Another consideration is the .460 Smith & Wesson --this is an amazing caliber-- you can shoot either the 460 S&W, 454 Casull or 45 Colt all in the same gun.. for what you are shooting I would go for a hard cast bullet--when I am bow hunting here in MT, because of the grizzly's, I often carry either a 44 with 300 gr cast bullets or a S&W model 60 in 180 gr cast bullets..

On the latest article I read on the .460 in "Rifle Shooter" magazine-- it states this is a true 250 yard handgun if needed--it has more energy at 200 yards than the 44 mag has at the muzzle..you can purchase them with a 4, 5 or 7 1/2 inch barrel..

As mentioned above---another really good idea, was the Marlin guide gun--very short carbine and can be had in 45-70 or 450 marlin--with handloads, they have very formidable stopping power..

Ripp