.357 for bear

There is another side of a magnum handgun that is'nt talked about and that is the flash and noise at night.

One person posted a horrifying story of a relative that went on a hike in bear country and heard some,what he thought ,were bear noises.

He fired off the magnum in the dead of night hoping to scare the bear off and spent a terrifying twenty minutes stone deaf and almost blind trying to find a place for himself to hunker down until his sight and hearing returned.

Makes a eight shot shotgun loaded with slugs sound much better.
 
I have never shot a bear,so I am not a bearologist,but I personally think that you would be better off practicing running real fast than trying to shoot a bear with a .357. You are going to make him really mad.
 
Im amazed at all the people that chime in and say take a rifle in this that or the other caliber. How in heck can you justify carrying a rifle on a hike or in this case a fishing trip. What do you tell the DNR officer when he comes around, wont it look alot like poaching?? I mean, most people here are against open carry, and those who do know that it is not iliegal in alot of states , would up having the police called for a man with a gun... Yet there are those here advocating he carry a OPENLY carried rifle.....

Im not saying dont take a gun, but how realisitic is it to take a rifle on a trip like this, or something similar like a hike or what not.(you still gotta hike to the fishin spot).

Yes i know that the rifle is the best tool for the job, but you must consider your state and the mood of its people. Lets say you encounter a hiker and he sees your rifle, chances are he'll freak out and find the nearest dnr officer.. guess what you get to explain your not poaching to him and hope he buys it. I bet he dosent see to many with a rifle.

All im saying is, the rifle cant be the first choice anymore. Peoples attitudes and the current political situation would only cuase headaches for the person who carried the rifle for protection. I think we should stick to suggesting handguns and appropriate calibers and loads instead of telling them to takesomething that will cuase a stir as much as a rifle would.

People can believe the handgun for self defence reason, when it comes to opencarry of a handgun, but i have a hard time believing anyone would buy the rifle.
 
Im amazed at all the people that chime in and say take a rifle in this that or the other caliber. How in heck can you justify carrying a rifle on a hike or in this case a fishing trip. What do you tell the DNR officer when he comes around, wont it look alot like poaching?? I mean, most people here are against open carry, and those who do know that it is not iliegal in alot of states , would up having the police called for a man with a gun... Yet there are those here advocating he carry a OPENLY carried rifle.....

Im not saying dont take a gun, but how realisitic is it to take a rifle on a trip like this, or something similar like a hike or what not.(you still gotta hike to the fishin spot).

Yes i know that the rifle is the best tool for the job, but you must consider your state and the mood of its people. Lets say you encounter a hiker and he sees your rifle, chances are he'll freak out and find the nearest dnr officer.. guess what you get to explain your not poaching to him and hope he buys it. I bet he dosent see to many with a rifle.

All im saying is, the rifle cant be the first choice anymore. Peoples attitudes and the current political situation would only cuase headaches for the person who carried the rifle for protection. I think we should stick to suggesting handguns and appropriate calibers and loads instead of telling them to takesomething that will cuase a stir as much as a rifle would.

People can believe the handgun for self defence reason, when it comes to opencarry of a handgun, but i have a hard time believing anyone would buy the rifle.
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Somehow I doubt carrying a rifle in the Alaskan bush is the same as walking down a city street in the Lower 48 with one. People are armed in Alaska. Not being armed there is asking to die. Our society's rules do not apply there.
 
fear of a rifle

Not in Alaska. When I was on Kodiak I carried a .357 smith, I knew exactly where the bullets would go without a charging grizzly coming at me. Kodiak is the best, I'll be back this year and will get some bear spray as well.
 
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Yes i know that the rifle is the best tool for the job, but you must consider your state and the mood of its people.
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OP stated Kodiak, Alaska.

Living in Alaska I would say that when considering the "state and the mood of its people" carrying a 12 gauge or hunting rifle while in bear country would not cause a second glance.

However, carrying a .357 revolver into grizzly country might get you that second glance.
 
A few seconds glances and 'head shakes':). When dealing with a potential killer capable of stocking you and given a choice to go underpowered or overpowered, the 'peoples state of mood' would not be a question. Go prepared or don`t go. IMO, a shotgun with minimum 44mag and pepper spray(takes very little room in backpack and weighs nothing) as back-up in big bear country. P.S I`m no bear expert but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night:D.
 
no bear in this story

I've not had any confrontations with bears. I am, though, an advocate of carrying the biggest gun that I can comfortably carry and shoot and of taking the advice of the folk who live where the bears are.
I live in PA. I have fished in AK a number of times. Two years ago, my son and I were fishing our way back up the Kenai Peninsula from Homer. We'd stopped near the Russian River, had to walk in from the road. It was a couple of hundred yards from the road to the river, well traveled paths but thick and sometimes muddy stuff. I did not have a gun. I was very conscious about how vulnerable we were. It would have been difficult to run, encumbered as we were. A bear could have been in the bush anywhere along the way. None were but they had been as was obvious when we got to the river and saw the remains of their fishing. It was not a nice feeling; I won't do it again.
I have a friend who lives in Anchorage. Now we borrow a SG to carry and take bear spray.
Pete
 
I would not want to find out How effective a 357 would be against a 1 ton or or more kodiak bear In a rage would be..You can run perhaps faster then the bear but would never outlast it.Bring Bigger firepower.
 
Carry bear spray, you'll be more likely to take it the next day.

Yes, some people do carry a rifle or shotgun while fishing/hiking up here... Once... And they have fewer problems than you'd think with LEO's... It is a little different when outside the city limits up here. Open carry is legal and justified when outside the city limits of Kodiak. It is not allowed due to city ordinance, to openly carry a firearm within the city limits, CCW is and will always be allowed.

In all honesty, as I've said before, not many guns short of a .375H&H will completely stop and kill a charging Kodiak Bear immediately.

YOUR BEST BET IS BEAR SPRAY!!! Wind is not as high of a factor in the spray reaching the target as you'd think. It is more effective at STOPPING a bear attack than any handgun. IF you want additional protection in addition to the spray, carry the most powerful gun that you can comfortably and reliably shoot accurately. For me, that's my 10mm. For others it's a .41/.44 mag. For others even still, it's a .460/.500. I like my 10, if you like your .357, then by all means take it.

Six hits with a .357 beat six misses with a .44 any day of the week.

Likewise, 15 hits with a 10mm beat six misses with a .44 as well...:D:D:D
 
BTW, running from a charging bear, or even a bear standing still, is just about the absolute worst thing that you could possibly do...
 
I have never shot a bear,so I am not a bearologist,but I personally think that you would be better off practicing running real fast than trying to shoot a bear with a .357. You are going to make him really mad.

jg took my answer. btw, there is a documented case where a nice lady saved her ass with a .22 rifle. i think it was a griz, but maybe a black bear. Didn't that Wesson guy kill all kinda critters with his .357?
 
I will defer to jgcoastie,he is there,and obviously has far more experience than I do.
I only had one bear experience ,it was at the junction of the Yukon and Nowitna rivers.The bear put his paws down on my ex-wife,and took a bite through the side of the tent.Very small,4 lb tent.I unzipped the door,and for some reason whacked him across the face with my Win 97 I know,probably not the smartest move.I hadn't had coffee yet.

She was hurt and we were 200 mi from the nearest road.The whack did back there bear off for a bit,but then he just fixed a look on me and was slowly easing toward me.Firing a shot in the air produced absolutely no reaction,not a blink.
My sight was just a bead,and I was loaded with the standard lead forster 1 oz slugs,Feds I think.I had studied bear skulls and skeletons at the museum in Fairbanks before our trip,and I agree the tip of the nose is a good frontal shot.Spongy bone to the brain pan.
The slug hit the lower incisors,centered,and did not penetrate.It broke up.He went down and got back up.shaking his head.A second shot to the neck put him down.A 2 ' alder was bloody and apparently bitten in half by his head.Nose to tail,he was 6'6'' .The second slug was stopped by the spine.

I also killed a cow elk once with my .44 mag SBH.I used a 240 gr soft point.It was a neck shot,hit spine.The spine was smashed,but the slug stopped in the spine,total penetration 5 to 7 inches.

Another occasion,someone had left the sawn of head of a hog at a small dump where I used to shoot.Front to bak,not more than 6 or 7 in at the forehead.
I leaned it against a piece of plywood,and fired 6 240 gr softpoits from my .44.On the ground in front of the ply,lead and jacket frags.No penetration of the ply.
My point,I suggest leave the expanding bullets,and go hard cast Kieth.

After my experience,I built a light,glass stocked .375 Chatfied/Tayor for next time.
But, have never been to Kodiak,and I think cg coastie knows what he is talking about.
 
BTW, running from a charging bear, or even a bear standing still, is just about the absolute worst thing that you could possibly do...
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True, but that is the natural inclination when one feels the sudden need for a toilet!!!
 
You can run perhaps faster then the bear
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Don't think that it has been done yet, even by Olympic caliber athletes. Bears are surprisingly fast, think 1,000+ lbs at 40 mph.

Imagine a small compact car in a thirty five mph zone speeding a bit, now as it is coming right for you: ready, set, go! Good Luck!
 
YOUR BEST BET IS BEAR SPRAY!!!
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- jgcoastie

With percents of success (depending where you look) at 97% - 100% success rate for bear spray with zero fatalities and only few minor injuries, versus (again depending on where you look) 50% success rate with firearms with fatalities and severe maulings, I know where I place my bet.

I still carry 12gauge with slugs, hunting rifle, and/or 10mm as back up to spray; depending on the situation: hiking, fishing, hunting, etc...
I do not understand why people coming up here to visit will spend $1,000+ for a new weapon, and not spend under $50 for a can of bear spray.

To paraphrase Chad Carpenter, the Alaskan cartoonist:
Step outside and Welcome to the food chain!
 
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