Woods gun question(s)

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I have really appreciated the info offered. Please keep going. Couple of thoughts.....
- Do semis generally cycle shot shells reliably?
- Rabies is looking to be a real problem this year....mostly 'coons around here so far. And hear the creepy crawlies are out and about early. I've only seen a fairly large blacksnake so far.

As to interaction with black bears...I grew up visiting/ camping in the Smokies. It was the rare trip w/o seeing bear(s). Two of the last three times we have stayed in Gatlinburg in the GSMNP we have encountered mammas with cubs on the Parkway (US 441, Main street thru town). Kind of hope to see Darwin's theory affirmed with some of the idiot tourists rushing the bears for pictures.
 
While I still figure it depends on the woods for a woods gun I don't need no stinking woods. This black bear turned up a short walk from my home in a residential neighborhood of the SE Cleveland, Ohio suburbs. They estimated this one at 400 Lbs. They are far from unusual around here. The only time I ever came across one in the woods was while deer hunting in West Virginia. Sitting on a ledge waiting for a nice 8 point buck when along came maybe a 300 Lb black bear. He (or she) looked at me, stood on its hind legs, sniffed and dropped down and went towards the river. The bear had no more interest in me than I did the bear. The bear had absolutely no interest in me and my understanding in that area was they generally avoid humans. The only thing the bear in the video clip did was eventually climb down the tree and head for a wooded area which it likely came from. Maybe it was going to get some snacks at the Speedway gas station? It sure as hell wanted nothing to do with all the stupid spectators.

Ron
 
I have really appreciated the info offered. Please keep going. Couple of thoughts.....
- Do semis generally cycle shot shells reliably?
- Rabies is looking to be a real problem this year....mostly 'coons around here so far. And hear the creepy crawlies are out and about early. I've only seen a fairly large blacksnake so far.
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In general, yes. Semi-automatic handguns from a reputable manufacturer, in good condition and properly maintained, tend to be very reliable with the right ammunition. Law enforcement agencies in the United States almost exclusively use semi-automatic handguns. They are very popular for concealed carry and are widely recommended by a variety of defensive trainers.

There is a very old idea that revolvers are more reliable. There are reasons for this idea. First, if you get a bad round, the revolver can often just skip past it to the next one whereas a semi-auto might have to be manually cleared. Second, the slide needs to reciprocate properly. That action can be disrupted by "limp wristing", which can happen either as a result of improper technique or in cases when you've been injured or are forced into a poor grip. (Some guns are more susceptible to "limp wrist" failures than others.) The action can also be disrupted if the slide doesn't have room to reciprocate. That can happen if you fire from inside a pocket or a jacket, or if you have the gun pressed up against something. Generally, you'll still get one shot before it goes out of battery, but it is a concern.

Now, that doesn't mean that revolvers are fool-proof. A cylinder can still bind on a bad round. A hammer could still get blocked. Any gun is a mechanical device and could potentially fail. IMHO, a revolver is a little more reliable but not by so much that I won't carry a semi-auto. I have both types of firearm in my carry rotation, which depends on weather, wardrobe, and intended activity.

A far as rabies and small critters, that might be a different discussion. Generally, any handgun is fine for raccoons or snakes, so long as you can hit them.
 
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Okay, I called a National Geographic Scientist. I did. My sister managed a game preserve in Tanzania and translated many National Geographic videos in to Swahili.

Now she lives with her back yard against the Great Smokies and they are swimming in black bears.

We discussed the data one can find via google where the article in The Smithsonian refers us to the article in The Journal of Wildlife Management where one can find the collected data for the 63 recorded black bear fatalities from 1900 tp 2009.

Males do account for more fatal attacks.

Regarding danger during the rut:
There are no attacks in January, because bears hibernate. Subtract all the months all bears are sleeping in their dens.
Bear attacks correlate to increases in population so it stands to reason there are more bear attacks when more people are in the woods.

49 bear fatalities were in Alaska and Canada
14 were in the lower US.

92% of fatalities were due to male bears.
That, right there. Okay, I didn’t know that. The lesson is “beware of lone bears”.

The bear rut is late May, June, and early July but it depends on when “late spring” happens because round Earth.

38% were probably caused by human garbage or food.

So, I talked to a Nation Geographic scientist and she said she sees bears on her run several times a week and isn’t worried and doesn’t even carry bear spray since she is no longer jogging with a baby stroller.

I mentioned bees and she said “damn, I stepped on a ground hornet nest last week and somehow didn’t get stung, but there was a huge swarm!”

And I believe rats kill by spreading disease, so okay, rats. But I have never been stung by a rat.

The dog did chase a little black weasel yesterday. He’s a Labrador so he just wanted to see if it would play. I need to look up that weasel I’ve never seen one before! (Probably a small short-tailed weasel or a large Least Weasel.)

As an aside, 100 bee sting deaths a year and fatalities due to dogs are five times that from bears.
 
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Something to keep in mind and be happy about is that in most cases, we are preparing for a relatively rare risk. The reason that preparing for it is important is that the risk can be astronomical if it does occur. It's a lot like keeping a proper fire extinguisher in your home for the rare chance of a fire breaking out.
 
We discussed the data one can find via google where the article in The Smithsonian refers us to the article in The Journal of Wildlife Management where one can find the collected data for the 63 recorded black bear fatalities from 1900 tp 2009.
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Thanks for sharing that. So for a period of 109 years there were 63 fatalities from black bears. Leads me to believe the least of my worries in the woods, in my geographic area, are black bears. :)

Ron
 
Do semis generally cycle shot shells reliably?
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It has been my experience that ...it depends on the gun. Most of the shot shells I have tried are flat at the front in basically a straight cylindrical shape. Some semi auto guns won't feed it properly. You will have to experiment with the gun and see what works and what doesn't. Most shot she'll loads for magnum calibers are loaded light, so some actions might not cycle after the first shot, depends on the load and the gun. If the gun will cycle, but the second round won't load, you can run first round as shot shell and all after it regular ammo.

So for a period of 109 years there were 63 fatalities from black bears. Leads me to believe the least of my worries in the woods, in my geographic area, are black bears.
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Yes, bears are the least of our worries, but bees don't make a believable reason for my wife to ok purchasing a new gun;)
 
Do semis generally cycle shot shells reliably?
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Oh good grief... I wrote a whole thing about the wrong topic earlier. I hope y'all can forgive me. I'm on drugs for pneumonia. Maybe I'll get lucky and some newbie will learn something from it.

In my limited experience with shot shells, .45 acp is your best bet for a semi-auto. Generally though, I'd much rather use them in a revolver. That's if I'd want to use them at all. Assuming that they perform flawlessly in your gun, here is what happens. First, you get increased hit probability over a small area. Second, you lose a lot of versatility in what your gun can actually do or defend against. For that to be a good trade, you'd need to be going somewhere with a very high chance of dangerous snakes or small critters.

One way to balance that is to alternate shot shells and normal ammo or just keep a shot shell up front. I'm not in love with that idea. Since you'd need to test out your shot shells anyway, I'd recommend testing your skills on small targets with regular ammo at the same time.

I've killed a fair number of snakes and small critters over the years with conventional handgun ammo ranging from .32 S&W Long to .45 acp. It sometimes takes me a few shots and distance is a factor. Would I have done better with shot shells? I'm not sure but I think I'd have done worse on anything coyote size and up.

BTW, a walking stick is your friend. I've actually flung a fair number of snakes with my walking stick too. :)
 
Cosmogragoon, I hope you are healing quickly. I've been through pneumonia before, it sucks.

I hear the auto v.s. revolver reliably debate regularly. Your comment about all guns being mechanical devices that can and will fail is so true. More can go wrong than just a jammed up auto.
 
Growing up I used to love backpacking in the blue ridge mtns. I used to bump into black bears all the time. And I mean literally bump into them--at night they would come out in force (along with raccoons and skunks) and raid the campground trashcans for food, and I occasionally ran right into them in the dark. Nothing ever happened--I never knew there was any real danger, ignorance was bliss for a teenage city boy. Then they basically got blasted into oblivion--but I think are now making a comeback. I now live in Maine which has the highest concentration of black bears per sq mile of any state in the lower 48. They are pretty aggressively hunted and trapped here, though I very rarely ever see one while out in the woods, they are mostly nocturnal. I've seen their tracks though--sometimes huge ones which give me pause for thought as to what I'm carrying as a sidearm.
 
Thanks, big al hunter. Pneumonia is just as much fun as everyone says it is. On the bright side, I have extra time to think about bear threads on my favorite forum. :)
 
Nobody has heard about the Desert Eagle L5? 3lb, 2oz with a 5" barrel. Mine has been perfectly reliable with both the 44 and 50ae barrels. It is lighter than my Dan Wesson 744 wearing its 4" barrel. The L5 is a much softer shooter even in 50ae than my Dan Wesson 744 with the 8" barrel + compensator.

I carry an XDs 3.3 45acp... which is plenty for the woods around here. I bought my DE L5 in case I ever have to deal with an angry herd of post apocalytpic cinder blocks... I believe in always being prepared!


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I'm with Bamaranger. If I live/hunt in an area with Grizzlies, I would have a 45-70 Marlin with 405 LFN @ 1800-2000. I would also carry my 45 Blackhawk with 285 SAA @1300.
 
^^^ With that, since the discussion has devolved to the level of casting aspersions at other participants rather than addressing the question, the staff has decided that this discussion has run its course.
 
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