Hand guns on bears

[Rosebud]

Wouldn't count on bears going down easy! I've related this story before, but my brother was fishing guide in Alaska for about a decade. He and friend had been fishing for hours and came back to the tent camp to rest. Just threw out sleep pads on the ground crawled into sleeping bags and fell out. My brother awoke to his friend screaming mike, Brown bear over and over again. When he sat up in his bag the bears butt wad only couple of feet from his face. It was bitting chunks out of his friends bag with him in it. It jumped away and pulled the tent out of the stakes and shook it like a dog with a rabbit. Mike had a twelve gauge pump with him beside his bag and when the bear saw him pick it up it growled and started to lunge towards him. First slug hit the bear square in the chest from five feet away. It turned away and he opened up with buck shot and another slug. It ran couple of hundreds feet into a willow brush thicket by the river. when he calmed down his friend they got into the boat and as they beached it by the willow brush it roared and charged them. The next shot between the eyes stopped it. Hit by a slug center chest, load of buck from ten yards, another slug in the hip at twenty yards. Then one in the head to finish. He admitted the head shot was lucky. It was a six hundred pound sow. It is a much longer story, but you get the point. Not easy to kill when they a upset. Front paw middle claw.

 

[Decap]

I am not disagreeing with what the author of the article wrote, "that a 9mm can kill a grizzly"

Problem is they were asking the wrong question. The question is not can a 9 millimeter kill a grizzly because it can. A .22 might be able to kill a grizzly if you put it through its eye into its brain pan. The real question is what round can kill a grizzly before the grizzly can kill you. There are also a lot of X factors to the question. Are we talking about in the spring when they're skinny, or in the summer and fall when they've built up a good layer of fat. I've known taxidermists that have told me that they've mounted bears that had half a dozen old 44's in their belly before they were finally killed with a rifle. To get back to the original question, if you want an auto 10 mm or 460 Rowland with hard cast. I wouldn't even consider .45ACP for what you're asking. Truth be told, a revolver like a 460 S&W is even better.

 

[BigSky112]

Has anyone had much experience with hopped up 45acp loaded with hard cast bullets for bears, black bear mostly. I have a 44mag ruger super Blackhawk but my 45acp m and p is easier to carry especially on longer hunts

Don't waste your time and maybe your life with the 45acp

 

[del2les]

Wouldn't count on bears going down easy! I've related this story before, but my brother was fishing guide in Alaska for about a decade. He and friend had been fishing for hours and came back to the tent camp to rest. Just threw out sleep pads on the ground crawled into sleeping bags and fell out. My brother awoke to his friend screaming mike, Brown bear over and over again. When he sat up in his bag the bears butt wad only couple of feet from his face. It was bitting chunks out of his friends bag with him in it. It jumped away and pulled the tent out of the stakes and shook it like a dog with a rabbit. Mike had a twelve gauge pump with him beside his bag and when the bear saw him pick it up it growled and started to lunge towards him. First slug hit the bear square in the chest from five feet away. It turned away and he opened up with buck shot and another slug. It ran couple of hundreds feet into a willow brush thicket by the river. when he calmed down his friend they got into the boat and as they beached it by the willow brush it roared and charged them. The next shot between the eyes stopped it. Hit by a slug center chest, load of buck from ten yards, another slug in the hip at twenty yards. Then one in the head to finish. He admitted the head shot was lucky. It was a six hundred pound sow. It is a much longer story, but you get the point. Not easy to kill when they a upset. Front paw middle claw.

Lets keep the correct comparison, for the op referenced "black bears", mostly. However, I do admit standard soft lead 12ga deer slugs are not overly recommended on large, dangerous game, for they are too soft and do not penetrate well. There are varied slugs that are much more suited for deep penetration with less deformity, and if buck shot is to be used on the large bears, I recommend copper plated, hard 000 buck and not 00.

I know of far too many blackies that have been cleanly killed by 45's.

 

[flassen]

I know a .45acp can kill a black bear. I believe if you choose to hunt bear with one, you are giving the bear a 50/50 chance of coming out on top.

Black bear do charge people on occasion. I Hava good friend that was charged about 5 years ago. No provocation, merely a chance meeting in the woods. He dropped to his knees and was able to stop the bear with a 45/70 round from his Contender.

I would go 10mm minimum. My preference is the 500 S&W. I own several and they are faster to use than many non- owners of them believe. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[marchboom]

Having the choice, there is no doubt I would go with the 44 mag. Just get a good holster and carrying it is no big deal. Consider a chest rig.

 

[comfisherman]

Ironically the wife came home from thr bike park having had a black bear bark at her. Said had it been more than a bark and turn she'd of been out of luck, interaction was to quick. One of her Co workers got nailed a few years back by a black bear, said his protection was to deeply carried and was still in its pouch when he was getting chomped on. Seems like in a lot of the recent interactions speed of draw matters.

In real thick bear country I carry my 375, I have the big x frame but it's slower to unholster than my rifle is to unlink so usually opt for the 10mm in places not ideal to carry a rifle. I've a lot of practice getting on target with that system, figure it beats a still holstered bigger bore.

 

[Orange Dust]

Surviving an attack from a 4 legged critter is no different form surviving one from a 2 legged one. The gun in your hand is the best defense. The one you know and shoot the best. Use the most appropriate ammo Then make every round count. Shoot until the threat no longer exists.

 

[rustyshackleford]

Buffalo bore has a 45+p load with a 255 hard cast at 955 ft/sec. if I were going to carry a 45 for bear protection I would carry that. To all the people saying 10mm I'm not sure what has convinced you it's a death ray and that 45 acp is suboptimal for wounded sparrows. With bears it seems to me the main objective is to make a hole, hence the 45 and 9mm working. With heavy for caliber hardcast all 3 will make a hole and I sincerely doubt the hole would like much different other than becoming slightly larger with caliber. By the time you get to 44 mag you *MIGHT* entertain a heavy for caliber expanding round since the extra horsepower *MIGHT* translate to something noteworthy. 454, 460, and 500 I would think would be pretty effective.

If it were me I'd probably opt for a S&W model 69. Undoubtedly it would be lovely to shoot but it would be a light and handy gun that wouldn't be horrible to shoot.

3rd choice is buy a scandium 44 mag, load it with heavy hardcast and let the bear shoot it. He'll go away.

 

[Pdvdh]

Surviving an attack from a 4 legged critter is no different form surviving one from a 2 legged one. The gun in your hand is the best defense. The one you know and shoot the best. Use the most appropriate ammo Then make every round count. Shoot until the threat no longer exists.

There are differences. One being the toughness of structure/anatomy. Two being the mindset. Three, starting with 4 good legs versus 2.

Bears continue to fight and kill proficiently with one leg broken. Humans don't do as well on a single leg.
Bear can be tougher to penetrate and disable.
Bear have no understanding of death, and therefore don't fear it. Which means they can respond like robots during attacks. Some may be deterred by underpowered firearms. Some will continue the attack facing artillery, until dead, dead, DEAD.

The key is surviving the fight long enough that a determined bear dies before being able to maim and kill. The faster the bullet disables the bear, the better the odds of survival.

 

[Calamity]

A few years ago, NPS rangers were relocating a sedated grizzly, and the bear came awake mad just as they were unloading him from the bed of the truck. In those days, rangers carried .357's like the Highway Patrolman, or a smaller frame with at least a 3" or 4" barrel. Most preferred hot loads with Kieth-type hardcast bullets. In this instance the bear had one of the rangers pinned on the ground when he was able to shove his gun under the bear's lower jaw and pull the trigger. That ended the fight. I would still recommend a lightweight .357 revolver over a .45 auto for a trail gun. It is less cumbersome to use and easy to carry. A light frame .44 would also work if you can handle it. In either case, find something you can grab and work in a hurry with one hand, without fumbling, and aim for the face and head.

 

[Shawn Carverelli]

leave one round in the chamber in case the bear starts eating you...and you can end it before you get ett.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

True story just for laughs:

Several years ago I hunted black bears with an outfitter in Alagash, Maine. The outfitter insisted that all hunters remain in their stands until the guide picked them up sometime after dark. The theory was that the bears relate the noisy guide to being fed and will just move away before the hunter comes down. Thus, preventing the bears from learning that a hunter is using the stand.

At dark, I see a cub run under my stand and directly to the bait pails. Then another, and then a BIG sow. While the sow ripped at the bag overhead, which was filled with meat, the cubs were rummaging the pails. Eventually I see another large black shadow headed to the bait. I assumed it was a male, but I was watching black shadows moving around at that point.

I can see the guide coming up the hillside because he has one of those million candlepower lights shining. Although I didn't have regular cell service, I could use text messaging. I warned him that there are bears all around me. I see the light stop part way up and remain still. Then I see the light retreat. After a short while the guide resumes his way uphill to my location. I asked him what took so long to get up the hill. He said there was a large bear on the trail and it wouldn't move off as they usually do. They had a standoff so the guide drew the Ruger 45ACP out of his belt. Naturally I asked, "why didn't I hear the shot? He says, "I never carry one in the chamber and my other hand was holding the light so I was unable to rack the slide"!!

True story

 

[Pdvdh]

A revolver ... with a slug in a caliber that penetrates the full length of the bruin. And kills the cub standing behind the sow.

Will never need a 13 or a 113 round mag. And virtually no worries about failure to feed.