No bears on this trip. I've seen a bunch of griz over the years though.

I've had the FA 454 for about 6 years. Recoil with actual Freedom Arms 454 max loads is, as expected, lively! The weight of the scope helps some. I can hang on to it better with the Pachmayr grips as opposed to the wood slab grips.

Those are actually the inexpensive carbon fiber poles from Costco. I've also used and have 2 section Black Diamond aluminum. No problems with collapsing. They are used more for balance.

Gaiters are Outdoor Research Crocodile Gore-Tex. They have held up well. OR makes great stuff.