FMJ or JHP for Bear Protection? Opinions!!!???
- Thread starter Jcervo
- Start date
Factory loads vary greatly and some very good ones [ penetration and expansion] are available ! I've used Corbon DPX [barnes all copper bullet] ,only 225 gr but works very well . Swift A-frame is like the late Nosler Partition. Speer Deep Curl [like Gold Dot but heavier construction]. These 44 mag rounds will work very well.
Lots of bear in my area and I've met them up close but they ignored me .What I hate are the people who feed them !!
Other uses for a gun ? Criminals , animals with rabies [we have that in the county now].
Lots of bear in my area and I've met them up close but they ignored me .What I hate are the people who feed them !!
Other uses for a gun ? Criminals , animals with rabies [we have that in the county now].
CastleBravo
New member
An average of 40-50 people in the US are killed a year by lightning strikes. Maybe people here should invest in lightning rods before they worry about their bear defense load.
I have been shooting some Fiocchi truncated cone FMJ 357mag loads, and it occurred to me that theynwould be suitable for large animal defense. They seemed full power and accurate.
BTW, I Agee that concern over bear is overblown...just like when I worked in a backpack shop, and every boy scout buying gear for their first backpack trip just HAD to have a snakebite kit.
BTW, I Agee that concern over bear is overblown...just like when I worked in a backpack shop, and every boy scout buying gear for their first backpack trip just HAD to have a snakebite kit.
Tactical Jackalope
New member
Glock 20 a 10mm that I'll trust to that whole..I'm in the woods and may need this type thing. I'd also take my SIG 
If you have time for an aimed shot with a .44 Mag or larger, then only if you think you can accurately place the shot. - - If surprised and panicked by an angry bear,
run like crazy for the nearest tree. Then if the bear continues after you it will not make any difference; solids or HP, empty the gun...Never run from a bear. Sometimes they bluff charge and stop, but if you run, then game is on, you lose, they win.
Stand your ground, have pepper spray and/or large caliber weapon and know how to use them. Much of the success of pepper spray may simply be in standing your ground in what would have just been a bluff charge. Since we don't do any experiments, it is impossible to state for certain.
If you are in bear country, understand bear safety in campgrounds and on the trails. Running is never a safe part of bear interactions since it triggers their hunting instincts to run after prey.
Stand your ground, have pepper spray and/or large caliber weapon and know how to use them. Much of the success of pepper spray may simply be in standing your ground in what would have just been a bluff charge. Since we don't do any experiments, it is impossible to state for certain.
If you are in bear country, understand bear safety in campgrounds and on the trails. Running is never a safe part of bear interactions since it triggers their hunting instincts to run after prey.
Listen to this advice, A bear will always be faster than you. Once you run it is then a full blown problem and will more than likely turn out to be costly to your life
Bears are truly amazing animals... but they can be a true force of nature in the wrong circumstances and now the more I read through these posts and see how much opinions vary, I feel that a lot of people underestimate not only bears but nature itself. I understand that mother nature and her living creatures are not all out to harm me. But it just so happens I do camp and hike in their home, this can stir up some animals attitudes and I want to be safe. I do not want to kill or slaughter every living thing on the land I live on, I just want to be protected right when the time comes that one of these animals turn out to be aggressive. Your posts have all helped me learn more about them and Me and my family will all benefit from this the next time I am backpacking in the back country
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Evan Thomas
Inactive
A good way to look at it...Jcervo said:
Think of yourself as a guest in their home, one who wants to act politely, and not as an armed, dangerous "home invader." Learn what's "polite" behavior in bear country, act accordingly, and it's very unlikely you'll ever have a problem.
Google "bear safety" -- there are many sites with good information.
And check out these books:
Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance
by Stephen Herrero
http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-Their-Causes-Avoidance/dp/0941130827
Bear Attacks: The Deadly Truth by James Gary Shelton
http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-James-Gary-Shelton/dp/0969809913
With links to his other books...
Bear Attack 2 Myth & Reality by James Gary Shelton
Bear Encounter Survival Guide by James Gary Shelton
I've seen and helped carry 500 lb bear out of the N Georgia mountains, so I know how big they can get. Killed a 260 pounder a few years ago. But a bear don't get to be big by hanging around humans. 99.999% of black bear problems are with young bear that have been recently run off by their mothers. These are your sub-200 lb bears that are struggling to find food on their own for the 1st time.
These are all incidents within the last few years in areas where I hike and hunt. I carry a 10mm Glock just in case. I see several bear each year in the woods. Have never felt threatened. I have never had to use my gun or my seatbelt. But they both are used.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3306263
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/04/woman_visits_site_of_fatal_bea.html
http://articles.cnn.com/2006-04-16/...d-erlanger-hospital-stable-condition?_s=PM:US
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402482,00.html
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/dec/04/story-of-bear-attack-to-air/
Pennsylvania produces a lot of big bears all the time as well. In addition, the bear population in America is growing rapidly increasing bear-people encounters in areas where they used to be quite scarce. The prudent person in the woods is ready to encounter them if needed. The best policy is to avoid them if possible, but when they press an attack, why not be ready for them.
I personally would pick a 357 magnum over a 10mm. It has been my experience that a heavy 357 magnum has more sectional density and will better penetrate. I all so believe that the very top end 357 magnum and 10mm are nearly identical.
I am not saying the 357 magnum is better but I personally trust it. I have killed black bear, deer and hogs with 357 magnums (granted usually with a carbine)
as to the original post I would not use hollow points.
Bears aren't nearly as tough as some would have us believe. Internet myth and fable oft-times get carried away.
That sais, I wouldn 't choose hollow points OR FMJ's for hunting or defending myself against one.
For hunting, a good hunting type hardcase is pretty hard to beat. For defense, where some expansion might result in a faster kill, perhaps a good quality JSP (jacketed soft point).
This is all assuming a powerful enough cartridge is used, and while effective, you don't need a .500 S&W, or even a .454 Casull for most bears. A well loaded .44 mag or .45 Colt will do the job nicely, as long as you can hit your target.
And if you can't, then stick with bear spray.
Daryl
That sais, I wouldn 't choose hollow points OR FMJ's for hunting or defending myself against one.
For hunting, a good hunting type hardcase is pretty hard to beat. For defense, where some expansion might result in a faster kill, perhaps a good quality JSP (jacketed soft point).
This is all assuming a powerful enough cartridge is used, and while effective, you don't need a .500 S&W, or even a .454 Casull for most bears. A well loaded .44 mag or .45 Colt will do the job nicely, as long as you can hit your target.
And if you can't, then stick with bear spray.
Daryl