S & W 629 vs Ruger Alaskan

[glock4life]

Question: Would you trade a six inch S&W 629 44 mag. for a Ruger Alaskan 44 mag 2 inch for bear security in the field? This is a serious inquiry. I have my own set of pros and cons. Just want to see if there are any I'm overlooking.

[dkf]

Better off with a 4" Redhawk than the Alaskan IMO. I could never figure out why Ruger made such a chunk of a gun and only put a short 2.5" barrel on it. The Ruger can handle longer hot loads better but that really isn't a big deal. You could get a 4" barrel put on the 629 as it would be a little easier to holster. Though if you buy a quality holster like the DD Guides Choice Holster the 6" barrel will not be bad. The .44mag likes longer barrels for velocity. My dad always carried his 6.5" Redhawk and I have a 5.5" Redhawk.

[glock4life]

Thanks for the response. Hadn't considered putting a 4 inch on the 629. What load do you use in your Redhawks?

[dkf]

Load varies. As I have a lot of .44mag molds so it depends on what I feel like. For bear defense a deep penetrating solid with a large metplat is prefered by many.(me included) My heaviest .44 mold is at 310gr ready to load. It is personal preference for the most part.

[glock4life]

Ive been considering the Buffalo Bore 305 grain solid since I don't load. I carried my 4 inch 357 into the woods before I picked up the 629. Felt under gunned as far as bear.

[dkf]

Those should do the job, I'd just shoot some to make sure accuracy is acceptable. I usually figure at minimum of a 250gr solid lead with a good sized metplat. You don't have to have nuclear loads either.

[glock4life]

Going out as soon as the ammo arrives. Thanks for your help.