dwo357
Member
Yes there are still a few grizzes up in the northeast corner of the state. They sneak past homeland security from Canada once in a while.
Yes, good gun. As a first choice for bear defense, not so much, though it will do the job on Northwestern Black Bears.I have an older Ruger Security 6, 357 mag. That I might turn over to my daughter to use as protection while she hikes in the back country of Washington's Cascades. She can handle this gun well but what do you guys think. I hand load all my ammo so what do you think about 200gr.JSP for penetration and will the Ruger handle that load?
I would feel confident in defending myself from an attacking black bear...
Actually some of the biggest bears taken have been on the east coast ranging up to about 900 pounds.Long as we're talking average black bear, any good duty-caliber (.38, 9x19mm power range to 10mm/.357) piece is okay, but I'd want 158s in a .38, and at least 124s in a 9x19mm. When you start talking really big black bear, such as the ones in Canada and Alaska, then more gun is better. Handgun calibers for Alaskan dangerous game start with .4 or .5". On a 200-lb bear at 10 yards, though, a good controlled-expansion or hardcast .357 will do the trick.
John
I am still at the .357 and the .44 magnum with my Ruger SRH 7.5 inch with Buffalo Bore +P+ 340 grainers. When close to town and don't expect to see anything, I have my .357 with 180 gr BB. Out in the boonies, my .357 is pocket carried as a BUG and I have my .44 magnum in an over the shoulder bandolier cross carry.Yes, good gun. As a first choice for bear defense, not so much, though it will do the job on Northwestern Black Bears.
Good woodscraft is best (as has been mentioned before in this thread). Make noise. Be aware of which direction the wind is blowing. Keep a clean camp. Know the psychology and habits of bears. Stuff like that.
Here is my heresy:
Bear Repellant Spray.
I used to carry a 6" Ruger Blackhawk 357 mag for hiking in the woods in South-Central Alaska. That was all I had, but better than nothing. I also made sure to make noise. Late summer bears stuffed with salmon are not usually that aggressive, but can be very territorial. And sows with cubs? Forget about it. Take the hint. Learn all she (and you) can about bear behavior.
Later, I moved up to a 7.5" Super Redhawk .44 Magnum with 265 grain Barnes Solids. Now, a 454 Casull Ruger Super Redhawk. But that is beside the point.
For a firearm, a lot of practice is necessary. Spray (or a long gun) is a lot easier to hit with.
Spray is known to be effective on the curious, the hungry, the mildly annoyed bear. And you are not obligated to track down a bear wounded only by bear spray. If I wound a bear in self-defense, but don't kill it, I am bound, morally if not legally, to DO SOMETHING about it, which I am not usually equipped to do. So I gotta hike back out of the woods and notify Fish & Game of the incident, fill out paperwork, make reports, show the Troopers where it happened, ad infinitum. My last line of defense is a bullet.
There are basically two places to shoot a bear when it is definitely not a false charge (You will know for certain when it is within 7 yards and still accelerating, otherwise, it might be a bluff and not deserving a bullet.) A shot to the CNS or shoulder might be in order. CNS (Central Nervous System) means brain or spine, which will give you instant paralysis or death. A shot in the shoulder (with enough energy/momentum to break the shoulder bone) may slow the bear down enough that you can outrun it, so you can take additional shots for a decent kill. Note that a shot to the heart still leaves the bear plenty of time to run you down and kill you before the bear expires.
About brain shots; I did not say "skull shots", because a bear's skull is thick, hard, tough and sloped such that bullets tend to hit at a low angle and slide off under the skin, just leaving the bear with a slight headache and a bit peeved. A bear charging you leaves very little target to shoot at that MIGHT hit the brain or spinal column. (Draw a line from the nose to the very top of the chest cavity.) Imagine an oblong shape an inch wide at the bottom, two and a half inches wide at the top and about 6 inches tall. That's your 10-ring. There is no other scoring ring. Put this target at 5 or 6 yards and try to put a fast-aimed bullet in it. Practice this drill over and over.
Now imagine this target coming at you at 30 mph over broken ground and try to hit it twice before it gets to you.
Don't despair, this is the worst case scenario.
Use knowledge of bear behavior to avoid dangerous confrontation. Use bear psychology to defuse confrontations. Use the bear spray to discourage stubborn bears. Shoot only if you have to.
I hope this helps.
If your daughter hikes alone, carrying the gun (sadly) is a good idea for other predators, but for bear, I would suggest a 10oz can of oleresin capsicum or UDAP of a strength designed for bear.
Lost Sheep
My experience exactly.With me so far so good. Every bear encounter I've had turned out good.A warning shot and they have all turned and gone the opposite direction. i wonder though if no warning shot what the outcome might have been I don't want to find out.
In those cases it's much better the hikers carry a .357 Magnum with the proper ammo than a revolver they can't make hits with. Sure a 44 Magnum would be better but sometimes a compromise may work better than what's best.
Then there is the .357 Magnum. Every bear thread that comes along the conversation always escalates to the 44 Magnum, then the 454 Casull, then even to the 460 Magnum and 500 Magnum
I like bear gun threads