Practical antique for wilderness defense?

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petew

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I do a lot of Bowhunting in Bear/Cougar country, and often am calling Elk, with cow and calf calls. The Idea of some easy to cary protection for the unwanted encounter is appealing, however , is it realy practical ?
What is a suitable cal in an Antique handgun to actualy stop a Bruin/ Cougar at point blank.
If it is just going to make smoke and noise and make the incounter worse it is not going to actualy serve it's intendeed use. I am not talking about scaring it, I am talking about scaring it to death. This would be after trying the scare thing and that not working.
The cal would have to be suficent, and cartirdges would need to be reasonably obtainable or by simple conversion of obtainable brass.


Pete
 
If your looking for bear defense get a proper gun.
A few scum bags make money selling "bush packers" but these guns are a poor choice at best.
 
"Stop a Bruin/cougar at point blank".
That is a lot to ask from any firearm.
I know a chap who did this at absolutely point blank range with a remington 870 12ga, and a slug. 400lb healthy polar bear.
The only antique handgun that might qualify is one of the so-called howdah pistol, used in India by British sportsmen if a tiger were to leap onto the elephant and attempt to attck those in the howdah.
If you are bowhunting in AB, and are armed with a pistol, would a game warden consider that you are actually hunting with a pistol?

Personally, I think you are kidding yourself.
 
petew said:
and a response from someone with nothing inteligent to say.
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My, aren't we quick with the impudence. I may not be able to speak with any degree of intelligence but at least I know I can spell the word.
Let me do you a favour and suggest you use the search function, it's been discussed and generally considered a bad idea.
 
get one of them short barrel shot guns with buck shot.use the rest of the money you dont spend on 2or3 more guns. if you do have a problem you will live to tell us about it. cheers Frank
 
SCHNEIDERSAUTO said:
get one of them short barrel shot guns with buck shot.use the rest of the money you dont spend on 2or3 more guns. if you do have a problem you will live to tell us about it. cheers Frank
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Kind of what I was thinking, afraid of.

I guess the side arm antique will just give you a warm Fuzzy feeling, that Warm and Fuzzy will in turn , tear your ass off in a fit of rage.
I lived so far without one , and tried the shotgun route. Just to heavy and cumbersome.

Pete
 
a .577 webley revolver mite stop one with a well placed shot but these guns are not too common or cheap of corse a .32 rimfire could stop one with a well placed shot

carry a shotgun its you best bet idk if you can carry one in bow season though
 
For thousands of dollars you might find a good .44special colt SA with a modern cylinder.
Pretty pricey but if that's not an issue you could buy one and test it.

The ranchands are about as compact and light as you are going to get length lever would and or short shotgun would be next in line for weight and size for a repeater.
 
Only use you'l have for that old iron is jamming it in a critters ear and firing while your getting chewed on.

Get one of those little dominion arms outlaws or something similar and useful. Im more worried about fellas going around and firing under powered handguns at anything that cuts a loud fart in the brush then bears themselves.
 
Can-down said:
For thousands of dollars you might find a good .44special colt SA with a modern cylinder.
Pretty pricey but if that's not an issue you could buy one and test it.

The ranchands are about as compact and light as you are going to get length lever would and or short shotgun would be next in line for weight and size for a repeater.
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this is probally your best choice .
 
My shootable .65 calibre double barrel muzzleloading howdah pistol cost me two grand.
Now if you wish for a cartridge version, a .577 Snider (about the best option IMHO) chambered howdah pistol in shootable condition will probably cost at the very least, twice what I paid for my percussion version. Christie's occassionally has these high grade antiques for auction sometimes.
The realized prices for a good Rodda or Purdey or H&H are very eye opening indeed.

Ask me if I would carry one of these with a bow in my other hand?
Probably not in this country with our current laws. That's an expensive investment for such a legal risk.
 
Buckshot....meh!.......best slug you can afford.....brenneke or challenger, your choice.

I suspect few persons have the jewels to wait for a critter to close into effective 000 or 0000 range. (5 yards or less!!)
Fewer still will have the forethought to choose the best copper plated (or Remington Hevi-shot) and buffered premium factory loads.

^And again this is taking a poor second place to the previously mentioned slugs.^
 
Brutus said:
Buckshot....meh!.......best slug you can afford.....brenneke or challenger, your choice.

I suspect few persons have the jewels to wait for a critter to close into effective 000 or 0000 range. (5 yards or less!!)
Fewer still will have the forethought to choose the best copper plated (or Remington Hevi-shot) and buffered premium factory loads.

^And again this is taking a poor second place to the previously mentioned slugs.^
Click to expand...

for me a shor double shotgun would be my choice with a hard cast round ball in both barrels at close range they will print good enough
 
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