.40 for hiking?

[strat81]

I'm still new to the whole gun thing, so I'm chock fully curiosity.

A friend of mine owns a .40 Beretta that he bought for defense while hiking. He said that, in case he ran into any bears, he'd want some protection. The .40 was the smallest recommended by the gentlemen at the gun shop.

At the risk of starting a caliber war, can a .40 really put a bear down? We're not talking polar bears here, whatever they have running around the central plains. I was under the impression that magnum rounds were the rule of thumb, and that's why so many hunters carry a 44 magnum (just in case).

 

[PO2Hammer]

You're far better off with a .357 or better magnum.
I can't imagine you'ld really have to shoot a black bear in the corn belt. I've had four encounters with black bears in northern MN and shooting was easily avoided by surrendering whatever food the bear wanted and retreating.

 

[10-Ring]

IMO, I wouldn't go smaller than 44 mag for bear. 10mm short just seem way under powered for this specific job.

 

[Arcticfox]

If you want to die, go ahead and take the shot with the .40. You got some suspect advice, bud.

.357 is pushing it. 41 or 44 mag are the way to go for bear. But I would imagine that your greatest threat walks on two legs (And I don't mean bigfoot either )

 

[KurtC]

Years ago (before the internet), the gun rags used to print that the minumum ballistics for use on bear were: .40 caliber, 200 grain bullet, 1000 fps velocity.

As this was considered to be the minimum effective cartridge, I would consider that it was intended only for use on minimum size bears.

 

[mete]

I carry a 40 on hikes all the time.It can be usefull for people, feral dogs,rabid animals . As for bears - remember that black bear attacks are very rare.I've met a number of them face to face and they ignored me.I suppose that 10 rounds of 40 Corbon DPX would might do the trick but 40 is not my choice for bear .44 mag would do much better. When I see a bear my first thought is to get a good photo !! Don't be paranoid.

 

[BigO01]

In my opinion wild animals attacks are one of the things that are being swept under the rug due to pressure by the animals lovers all over the globe .

They rarely make national news so can quickly be dismissed as heresay by the few who have seen and remember them in small town local papers or even internet sites . How many times have you searched for something wording it exactly the same and NOT found the same pages available as you did even just last week ?

Black bears can be very dangerous and often will hunt down a human for food unlike Brown bears where attacks are often due to territorial issues or accidentally threatening them by getting to close to a mother and her cubs , or a bear and its food .

The largest Black on record at least from what I found on the net was pushing 900 lbs , and it stated that the males often reach 500 lbs .

http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=86

I wouldn't think the 40 S&W would be ideal as a defense weapon from such an animal if it wanted to kill you . Look into some of the articles on Pit Bull attacks , often these dogs have been shot by police and lived , running off in some cases back to their homes , police use handguns and the 40 is a very popular caliber these days . Pits are nothing compared to a determined 300 lb + Bear .

I would choose a magnum revolver at the least and prefer a rifle against such animals .

 

[Newton]

I clearly recall a case where a hiker used a SiG P239 sub compact in .40S&W to kill an attacking Black Bear.

Bullet placement is probably even more critical than usual in such cases.

A shot bear tends to become enraged, bear pepper spray may be a better option.

 

[MachIVshooter]

bear pepper spray may be a better option

Yup. Even a non-discerning bear prefers a little seasoning on his meal

Seriously, Black bears want nothing to do with people. I have only encountered a handful, and they ran away as soon as they got wind of me.
One of the guys we went hunting with last year had a large black approaching upwind of him, so it had no idea he was there. Bear got close enough to startle him, so he fired a shot in it's direction. That bear couldn't run away fast enough.

Your most likely encounter with a bear will be in your camp at night with food in the area, once everyone has retired to their tents. Keep your food away from t he tents, and the worst you'll end up with is depleted supplies and a shredded cooler.

 

[jagdpanzer347]

I agree with a previous poster, worry more about your fellow man and less about bears. The .40 wouldn't be my first choice against a bear, but it sure beats nothing. With my Glock22 and fifteen rounds of quality ammo in the mag, I would consider myself well-armed in the woods. About as well as I could with a mere handgun, anyway.

-jagdpanzer

 

[cookekdjr]

Gotta love a bear thread.
I'd suggest Cosmoline's set up:
A hammerless Ruger sp101 in .357, loaded with hardcast 200gr Corbons or 180gr Buffalo Bores. You'll definately want a set of rubber hogue grips on the sp101.
-David

 

[CornCod]

I can just see strat81 blasting away with his .40 and the the poor bruin's last words upon expiring: "Only you can prevent forest fires."

 

[SoCalShooter]

1.What kinda bears are in the area?

2. How much money you got?

Just get a .44mag or .357magnum. Both are hunting caliber weapons and pack a hell of a lot more punch that a .40 caliber.

Now if you really want an anti-bear defense weapon get a Ruger Alaskan in .454 casull!

 

[MikeJ]

I mean no offense, but I personally find these threads regarding protection from wild animals a bit misguided. As far as I am concerned the most dangerous animals in the USA are people. These are the animals that get a kick out of causing misery for others. So as to your question I think the 40 is jsut fine for walking in the woods. I have been on hikes where I have seen bears and let me tell you I would be much more alarmed at seeing a couple of lowlifes coming toward me.

 

[slicknickns]

Well if you hit it there's a good chance that the bear would die from eventual blood loss. I seriously don't think a sub 500 pound bear would survive for very long after taking a full magazine of .40 S&W, that thing would bleed to death. But it still may harm you in the process.

 

[GunNut]

I'm much more worried about mountain lions and 2-legged vermin when i'm out it the woods.

Black bears don't generally go around attacking hikers. Now a mountain lion, possibly.

Over the weekend I chose to carry my Glock 17(9mm) loaded with Winchester Ranger 127gr +P+ in addition to my Tikka .25-06.

Neither of these guns would be ideal when hunting for bear let alone defending ones self against them. In all of my years hunting I have never seen an aggresive black bear and choose to not pack a heavy .44mag.

If you shoot your .40S&W well, then carry it and don't worry about what others think, it is your choice.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

HAHAHAHA! Man, someone actually told your buddy to get a .40 in defense against bears....LOL

Thats priceless.....



Priceless

 

[ZeSpectre]

Hrrmmmm, like most bear threads I think there are a few of things to keep in mind.

Is the advice you are getting...

1) From someone who has actually been around bears? (I mean up close n' personal). I have on many occasions, mostly black bear though.

2) From someone who has ever hunted/shot/killed a bear? (I have not done this ever though I thought I was going to have to shoot one once and my .243 rifle suddenly felt very -very- small).

A .40 S&W is a pretty good "all purpose" round with the added benefit in this instance of being a particularly NOISY round (Kinda like a full .357 load out of a 4" revolver). I honestly don't know if one (or several) rounds of .40 S&W would be enough to quickly drop a bear but it sure as hell would be better than nothing.

This is one of those times when I wish somebody would make a ballistic dummy that simulated things like various bear, cougar, and so forth. You know, some kind of analog for the bones, fur, meat, and so forth, so we could try and do some scientific testing to answer these questions.

 

[WYO]

I hang out a lot in black bear and mountain lion country, and my experience and philosophy are much like those of MachIVshooter. If I'm only toting a handgun, it likely is going to be a .40. I absolutely hate lugging around a large frame handgun in a belt holster. It just messes everything up, including balance, day packs and other gear. If I really feel the need to carry something more substantial, I prefer to carry my Remington 700 Titanium .308, which only weighs 6-1/2 pounds scoped, is easier IMHO to carry around, and serves double duty at longer distance if a varmint shows up. I maybe would reconsider as to the handgun if doing a lot of hiking in grizzly or brown bear territory.

 

[Run&Shoot]

Let's keep things in perspective. Black bears can be anywhere from 100 lbs to maybe around 500. Realistically you will see a lot more 150 - 200 lbs bears than the 300 - 500lbs bears. I live and hike in prime black bear country (Northwest Coast and Cascade ranges) and the only large black bears I have seen were in the National Parks (Rainier and North Cascade Recreation Area).

Second, bears seem fickle when it comes to time to die. I know guys that hunt easily with a .30-30 (about same power as the .44) and others that have shot bears repeatedly with a .308 or bigger and had the bear stagger on for another 100 yds. If I really wanted to stop a bear I would be looking more toward the .454 Casull, .500 S&W, 12 ga. slugs or minimum .30-06 180 gr. but those are not the most convenient to lug around.

Third, while bears are generally evasive around humans those are not the ones you are arming youself against. Just like I don't carry in suburbia in fear of houswives and office workers (the majority of adult human species in my area). I carry for the rare example of the species that is whacked out, an out of control predator, or feels that I have threatened his/her territory. Same with bears. While only a very small percentage of black bears ever attack a human, because of their strength and size, when they do they inflict terrible damage.

A .40 beats fingernails any day. If I wanted something specifically for black bear then the .44 is pretty standard. Like a 4" Taurus or S&W or even the Ruger Alaskan. If he is stuck with a .40 then consider the 200 gr. FMJ-FP loads from DoubleTap which are clocked at 1100 fps from a 4.5" barrel.

Personally, if I am not hiking in a national park then I consider human, dog and cougar attack more likely threats and carry my G23 with the 165 gr. DoubleTap loads. If I think there is some risk of black bear then I carry with the DT 200 gr loads. Back when I lived in Washington and hiked Rainier and Olympic NP and the North Cascades where the bears I encounterd were truly huge, then I lugged a 4" Ruger Redhawk in .44 with 300 gr JFP loads.

In the Midwest I can't imagine the bears are very big and I would feel well armed with a .40 and the 180 or 200 gr DoubleTap loads to mainly take care of human or dog attack, but still be minimally reasonable for the rare bear.

 

[bestseller92]

A guy in Alaska recently killed a large black bear that had broken into his house with a GLOCK .40.

 

[2PAK]

Bears? Nope, humans

For the record, I carry a .357 when out in the woods. Also have a 30-30 handy depending on what I'm doing out there. For hiking/fishing .357 but I mostly stay in black bear country. Most black bears will avoid you. Dont worry so much about the bears. Worry more about the idiots doing something to you or, you're car while you're hiking or whatever.

Frankly, as most people have stated, you're less likely to be attacked by a black bear and really more likely to be attacked by another human in this day and age. We just lost two hikers in Washington State (a mother and daughter) who were shot to death while hiking. No reason or motive is known, the perp is unknown as well. They were doing what they loved, just hiking and minding thier own business and someone killed them.:banghead:

.357 or .44 will do the job.

 

[SDGlock23]

The .40 is adequate as long as you aren't in Grizzly country. It can handle black bear fine and that's more than likely not going to happen. Carry one magazine with DoubleTap 200gr XTP's (or load up some 180gr cast bullets) and one with some kind of lesser penetrating JHP for the 2 legged threats.

 

[Doggieman]

er

when you say "black bears" I assume you're not referring to black bear hamsters...

 

[HSMITH]

I am a heck of a lot more worried about wolves, coyotes and mountain lion than I am about bears. I have a VERY strong 135 grain JHP 40 load that will be absolutely terrific on dogs and cats, it makes well over 700 pounds of energy and won't exit a dog unless it is a broadside shot. I would top the mag with 2 or 3 of those with the rest filled with 180 grain XTP's at 1200 fps, WELL into 357 mag territory but I get 13-18 rounds of them without a reload in a highly controllable platform with exceptional reliability.

Yes, I am talking handloads, but Doubletap offers basically the same loadings for those that don't handload.

For black bears I wouldn't feel too terribly undergunned in a defensive situation if I had a good 40 and good ammo. If I went looking to start something with a bear I would pick something a little stronger, but for defensive purposes a 40 with the right ammo will be fine. There are lots more dangerous things in the woods than black bears, unless sickly, wounded or between a sow and cubs a black bear just simply will not fight.