Build a rifle for sheep or bears?

Have you guys seen this clip where Rinella gets charged by a bear?



After watching this and seeing them scramble to fire warning shots and rinella trying to get his gun off his should I might be convinced that a big handgun is the way to go. Can fire a shot in the dirt and still be ready to let a couple more rip. Watch this a couple times and you can see how hard it might really be to get a scoped bolt action on target, and reload after firing one in the dirt as a warning shot or whatever...they exercised some restraint by not shooting her, crazy close call.

Not that a handgun would have guaranteed to save the day, but things happen quick and being able to send 5-10 downrange as fast as you can pull the trigger seems like your best bet.

This is a great video - makes you think a little bit. I love Rinella and Meateater, both the show and the podcast.

Also, I carry a glock 29 when I am hunting in bear country.
 
B&G;
I only know one guy who used a 6.5 on a grizz while sheep hunting. (.264 WM 140s) that was 1960 or 61. He always said that was a fight he shouldn't have started. He killed five more with an 06. Plenty of gun he would have said.
Lots of guys are using 6.5 on sheep, but I imagine most of those are guided, so there is another rifle.
if this summer is like the last 20 I'll have dinner / drinks/ story time with 10 or so bear guides on the
Peninsula. Only a couple routinely carry a hand gun. Most keep it in their tent. I think they mostly carry spray.
I've read your posts for a while, you strike me a as skookum. If you have somebody with you/armed, take the 6.5 otherwise a 300 boomer of some kind.
As to the Ruger Alaskan, nice gun when it works. One of my young guides and two guests showed up with pistols that would fire 45lc but not 454 loads.
Hammer was not striking the primers hard enough.
 
This is a great video - makes you think a little bit. I love Rinella and Meateater, both the show and the podcast.

Also, I carry a glock 29 when I am hunting in bear country.
I have had a Glock 20 for about 20 years and am pretty good with it. but no one has convinced me yet it is a good bear defense round.I love the 10mm round but if something needs to be destroyed the 44 mag comes out. I am really good with that.
 
That's some serious pucker factor. I'd need new undershorts for sure.

"Smell us now lady!"
You can see steve fumbling around to try and get his gun off his shoulder and the cover off his gun...kind of stumbling around. If the bear was a lot closer and really charged him he wouldn't have had a chance. Handguns were made for close quarter combat - everything has its place. Just makes you think you should be ready for any scenario. If you see a bear at 100 yards away like they did and have time to get a rifle up, that one thing. But if something comes out of the bushes at 20 yard closing ground, might as well have a handgun when things get up close and personal.
 
This is a great video - makes you think a little bit. I love Rinella and Meateater, both the show and the podcast.

Also, I carry a glock 29 when I am hunting in bear country.
Sh%T was fix'n to get
You can see steve fumbling around to try and get his gun off his shoulder and the cover off his gun...kind of stumbling around. If the bear was a lot closer and really charged him he wouldn't have had a chance. Handguns were made for close quarter combat - everything has its place. Just makes you think you should be ready for any scenario. If you see a bear at 100 yards away like they did and have time to get a rifle up, that one thing. But if something comes out of the bushes at 20 yard closing ground, might as well have a handgun when things get up close and personal.
While hunting in Bear country, you gotta be pack'n a sidearm. I've never hunted in GRIZ country but, I have done quite a bit in black bear country. 10mm min. 44mag Mo-Betta. Never had an encounter while deer hunting but, did shoot my first Black bear with a 44 mag up close while I was actually rifle hunting for it. That was a big test for nerves!
 
Keep in mind that's it's incredibly easy to referee a game one doesn't see or play in but IMO.......Steve should have had his gun in his hands and hot well b4 he got to getting to it! Darn lucky on that deal that someone didn't have tracks and claw marks on them.

IMO, and IME fights with bears are one or two shot deI als. Time is very much of the essence and it'll happen so quickly you just can't imagine. CNS hits are the only way to stop, I'd not count on a body hit to stop or turn a bruin. I've had two black bears get after me, both had been hit prior to them coming for me. One came at 9', I shot him just under the chin with a 25/06, second bruin came at me from 15', I stopped that one with one shot under the chin with my 22/250. Both were black bears, the one that launched from 9' came really fast, the second one quickly but not fast and hard. Neither were particularly big bruins but make no mistake they were coming to take me out!

Far and away I believe that most all are better off with bear spray. If one is carrying a rifle I'd not bother with a handgun, bear spray though isn't a bad back up. I know it isn't in vogue for us macho men to carry bear spray over a handgun and I know there's been cases of bears coming thru the spray but I feel that all but the most experienced hand gunners are way better off with the spray.

The vast majority of guys in the woods with a handgun have little to zero experience in shooting them, deploying them quickly and shooting them accurately under pressure.

UDAP is making a little clip on holster now, you can clip the holster to about anything. I clip it on the belt of my fanny pack, where I can quickly get to it with my left hand and I shoot it from the holster. I don't take it out of the holster to shoot it. I'm pretty handy with guns be it lefty or righty though.

The chest holsters for handguns are wonderful! I"m way more a fan of the Glock 10 than the bigger wheel guns. Try handling and getting back on target with those really big boomers. One or two perfectly placed shots will end the affair rather quickly. Those big buggers can travel 30 yards or so in a second or two...

Practice practice practice in getting you choice of defense into action asap and safely!
 
You can see steve fumbling around to try and get his gun off his shoulder and the cover off his gun...kind of stumbling around. If the bear was a lot closer and really charged him he wouldn't have had a chance. Handguns were made for close quarter combat - everything has its place. Just makes you think you should be ready for any scenario. If you see a bear at 100 yards away like they did and have time to get a rifle up, that one thing. But if something comes out of the bushes at 20 yard closing ground, might as well have a handgun when things get up close and personal.
Reminds me of what I read about big game hunting in Africa. The guide did not care what a guy could shoot at 100 yards he wanted to know what he could do at 10 yards.
 
Reminds me of what I read about big game hunting in Africa. The guide did not care what a guy could shoot at 100 yards he wanted to know what he could do at 10 yards.

Or......take the "d@rn" rifle off of your shoulder, when hunting in close quarters! Kinda like a woman, keeping her pistol in her purse.....thinking it's quickly accessible! memtb
 
Front carry,son w/his 340
 

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bigngreen,....... I appreciate your intel you provided me for my upcoming moose hunt to AK. Appears to me you hunt ALASKA a lot & I'm assuming you might live there & I'm jealous. You have an upcoming sheep hunt, so cool! I think you should go with the 6.5 build. Gonna be lightweight flat shooting & easy to pack around on the bivy sheep hunt you are looking at. Are you thinking about doing this hunt solo?.....or would you have a buddy?
 
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