Mosin Nagant for bear defense.

Second...most ammunition companies, do not make cartridges that are loaded with premium bullets for the 7.62X54, such a the Barnes, Accubond, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Nosler Partition, etc, etc; which I would use for bear. You can probably handload them, but I would stick with a much more modern rifle or pistol against bears; that are loaded with premium bullets.
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in a 30 cal at close range premium bullet selection is not very critical. I don't put much stock in premium bonded bullets anymore anyway. I used accubonds to take my black bear. at 100 yards the bullet was only traveling about 2,000 FPS when the recommended minimum for accubonds is 1800 before they no longer expand. the bullet split in half and both halves immediately deflected to 90 degree angles from impact. this is a bullet that is supposed to have 'superior weight retention and exceptional expansion'. I'd just as soon just go with a decent soft point which is not that hard to get for a 7.62x54R.

you do bring up a good point, if the bear's in the living room then you probably do not want to be swinging a gun as long as a 91/30 around the house trying to get it to leave.
 
7.62x54R = Commie Aught Six.

Event the cheapest brass cased soft point loading out there (150gr Prvi PPU) gives me 2800 f/sec out my 91/30 ...... if you can put that where it needs to go, then it will kill any bear in the lower 48 DRT, and nigh snything else in short order. There are no doubt loadings with heavier and better constructed bullets ........ but if you put 2500+ ft/lbs of energy into vital tissues and organs .... that is going to put stop to things ....................

,,,,not to mention that you have the bayonet to keep the critters off you .......
 
People use the 30/30 for bears and have for along time. You can go buy 7.62x54R soft points at any sporting goods store. It is a very powerful round. More than a 30./30 right around a .308 or 30-06. You can get a carbine mosin if the barrel length is too long for you. It is a cheap, powerful gun. If you do your part, it will do its.
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Agreed. As I said before, God help us if bullets in the 180 to 203 grain range travelling at near 30/06 velocities have stopped killing bears. As for the gun itself, no a Mosin Nagant is typically not going to be a tack driver but at any range that a bear is a legitimate threat it's more than accurate enough. The bolt action on a Mosin Nagant is as easily worked as most bolt actions out there and I've never heard anyone claim that a bolt action was unacceptable for bear protection.

There isn't a bear on earth that can take a hit behind the shoulder from a 180 or 203 grain soft point out of a Mosin Nagant and live. As for stopping a charge? Well survival in that situation is going to depend waaaaay more on your ability to shoot accurately under extreme duress than on what caliber gun you are holding.
 
Onced moved to your new location OP. You should give that states LE a phone call and see if there are or not restrictions for its residence concerning bear sightings. You might be limited to less than lethal resolve for one seen on your door step waiting for his/her share of the bacon or in your garage licking the bugs off your vehicles grille._:)
 
A Mosin Nagant would be fine if the bear was trying to get into your house and you have time to prepare. The biggest problem is that Mosins are slow, they are heavy and long and aren't very quick to maneuver. They also have an extremely clunky safety. As for power they definitely have the power to stop a black bear and probably anything else that's trying to eat you.
 
haha. god the mosin safety. even the poor soviet soldier never used no safety on it. sure you can use it, but it can be modified to be more suitable.
 
i would think that a mosin would stop a bear just fine i droped a mature elk this last year with mine this last year at 150 yds with 1 shot it just about shot placement.
 
Ok let me get this straight:

1. The bear is raiding your shed/garbage
2. It is more than likely a black bear
3. You are more than likely in you home/safer location

Why in the heck would any of you guys recommend a pistol over a .308/.30-06 equivalent round in the 7.62x54? My M44 is powerful and plenty accurate enough to dispatch any troublesome bear. It is all in the shooter. It is best you shoot the largest caliber you can shoot accurately.

Recommending a pistol in anything but a hiking situation seems ludicrous to me.:rolleyes:
 
Recommending a pistol in anything but a hiking situation seems ludicrous to me.
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I know. I just laugh and shake my head when I see people denounce a full blown rifle caliber like 7.62x54R as woefully inadequate for bear protection and then turn around and recommend a 44 magnum handgun. Heck a 30-30 is a monster of power compared to a 44 magnum handgun. LOL!
 
it has nothing to do with the calibers being inadequate. it has to do with the speed at which you can bring your muzzle to bear(no pun intended) on your target and how fast/smoothly you can line up a follow up shot. if you're swinging a mosin nagant with a 30 inch barrel around you'll notice that it takes a lot longer than a revolver with an 8 inch barrel, especially if it's in the house where you need to get around furniture and corners. also, a majority(not all but a lot) have stiff bolts, I believe the term, open with a 2x4 was coined for these particular rifles. even if we were comparing something like a ruger american in 308, I would recommend the american because of the shorter barrel, and smoother bolt operation, even if it only holds 4 rounds instead of 5. if the question regarded a M38, 44 or 53 I would have less qualms about recommending it but since the OP is talking about a full length 91/30 it is not such an easy thing to recommend.
 
I once played with a 91/30 Mosin PU. I handloaded Woodleigh 215gr SP. Stabilized and shot great. Had around 2500 fps and 3000 foot pounds of energy. This is a cartridge, as others have said, similar to 30-06.

Tell me a 30-06 isn't adequate for 400 pound black bear but is for a 1000 pound elk... :rolleyes:
If maneuverability is really such a problem with that 28'' barrel, id just (kill me know) chop it down and sporterize it.

If its all he's got there is no argument, its better than ALOT of things he could use... Thumbs up from me.
 
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