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| Native Alaskan art that goes with the chanting and drum. |
You can be serious about things and you can be light hearted. (Here is some Alaskan music for those of you who arrived seeking a different sort of spiritual inspiration that is in keeping with a shamanistic sermonette.) Since I’m not an animistic sort, this music is not for me.
When it comes to firearms, rocket launchers or explosives, my military training comes into play and I get serious as a heart attack. Thus the sermonette for a pleasant Sunday in autumn. Weapons are tools. Most tools can also be weapons with varying degrees of lethality. It’s important to match the tool to the job.
For a daily carry firearm either up on the rim at the White Wolf Mine or on the street, this one is not a bad choice. Because it’s not a semi-auto, it’s not a quick reload. But with six rounds, I should be able to eliminate the threat from six zombies (the others can decide how motivated they are) or one bear. This weapon is completely legal in the State of California and is considered insignificant by the legislature because it’s a revolver and the name “magnum” is not applied to the cartridge.
I’m holding the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan. You’ll see in the photo ( above right) that it does fit in my meaty hand just fine. The thick karate fingers lend themselves to handling the weapon. The weapon has significant recoil that is roughly comparable to my .460 V S&W revolver.
The holster (pictured below) comes from Simply Rugged Holsters (Prescott, AZ) and can be worn inside trousers with the keeper straps attached to the belt to hold it in place, or on the outside of the belt, with the belt threaded through the slots in the holster. I’m not big on paddle holsters (favored by law enforcement). This is more of a pancake style.
The weapon chambers either/both .45 Colt or .454 Casull as you prefer.
The video (HERE) shows a .45 ACP fired from a Glock Model 21 (which I favor) being fired into ballistic jel. The jel shows the wound channel that would occur in flesh if it was fired into a living being. The 2″ wound channel is serious.
Then it shows a .454 Casull round being fired into the jel and the wound channel is about 8+ inches across. Everything in that cavity that is created by the bullet passing through it would be completely pulverized if it had been fired into living tissue.
The depth of penetration is roughly the same but the effect on the target is different.
The 454 even left some little friends behind to give the doctors something to do if said person lived through the airing of the torso. Of course, if the shot had been to the head, I guess there would only be half a head to work with. Not really worth the effort.
Sometimes zombies need rough treatment.
Back when revolvers were prevalent, Wyatt Earp is quoted as saying, "Speed is fine, accuracy is final". Wonder what he would say today when people are packing 10+ magazines?
Six accurate rounds should be enough for most self defense situations. Not like you need to employ suppressive fire.
From a trial point of view, telling a jury that, "I fired once to stop the zombie," plays better than explaining how you pumped round after round into the zombie. Something like over 90% of police shootings are 0-7 feet. This is because they are reactive. Most self-defense situations are very similar in terms of range.
My sense is that one .454 round, fired at point blank range at center-mass will not necessitate a second one.
I enjoy reading these posts. I learn a lot.
Be safe and God bless.
They're simple things — but important things.
I like everything about that pistol and think I need one.
I suspect that you do. When you think about your need to protect your congregation from zombies, it provides the punch required in a small(er) package.
That 454 is about as good as it gets, for a handgun.
Be careful with using JHP for large dangerous game- the bullet could come apart and fail to achieve the necessary penetration, especially if it was designed for the lower velocities of feebler rounds. The owner of "Buffalo Bore" ammo has some interesting thoughts on handguns and appropriate ammo for dangerous predators- bears, moose, hogs, etc. Worth a read, he seems to have a lot of real world experience.
There is a big difference between black bears and grizzly bears (a more profound distinction than that between dogs and wolves). In Arizona, there are black bears. I think that the blend of the first 3 JHP and the next 3 penetrator rounds is a smart choice. The blend also works well should a zombie hide behind something, not fully grasping the difference between cover and concealment.
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