Best Rifle for Stopping a Charging Grizzly Bear?? -- Photo

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Regarding a batch of bird shot, I can't imagine that working. I've patterned bird shot, and there is likely to be good chance of missing the eyes. I've used skeet loads on dragon flies, just for fun, and if I can't pop a 4" dragon fly at 30 feet I'm sure as hell not going to hit the eyes of a charging bear. Being as bears have been known to tear open bee hives, I doubt that a load of #7s will chase them back. Failing to blind it, I'm really not sure what good it will do to fire bird shot at something that is big enough to stomp the crap out of other grizzlies for breeding rights. Even right on skin contact will not give the sort of damaging penetration that you need to stop it's heart before it swallows your head.

Not that I really care too much what a person uses in pursuit of his own safety, that is his choice, but this is the one thing suggested so far that seems to have absolutely no merit at all, and I'd hate to think that someone walks away from here believing that a montana pheasant hunter is safe from grizzly because of his shotgun full of #4 or 6.
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I've called in and killed several grey foxes around farming country. They oft-times have birdshot just under the hide, all healed over and doing fine.

Of all the things I could use on a bear, birdshot would not even be a consideration. Neither would buckshot, for that matter.

A fast handling, short barreled big-bore carbine would be my first choice if I knew ahead it was likely to happen. Most folks just use what they have available when it happens.

Daryl
 
I would want something that is quick handling and fast firing that I could shoot well in a pinch. A marlin lever gun in .45-70 with heavy cast loads, or a springfield armory m1a carbine firing premium 180grain bullets with at least a 10 round mag. Or maby a ruger hawkeye carbine in .375 ruger. Either way and whatever firearm I had I would want a clean pair of shorts and a ton of handy wipes.
 
The 73 year old toolmaker that I have used through work for the last 30 years is an avid hunter that originally was from Slovenia in Europe. As his father was the local game warden, he grew up hunting red deer & wild boar. He says the most popular rifle caliber in his village was the 6.5mm.
He once told me that he had shot a red deer doe for meat & on reaching it ,cut its throat to let it bleed out. While he was preparing to butcher the deer he saw a large Red Deer stag & decided to try & take the trophy. After stalking for half an hour, he had lost sight of the stag & decided to return to the original deer to continue his butchering.
On returning to the carcass he was confronted with a large brown bear that charged him. The 6.5mm dropped the charging bear with one shot.
Whilst the 6.5mm caliber may not be the best choice if you were specifically targeting brown bear, it will work, especially if you have no other choice.
 
Most of the folks in this discussion have only focused on caliber.

But what about the action type of the firearm?

And perhaps even more importantly, what type of sights would you want to have on the gun in such a situation?

Aren't these just as important of considerations?

Would you want to use a bolt or lever action? Or what about a good quality brand of semiauto shotgun, or even a semiauto rifle like the Browning BAR?

Would traditional telescopic sights be useless? What if it was a 1-4x model meant for dangerous game? Or what about some of the better red-dot sights on the market? Or would iron sights still be the best option to go with?


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what about the action type of the firearm?

And perhaps even more importantly, what type of sights would you want to have on the gun in such a situation?
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Yes, the original question was what kind of rifle would one want in the situation.
A number of folk opted for pump shotguns - action and sights are pretty much a given there.
As noted, ideally, I'd want a double rifle - that's probably a box lock action or something like. It'd have express sights, though it could be pointed like a shotgun.
Pete
 
Bead sights or iron sights are the best for close range imo. As for action I'd say anything but semi-auto that fires more than one shot. Revolver, pump, bolt, and lever are comparatively unlikely to jam and taking on a bear with full auto would awesome enough that the risk of jamming would be worth it. I think bolt would be too slow though, revolvers are handguns and I don't think they make great bear guns. A lever rifle with irons, or a pump 12 with bead would be my choice.
 
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