Adequate handgun for hiking in bear country?

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Teacher with long gun slung over her shoulder!!!

I think the .44 Mag has a pretty good record in Alaska.

Deen
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"A gun is like a parachute. If you need one and don't have it, you'll probably never need one again!"

 

[mjbskwim]

I bought a G20 for my hunting side arm.I like the 29 rounds with 2 mags or 43 if I take 2 spare mags
I WOULD NOT use Buffalo Bore for anything. Their quality is hit and miss and if you use an aftermarket barrel,they may not fit.(first hand knowledge).
They have dug 44 mag bullets out of bear skulls....that wasn't the kill shot.
Most fishing guides use a 12ga or a 45/70,from what I have read,never been.
And a friend said the statistics show you have a better chance of a bad experience with a black bear than a griz. Or black bears have more recorded attacks on humans.
But hard cast bullets is all I have ever read to use in a hand gun for any animal other than 2 legged. Hair and skin make personal defense ammo expand too early to do much damage.
What about one of those compact H&R break gun 12ga shotguns? 1 shot but a 400gr slug would sure ruin a bruin's day
Sorry could help myself

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

If you like playboypenguin

 

[Hook686]

If you don't mind the weight, perhaps a Desert Eagle in .44 magnum. The hottest loads you can come up with are a cake walk. I also would use Jacket Soft Point in the hottest round I could buy. Something like Buffalo Bore
Heavy .44 Magnum Pistol and Handgun Ammo
Heavy .44 Magnum Ammo - 270 gr. J.F.N. (1,450 fps/M.E. 1,260 ft. lbs.)

9 quick shots is nothing to sneeze about when it comes to bears I'm thinking.

 

[2506]

I'd get a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in 454. Smith&Wessons are beautiful guns, but a hot-rodded 45Colt out of the Alaskan will trump anything the Smith can do. If you don't roll your own, off the shelf 454 is fine bear medicine.

 

[MnP]

Eff this if I can sell my super Blackhawk I'll just buy a 45-70 and never have to question whether or not it'll do the job

 

[oknow]

If you don't mind the weight, perhaps a Desert Eagle in .44 magnum. The hottest loads you can come up with are a cake walk. I also would use Jacket Soft Point in the hottest round I could buy. Something like Buffalo Bore
Heavy .44 Magnum Pistol and Handgun Ammo
Heavy .44 Magnum Ammo - 270 gr. J.F.N. (1,450 fps/M.E. 1,260 ft. lbs.)

9 quick shots is nothing to sneeze about when it comes to bears I'm thinking.

And find yourself looking out from the inside.

 

[MnP]

Anyone have experience with shooting a bear with a 45-70??

 

[orygun]

Anyone have experience with shooting a bear with a 45-70??

No, but I have experience with the 45-70. I used a Browning single shot. The loads would have been useable, but max, in an 1895 Marlin. 2000fps with a good 400gr bullet will drop anything you need to stop.
A marlin Guide Gun with good handloads would be a stopper, but a 12 gauge pump will be lighter and will take the fight out of anything if you're using slugs. I'd strap my Mossberg over my shoulder and keep on hiking. Plus, if you took a few shot shells along you could have a few "free" dinners.

 

[DieselScout]

Anyone have experience with shooting a bear with a 45-70??

with 3000+ lbs/ft of energy at the muzzle I think you'll be okay. The 12 gauge slug everyone's been suggesting can't put that down.

 

[orygun]

with 3000+ lbs/ft of energy at the muzzle I think you'll be okay. The 12 gauge slug everyone's been suggesting can't put that down.

Do the math on these loads. They are almost 4000.

 

[mrblond]

just hope you dont run into this guys big brother...
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014...-world-record-grizzly-bear/?intcmp=latestnews

 

[MnP]

No kidding!! But hopefully we'll be ready if we do

 

[Hook686]

And find yourself looking out from the inside.

The title of the thread is Adequate handgun for hiking in bear country?

Your comment does not seem to offer anything meaningful. What's your point ?

Personally I prefer a handgun on my hip rather than a shotgun, rifle, or levergun leaning against the tree. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[orygun]

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/posts/1101389/
Personally I prefer a handgun on my hip rather than a shotgun, rifle, or levergun leaning against the tree. Different strokes for different folks.

True statement. But if I'm truly concerned about big bears (which I am not in this neck of the woods) the shotgun would not leave my body. If I was packing a handgun of considerable power instead, same thing. Strapped in a holster on my body. Accessibility when needed has to be the key.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

More like 35mph....

Up a 45 degree slope.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Thanks for the advice but I WILL NOT punch pencil size holes in a bear that I want to stop in it's tracks and it won't be just one shot... If a standard cheap hollow point from a 44 mag can explode rocks the size of a bears head it will do the job just fine

We go to Glacier Park about every 2 to 3 years and hang out for a week. I've seen dozens of bears in that area over the years, and all have been grizzlies. I have a high school buddy who lives on Flathead Lake and goes elk hunting in grizzly country. He packs a 6" Ruger Red Hawk in .41 Magnum (and bear spray). That's as light as he would go, and he's not terribly comfortable with that. Grizzlies are nothing to mess with. They're as fast as a horse over short distances, and a soft, light bullet will bounce off their skulls. If it were me I'd be looking at a .44 Mag with the heaviest hard cast bullets I could find. And I'd carry it like this:



http://www.handgunsmag.com/2011/01/03/tactics_training_best_bear_gun_holster_010311/

Mike Barham at Galco suggested the company's Kodiak Shoulder Holster ($190).

Not only was it ideal for carrying the N frame with a pack on, I also did the usual camp chores–setting up a tent, firing up the stove, filtering water–while wearing the Kodiak, and it didn't get in the way. And that's the beauty of a holster like the Kodiak: You're more likely to have it on you all the time and, after all, you never know when a grizzly is going to decide it doesn't want you around.

 

[oknow]

The title of the thread is Adequate handgun for hiking in bear country?

Your comment does not seem to offer anything meaningful. What's your point ?

Personally I prefer a handgun on my hip rather than a shotgun, rifle, or levergun leaning against the tree. Different strokes for different folks.

My Point being that I am trying to keep somebody out of the belly of a bear if they decide to use your suggestion of jacketed SoftPoint ammo. You might as well have suggested a sharp pointy stick because it would have about the same effect on the bear. I personally would rather have a rifle or shotgun strapped to my back then a pistol hanging on the tree.

 

[North Bender]

What a subject ... every time it's posted.

 

[2506]

We go to Glacier Park about every 2 to 3 years and hang out for a week. I've seen dozens of bears in that area over the years, and all have been grizzlies. I have a high school buddy who lives on Flathead Lake and goes elk hunting in grizzly country. He packs a 6" Ruger Red Hawk in .41 Magnum (and bear spray). That's as light as he would go, and he's not terribly comfortable with that. Grizzlies are nothing to mess with. They're as fast as a horse over short distances, and a soft, light bullet will bounce off their skulls. If it were me I'd be looking at a .44 Mag with the heaviest hard cast bullets I could find. And I'd carry it like this:



http://www.handgunsmag.com/2011/01/03/tactics_training_best_bear_gun_holster_010311/

Also consider the Chesty Puller by Simply Rugged. They make great holsters up there in Alaska.