Originally Posted by
DougGuy
The thing you need to consider is not how much gun do I need to stop a black bear, but how much gun do I need to come out alive in a worse case scenario, and carry adequate iron for THAT.
It seems downright silly to carry a 44 Special when in the same size gun you can have SO much more power in the 44 Magnum. 45 Colt is one of the lightest cylinders and barrels in a Ruger because of the size of the ammo, and can be loaded to out perform the 44 Magnum in a suitably strong gun.
The real bottom line? Carry as much gun as you can shoot accurately. DA Ruger, DA S&W, loaded as hot as you or the gun or both can handle. Any excess of energy not needed after putting an animal down is inconsequential.