Bear protection again?

I went on a camping/hiking trip with my buddy about 2 months ago in bear country. Not just bear country.. bear haven (Chattahoochee National Forest). The best firepower we could muster was my AR 15 slung on my back, his Mini 14 on his, and bowie knives on our hips. I honestly felt so under-gunned it's not even funny. I realize that if a bear is set on attacking me, and it's adrenaline starts pumping.. nothing short of a shot between the eyes is going to put him down before he gets me. And with my adrenaline going and my heart thumping and him charging.. the odds of me scoring that shot is slim.

I would have felt much better with bear spray and a 12 ga with slugs.
 
Too many bear defense threads!

IMO, I think you need either a BFG or a Browning belt-fed .50. Or a hundred thousand molotov cocktails. Or a chainsaw. Or maybe you should just man up and PUNCH THE BEAR IN THE FACE.
 
The most powerful handgun I've fired is the 44 magnum. I have a S&W 2 1/2 bbled performance center model and a 7 1/2 S&W limited edition. If it was me I would feel alright carrying either of those. OTOH, grizzlies ain't a major threat in South Florida. :p
 
nothing short of a shot between the eyes is going to put him down before he gets me.
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Meh, I wouldn't be so sure. They're just animals, and bleed like anything else.

A buddy of mine once shot a bear through the chest with a .454. It died so quick that it had it's front and back left legs on one side of the limb it was standing on, and it's right legs on the other. He had to climb the tree to push it out. It was DRT at the shot.

Which isn't all that extraordinary, 'cept that particular black bear weighed something close to 400 lbs if I recall correctly (and I do).

They aren't bullet proof.

Daryl
 
For me the best option was a Smith and Wesson 329 PD. It is a 44 mag that weighs 26 Oz empty. I was just out a few weeks ago fishing and it was very pleasant to carry. I have some 270 grain mag soft points that I have loaded up and it is a bit stiff but still quite shoot-able. You can get a set of nice rubber grips off of a Smith and Wesson X frame revolver grips that makes a huge difference.

I use it for packing while archery hunting and fishing.

Here is a link to one. http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57767_757751_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y
 
44 mag, 45 long colt, ok.

But if you are looking at Kodiak or Grizzly, amybe the Casul is the way to go. It just is a heavy Mother.

I would go for 45 long colt and do my own loads.
 
Honestly even with my .44 magnum i feel a little undergunned against are good sized bear. I prefer a pump action 12 guage with slugs or buckshot, 3"ers if you can handle them. I also like medium caliber semi-autos for fast repeat shots with much higher velocities then any handgun rounds. Ak, AR, and sks variants are gun for this purpose i think.
 
Black Bear , or Brown Bear, Kodiak, or Polar Bear ?

I think it makes a difference.

IF any of the later 3 , I"m with ... trip, or knock your GF down and run, and don't stop running.

I've been researching, discussing and cussing this subject for a while.....
Generally speaking .. the consensus I've gotten out of people who have been around them is :

1. Black Bear; a well loaded .357 round 'can' kill them. Myself, that's a Buffalo Bore 180 gr round with velocity of 1851 fps and approx 1181 lbs energy. But, a .44 or bigger helps.

2. A 30-30 rifle or above.

3. Brown Bear ..... BIG, BIG , and Bigger if at all possible. 454 Casull or .50 cal.

4. Polar Bear ...... a really good rifle, great aim and lots of distance.

My use is ... worse case a Black Bear, and more likely wolves, cougars, or a very aggressive coyote. I've had closer contact with all of these than I would have liked and was "hunted" and tracked by wolves and cougars. Wolves are usually just more curious, unless very hungry, in a pack, and want to steal the food you have around you and are willing to fight you for it, or you threaten them. I was able to discourage them. Coyotes, wolves and cougars, all have thinner skin / tissue, not as much muscle mass and not as thick of a skull as bears (all a reason for more need of good penetration on a bear).

I'm sure I"m not saying anything you don't already know... but , in my case... I'm capable of shooting faster, more, and more accurately with a stout .357 load than a .44, so that's what I'm going with. It should meet most of my needs, if needed.... which would be a close range negative encounter where speed, accuracy and quanitity are needed.

In camp; I'll have a 30-30 or 30-06 for my use.
 
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I've spent quite a bit of time in Alaska and have photographed inland Grizzles, coastal browns and black bears. I've found the best handguns for bear are .44 magnums, .454's or .500 S&W's. The best long guns for bear are either a 12 gauge loaded with slugs and 00 Buck, or a 45-70 rifle. If you're in an area populated with coastal brown bears........bigger is definitely better. If you're in an area more frequented by black bears, a slightly smaller gun may be sufficient. A lot of guides also carry bear spray, and you might be surprised but it's actually very effective. The best thing to do to avoid bears is make plenty of noise. If bears can hear you, they'll avoid you. If you encounter a bear in the wilderness, the worst thing you could possibly do is run from a bear. The reality is that moose kill more people in Alaska.
 
Well I did some shooting with my 44 mag (329PD) yesterday. I had some 270 grain Gold Dot Soft Points loaded on top of 18.5 grains of 296 with a magnum primer. This is a minimum load from the 13th Speer book.

I was getting near full penetration on about a 18 inch across pine log from about 15 yards. They were knocking the bark off and splintering the log on the back side. While I am no bear expert I would assume that if you did your job and put the bullet where it needed to go, you have a good chance of stopping a bear.
 
This is how I'd take it down... Forget a S&W 500!

rocketpropelledchainsaw.jpg
 
I like the 10mm myself...followed closely by a large revolver.

My school of thinking is that as the 10mm is about 60% as powerful as a 44 mag.

My G29 holds 10 rounds...Most 44's hold 6.

G29: 10 X 60 = 600 (rounds * percentage)

44: 6 X 100 = 600 (rounds * percentage)


a full mag of 10mm is about the equivalent of a full cylinder of 44mags.


But...Many people agree (myself included) that total capacity is not that big of a deal because it's going to be tough to get off more than 2 or 3 well aimed shots. Here's where the math gets cool--

3 rounds of 10mm is the equivalent of 2 rounds of 44. I haven't shot a 44 (yet:D) but one would assume that one can get off 3 well aimed 10mm's in about the same amount of time as someone else can get off 2 44's. And from my reading I've been lead to believe that a hardcast 10mm bullet will shoot through a bear.

So with all that being even I chose the 10mm due to the ability to lay down cover fire in the event of a hostile crackhead takeover:)..... Not to mention the conversion barrels(!), faster reloading, and the option to use the full sized magazines.

But those 3in 629's sure are purdy:D
 
Not exactly - take a .44 mag or better yet a .45 Colt from
Buffalo Bore. The energy argument is ignorant as a .223 is the same "power" as the "heavy" .45 Colt. So your "logic" is that one .223 is the same as the .45 Colt. Don't compare revolver ammuntion with semi-auto pistol ammunition, even the 10mm fanboy ammunition. Let's put it this way, you would make one two to three foot long wound with your 10 mm and the heavy Buffalo Bore with the LBT hard cast bullet is making a four to six foot long wound with an 11.5 mm. For a black bear not a problem but for a brown bear poor choice at best. These calibers, bullets and ballistics are in two different worlds.
 
If I was in fear of a bear I would use

Black Bear 44 mag

Brown Bear 475 H&H Mag

Polar 475 H&H Mag


The pepper spray is supposed to be better but if I see a Brown or Polar bear Charge me I want a Magnum Rifle, not a handgun.
 
@jmortimer

Dude think about what you're saying. To compare a 223 to a 10mm is ignorant. The 223 is haulin ass and fragments. 10mm stays in tact.

To stop a charge cns needs to be taken out, or the front shoulder busted. 10mm gets you there. 45 gets you there a little better. I doubt it is 100% better per 'your' figures state. I simply believe three chances of 'enough' are as good as 2 chances of 'more than enough'

But if you want, go round us up a couple of brown bear and we'll both shoot'em 6 times apiece...And on the way home we'll take pot shots at crackheads with the 4 bullets my gun will have left over
 
You had mentioned "power" but the 10mm is a good all around caliber. And no, I would use one .45 Colt on the bear and save the other five for the "crack-heads." When dealing with dangerous game most of time the number of shots are limited to a couple. When dealing with gangs of "crack-heads" I'll take your 10mm firepower. When dealing with dangerous animals I'll take "power."
 
That's true I did. And as a matter of fact, looking back, my math is just a hair off. 3 rounds of 10mm is equal to about 90% of two rounds of 44mag.

But...that 60% number is just me regurgitating something I had read in the archives.

In my belief of a 10mm having 60% of the power of a 44 magnum, and my belief that a 10mm would shoot through a bear. I was under the impression that 6*10=10*6 in regards to effectiveness.


No doubt that both are poor choices for big bear. I just prefer the extra shot as the lesser of two evils.
 
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