Bear Defense

[jmden]

More than likely, I will never be in that situation but

1911 with 165 COP (Copper Only Projectiles) loaded to the max. In California, when hunting, even your self defense arm has to be loaded with lead free bullets.

Good grief... I remember visiting Yosemite several years ago and realizing in short order that the multitude of bears there were more important than human life...at least that's the way we ended up feeling by the time we left the park. Typical National Park mentality stuff let alone a national park in CA!

 

[jmden]

BTW, I stumbled upon an incredible revolver load for the .357 mag. Make sure it's a strong revolver. I believe it's the guy who runs Beartooth Bullets that came up with it, but using one of his cast 185 FN GC bullets over 16g of H110 (Win small primer, I think) produces velocities over 1350 fps and around 800 ft. lbs. of energy. Now, that is no slouch of a .357 load as most of the commercial 'heavy loads' or 'bear loads' are down around 600 ft. lbs. and I'm getting that with my .40SW with it's bear load and 15 rnds in the mag, so there was no point in packing the .357 unless I could develop quite a bit more energy... As always, start low and work up...

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Like an old man once told me....Save the last one for your self. None of these pistols pack what a 30-30 does, and no one has a 30-30 as a grizzly bear hunting rig.

Use some sort of fmj non expandable bullet and hope you can hit it in the eye.

Steve

 

[jmden]

Like an old man once told me....Save the last one for your self. None of these pistols pack what a 30-30 does, and no one has a 30-30 as a grizzly bear hunting rig.

Use some sort of fmj non expandable bullet and hope you can hit it in the eye.

Steve

That's not meant to start a debate...lots of opinions out there.

I'll just quote from the 7th Ed. of the Hornady Reloading manual page on the .50 AE:

"The .50 AE is best loaded with H110 or Winchester 296. The 300 grain Hornady XTP-MAG bullet is perfectly suitable for hunting any game in North America and is more than adequate for all but the largest, meanest game in the world."

There's another opinion.

 

[hunterbob]

When bow hunting and scouting, I carry my .44 Mag and a bear spray. When I'm hiking or camping, I have my Karelian Bear Dog with me.

I think this would make a very good bear defense >>> The Baddest Pistol Yet: The Double Barreled Colt 1911 .45 |

I' ll stick with my 44 mag redhawk,,,, some Bear spray, and a beardog like yours....

 

[FEENIX]

I' ll stick with my 44 mag redhawk,,,, some Bear spray, and a beardog like yours....

Aye Sir!

 

[lamiglas]

I don't wish to engage in a debate, just some things to think about. I have a 3 inch 44 mag, a 6.5 inch 44 mag, and a 6 inch 10mm. My load in my 3 inch 44, through a chrono has approx 670 ft/lbs of energy. Same load in my 6.5 inch 44 has about 900 ft/lbs. Alot of people will say, I'll stick with my short barreled 44, thinking that because it's a 44 it's adequate ( i feel that alot of the time it is). For years I felt this way, and would have never considered a 10 to be as good. I still carry that 44 sometimes, and love it. Now, all things being equal, a 10mm is not a 44 mag. It needs to be realized however that if you are carrying a 3" model, that you won't have the same energy as a longer barreled version. Bottom line is, with my loads, my 6 inch 10mm has more energy (chrono'd) than my shorter 44. I find that I am carrying my 10mm alot lately and love it! Just food for thought.

 

[jakebrake]

The best defense is to bring a friend that you can easily out run.

 

[D.Camilleri]

I hunt in grizzly country quite a bit. I carry a Taurus Raging Bull 454 Casul with a 6 1/2 inch barrel loaded with 300 gr Nosler Partitions with a stout charge of Lil Gun. I haven't chronoed the load yet, but it should be between 1600-1700 fps. I did let the air out of a coyote last year when riding in the snow, I think the bullet was a bit too tough for a little coyote though because it just punched right through leaving red snow all over. The raging bull is a bit heavy, but I can hit very well with it. It is ported so muzzle jump isn't bad. I just received a new holster a couple of days ago, it is a Diamond Leather Alaskan Guide cross chest model. I really wanted a holster that would be comfortable with my back pack on and this is it. As far as damage inflicted by a 454, many years ago when I shot my first bull elk, he wasn't quite dead when I approached him, so I place a single shot from the 454 behind his ear. It left a 5 inch hole on the other side of his head destroying bone all the way through. Nuff said.

 

[Jeremyc]

I sold my 629 and bought a Glock 20sf for bear defense. My biggest reason - I shoot glocks a lot. I carry a 19 or a 26 every day. It is a similar operation. My 629 would leave my safe once a year if I was lucky. Shortly after I got my glock 20sf, I shot a whitetail buck (from concealment) while I was pushing brush for my wife. I would have never made that shot with my 629 because I never shot it enough. The new glock 40mos is very intriguing, but I have a red dot on one of my 9mm and it is good for precise shots, but I don't think that the added size and weight will be any better in a reactionary situation that a grizzly may be charging me

 

[D.Camilleri]

Until you meet someone who has be stalked, charged and attacked by a grizzly and then proceeds to shoot the bear with a 338 win mag only to have the bear charge and attack again, it is hard to understand about being under gunned in grizzly country. I know such a person. The best we can hope for is that we carry a handgun for protection from bears and never need to use it, but it is kind of like training for use of deadly force, you train hoping you will never have to use it. If you ever have to defend yourself against a grizzly, and they do get rather large in Wyoming with a boar in the Meeteetse museum that stood 9 feet tall and weighed 1100 lbs, I want all the gun a can carry. My rifle is still my first choice and I spend a fair amount of time trying to pick a bullet that is up to the task of inflicting maximum damage at close range if needed.

 

[SansSouci]

Takem406,

I've hunted Wyoming a few times, twice in griz habitat. I never carry a handgun while hunting. If any bear could withstand 5 7MM Rem Mag rounds, I'd reload my rifle before I'd ever reach for a handgun.

I've never known a handgunner who could rapidly fire and hit a target with a .44 Rem Mag. Hence, it's a one shot good, other shots maybe no good.

The largest caliber wheel gun I've seen shot with close to accurate follow-up shots is the .357 Mag.

Were it me, I'd rather hit a mean critter with 6 180 grain .357 Mag rounds than with 1 .44 Mag mag and pray that at least one of the remaining five will hit its intended target.

 

[D.Camilleri]

Takem406,

I've hunted Wyoming a few times, twice in griz habitat. I never carry a handgun while hunting. If any bear could withstand 5 7MM Rem Mag rounds, I'd reload my rifle before I'd ever reach for a handgun.

I've never known a handgunner who could rapidly fire and hit a target with a .44 Rem Mag. Hence, it's a one shot good, other shots maybe no good.

The largest caliber wheel gun I've seen shot with close to accurate follow-up shots is the .357 Mag.

Were it me, I'd rather hit a mean critter with 6 180 grain .357 Mag rounds than with 1 .44 Mag mag and pray that at least one of the remaining five will hit its intended target.

You are a bit naive to think you would ever get 5 shots off out of a rifle on a charging grizzly. One maybe two is more realistic and if the bear isn't dead he just knocked the rifle from your hands and inflicted some serious injury. At this point, having a handgun is your last chance, again you might only get one shot, maybe two. You could get real lucky and hit the spinal column and then you would go around bragging about how you won the fight with a griz, but if you are not so lucky, the bear wins and you may or may not get another chance to think how you would do things differently the next time.

 

[Alaska2006]

I love bear stories