Reeder Custom Guns - Happy New Year and a discussion...

Hello All and I hope all had a great New Year's Eve and start of the day.

I have a show on TV right now titled Building off the Grid. This show is taking place in the Great Land, Alaska. Pretty cool in a way but it did get my brain in gear.

I know this has been done to death a bit but what would your ideal " Alaska Revolver" be?

For me, I suspect a 6 to 7 inch Ruger Single Action in some type of 50 caliber or quite possibly a 475 Linebaugh. I would also get a 12 inch barrel for the Encore as well.

I know the latest X frame Smith and Wessons are in vogue but they are so big that they almost need a small boy to tote the thing with you.

Anyways. I wish all well today.

If I were caring for bear protection, Reeder Jurras memorial 7"475 Linebaugh with mag-na-port 5 port. If I were hunting I would take the gun I took to Alaska brown bear hunting in 2017, 16" Encore in 416 Taylor.

with 400gr hardcast and for all around hunting up there it would be a Reeder stainless StealthHawk Hunter in 410GNR w/ a 2x Leupold scope on the barrel and another Leupold 4x scope with rings already sighted in and ready to install for a bit longer shots on say a mountain caribou or mt goat. The 410GNR will get any job done.

You need a big rifle too, and a good pump shotgun.

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use it more than anything.

Alaska I shot a bear at kissing distance with my 510 GNR and it rolled him but he got up at my feet and I hit him again. He then ran off into the brush and I had to go dance with him. George Faerber is the best Alaskan bear guide I know of and he has prohibited the real big heavy bullets in his bear camps. He says the just push a big column of air ahead of them thru the body and that air pushed the vitals aside, not doing any damage. I have to agree with him as I was using a 440 grain hard cast bullet that day in my 510 GNR. I saw 2 bear hit in the right spot on that hunt with that same 440 grain bullet and they both ran off.

So even though the 510 GNR is one of my babies, I would leave it home and take my 429 GNR. The 44 bullet is a lot lighter, and faster and destroys anything it touches on it's way thru the bear. I can't think of anything I have shot with the 429 GNR, or the 410 GNR for that matter, that didn't go down immediately. I took an African Savannah buffalo with the 410 GNR, one shot with a 250 grain hard cast gas check bullet. He ran 30 yards and fell over.

It is all in bullet placement, but on those occasions when you really don't have the time to pick that perfect spot for the bullet, a lighter weight fast bullet imparts a lot of hydra static shock which effects the animals nervous system and puts him into shock immediately.I watched as Colleen shot a Dall sheep that was running downhill off to one side of her. She was using the 41 GNR in a single action. She didn't quite lead him enough and him square in the ham. She was using the Sierra 170 grain bullet at close to 2000 fps. At the hit the sheep spun around, laid his ears back like he was going to run uphill, started shaking all over, went into a heavy tremor and ran downhill right toward Colleen. He ran backwards for maybe 20 feet, then lost it and rolled end over end and landed within 5 feet of her, almost at her feet. I was maybe 10 feet behind her and when I walked up there the sheep was dead. And all from a hip shot. But the fast bullet did so much shock on the animal's system that it shut him down.

So if I had the choice of 2 guns, I would have either my 429 GNR, or 410 GNR and a 22 Magnum semi auto or revolver with a scope on it.

This sounds totally opposite to what a lot of so called experts would recommend but these guns have worked for me.

a .475 or .500 or .510 caliber bullet of medium weight, say 350 to 375 grains, on the point of shoulder, it would probably break the shoulder and that would give you a chance to hit him again with another round at the base of the neck and that would probably do it. But seldom do we have the time to pick our shots on dangerous game.

And I failed to mention, if I was going after a big bear with my 429 or 410 I would have it loaded hot with the 220 grain or 240 grain silhouette bullets. I have taken quite a few large animals with the 210 grain silhouette bullet in my 41 GNR. But for the big bears I would go a bit heavier, 220 grain in the 410 GNR or 240 grain in the 429 GNR. They penetrate deep and tear everything up they touch. They will break a shoulder bone and send pieces of bone into the lungs and that usually does the trick real quick. My favorite spot is about 4" back from the ear but normally anywhere in the neck will put him down, and at least give you a chance to put another in him.

These are my personal opinions and my opinion and $11.25 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Professional Hunter in 457 GNR with 350gr .458 Swift bullets. These bullets are flat point designed for 45-70 Marlin 1895. At 1700 fps from 7.5 revolver they will expand to partition. This load kicks axx on both ends.

Depending on what species I may encounter I would take my SBH with the 4 5/8" barrel with 255-300 gr hard cast, or my SRH Toklat .454 Casull with 5" barrel loaded with 325 gr hard cast, either would be carried in a chest holster.

I would like to find some to try.

and good luck finding them as they stopped making them in 41 caliber a few years back. I would be completely out now if it hadn't been for John Taffin sending me a CARE package with several boxes of each.Sierra used to call them Silhouette bullets. These days they call them Tournament Master. I don't have pics of the Hornady box but the bullet number for the 41 caliber silhouette bullet is 4105. The Sierra number is shown on the box.
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I'm thinking a Super Redhawk in of Gary's Big rounds. Double action to get off quick shots. Single action would work but in the heat of battle with a big, fast Grizzly I think you would want Double action. I would think adrenaline might hamper the hammer setting. Would love to give it a try!!! Either me or the bear and they need to eat too!

I guess maybe I am crazy, but I wouldn’t go that big of a bore. I would stick with the 41 or 44 magnum, or if we are talking Reeder calibers the 41 GNR. Easier on recoil/repeat shots, yet, they have been doing the job for years. Components and ammo easier to find/produce... I would go single or double action or one of each. As they say, 1 is none, 2 is 1.

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As for single action or double, what ever you shoot most of. A lot go guys
carry double actions and never shoot them as double actions. Little alone
practice shooting double action only. When the shit hits the fan you won’t have time to think about it instinct will take over, so you will do whatever you can do with out thinking. So if you are not trained to shoot instinctively
double action you will be shooting your double action as a single action in the heat of the battle. I shoot both regularly but have killed a lot more game with a single action, that is what I would carry.

First off its the one you always have on your person.
Then the largest caliber you shoot well.

As soon as revolver size starts to keep you from carrying it, then it's too big.

Just my opinion...

Jason Oles

Several years back, Gary made me a Alaskan Survivalist (SS Redhawwk .44 magnum 4 inch round butt) this is my go-to bear country handgun. Iron sights only, no optics. I carry it in a EPS tanker style holster with 300 grain Hornady JHP. I have become proficient enough with it that it has become a tremendous insurance policy. The only critter I shot with it was a cow elk at 60 yards that dropped in its tracks. My beat up hands don't care for those retina detaching calibers, with this gun/caliber I mastered follow up shots that are accurate.

with 330 grain Garrett loads and a 510 GNR with 350 grain bullets. Both were in a Ruger Super Blackhawk frame. Personally I have only shot large hogs with the 510 using the 350 grain bullets and they have been one shot kills when I hit on the point of the shoulder. I had time to get on target and the hogs were trying to get away. The one that charged me I hit in the head dead on and anchored him right there. The 510 is impressive in its stopping power when the bullet is placed in the right place. I carried mine from 2003 to 2010 in Alaska and never worried about any 4 legged critters. 2 legs are a different matter, LOL. I have also used my 44 mag redhawk with the Garrett loads and any hog that I have hit was DRT. In my opinion, BOTH are outstanding cartridges for their intended purposes. Neither will accommodate a lack of practice or poor shot placement. One thing to remember in Alaska is that a large Brownie can move at 35 mph. You have to see a charge where the bear means business to believe how incredibly fast they are. I saw one that weighed beter than 1500 pounds cross a length of field that was about 3 football field lengths going after a Parka Squirrel (ground squirrel) and the squirrel saw him coming, jumped into his hole and then the bear was on him. 3 scoops with huge paws and the squirrel was thrown up into the air and the bear snapped him in mid air. I figure that a person would have had time to make ONE shot maybe a second if the bear was slowed by the first shot before it would be on them. Bottom line is to use the most gun you can shoot accurately and quickly. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Now all that is strictly my opinion (and I am not a writer or gunsmith) but I did read John Taffin's "Book of the 44" and I would reference that book chapter 41 for 44 cal loads that you could take a close look at. Another good reference is John Taffin's Single Action Sixguns. NOW if we could just get a certain GUNSMITH that does conversions that just incidentally owns this forum, maybe he could put more words of wisdom that he has from years of conversion of plain janes to make works of art to PUBLISH HIS BOOK of Conversion Guns and Hunting!!!!!!

already. How many do you need? I am thinking about a 3rd book, but not sure yet. I am not as good as John Taffin.

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