Bear country pistol

dkwellman said:
I have a Kimber micro 9 as my carry pistol but I don't think that would work too well.

Thanks for that one. Makes me feel much better!! Most realistic bear scene ever.
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At least its small enough that it wont kill you when the bear shoves it somewhere unpleasant 🤣🤣.

I used to carry an 8rd S&W 627 but the thought of having to reload (although unlikely) kind of had me worried. I now carry an FNX Tac 45 converted to 45 Super, 15+1.
 
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dkwellman said:
I have a Kimber micro 9 as my carry pistol but I don't think that would work too well.

Thanks for that one. Makes me feel much better!! Most realistic bear scene ever.
Click to expand...
Yeah, no beuno.

I heard others say it's more important to have a weapon you're very proficient shooting rather than big and mean as far as a caliber goes. So, the thought is…being very proficient with let's say a Glock 19 would trump a stubby 454 Casull that is unmanageable with recoil. I'm not opposed to this logic, but not fully supportive either. Yet, I'm interested with hitting a bear as many times as it takes till it's no longer moving. I can attest to being able to mag dump my 19 with precision and accuracy much faster than shooting six from my 5.5" .44 mag.

You're probably thinking…why would you use a 9mm when you could use a 10mm? Well, because I don't have a 10mm, unfortunately. It's on the list.

So, I carry my 19 loaded with Barnes 115 XPBs. They offer outstanding penetration, and I can shoot them very well. Plus, it's a Glock so I'm not worried about reliability. I don't carry an extra mag, because I don't think I'll get a chance at a tactical reload. If a bear is charging it's likely you stumbled across a bear at a close distance so things will happen pretty fast.

A side note: Two hunting seasons back I carried this 19 with a red dot. It snowed like crazy while I was out hunting. There was no keeping snow out of my red dot and it resulted in an unusable pistol as the snow caked up in the window and then stayed foggy where there was no sight picture. So…lesson learned, Irons only for a bear pistol. One, for the weather scenario listed above. Two, you don't want your batts to die when a big bear comes charging at you.

To be clear, I'm not saying 9mm is THE bear round. It's just what I have that I'm comfortable shooting with confidence.
 
FireFlyFishing said:
Yeah, no beuno.

I heard others say it's more important to have a weapon you're very proficient shooting rather than big and mean as far as a caliber goes. So, the thought is…being very proficient with let's say a Glock 19 would trump a stubby 454 Casull that is unmanageable with recoil. I'm not opposed to this logic, but not fully supportive either. Yet, I'm interested with hitting a bear as many times as it takes till it's no longer moving. I can attest to being able to mag dump my 19 with precision and accuracy much faster than shooting six from my 5.5" .44 mag.

You're probably thinking…why would you use a 9mm when you could use a 10mm? Well, because I don't have a 10mm, unfortunately. It's on the list.

So, I carry my 19 loaded with Barnes 115 XPBs. They offer outstanding penetration, and I can shoot them very well. Plus, it's a Glock so I'm not worried about reliability. I don't carry an extra mag, because I don't think I'll get a chance at a tactical reload. If a bear is charging it's likely you stumbled across a bear at a close distance so things will happen pretty fast.

A side note: Two hunting seasons back I carried this 19 with a red dot. It snowed like crazy while I was out hunting. There was no keeping snow out of my red dot and it resulted in an unusable pistol as the snow caked up in the window and then stayed foggy where there was no sight picture. So…lesson learned, Irons only for a bear pistol. One, for the weather scenario listed above. Two, you don't want your batts to die when a big bear comes charging at you.

To be clear, I'm not saying 9mm is THE bear round. It's just what I have that I'm comfortable shooting with confidence.
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
FireFlyFishing said:
Yeah, no beuno.

I heard others say it's more important to have a weapon you're very proficient shooting rather than big and mean as far as a caliber goes. So, the thought is…being very proficient with let's say a Glock 19 would trump a stubby 454 Casull that is unmanageable with recoil. I'm not opposed to this logic, but not fully supportive either. Yet, I'm interested with hitting a bear as many times as it takes till it's no longer moving. I can attest to being able to mag dump my 19 with precision and accuracy much faster than shooting six from my 5.5" .44 mag.

You're probably thinking…why would you use a 9mm when you could use a 10mm? Well, because I don't have a 10mm, unfortunately. It's on the list.

So, I carry my 19 loaded with Barnes 115 XPBs. They offer outstanding penetration, and I can shoot them very well. Plus, it's a Glock so I'm not worried about reliability. I don't carry an extra mag, because I don't think I'll get a chance at a tactical reload. If a bear is charging it's likely you stumbled across a bear at a close distance so things will happen pretty fast.

A side note: Two hunting seasons back I carried this 19 with a red dot. It snowed like crazy while I was out hunting. There was no keeping snow out of my red dot and it resulted in an unusable pistol as the snow caked up in the window and then stayed foggy where there was no sight picture. So…lesson learned, Irons only for a bear pistol. One, for the weather scenario listed above. Two, you don't want your batts to die when a big bear comes charging at you.

To be clear, I'm not saying 9mm is THE bear round. It's just what I have that I'm comfortable shooting with confidence.
Click to expand...
Try the Underwood 9mm FMJ-FP 124gr +P. I get 46" of penetration when test on Ballistic Gel. I used a 1/4" piece of leather over a 1# bologna pack and a shoulder blade from a black bear. Gun was a Sig 226.
 
FireFlyFishing said:
Yeah, no beuno.

I heard others say it's more important to have a weapon you're very proficient shooting rather than big and mean as far as a caliber goes. So, the thought is…being very proficient with let's say a Glock 19 would trump a stubby 454 Casull that is unmanageable with recoil. I'm not opposed to this logic, but not fully supportive either. Yet, I'm interested with hitting a bear as many times as it takes till it's no longer moving. I can attest to being able to mag dump my 19 with precision and accuracy much faster than shooting six from my 5.5" .44 mag.

You're probably thinking…why would you use a 9mm when you could use a 10mm? Well, because I don't have a 10mm, unfortunately. It's on the list.

So, I carry my 19 loaded with Barnes 115 XPBs. They offer outstanding penetration, and I can shoot them very well. Plus, it's a Glock so I'm not worried about reliability. I don't carry an extra mag, because I don't think I'll get a chance at a tactical reload. If a bear is charging it's likely you stumbled across a bear at a close distance so things will happen pretty fast.

A side note: Two hunting seasons back I carried this 19 with a red dot. It snowed like crazy while I was out hunting. There was no keeping snow out of my red dot and it resulted in an unusable pistol as the snow caked up in the window and then stayed foggy where there was no sight picture. So…lesson learned, Irons only for a bear pistol. One, for the weather scenario listed above. Two, you don't want your batts to die when a big bear comes charging at you.

To be clear, I'm not saying 9mm is THE bear round. It's just what I have that I'm comfortable shooting with confidence.
Click to expand...
search up the long running thread on this topic from a few years back. I made the same suggestion back then and got absolutely crucified lol
There's a lot of pistoleros on this forum that can easily lay 6 in the head of a bear with a 454 casull or 500 s&w in quick succession
 
Bigger is better, but... a 10mm with a righteous bullet seems to be OK from the ballistic testing and a few encounters I've read about with the 10mm, and it would be my pick as well for lighter carry with a good ammo load out. Yeah, I carry a G20SF 10mm in the woods, makes me feel warm and fuzzy... 🐻 Cheers.
 
I would never consider myself a pistolero, but one in the head from a SW500 or 454 Casull of right bullet would be lights out most likely. I sure would rather hit it with the one on the right.
IMG_0757.jpeg
 
While 9 mm wouldn't be my first choice,if it was all I had at the moment I would use it.
Here is an account of a 9 mm killing a big bear but with buffalo bore hard cast ammo:
www.americanhunter.org

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Alaska Outfitter Defends Fishermen from Raging Grizzly with 9mm Pistol

Two weeks ago, veteran outfitter Phil Shoemaker was guiding two fishing clients in the Alaska bush when the party came face to face with an enraged grizzly. Shoemaker, armed only with a 9mm semi-auto pistol, defended his clients and himself. Here’s his account …
www.americanhunter.org www.americanhunter.org
 
Mark37082 said:
I would never consider myself a pistolero, but one in the head from a SW500 or 454 Casull of right bullet would be lights out most likely. I sure would rather hit it with the one on the right.
View attachment 542953
Click to expand...
I like my chances with 15+1 (with two 15-mag spares) 10MM Bear Defense rounds better than a 6-round .44 Rem Mag - I always try to remember to save one for myself.
1707703712818.jpeg
 

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