2.75" Ruger Speed-Six Revolver with Hard Cast

[cetanorak]

Hi Folks,

Just moved to the Washington State area and am fixing to do some camping. Got to thinking about taking a firearm, to complement my bear spray, just as an emergency backup. I own several handguns, but not many that could be of use when dealing with black bear or cougar. The only one is a Ruger Speed-six 357 Mag with a 2 3/4" barrel. Is a 357 with this short a barrel not ideal for firing 180gr hard cast rounds??

Other than this Ruger, my only other options are a Springfield Armory XD45 and a Remington 700 .308. If funds permitted me to do so, I'd just pick up a Remington 870.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[MHWASH]

I'll be packing a 4" Security Six loaded with 170 or 180s this fall in a possible Grizzly area in WA. If only black bears were on the menu, I'd be satisfied with my 9mm and hard cast bullets. Check out Buffalo Bore'sammo for comparisons.

 

[howl]

If bear spray is your first move, how are you going to have time to bring a firearm to bear if the spray does not work?

I think you could break a bone with about any hardcast, provided you could actually hit it.

Buffalo Bore is good about answering questions via email.

 

[mtnkid85]

Check out the Buffalo bore 19A/20 load. Its supposed to do 1300fps from a 3" barrel. HEAVY 357 MAG OUTDOORSMAN Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

Hang on tight when you crack that sucker off though!

 

[ATX762]

Barrel length doesn't really matter. Either a 158 hardcast or a 180 hardcast would be good choice. I'd lean toward the one you shoot the best. The only thing that will stop a grizzly with any handgun is a neck or head shot anyway so I tend to go for the lowest recoiling deepest penetrating load I can find. You're basically trying to poke a tiny-ass hole in the CNS so hotter loads don't really help much, you just need a hard bullet.