebaugh published, but a really good source for effective .45 Colt loads is the April 2022 HANDLOADER No. 337. Brian Pearce has a good article on .45 Colt loads.

I do routinely shoot .44 magnum and have several, but my go-to is the .45 Colt (.452 diameter vs .429 diameter bullet).

You can load the .45 Colt from a very soft shooting target pistol to one that will kill anything on the continent.

 

[CyberSnow]

Good advice, now to start thinking about buying a long colt revolver.

 

[Tdog10mm]

Like you, I really like 10mm. There are revolvers chambered in 10mm. I don't have any doubts that a semi auto in 10mm works well. Higher capacity, quicker reloads, easier/faster to clear jams. Plus, so many options. Including PCC's and CARBINES!
I'm linking my 1st shots with XDm Elite 3.8" and Ruger LC CARBINE ( can be fired folded)
Other than that, 357 mag is a great choice. Grab some 38sp for range duty.