What do you carry in bear country?

T. O'Heir said:
"...looking into a 460 S&W Mag..." You have a rifle in your hands. No hand gun cartridge will compare to a rifle cartridge.
Yogi can cover 100 yards in under 6 seconds. Plus the chances of you ever being fast and accurate enough to recognise the threat, draw, aim and fire a shot are slim. Plus that ammo is friggin' expensive stuff. Starts at $35 per 20. Most of it runs $50 plus.
In any case, nothing, rifle or handgun, will stop anything in its tracks. Physics doesn't allow it.
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I understand your point of being able to draw, aim and fire in time. I would rather have something able to at least would the animal, preferably fatally. I also understand that I would never be able to "stop it in its tracks" that grizz charging has a lot of momentum, but at least it wouldn't be "aggressive", instead, Just hurtling forwards, or decide that I'm no easy meal or worth the attack.
jmhyer said:
I must agree with John D. Unless you will be hunting elk with stick and string or muzzle loader, your hunting rifle will be much more useful than any handgun.
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The problem is my hunting rifle is a bolt action. But I will agree that a rifle would be much more effective.

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I cannot offer advice about bears, since that subject is outside my expertise. But I enjoy shooting magnum handguns, and I have shot a lot of them. In my view, the Smith & Wesson 25oz lightweight 44 magnum, the model 329, deserves special recognition as the hardest kicking handgun I have ever handled. With full loads, I found the 329 more uncomfortable than the 500 S&W. This is not completely surprising since the 500 S&W is heavy, and has grips and a compensator that were specifically designed to make it shootable.

Of course felt recoil is subjective. But I believe the model 329 is far beyond what most people can control. I would recommend a steel framed gun for anyone who needs a 44 magnum that they can fire effectively.
 
I also plan on shouting "hello bears" every 30 yards or so
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Talking to the animals...well I hope it works out better for you than it did with this lass and her kayak. (She also used what she said was pepper spray, could have been bear spray...or some other aerosol spray...might have been Butter Flavored Pam...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5cMZymSr0

The following is probably not true but the park rangers say the following question is in the running for dumbest tourist question ever:
"How long before starting your hike should you apply your bear repellent spray?"

Good luck, and we were due for a 'gun for bear' question...should be getting the 'gun for snakes' question any time now.
 
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Glocks in 10mm have become very popular in Alaska and have been used successfully for bear protection. As have 357mag, 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP. And these are bear at least twice the size you'll see in Wyoming. A typical inland grizzly isn't much larger than a typical black bear and no harder to kill. They are more aggressive and likely to attack, but not all that much larger.

The big hand cannon are a good choice for "hunting" where you expect to take longer shots and the extra power and accuracy are helpful. You don't carry them for personal protection for the same reason you don't carry a battle rifle when going out to eat with the family. Something smaller and easier carried makes sense. Unless one of those is also your primary hunting weapon.

I carry either a G20 or G29 depending on my mood loaded with Double Tap 200 gr hardcast at 1300 fps. I carried that combo when camping at Yellowstone and slept as well as I would have with any other handgun. I own 2 S&W 629's and left both at home. I think the hotter 10mm loads are a better option.
 
DaleA said:
should be getting the 'gun for snakes' question any time now.
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May I recommend the Taurus raging judge? 454 casull, 45 colt, and 3"410 shells. Triple duty! 454 for 4 legged critters, 45 for 2 legged threats and 410 for them no-leggers!

That's actually the gun I'm contemplating, because of the 410. I hate snakes...

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Why wouldn't you shoot the bear with your Elk rifle if it comes to that? You have a much better chance of stopping a bear with it than any handgun you might choose.
 
I've been shooting .44 mags most of 30 years now, and currently carry a S&W model 69 as my usual 'anti-bear' gun, loaded with 300 grain BBs. I'm 5' 8" and 170 lbs. The recoil from those rounds out of that gun (37 oz.) is stiff. But I have practiced enough that I can get four rds. into a softball-sized area at 15 yds. in under 2 seconds from low ready. It took a lot of practice. If not for my hobby of reloading it would have cost me several hundred bucks in ammo alone.

Last week I fired a S&W .460XVR for the first time. While recoil wasn't uncontrollable (the weight of the gun and the compensator ports helped a lot I'm sure), it was much more difficult to manage than any .44 mag I've fired. I would respectfully suggest that to attain an acceptable level of proficiency with a .460 you'd have to spend several hundred dollars in ammo to get there.

As for my experience with bears, around here they're all blackies and most are under 200 lbs. But three weeks a year for the last eight years I've been going up to both MT and WY to hunt/fish and have seen grizz in the wild. That's when I'm glad I've got that 69 on me. But I'm well-aware that even five .44s might not do the trick.

If I were to make a suggestion it would be to become more proficient with your rifle, or depending on your experience with magnum revolvers, go with a .357 mag., loaded with heavy BBs. However, regardless of what caliber you end up with, bullet placement is going to be the determining factor. Putting five or six .44s into a charging grizz all in non-lethal areas is probably only going to make him more angry with you.
 
In bear country I prefer a shotgun with slugs or a Glock 20 in10mm. In your case going hunting I would bring a semi rifle as my defence/hunting rig.
 
Rangerrich99 said:
I've been shooting .44 mags most of 30 years now, and currently carry a S&W model 69 as my usual 'anti-bear' gun, loaded with 300 grain BBs. I'm 5' 8" and 170 lbs. The recoil from those rounds out of that gun (37 oz.) is stiff. But I have practiced enough that I can get four rds. into a softball-sized area at 15 yds. in under 2 seconds from low ready. It took a lot of practice. If not for my hobby of reloading it would have cost me several hundred bucks in ammo alone.

Last week I fired a S&W .460XVR for the first time. While recoil wasn't uncontrollable (the weight of the gun and the compensator ports helped a lot I'm sure), it was much more difficult to manage than any .44 mag I've fired. I would respectfully suggest that to attain an acceptable level of proficiency with a .460 you'd have to spend several hundred dollars in ammo to get there.

As for my experience with bears, around here they're all blackies and most are under 200 lbs. But three weeks a year for the last eight years I've been going up to both MT and WY to hunt/fish and have seen grizz in the wild. That's when I'm glad I've got that 69 on me. But I'm well-aware that even five .44s might not do the trick.

If I were to make a suggestion it would be to become more proficient with your rifle, or depending on your experience with magnum revolvers, go with a .357 mag., loaded with heavy BBs. However, regardless of what caliber you end up with, bullet placement is going to be the determining factor. Putting five or six .44s into a charging grizz all in non-lethal areas is probably only going to make him more angry with you.
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This pretty sums up all the advice I seem to have been given. I'll probably go with a heavy ish 44 mag, or a 357 with heavy bullets, and train. A lot. Also, like you I reload and that will save me in training cost.

Random... How does the 50ae stack up? My lgs has a dessert eagle in both 44 magnum and 50ae...

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I went 460 because it can shoot 454 and 45 lc as well.

Recoil while not pleasant is not as brutal as you may think.
 
Dane17 said:
I went 460 because it can shoot 454 and 45 lc as well.

Recoil while not pleasant is not as brutal as you may think.
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How long is the cylinder? Can it do 410 as well?

Edit: simple googling found that no, the cylinder is not long enough for 410.

Thank you for all the input guys, it really has been helpful. I have to over analyze and take things a little too far, but all in all I have learned quite a bit. Now I just gotta shoot some of these boogers. It's been a long time since I've shot a 44 magnum revolver. I'm leaving towards the 44 magnum, maybe even start out with a 357 while I learn and grow the marksman skills, and use a good, heavy bullet in the case it needs to be used for the purpose in buying it, then step up in power as I get accustomed.

I am even considering caring an ak pistol on a sling, or, if I'm feeling extra in the mood of spending money and fell like I could carry a second rifle, a 458 socom on an AR platform. I like the idea of having that many rounds on hand, and a larger, easier to control platform.

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"You have a rifle in your hands. No hand gun cartridge will compare to a rifle cartridge."

There have been several attacks that occurred while a hunter was gutting or butchering his kill leaving his rifle propped against a tree some distance away. Having a handgun(even though it's not as powerful as a rifle)on your person is preferable to the rifle which is out of reach. The other situation in which a handgun is preferable is while packing meat. The bulk and weight of a rifle may cause a person to leave it behind while a properly holstered revolver if always with you.
It's been decades since I was in Griz country but at that time, I was packing a S&W 44 with 245 hardcast SWC ammo while my hiking partner carried a folding stock slug gun(we were very close to at least one bear during the week's scouting trip). The last time I was in bear country(not Griz), I carried a Ruger 4 5/8" 44 mag loaded with 240 SP.
 
I wouldn't want to shoot a big bore revolver with bloody slippery hands. You'd still be better off with your rifle. Keep your rifle close by propped up against a fanny pack or whatever's handy with the scope turned down to its lowest setting (very important!). Keep your ears open and head on a swivel.
 
shafter said:
Keep your ears open and head on a swivel.
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I really do think this will be one of the most important factors. More important than caliber and training with said caliber(which training is second important) after I settle on a caliber, I'll need to do a lot of shooting, and wyosmith told me how to build a rig for about 30 bucks that I could build to practice shooting a 3 dimensional moving target that can be as slow or fast as I need, a rig he thought of while training military Special forces. Also, daily shooting a cylinder will do more than shooting 100 plus every weekend

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I think that the rig you carry your handgun in is just as important as the weapon/caliber you choose.

I carry my S&W460V (5" bbl) in a Diamond D Guides Choice chest rig. It carries like a dream in that rig, and is easily accessible. As heavy as the X-frame is, I can carry it all day tramping around the woods, and hardly notice it.
 
RIDE-RED 350r said:
I think that the rig you carry your handgun in is just as important as the weapon/caliber you choose.

I carry my S&W460V (5" bbl) in a Diamond D Guides Choice chest rig. It carries like a dream in that rig, and is easily accessible. As heavy as the X-frame is, I can carry it all day tramping around the woods, and hardly notice it.
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I was actually looking into chest rigs. That diamond d a good choice?
 
Not sure how much hunting you do and how much hiking is involved. I just got off the deer hunt and one of our days we did 8 miles with more than 3000 feet in elevation up and another 3000 down (round trip). Took about 14 hours with packs and rifles.
So there's hunting and then there's hunting.
If you are only going to hike a mile or two any given day or will be staying by the atv or horses, some of these 4 pound behemoth revolvers or an AR pistol are fine, but if you are doing any serious back country work, weight is everything. Hence my recommendation of the 329pd.
 
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