Poll: Best hand gun cal. for bear

[Dennis316]

uncle was telling me a story about his friend who used to hunt back in russia with a .22 short rifle. he was walking looking for rabbits through the forest and he starts seeing a large amount of bees. thinking to check it out and maybe steal some honey (this is old school, probably 1950s or so) he is walking towards the bee hive and theres a bear walking ahead of him off to the side almost parallel to him. so he slows down and stops then hides behind a tree. the bear starts digging around in the bee hive so he loads up his shorts and shoots the bear. the bear starts swatting the bees thinking its getting stung. he keeps shooting it and after more than 10 rounds to the heart area, the bear gets frustrated and runs away. a couple hundred meters away, it was dead, bled to death

moral of the story is this, if you see a hungry black bear coming at you, commit suicide and go green, youll feed the bear for days!

i personally would buy a small 10mm and some bear spray, or a compact 45acp and some bear spray. i prefer 357mag over those but revolvers only hold (usually) 6 rounds and you can get some badass bullets from Buffalo Bore

 

[Blitzkrieg]

 

[svtrc51]

+1 for bb. Shot a bear with 1 rnd 180 gr gas checked LFN dropped right there. Nothing big but not small either.

 

[zeezee]

If those are your three choices I'd make sure I save one round for myself. LOL! The .357 MIGHT stop a black bear but I sure in heck wouldn't want to try it.

 

[deen_ad]

Nice, but not legal in WA even if you have a Federal license for it.

8 US Presidents have been NRA members
80 MILLION gun owners didn't shoot anyone today, a few criminals did!!

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The "Feedback Score" is low by 4, not everyone posts it I guess.

Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
Washington Arms Collector member
Arms Collectors of South West Washington member

 

[wired]

Thats not a shotgun or even a short barreled shotgun. It has no shoulder stock and was built from a receiver that never had a shoulder stock attached. Shotguns are designed to fire from the shoulder don't you know. That gun is called an AOW ( Any Other Weapon ) in NFA speak and they absolutely ARE 100% LEGAL in Washington. AOW's, Destructive Devices and Silencers are legal to own in Washington with federally approved paperwork.

Nice, but not legal in WA even if you have a Federal license for it.

8 US Presidents have been NRA members
80 MILLION gun owners didn't shoot anyone today, a few criminals did!!

----------------------------------------------------------

The "Feedback Score" is low by 4, not everyone posts it I guess.

Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
Washington Arms Collector member
Arms Collectors of South West Washington member

 

[Getnlwr]

Nice, but not legal in WA even if you have a Federal license for it.

8 US Presidents have been NRA members
80 MILLION gun owners didn't shoot anyone today, a few criminals did!!

----------------------------------------------------------

The "Feedback Score" is low by 4, not everyone posts it I guess.

Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
Washington Arms Collector member
Arms Collectors of South West Washington member

Wired is correct - Yes it is legal in Washington. Know your laws.

Personally I would be carrying a larger capacity 10mm. For this purpose I have a G20 with a ^" hunter barrel. However after what you listed i would say the .357 with some 180gr -fmj "bear loads" would be best. They WILL make your hand go numb after a couple cylinders full.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Nice, but not legal in WA even if you have a Federal license for it.

8 US Presidents have been NRA members
80 MILLION gun owners didn't shoot anyone today, a few criminals did!!

----------------------------------------------------------

The "Feedback Score" is low by 4, not everyone posts it I guess.

Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
Washington Arms Collector member
Arms Collectors of South West Washington member

If a big bear was coming at me I don't think I would care much about that even if it were true! Would just hope it was loaded with premium slugs!

 

[coop44]

toss him your picnic basket and run the other way

 

[Blitzkrieg]

toss him your picnic basket and run the other way

That would be move #1..

 

[Smoke It]

Not trying to steal this thread but I have a snub nose 357 mag and carry it with FMJ +p ammo for this very situation is this not what I want , your saying I need a 50 cal ???

 

[Rammit]

I grew up hunting bear and moose in Alaska. In my experience the black bear can be much more unpredictable.

As the other member said, I would get in my vehicle and leave if I could. Delivery or no delivery.

If I had to be there and could not leave I would carry nothing less than a 44 mag. Preferably a 454 Casull or S&W 500.

In the world of personal defense and choosing a caliber there are two arguements. Light and fast. And slow and heavy.

With wild game you must fast AND heavy. Something that will penetrate deep through hide and hair breaking bones along the way.

Personally I don't think the 10MM is enough even though it seems to be popular now in Alaska. The 10MM is equal to the 41 magnum but only in two or three loads. Most people can't handle follow up shots very well with full power 10MM loads in a semi auto.

Choose a revolver with some weight to it. It will make follow up shots easier as you will probably need to.

As a kid we always made lot's of noise. Most bear don't want anything to do with you. If they don't leave the area and don't avoid you, you can guess that you have a big problem.

I think the a 180-200gn out of my 29 has a bit of snap, but I know i can let off more rounds of 10mm then i could of 44mag, and I know that that 10mm gets back on target faster and is much easier to draw and carry then just about any of the large mag revolvers.

 

[kickstart my heart]

I carry my Glock 20sf as my "bear gun" for around here. 15+1 rounds of 10mm is plenty for a black bear.

 

[mjbskwim]

Not trying to steal this thread but I have a snub nose 357 mag and carry it with FMJ +p ammo for this very situation is this not what I want , your saying I need a 50 cal ???

Well a few years back I was reading an "Alaska" magazine and the article said to file the sites off your 44mag you are carrying for bear,so it doesn't hurt so much when he shoves it up your A$$

I don't know maybe a 357 is just fine.The barrel is smaller,hehehehe

 

[Grunwald]

You don't need a firearm, when the bear rears up just kick him in the family jewels.

 

[SPU]

I've read every posting in this thread, even the good ones. I'm interested because it was a major reason I decided to learn to fire handguns safely.

1) On a sport-touring street bike 3 years ago, while on a lonely back road by Glendale (OR), I came around a bend and a black bear cub was sitting in the road. I stopped, looking for mama while I hit my (aftermarket car) dual horns and flashed my high beams -- road was too narrow to safely or quickly turn around. The cub FINALLY (after 5-10 seconds that lasted minutes) ran up the hill and I wheelied out of there.

2) Figuring once was bad karma, I thought it was an aberration meeting a bear. I was wrong. I was in the Rogue Wilderness area on an overgrown back road riding a dual-sport bike. Came around a bend and a big-assed black bear was rubbing up against a tree. It looked back the 10-15 yards at me and decided to take off down the slope.

Both times one would think my motorcycle engines (stock mufflers but not that quiet) made some noise, but I seemed to surprise them anyway. There was no feeling I've had (other than being shot at once) that made me want to sh*t my pants more. I felt absolutely naked without anything between me and them.

I now have a .45 ACP for home and personal defense. I got a Ruger GP100 4 inch used in excellent condition, and will be loading the Buffalo Bore 180gr loads I bought for it next time I ride in bear areas. After reading some of the posts, I'll buy some 200 grain Grizzly hot loads and test a few of those too.

Thanks for the opinions and advice. Some day I may afford the S&W 500 I want, but until then I'll be aware, be as prepared as I can and make noise -- but be ready with as big a gun as possible if they don't run away.

There may be better guns for the situation, but it was the best I could afford while having some semblance of protection. The .38 special FMJ rounds are cheaper for general practice as well. Though I have gone through some boxes of .357 mag to get a good feel for the difference.

I'm considering buying a 12 guage shotgun with a shorter barrel for mounting on my dual-sport -- possibly with a scabbard between the front tank and the Nerf- bars. But walking around camping and setting up, I want a handgun on me -- too easy to leave a shotgun or rifle leaning against a tree a few yards away when you need it.

 

[svtrc51]

That and were in WA/OR..... Gonna go see if i can buy a Grizz tag tomorrow....

 

[Atroxus]

You guys are thinking small time.

.600 Nitro Express Magnum

If you can draw, aim, and fire that beast accurately in less time than it takes a bear to close with you, then you are probably strong enough to just punch the bear in the head and call it a day.

 

[BFR45/70]

I would use some thing I have a Magnum Research 45-70 with a 300 -405 gr I can hit the bull at 100 yards with this pistol and have used it deer and elk hunting a few times

 

[CanCanCase]

I was born and raised in SE AK, and never ever went hiking or beachcolming without bear medicine. For black bears, the .357 or .44 mag options will do just fine. When faced with a griz sow and cubs, however, my minimum carry was a .454 casull I picked up at Fred Meyer the year before they carried the .50 S&W. Either one in a good chest or shoulder rig works fine. Then again, my ENT Doc got mauled on a photo hike carrying his .50....

It's not very CCW, but I was always happiest carrying a 12 ga pump... first round chambered is 00 buckshot, followed by as many 3" slugs as the mag will hold (after removing the stupid piece of wood from the mag tube!)

-Case