This is my backup bear gun, change my mind.

[Buck Fever]

My Glock is a 21 with a 6" 10mm conversion barrel. It has more meat in the barrel for strength and accuracy. It also has conventional rifling so I can shoot lead and a more supported chamber so I can load hotter before getting bulges.

The extra length is a bonus. I get free muzzle velocity which means more penetration or more expansion depending on bullet choice.

 

[ScottB338]

I'd really love to run a box of ammo through a 460 or 500 but none of the local ranges have one for rent.

Me Too!!!!
I've shot a friend's 460, but only once and that was many years ago. I want to try a shorter barreled one (2-6")

 

[sea2summit]

My Glock is a 21 with a 6" 10mm conversion barrel. It has more meat in the barrel for strength and accuracy. It also has conventional rifling so I can shoot lead and a more supported chamber so I can load hotter before getting bulges.

The extra length is a bonus. I get free muzzle velocity which means more penetration or more expansion depending on bullet choice.

I've been kind of wondering what the difference would be between the 20 and the 29 some guys are carrying.

 

[Montana'eer]

We run black bears in the mountains of Wv with hounds. Have had several close encounters with good sized bears . Some would rather just stand and fight the dogs then run and tree. I have personally seen 3 different bears over 250 lbs shot with a 10 mm all 3 were dead within the first 2 shots but also all 3 took almost a whole magazine full. I carry my ruger super redhawk in 44 mag with hard cast bullets for those up close encounters we sometimes have. One of the gentlemen we hunt with has an 870 police addition and carries it every time he's away from his vehicle. With slugs. I haven't witnessed him shooting one with it but he guarantees it will take the fight out of ol mr bear. And I'd say he's probably right

My wife and I were camping with friends along Seneca Creek WV and during the night a load of howling hounds ripped right by our tents- hot footed on a bear. Next morning we met up with a local that said the bear had ripped into his sheep so they went out after it with 10 or more dogs.

The bear killed all but one dog. Not... kidding...

They said he was a big boy...

 

[Wyo220]

Most of us that regularly frequent grizzly country have chosen our sidearms based on a lot of factors. Some of these may be questionable and can be argued to death, literally. I typically hunt horseback with one other individual and my son. We all carry glock 20s. Our rule is the first one to make a kill packs the 870 for the rest of the trip. We always have a shotgun loaded appropriately in camp and if we have to go back to a kill the shotgun is out. As far as bear spray goes we carry it to appease the authorities but it certainly isn't for anything else in our camp.

 

[Sanford338]

This too is my first choice for a woods defense gun. Mine carries a 6" custom barrel. I have a +5 magazine extension on my mags also offering 20+1. Not that it's needed but I never heard anyone say "I wish I had 5 less rounds"! I'm working with a new G40 in 10mm currently. Deciding if I want the MOS optic or not. I prefer the 220 hardcast Underwood for quadroped defense. Shot a hog boar in the chest facing me and the bullet exited in the rear ham under his tail. Nothing stops those hardcast bullets.

Been kicking around getting the G40.. do I need it? Probably not but I want it Underwood makes some fine ammunition.. found nothing yet that will stop it... but it sure stops what I'm shooting ..

 

[sea2summit]

Most of us that regularly frequent grizzly country have chosen our sidearms based on a lot of factors. Some of these may be questionable and can be argued to death, literally. I typically hunt horseback with one other individual and my son. We all carry glock 20s. Our rule is the first one to make a kill packs the 870 for the rest of the trip. We always have a shotgun loaded appropriately in camp and if we have to go back to a kill the shotgun is out. As far as bear spray goes we carry it to appease the authorities but it certainly isn't for anything else in our camp.

I think these do get argued to death a lot, but not discussed enough. As demonstrated more than I thought it would be by the never change votes.

 

[J E Custom]

For general carry, I would want a revolver in something light with lots of power (44 Special or mag). For something you would only have time or distance for one shot, I would want something like the 460 S&W with 395 grain hard cast bullets at 1580 ft/sec (Corbon ammo).

Black bears are much easier to bring down than Brown bears so the 10 mm and up would be my choice for them.

J E CUSTOM

 

[sea2summit]

Not my video but absolutely my experience with how fast you go from zero to fight with a bear. Supposedly just videoed.


Just fuel for conversation.

 

[sea2summit]

For general carry, I would want a revolver in something light with lots of power (44 Special or mag). For something you would only have time or distance for one shot, I would want something like the 460 S&W with 395 grain hard cast bullets at 2080 ft/sec (Corbon ammo).

Black bears are much easier to bring down than Brown bears so the 10 mm and up would be my choice for them.

J E CUSTOM

Matching the gun to the threat? That's real logic applied to the capacity/caliber debate.

 

[mitebeck]

After sitting for 1/2 hr at the seattle zoo watching two grizzlies pacing back and forth and I was hunting in the high country along the Canadian border, I picked up a 454 Casull in a Taurus Raging Bull. I love the magnaporting and it's surprisingly easy to shoot fast in double action. I was out practicing yesterday and realized in a charge there is no time for me to single action it! Bullets? Hard Cast loaded hot.

 

[VLD Pilot]

Matching the gun to the threat? That's real logic applied to the capacity/caliber debate.

Shots on target are more important than how big the bore is. I've done a lot of training with big bore revolvers and a lot of training with the 10 mm glock. You can bet that if I put enough bullets on target with the big bore revolver shooting fast with a heavy heart beat, I'd stick with a revolver. Plain and simple I can put 3/4 of my bullets in a 6 inch circle when I'm very winded and my heart is beating very fast. I've only been able to put one bullet out of six and that same 6 inch circle inconsistently maybe twice out of the several dozen times I've done this test. Arguably maybe one shot would be all I would need on a charging bear, however I prefer 10 to 15 rounds in that 6" circle on a charging bear. All this was done at 12 to 15 yards. I use a rolling automobile tire at 20 yard the range rolling straight at me while I'm making these shots. Even though my shots are hitting a Target at that 15 yard range, I only shoot until the tire reaches me. It's fast shooting and most times only get off 10-13 rounds. Usually only 3-5 with the 44 magnum.

 

[rain4est]

I have never understood the idea of ultra light revolvers for backup guns. They don't seem to work well for 357 Magnum carry guns. Scaling it up to 44 Magnum sounds like it would work worse.

The titanium 44 is lighter and, therefore, rarely is left at home on most of my backpacking hunts. It does not kick as much with the somewhat mellower ammo (Underwood 220 gr) compared to the bigger stuff (300-330+ gr.). I practice enough to be quick & proficient. Although I am faster on follow-ups with my 9mm & 10mm, I want that 1st & 2nd round to hit hard.

Don't get me wrong - I do not feel overly confident with the knock-down power of the 44 mag & would not hunt brown bears with it. It is similar to a 30-30, which isn't much for a brown bear. I much prefer a 460 Weatherby for hunting them (with 8,000 foot-pounds at the muzzle ).

 

[Gater]

Bears in S/W montana where I hunt have really been on the up swing . I carry a high capacity 10mm now , I have also carried my .41 mag & .460 but lately I have chose capacity over horsepower . In a charge situation the vitals are a bit (shielded) but in that charge situation I'm not sure a vitals shot is the way to go. Even with a lucky shot , the heart AND both lungs get taken out ( probably not possible from a frontal shot ) that bear probably can continue for 2-4 minutes before the brain runs out of oxygenated blood !! Don't know about you but I think a lot of bad can happen with a wounded bear in that time . Hopefully you can get a hit in the brain or spinal cord to drop it rite there to stop the attack but we all know just the sounds and breathing from that animal in that situation is probably enough for the large majority of people to lose their composure! My kids show cattle and sometimes we get some that get a little agitated and the sound of just the breathing of a 1400 lb animal makes the hair on my arms stand up because they move so much air & You can feel the ground move when they are agitated and these are our pets ( I often think , man I'm lucky they don't have claws and teeth ) I can't imagine what a big ****ed grizzly would be like !! A buddy shot a bull last year in s/w montana and we had to recover it the next am where we hunt. After all the grizzly activity there , I went back to help the next day knowing chances were hi of a grizzly protecting its food source so I carried a high capacity 9+1 simi auto 12ga with alternating 000 buck and slugs . I tested this combo on the cut side of a 24" x 24" tree trunk with VERY impressive results !!! If I had to bet my life on it , that's my combo , only part I like the least is the simi auto Machanical side but it's proven reliable so far ......

We did have bear spray for the closest person to grab also

When elk hunting in Wyoming my camp gun is a
.41 mag smith with a 5"barrel and also a tithe chest holster