The Firearm Blog

Greg Brush, an Alaskan fishing guide, was ambushed with no warning by a charging bear. All he had time to do was pull out his .454 Casull and fire as fast as possible, while falling backwards after tripping on a branch. The Anchorage Daily News reports:

He drew a Ruger .454 Casull revolver. There was no time to aim, barely time to squeeze the trigger. He’s not sure whether he got off two shots or three, but one proved fatal.

“Total luck shot,” he said.

“It doesn’t get any closer. He slid by me on his chin when I shot him,” Brush said. “I was backpedaling as fast as I could. I wasn’t even aiming. I tripped over my own feet as I pulled the trigger.”

He estimated that the animal weighed 900-plus pounds, and was 15 to 20 years old. It had grass packed in its molars and little fat on its bones.

“It was starving to death and saw an opportunity,” Brush said.

I sometimes get asked what should be carried in bear country. I always say the same thing: “I know nothing about bears but if I was in bear country I would want a .44 Magnum by my side”. I despair when people say they would rather carry their 9mm or .40 S&W Glock because they can get off more shots! This story perfectly illustrates that you may only get off one or two shots at a charging 900 pound beast! A 9mm round is not going to do much good.

Greg was most likely carrying a Ruger Super Redhawk. The Low-Glare Stainless model has a 7.5″ barrel and is available chambered in .454 Casull or .45 Colt. It has a MSRP of $992.

Big thank you to Don for emailing me the link.

UPDATE: Commenters point out that he was using the Super Redhawk Alaskan. This snub nosed .454 Casull has a 2.5″ barrel . It also has a MSRP of $922. Thanks guys for the correction.

Tom Gresham has an interview with Greg on his Gun Talk show. Thanks to Jake for the link.

Ruger have announced some new products.

Black Slide Ruger SR9 Pistol

I like the look but prefer the stainless.

The recently launched Ruger SR9â„¢ pistol, the first striker-fired pistol from Ruger, is now available with a blackened stainless slide. The multi-step blackening process improves both the durability and corrosion resistance of the stainless steel slide by creating a surface hardness of 68Rc. The extra hard finish also reduces scratching and holster wear.

Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger

Ruger has finally sorted out the problems they were having with the Redhawk .480

The Ruger Super Redhawk revolver chambered in .480 Ruger, specifically designed with the big game sportsman in mind, is back. Production had been suspended early in 2007 to address a fired case extraction issue. After a complete analysis, it was determined that to provide easy and sure extraction, all .480 Ruger Super Redhawk Revolvers, including the easy-to carry Alaskan, will now feature 5-shot cylinders. Beginning in 2008, they will also feature a Hogue® Monogrip® for added comfort. The Target Grey® All-Weather® version adds a low glare matte finish preferred by hunters.

The .480 Ruger cartridge offers handgun hunting performance without the heavy recoil experienced by other big game calibers. This cartridge offers power without excessively heavy recoil using Hornady’s .475″ diameter, 325 grain XTP Magnum bullet. The .480 Ruger cartridge can produce a muzzle velocity of 1350 fps – nearly one-third more muzzle energy than the standard .44 Magnum cartridge, with substantially less recoil than the other big bore hunting handgun cartridges. This exciting cartridge developed by Hornady can be said to effectively “split the difference” between the powerful .44 Magnum and other super-powerful, heavier recoiling hunting cartridges.

M77 chambered in Ruger Compact Magnums

I could be wrong but I think this is the first rifle to be chambered in the new RCM cartridges.

The Ruger Compact Magnum cartridges, developed in conjunction with Hornady Manufacturing Co., are extreme cartridges for extreme hunting. Based on the beltless .375 Ruger, the .300 and .338 RCMs are engineered to offer .300 and .338 Win. Magnum performance in a more compact package. With their short actions and 20″ barrels, the M77 Ruger Compact Magnums are today’s “mountain rifles and brush guns.”

The new cartridges are chambered in the compact action Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles with features that include the smooth and crisp Ruger LC6â„¢ trigger for improved out-of-the-box trigger pull, and a red rubber recoil pad that provides more effective recoil reduction. Other features of the Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles appreciated by knowledgeable shooters are the Mauser-type controlled feeding and powerful claw extractor, 3-position safety, hammer forged steel barrels and free Ruger patented scope rings. The design of the patented steel floorplate, which bears the distinctive Ruger logo, provides easy unloading and eliminates accidental “dumping” of ammunition.

Two compact-action models of the Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles chambered in the new Ruger Compact Magnums are available. The matte blued version features the M77 Hawkeye’s slimmer walnut stock with wrap-around cut checkering on the forearm and more rounded contours on the bottom of the stock and top of the pistol grips. The matte stainless version features a synthetic stock with a new recoil pad.

The new cartridges designed by Hornady Manufacturing provide unmatched ballistic performance in compact rifles, less felt recoil, longer barrel life, and superior performance at all temperatures. The .300 RCM is available in 150, 165 and 180-grain SST offerings. Each .300 RCM load exceeds comparative .300 Win. Magnum loads from a 20″ barrel. Muzzle velocities for the .300 RCM are 3,170 fps, 3,030 fps, and 2,900 fps, respectively – from a 20″ factory barrel. The .338 RCM is available in the newly developed 200 gr SST, and 225 gr SST offerings. Velocities for the .338 RCMs are 2,850 fps and 2,710 fps respectively, easily out performing the .338 Win. Magnum at equal barrel length.