Recommendation for a bear gun.

[orygun]

Speaking of 41 Mag, if S&W would chamber the 69 in 41, I would be an owner again in a heartbeat! Until then the 686 gets that nod.
Don't have anything except the dies left, but they aren't going anywhere.
Heck, I still have stuff for loading the 500!

 

[solv3nt]

Do you have a factual opinion on the .357MAG v 10mm?

Nope, I carry 45 super.

Hmh. Curious you'd be posting in this thread in that case.

The reality is that there's only like ten attacks in the US per year with a US population of like 350 million. On average, the members of this forum spend more time in the woods, thus increasing the likelihood of having an encounter.

Other than @Tlock who works with bears, I don't believe that any active member happens to be one of the ten per year.

That said, @Tlock uses a 22lr.

List of fatal bear attacks in North America - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Andy54Hawken]

There is a world of difference between :
Hunting...
Disposing of problem animals...
And defense against animals.

Therefore it should be no surprise that different firearms are needed and used for each of the above.

14 pages now...of many good ideas and options.
Many of which are different or at odds with one another...but still good ideas and options.

If the OP were my concern....
I'd go with the simplest answer....
Since the father in the OP is a good shot...and has both a .44 Magnum revolver and a .357 Magnum revolver...
Find a load for either that works for the desired result of being a "bear killer" ....with the least amount of recoil.
Andy

 

[Spitpatch]

There is a world of difference between :
Hunting...
Disposing of problem animals...
And defense against animals.

Therefore it should be no surprise that different firearms are needed and used for each of the above.

14 pages now...of many good ideas and options.
Many of which are different or at odds with one another...but still good ideas and options.

If the OP were my concern....
I'd go with the simplest answer....
Since the father in the OP is a good shot...and has both a .44 Magnum revolver and a .357 Magnum revolver...
Find a load for either that works for the desired result of being a "bear killer" ....with the least amount of recoil.
Andy

...and pack Bear Spray.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

...and pack Bear Spray.

Some folks do....I don't ...but it also don't make any difference to me if someone wants to or does.
Then again...
I also don't over worry or wonder about bears attacking me either.....
Andy

 

[Andy54Hawken]

If Goldielocks and the three bears were real and not a fairy tale...
I would say that the bears were justified in using force to remove a thief and trespasser....
Andy

 

[Alexx1401]

Yep. I know it because that's what I practice with. Key words, "On Target".

Thanks.

And almost everyone I've seen try to shoot any handgun fast hits almost nothing.
If you don't practice for accuracy, you'll quickly empty your gun and you won't have hit anything.
Practice with what you carry. And don't just shoot at targets and plates that just sit there.
I shoot at tin cans and try to hit them again before they stop moving. I practice with old freon cans that are rolling down a hill.

If I wanted a gun for bear defense, I'd take my Mossberg pump with slugs. If I was hunting bear, it would be one of my 30-06's.
What I am usually carrying is a 357. If not, it's a 1911 in 45. I think i'd prefer the 357 of the 2.

YEP! I have lost track of the people over the years who "told" me how good they shoot who can't. Get them to the range and they could not hit paper that was not moving and not shooting back. A LOT of them who had a wheel gun wanted to shoot them S/A. Tell them they needed to learn to shoot them D/A since in a chips are down they need to be able to make more than one shot. Norm was they could not hit paper trying that.
If I was in country where any of the Brown family lived I would want a short shotty slung over my shoulder FAR more than any hand gun. Up here where all we have is the small Black's? Any hand gun I felt comfortable keeping for 2 legged would make me feel safe from the small Bears we have here. Especially since the little ones we have up here are so rarely seen as they get away when they hear us.The one big problem is morons who feed them thinking its fun. Quite often when someone has problems with one of the native little bears up this way its due to them being fed and they start to lose their fear of us.

 

[Spitpatch]

Some folks do....I don't ...but it also don't make any difference to me if someone wants to or does.
Then again...
I also don't over worry or wonder about bears attacking me either.....
Andy

My sentiments and practices exactly.

 

[The Heretic]

A 10mm revolver has the worst features of the .44 mag revolver and 10 mm semi auto. It lacks the powerful individual shots of the 44 mag as well as the high capacity of the semi auto.

There is that.

Most 10mm loads are going to be equivalent to .45 ACP/.45 Super (a lot of people think 10mm is a lot more powerful than .45 ACP, but it isn't - not by that much, if any - depending on the load, then take a look at .45 Super, which can be fired in most .45 ACP guns).

I have a 325 Thunder Ranch - just because as a prepper, I also want some non-semi-auto guns that will backup my semis. If I had to choose between a semi and a revolver for defense against anything, it would be the semi - but there are places where only revolvers will be the better choice due to gun control (and probably more places in the future). The only real advantage of a revolver (in the same cartridge) over a semi is the ability to use lighter loads that won't function in a semi - which may be useful for hunting.

 

[Spitpatch]

Bowhunting the Blue Mountains for decades before it was legal to carry a firearm while doing so, I was very conscious of the presence of bears, saw them rather frequently, and when they came close, I killed them and ate them.

Much hulabaloo here about a shy wild animal that wants very little to do with people.

 

[Koda]

Bear defense isnt a statistical argument, its a consequential argument.
When one is out in their habitat they are usually a long way from help and alone.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

When out and about in bear country or any other animals habitat...
It is wise to pay attention to your surroundings....keep a clean camp....and fully respect the fact that you are in their backyard or house....not yours...their house...their rules so to speak.
Andy

 

[solv3nt]

Bear defense isnt a statistical argument, its a consequential argument.
When one is out in their habitat they are usually a long way from help and alone.

It is a statistical argument. Even out playing in their terrain, you're still much more likely to die from a car crash than getting attacked by a bear.

My buddy is terrified of school shootings, so much it causes unhealthy anxiety. The reality is that statistically it's not anywhere close to being probable. I told him his boy is much more likely to kill himself on the quad that he bought him than he is too be in the same school during a shooting.

 

[Spitpatch]

"...a long way from help and alone."

...And subject to a kaleidoscope of far greater and more frequent and realistic threats with no special precautions (or equipment) toward each of those far more consequential threats.

 

[Croat]

With respect to bears... or cars, or walking, or bicycling, or swimming, or chewing gum, or any human activity... sometimes it is just your time to go, regardless how prepared you otherwise may be. Generally speaking, however, I am always on the alert in the wilderness, no matter whether I am in "bear country" or not, because every square inch of North America can be bear country. Just look at all the YouTube videos of bears in urban yards or even downtowns. Paranoia never helps, of course, but being alert and prepared for possible eventualities when you know you're subjecting yourself to a higher state of risk is only reasonable.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

It is a statistical argument. Even out playing in their terrain, you're still much more likely to die from a car crash than getting attacked by a bear.

My buddy is terrified of school shootings, so much it causes unhealthy anxiety. The reality is that statistically it's not anywhere close to being probable. I told him his boy is much more likely to kill himself on the quad that he bought him than he is too be in the same school during a shooting.

It is good to be concerned about dangers....
It is not good to let that concern grow to a point where you are fearful of something that could happen , but most likely won't happen.

Being fearful leads to poor decision making...and poor decision making can be more dangerous that what one is fearful of.
Andy

 

[Croat]

It is good to be concerned about dangers....
It is not good to let that concern grow to a point where you are fearful of something that could happen , but most likely won't happen.

Being fearful leads to poor decision making...and poor decision making can be more dangerous that what one is fearful of.
Andy

I agree. That is my biggest pet peeve about American society. The more years that go by, the more America is becoming a fear-based culture. Not every individual, of course, but on the whole people are allowing themselves to be increasingly manipulated by fear in lieu of reason. And that is not by accident. People in power have always used fear as their most effective tool of societal manipulation, and it is getting easier and easier for them as time and technology advance.

 

[Koda]

Being prepared to deal with a wild animal attack is not being paranoid.

 

[OldBroad44]

If I had an 81 year old father who had chosen to defend himself with a ,44 mag his whole life, and is a crack shot with that gun, I would first realize that he is unlikely to live long enough to feel anywhere near as confident with something dramatically different. And confidence matters both in the joy of carrying the weapon and in deploying it.

The bigger the change the more likely adopting it will be confidence destroying. The biggest change you can make is from revolver to semi auto. It involves issues like clearing jams and weak wristing that revolvers dont. And for hands to be strong enough to jack slide. Another huge change is to shift to a gun of dramatically different design, especially one that few experienced people consider superiior. Such as from a classic SW, Colt, or Ruger to a Chiapa Rhino. Or to switch from a top of the line gun to one with a lousy trigger pull etc. Or from a gun that he is unlikely to practice enough with to learn to trust it because commercial ammo is too expensive or unavailable unless you reload, like the 41 mag. Or to a caliber that is really wimpy compared with what you are used to carrying for self defense, such as a 10 mm or .357 mag when you are used to carrying a .44 mag. Even when the lesser caliber is a reasonable choice for the job intellectually. (Even though intellectually I know my new 9mm CZ is fine for SD against humans with appropriate loads, emotionally I think of 9 mm as a glorified .22. This would affect my confidence if I had to use or carry it for SD.) (I bought it as a suppressor host for pest control..)

The smallest possible and least confidence destroying change your 81 year old dad could make is to stick with exactly the same gun but reduce the power level of the load just enough so he can shoot it more easily.

 

[Koda]

It is a statistical argument. Even out playing in their terrain, you're still much more likely to die from a car crash than getting attacked by a bear.

My buddy is terrified of school shootings, so much it causes unhealthy anxiety. The reality is that statistically it's not anywhere close to being probable. I told him his boy is much more likely to kill himself on the quad that he bought him than he is too be in the same school during a shooting.

If it was a statistical argument then we shouldnt allow CHLs because your far more likely to injure someone with your gun than need it in self defense.
(Analogy)