Proper gun & ammunition

Question
I drive and explore in the hills of Northern Nevada for recreation.  There are bears and mountain lion in the area. I want a handgun to holster carry as protection against either animal. I don't want anything that exceeds a 4 inch barrel. Thanks in advance for your suggestion.  If possible please reply be email.

Answer
Lenny,

Thanks for your question.  First, let me say that any handgun against a grizzly bear or mountain lion is not likely to be a one-shot stop, regardless of caliber.  A charging bear is a dangerous beast and even though it is mortally wounded, it may still be capable of inflicting serious injury or killing.  I probably don't need to tell you that giving any large animal a very wide berth is strongly advised.

That said, my recommendation for a handgun would be as follows:

1.  Definitely a revolver
2.  Larger caliber (.357 Magnum minimum, .44 cal magnum, preferred)
3.  Caliber selection should be based on which one you can shoot accurately

There are a lot of fine guns out there.  Both Smith & Wesson and Ruger make fine revolvers.

Smith makes a couple of good ones, either the Model 627 in .357Mag or the Model 629 in .44Mag.  Both have 4 inch barrels.  Ruger makes the KRH-444 in .44Mag and the KGP-141 in .357Mag.

You want to have a 4" barrel as anything shorter will not give you the accuracy that you might need at longer ranges.  Also, the added weight will help you control the recoil (which will be considerable with the .44Mag).

Hope this helps you out...

Regards,

Doug