Any ideas on my first handgun. (help)

[tombogan03884]

44 mag? Why didn't you get something with some power?

Hahaha just kidding, great choice.  You might want to invest in a few speed loaders.   Don't write off the possibilities of loading your own ammo.  That is a great caliber to reload.  You can save tons of money , you can tailor your loads for your specific needs.  You can get into an entry level reloading kit    very cheap.  not hard to learn either.

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That's been proven to be untrue.
You shoot more for the same money. 

[MAUSERMAN]

Have you looked into maybe a 10mm. Colt/Glock/S&W

[AE3007H1]

That's been proven to be untrue.
You shoot more for the same money. 

Yes, I have found that I cannot save $ reloading 9mm ball so what I do is purchase normal 9mm FMJ to train and plink, and then I reload the brass with good quality JHP and seal it up for a AHBL situation.  223, .40, and especially 357sig is a different story,  I can always save by loading those calibers! let me stress again, ESPECIALLY the 357 SIG!!! wow what an expensive round to purchase considering it shoots a 9mm projectile!  I digress, I am getting off topic.... Point is I do shoot alot more now! haha

[bafsu92]

If you are really looking for just 1 gun it's impossible to cover every possible encounter. Just because you're in Alaska doesn't mean you are always going to be in danger of bear attacks. I doubt they're grabbing people up outside a bar in downtown Anchorage. I live in Central Florida and spend a lot of time around big gators but I'm much more concerned with human predators. I'd look at getting a Glock 29 and when your in a more urban setting load something like a Cor-Bon Powerball and when you head to the woods switch out to a balls out solid bullet 10mm load from Buffalo Bullets.

It's obviously a little underpowered for a big grizzly but so is anything under a 454/460/500. That loading will give you an easy to carry and conceal pistol with the ballistics of a .44mag. If I had to use it on a bear I'd feel good knowing I had 9 to 11 rounds (depending on mag) on board without a reload. You can buy a .40 S&W conversion barrel and/or a .22LR top end for cheap practice so you get familiar handling the pistol without spending 10mm money on ammo.

[santahog]

Can I reccomend a lubricant called "Gun Butter". It worked well enough in Maine..
In that kind of weather, you might want to look toward synthetics.. They don't attract dust either..

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[sledgemeister]

Shame they dont make a 460 in 5 or 6 inch barrels, would have been perfect.
.45LC for practice and plinking moving up to .454 or 460 for serious hole poking ability. With a ported barrel recoil would not be that severe.
I find my 7.5inch 44 barks in my hand more than factory 460 rounds.

[Ping]

Well the .44 Mag will surely do the job. Good luck and have fun with it. Hazcat is right about being able to use it in a rifle. Now you need a Henry Rifle to go with it.