grymster2007
New member
Slug if you want to kill the bear.... #8 shot from 30 yards for drama. 
What ammo for 12 Guage for Colorado black bear protection
- Thread starter Lambdebois
- Start date
Para Bellum
New member
Sabot slug Winchester X
Sabot slug Winchester X
Sabot slug Winchester X
eaglesnester
New member
Slugs for Black Bears
For the most part as other posters have stated, blackies are timid and will generally run away from you as fast as they can. That is of course as long as momma does not have cubs, or you run into a young one that momma has just chased away. They got attitude man. They are ****** off, scared, hungry and confused and they are not good at finding food yet and they got no home. A young bear can be dangerous because of all of the above. The other one you got to watch out for is the old sick one that gets driven off his food by other bears, has no weight to go into hibernation and can not hunt because of injuries or whatever. That bear will stalk you and try to take you. You meet up with one of them you better have something in your hand other than your johnson. In this case a 12 gauge loaded with 3 inch slugs and not buckshot. No shotgun would be my first choice for this application. A 308 hits harder and is more accurate. As far as shooting a bear with a handgun I would choose to save the last round for me. Bears are tough critters, you **** em off you have problems my son. They have heavy dense bone structure and heavy dense muscle tissue they do not lend themselves well to be taken with any handgun all though some folks have and have done so sucessfully and plenty haven't. Now having said the above, I live in Canada in the north central interior of British Columbia and our bears are just a tad larger and meaner up here.
For the most part as other posters have stated, blackies are timid and will generally run away from you as fast as they can. That is of course as long as momma does not have cubs, or you run into a young one that momma has just chased away. They got attitude man. They are ****** off, scared, hungry and confused and they are not good at finding food yet and they got no home. A young bear can be dangerous because of all of the above. The other one you got to watch out for is the old sick one that gets driven off his food by other bears, has no weight to go into hibernation and can not hunt because of injuries or whatever. That bear will stalk you and try to take you. You meet up with one of them you better have something in your hand other than your johnson. In this case a 12 gauge loaded with 3 inch slugs and not buckshot. No shotgun would be my first choice for this application. A 308 hits harder and is more accurate. As far as shooting a bear with a handgun I would choose to save the last round for me. Bears are tough critters, you **** em off you have problems my son. They have heavy dense bone structure and heavy dense muscle tissue they do not lend themselves well to be taken with any handgun all though some folks have and have done so sucessfully and plenty haven't. Now having said the above, I live in Canada in the north central interior of British Columbia and our bears are just a tad larger and meaner up here.
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Housezealot
New member
no man, you gotta get 00 People, 00 buck is for deer!
My shotguns all take 3.5 inch shells, so if I was taking one for "protection", I would load both. Two shots of 00 mag buck up front, followed by all slugs. You need a little spread in the beginning while you have the most distance in case you don't get a perfect first hit. That's 18 .32 cal pellets moving at 1600 fps per shot. Two quickies with buck, then you have the slugs if you get charged by the bear.
And before the criticism comes, a pump can fire as fast as an auto in the right hands. (within milliseconds) No matter what you have, become proficient with it and pack some serious lead in an extended mag tube.
If you are perceptive and prepared, you'll have no problem dropping any land animal except for an elephant. Use a big rifle for that one.
And before the criticism comes, a pump can fire as fast as an auto in the right hands. (within milliseconds) No matter what you have, become proficient with it and pack some serious lead in an extended mag tube.
If you are perceptive and prepared, you'll have no problem dropping any land animal except for an elephant. Use a big rifle for that one.
Niner4Tango
New member
Double Aught People Shot! Now that's funny!!
Katrina Guy
Moderator
shoot 12 gauge flares, I head bears are scared of fire,
well, that Smokey the Bear one was anyway.
well, that Smokey the Bear one was anyway.
My experience with black bears in the South Carolina mountains was that a 90 lb German Shepard managed to scare off a 300+ lb boar before we even saw him. It looked more like a giant furry rockslide. They are terrified of people and dogs in that area at least. Though if it is a drought year (this incident was in a rainy year in one of the rainiest parts of the world) they probably act much like people do, desperate times call for desperate action. My experience is that they're like giant raccoons. They eat garbage, scare most people, and run away the second they get caught in the act. In NE GA and NW SC, I'm more worried about running across a skunk (they are much more common and the smell takes a long time to get out).
Even then, at the ranges you would encounter one, it probably does not matter what sort of shot you use. If you spot them at range you have time to decide avoid, fire warning shot, or shoot to kill. In GA/SC you don't have much time to see anything in the thick forests, but in Colorado, you are likely to see the bear before it gets anywhere near you and make that choice. Once they become a real threat, it's really within 10-20 m. With a shotgun at that range it becomes irrelevant what you are firing at very close (defending against an attacking bear) range. Even a very light 1oz #8 quail load will make a crater in the ground about 4 in deep. Pump and semi autos fire very rapidly. You can deliver 1/2 lb of shot on target in about 3 seconds no matter what it is.
The real argument against either for carrying is how bulky a shotgun is. If you are just out hiking, a good .357 revolver is light and compact enough to carry. When I'm hunting with a 12 or 20 ga shotgun with birdshot, I'm not ever really concerned about anything out there. If nothing else, you do have a really large piece of steel and wood/reinforced plastic to fight them off if you miss with the shotgun.
Even then, at the ranges you would encounter one, it probably does not matter what sort of shot you use. If you spot them at range you have time to decide avoid, fire warning shot, or shoot to kill. In GA/SC you don't have much time to see anything in the thick forests, but in Colorado, you are likely to see the bear before it gets anywhere near you and make that choice. Once they become a real threat, it's really within 10-20 m. With a shotgun at that range it becomes irrelevant what you are firing at very close (defending against an attacking bear) range. Even a very light 1oz #8 quail load will make a crater in the ground about 4 in deep. Pump and semi autos fire very rapidly. You can deliver 1/2 lb of shot on target in about 3 seconds no matter what it is.
The real argument against either for carrying is how bulky a shotgun is. If you are just out hiking, a good .357 revolver is light and compact enough to carry. When I'm hunting with a 12 or 20 ga shotgun with birdshot, I'm not ever really concerned about anything out there. If nothing else, you do have a really large piece of steel and wood/reinforced plastic to fight them off if you miss with the shotgun.
30-30remchester
New member
I have to disagree with TMD47762. This is where theory and experence differ. Many people have been shot with birdshot and walked away with a bad surface wound only. I shot a small coyote in the head at 5' away with #8 shot. Not a single pellet pentrate the small skull. It was all wadded up between the skull and skin. Can you imagine what little effect it would have on a bear when it wont penatrate a 15 lb coyote. This is where those that have killed animals with 00 buck , and believe that it is a fine bear load, miss the point. The point is , is 00 buck suffient for bear attacks?. Bear attacks come head on. Those that have sucessfully killed a bear with it, hadnt taken a head shot. Lung shots at close range can and have killed many animals after they eventually bleed to death. However many people have been seriously injured trying to make 00 buck a STOPPING round. Hunting and stopping rounds are two entirely different things.
Katrina Guy
Moderator
the best response was the poster that mentioned head on attacks
As apparently, that would be your encounter, a charging bear, which seems that all other post on how we used to hunt them back in the day etc etc is out the window, thread was, as I recall, what to carry in defense of bears, not the best bear hunting firearm. So a charging at you bear presents, apparently, primarily a head on shot as they're all head coming at you (especially since you are not laying down shooting but probably standing upright), buckshot for a bear's head??
I shot a pig, not even a hog, but a wild pig, at point blank range with my Colt 45acp, two rounds clean through the head, CCI lawman FMJ rounds, and the pig kept going, albeit would have died anyway as both were lethal hits, pig wasn't charging me but merely trying to escape. Killed but didn't stop. Apparently there is more to stopping then merely putting a couple small holes through a large hard cranium. I'd opt for slugs only for defensive shotgun load for bears.
As apparently, that would be your encounter, a charging bear, which seems that all other post on how we used to hunt them back in the day etc etc is out the window, thread was, as I recall, what to carry in defense of bears, not the best bear hunting firearm. So a charging at you bear presents, apparently, primarily a head on shot as they're all head coming at you (especially since you are not laying down shooting but probably standing upright), buckshot for a bear's head??
I shot a pig, not even a hog, but a wild pig, at point blank range with my Colt 45acp, two rounds clean through the head, CCI lawman FMJ rounds, and the pig kept going, albeit would have died anyway as both were lethal hits, pig wasn't charging me but merely trying to escape. Killed but didn't stop. Apparently there is more to stopping then merely putting a couple small holes through a large hard cranium. I'd opt for slugs only for defensive shotgun load for bears.
Slug
Breneke Black Magic Magnums. 3" 1 and 3/8 oz. It was specificallly designed to kill dangerous game. I killed a good sized black bear with one and it looked like it got hit by a truck. also, If you have buck shot and say the bear is attacking something you don't intend to shoot, your screwed. Even if it doesn't penetrate due to the sloped skull, the amount of energy will definetley effect the animal.
Breneke Black Magic Magnums. 3" 1 and 3/8 oz. It was specificallly designed to kill dangerous game. I killed a good sized black bear with one and it looked like it got hit by a truck. also, If you have buck shot and say the bear is attacking something you don't intend to shoot, your screwed. Even if it doesn't penetrate due to the sloped skull, the amount of energy will definetley effect the animal.
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I'd have to go with ibdecent and huntergirl. The Brenneke black magic magnums slugs are butt kickers. I don't think you could ever consider yourself overgunned when a bear wants to attack you. On the other side of the spectrum, what about having a bunch of #8 shot and a tight choke? Dont go for the kill, aim for the eyes and blind the bear and he will surely have trouble attacking you when he cant see. Not humane but the best thing that you could hope to have happen when firing birdshot at a bear. I personally have taken a 44mag into the mountains and felt safeR than I would have without one.
SumToy Custom Barrel
New member
I would go with this. We have test fired it out to 220 feet and it will put 18 to 20 shot in what you would say is a deers shoulder. 1/6 aluminum plat it just blowed trough it like it was nothing.
HEVI-Shot® Dead Coyote
- 50 PLUS .20 CALIBER PELLETS "T SHOT" IN EVERY LOAD
- LETHAL KNOCKDOWN PATTERNS AT 70 PLUS YARDS
- NEARLY TWICE AS EFFECTIVE PATTERNS AS CONVENTIONAL LOADS
HEVI-Shot® Dead Coyote
- 50 PLUS .20 CALIBER PELLETS "T SHOT" IN EVERY LOAD
- LETHAL KNOCKDOWN PATTERNS AT 70 PLUS YARDS
- NEARLY TWICE AS EFFECTIVE PATTERNS AS CONVENTIONAL LOADS