Adequate handgun for hiking in bear country?

[Joe13]

I've never tried so I might be wrong, but I'm positive I could hit a trash can moving straight at me at 35 mph...

 

[Joe13]

Oh, and stainless 6" GP100 .357 mag is what I carry.

If I had a stainless .44 mag and could afford to practice with it then I'd take that instead

 

[Certaindeaf]

I've never tried so I might be wrong, but I'm positive I could hit a trash can moving straight at me at 35 mph...

Yeabut their brain is as big as a golf ball and it'd bounce off their noggin anyway.

 

[mrblond]

by reading all of that. it sounds like the whole joke about keeping the last round for yourself is true. I sure as hell don't want to be eaten by a bear. From what I understand they begin to eat you while your still alive.

 

[Sstrand]

MrB
Sounds like the IRS . . .

Sheldon

 

[mrblond]

thats about it as well as progressives.. they simply eat the soul.

 

[c130lm]

I carry a ruger vaquero in .45LC loaded really hot. It's shooting really close to what a 44mag is. And it's a very reliable tough gun

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I'll be hiking 5-8 miles in and and will be out for days so I prefer to keep weight below the weight of my 8 LB home defense 870...

(The 2nd one up)

Penny wise and pound foolish

Be sure to file down the front sight on your pop gun. That way it won't hurt as much when the grizzly shoves it up yer bum

 

[Sgt Nambu]

12 gauge, man! I think a healthy fellow could carry a shotgun and pack for 5-8 miles. No pistol or revolver will ever match a shotgun for making a grizzly sad!

 

[jrprich]

Colt .44mag Anaconda

 

[Hill]

Bear skull plenty thick - hollow points explode on impact and never get through to do the bear harm. Hardcast has a better chance of getting through one side and then will spin around inside the skull like a .22 does in humans chewing up vital matter.
Trouble is that a bear's brain isn't big so a .44 hardcast bullet whizzing around inside his skull might just make him feel kinda' dizzy while he claws and knaws your scrawny self. He'll ignore your screams.

Me? I don't worry about the inconvenience of carrying a shotgun with hard rifled slugs. If I need to limit weight them my camera, my propane burner, my spare undies go out, but the gun stays and I'll hump it no matter what.

 

[U8395279]

The OP no longer needs any advice on this matter, as he already took this trip last month.

Plus he has not posted in this thread for over 5 months now.

Perhaps he will give a trip report and let people know what he finally ended up taking with him.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

The OP no longer needs any advice on this matter, as he already took this trip last month.

Plus he has not posted in this thread for over 5 months now.

Perhaps he will give a trip report and let people know what he finally ended up taking with him.

Maybe there's a good reason we haven't heard from him

 

[U201491]

A .25 auto worked for one gal...When a giant Grizzly came out of the bushes she
just knee capped her hiking partner and was able to escape at a brisk walk.

I'm sorry...The Devil made me say that.

Jack...

Yep you just have to be able to walk faster than the next guy.

 

[mjbskwim]

I just pounded around Idaho with a Eberlestock X1A1 with my rem 700 and a medium heavy barrel 308 (only rifle I had to bring) and it was great.The pack rode perfect and we were hunting at around 7k ft
A nice little 12ga shotty would be nothing in this pack
http://www.eberlestock.com/introducing_the_x__project.htm

 

[mrblond]

I just pounded around Idaho with a Eberlestock X1A1 with my rem 700 and a medium heavy barrel 308 (only rifle I had to bring) and it was great.The pack rode perfect and we were hunting at around 7k ft
A nice little 12ga shotty would be nothing in this pack
http://www.eberlestock.com/introducing_the_x__project.htm

My gunslinger 2 is set up like that. I think its a bit smaller though then this one.

 

[buck]

i always have at least a .357 on me if not my .44 329pd. but if i seriuosly wanted to stay as safe as i can i would go with bear spray as it seems to work better
http://www.fieldandstream.com/artic...pper-spray-instead-guns-stop-charging-grizzly
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/grizzly/bear spray.pdf

 

[U8395279]

The OP already took his trip last month. So at this point in time he is either safely back home, or has been pooped out the butt of some Grizzly.

Either way, I don't believe that he needs any further advice at this point in time.

 

[156256Hunter]

i always have at least a .357 on me if not my .44 329pd. but if i seriuosly wanted to stay as safe as i can i would go with bear spray as it seems to work better
http://www.fieldandstream.com/artic...pper-spray-instead-guns-stop-charging-grizzly
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/grizzly/bear spray.pdf

I like bear spray but have never used it. When using, just make sure the wind isn't blowing, or isn't blowing in the wrong direction.

 

[orygun]

The OP already took his trip last month. So at this point in time he is either safely back home, or has been pooped out the butt of some Grizzly.

Either way, I don't believe that he needs any further advice at this point in time.

Just because he made his decision doesn't mean others don't like to discuss the possibilities.