Best Gun for Black Bear Defense

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I had an unexpected meeting with a large black bear while grouse hunting the the Okanogan Highlands. It didn't go bad, but it convinced me to switch to a larger caliber just seeing how big he was. I now carry a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt, 300 grain T/C bullet, 8.5 grains of Unique. I leave my Speed Six at home for street duty. Also, If I'm carrying my pump, I've got a slug in number3 position.
 
Out here in the Pacific Northwest we just have a lot of black bears. Maybe its the plentiful supply of berries and thick vegetation, I don't know. When I was on the Oregon coast there was just a really large number of them, they are all over. Even my parents had a black bear who raided all the bird seeds and was hunting around the house for food.

As for people who say bear attacks are as common as getting hit by lightning. Well, I have news for you, very few people in this conutry spend a lot of time in bear country. A lot mroe people spend time outdoors where lightning strikes. LIghtning strieks are actually ver common in some places in the world, like South Africa, where it is one of the leading causes of death in some areas. So, does that mean I am safe now? I have had run-ins with bears and cougars and they are not predictable and there is no worse feeling you can have then having to be at ther mercy of a giant, hungry beast all alone in the woods.

So, people who say you don't really need a gun, I say, try having a black bear follow you for 1/4 mile all alone at dusk in the woods and then let me know how you feel about how safe you are from bears. On another note, I am not an advocate of hunting bears for pleasure, I just want to be able to take down any rogue bear who thinks I am tasty or unfortunetly thinks I am a threat and resorts to violence.


Well, I spend day #2 at the range and was having lot of fun. I think I will consider either 10mm glock or the bigger caliber revolvers, 454 and up. What is the difference between single action and double action? I should post that on another thread. I don't know much about revolvers. As far as practice is concern, I think practice should be done in the mind, as well as the range. Recoil of a gun is the least of your problems when a bear is charging from 10 ft away. I don't care if I am a bad shot with a giant caliber gun that can blow his arm off. With a low caliber gun you run the risk of the bear pumping full of adrenaline to come and tear you apart. Guns jam and malfunciton too , so you want that one to shot to mean a lot.

I am new to shooting, but I am not new to going in woods and I need a big gun and quickly, cause I am going into backwoods in couple months when the weather warms up. And we do have big black bears here. OUr black bears males can average 350lbs +. I know I have seen them over 300, even 400 lbs. We don't have the wimpy black bears out here that most people have in the southern or midwest USA.

I appreciate the suggestions on this thread, I will relook them over and try to decide which bear gun to purchase within the next couple months.
 
I don't care if I am a bad shot with a giant caliber gun that can blow his arm off.

I think you would care if all of your rounds missed the target, and you were forced to reload. At 15 feet someone with your experience would have a hard time putting all 5 rounds of a big revolver on target, since your flinch would be really bad. I have seen many new people shoot .50ae desert eagles, 500 smiths, 454 casulls, etc, and its amazing how they can manage to hit your target from 1-2 shooting lanes away. Shots off by 4 to 5 feet at 15 feet due to flinching.

I suggest you work on putting some lead down range with a reasonable caliber pistol and then work on a larger caliber. A moving bear is going to be hard to hit. Don't expect adrenaline to magically improve your shooting at moving targets.
 
Shots off by 4 to 5 feet at 15 feet due to flinching.

I agree.. How can I say it.. If a black bear gets you, its usually close distances. Its a tough situation, e.g. if you are a bad shot, but the bear is on you or is very close, which many run-ins with bears can happen quite close, a big gun is your best bet. If the bear is a ways off, then a smaller gun, maybe more efficient.

Well, I have overcome the flinch of the 9mm on my second try. I was able to consistently get shots close to center at 10yd. I am sure once I go to the big guns, it will take more practice. But, if I can over the 9mm in two days, I think I can get over the bigger guns within a month. I don't need to be a marksman to put a big hole in a black bear charging me at 15 ft. In this scenario, you need balls of steel. Even a champion shooter may screw up if he has not had a blood hungry beast five-ten times as strong as him coming after him.

As for practice, I am all about practice. but I want to practice with the most appropriate gun for the scenario, not one I will not use.
 
Put some dummy rounds in the mag of your gun and shoot on the range, that will really tell you if your over your flinch or not. you would be surprised how much of a flinch you might have.

I have seen many people miss a target at 15 feet by 4 or 5 feet with a big caliber pistol. They tend to be most accurate with the first shot having never fired a high powered handgun, then it goes downhill. Unless they conquer their flinch, the next time they pickup the gun they will likely anticipate the recoil just as much as when they shot it last. If you miss with your first shot your next one is going to be even harder to hit your target. Remember that even a 500 smith wont stop a human or a bear if the shot placement isn't good.
 
Well, I seemed to handle hte massive recoil of my 12ga semi auto Saiga at the range today, but I Know shotguns are different. Wasn't hard to hit bulls-eyes at 10 yards with that beast :evil: .

YEah, I know the flinch problem, I had it with the 45ACP Springfield XD I was shooting. The problem was the grip was very uncomfortable on the huge double stack 45. So, I think the combination of a powerful boom and an awkward grip maybe me sloppy. I think ergonomics are very important factor here. If I feel like I got a good grasp on the gun, I will feel more confident of keeping the big boom under control.
 
Single-action vs double-action revolvers

What is the difference between single action and double action? I should post that on another thread.

Or, we can answer it quickly here...

SA revolvers are the oldest design and require cocking the hammer to rotate the cylinder into position for taking a shot. When you pull the trigger, the hammer falls and remains in that position. Pulling the trigger with the hammer down accomplishes nothing.

DA revolvers are a little more modern and do not require cocking the hammer first. Pulling the trigger (which is generally a longer, heavier pull) first cocks the hammer and rotates the cylinder into position, then drops the hammer to fire. Releasing the trigger all the way and pulling it again repeats this process. You can also fire a DA revolver as a SA by cocking the hammer with your thumb, then pulling the trigger. This trigger pull is shorter and lighter than the full stroke DA pull, as you have already done most of the work by cocking the hammer.

My suggestion that you research the other "what's best for bear" threads was based on the common argument as to which type of revolver is best. Purists say the SA is simpler, lighter. Those concerned with speed say the DA will be better for follow-up shots. No clear answer on this. You should probably rent (or borrow) one of each type, in a similar caliber, and try them at a range before making a decision. They are quite a bit different!
 
Shots off by 4 to 5 feet at 15 feet due to flinching.

Those are the guys that give us big bore handgun shooters bad names.

At 15 feet I can keep all 5 of my heavy loaded 500 Mag bullets on target, and I am not saying on a big piece of paper, I am talking in the kill zone.

People that carry big bore handguns need to do a lot of practice to become proficient with them. I would say I shoot close to 5000 rounds of big bore ammo every year, maybe more.

I not only carry big bore guns for defense, I hunt with them.

My smallest round I use is 44 Mag, and I go up to 500 Mag.

I recommend anyone carrying a handgun for defense, too put you time in at the range, your handgun needs to become part of you. Know how to use it and how to shoot it proficiently.

I have a buddy that wanted a 460 Mag, because I had one. He went to the range, and could not shoot the gun worth a darn. He told me the gun was a piece of crap, I took the gun from him, and loaded it up and shot a 1 1/2 inch group with it at 25 yards and told him, it is not the gun, but the shooter. But he refuses to put the time in to learn to shoot it well. That is the biggest problem with big bore guns. (The Person Behind The Trigger).
 
4 FREEDOM - " On another note, I am not an advocate of hunting bears for pleasure, ...
"

Black bear meat, in most cases, is very good.

I hunted and killed two and we (family) enjoyed the meat from both.

I've eaten bear meat from several Black bears killed by friends of mine and the meat was always excellent.

Virtually all hunting in the United States is "for pleasure." Very, very few people in this country have to hunt in order to live. Subsistence hunters in the far north of Alaska and Canada hunt strictly out of necessity, but that's it.

We hunt for pleasure and enjoyment of the sport and the outdoors. If you do not approve of "hunting for pleasure," then it can only follow that you do not approve of hunting.

You might give Black bear meat a try if you have some friend who is a bear hunter who'll favor you with some meat. You might like it. Might even decide to give bear hunting a try. ;)

L.W.
 
If the time comes when you need to shoot the bear you will not notice the recoil.
 
I just couldn't keep quiet any longer. We all keep hearing that in the moment recoil won't be an issue. With adrenaline rushing, etc....I DON'T BUY IT :scrutiny: In fact, I think it's terribly risky to not be able to shoot that 2nd and 3rd shot reasonably well.

In order to do that you need to practice and you need to have recoil you can manage. It doesn't have to be light, just manageable.

Stopping a bear or stopping a man has one thing in common; shot placement is EVERYTHING! Hitting the arm of a bear with a small cannon will only enrage the animal more.

If shot placement is everything on a man, then I would guess (never having shot a bear but I have shot other large game animals), it's even more important on a large animal like a bear. I think next you have to consider penetration because the hide of a bear (and I have felt that) is a lot more than the average guy.

For men we use JHP but for a bear I think a hot loaded .357 with something other than a JHP could do the job well. A .41 or .44 would be ideal. But beyond that, you need to be honest, how well will you be able to perform with that weapon?

I do know this from 21 years in the military, you performe WORSE with weapons when the adrenaline pumping than when it's not. The only way to compensate is to practice sufficiently so that we just do what we need to with out thinking due to training, not because of a rush of adreniline.

I would consider a .444 lever action, or a revolver. If I was going to use a revolver it would be 4" probably not 6" and it would DEFINITELY be a double action for the very same reason I'd want a double action for CCW.

Also, another weapon I'd considere would be a full sized 1911 in .45. I believe it would be very good stopping power for black bear and cougar, would be great for multiple shots and would do well in the field for the very same reasons it performed well in battle all of those years.

A glock 10mm also sounds right for the same reasons although I have no experience with the 10mm.

You can practice with a .45 more than some of the other rounds mentioned and the recoils is not bad in a full size 1911.

I would NOT count on adreniline making recoil less of an issue. I think that's a dangerous assumption.

Just my .02 and I know nobody offered to pay...

God Bless
Gideon
 
Lately I've been shooting 500 S&W magnum out of a 4" barrel and think it is a great gun for me to carry in bear country since I know I have good control for that second and third shot. That said, the 500 is NOT for the casual shooter. Something smaller would likely be better for most folks walking about it the woods.
 
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Black bear are more afraid of us, than we are of them. The chance of getting attacked is very low, but it is good to be prepared for the 3% chance it could happen to you.

This thinking doesn't apply where you have a situation where people have been feeding bear. Black bear look too cute to some touristy types and they will feed them just to get a good look at them. I've been guilty of that (once) in my life.

I think you may have taken my post out of content. You just used one of my statements, and not the content of the post.

I have been black bear hunting a bunch of times, so I am in black bear areas all the time. Also I have land in West Virginia, and we have a few black bear that come in to our area all the time. I am not talking about the stupid people that feed bear's either, because they think they are cute little teddy bears. People that do it deserve what they get for being dumb, it is called natural selection in my opinion.

People need to treat black bears with respect, and quit thinking of them as cute fuzzy teddy's, because they can hurt you. And I still stand by what I said, 97% of the black bear are more afraid of use, than we are of them.
 
I agree, people need to quit feeding bear's. They only casue problems for the next people that happen along.
 
I have read so many times about people telling others big bore guns won't shoot worth a crap and such BS. I take it there are not a lot of big bore handgun shooter here, or some of you can't shoot worth a crap.

I shoot my big bore handguns ever bit as well as I do my smaller bore handgun. Yes big bore handguns take a little getting use to the recoil, but once you over come the fact that big bore handgun recoil, they are every bit as accurate as any other handgun. A follow up shot is not hard to achieve either with a big bore handgun. That is where practice come's in.

And for you guys that keep saying people won't be able to hit crap, or shoot a big bore handgun well, speak for yourselves. Because some of us actually shoot then very well.
 
Just my 2 cents worth, when hunting in northern arizona i carry my .357 not my 1911. Some say a .45 or 10mm is enough, but most bear attack happen close and fast. I dont know if a glock works the same way but a 1911 will not fire if you shove the muzzle into something (like a bear that has you pinned to the ground). A revolver will go bang no matter what its pushed against, and with a double action you can just keep pulling the trigger till your problem is solved or your ammo is gone. Also some autos might have problems feeding if held at weird angles.

Some may poo-poo a .357 for bear but if you roll your own hard cast swc will penatrate a lot of hair, hide and bone. What ever you pick just dont use hollow points.
 
You can learn to shoot a larger bore handgun well. I had a lot of problems shooting a 357 mag when I was in my 20's. I just didn't want to deal with the recoil and didn't shoot enough to learn then. To think, I thought $8 or $12 a box of 50 rounds was a lot of money then. Times change. eh?

I think a rifle would be best. A handgun is a compromise. So with that in mind and taking into consideration how likely a newer shooter can learn to shoot a bigger caliber.... I'd say 41 or 44 mag if you are uncomfortable about black bears, and 357 mag if you feel you might encounter one every once in a while and would prefer a more recoil friendly gun. If a bear is truly trying to kill you, you will be hard put to stop it without some injury to yourself with a handgun of any caliber, including 500 S&W.
 
I spent a bit of time around bears -

As close as 5 feet! They are curious critters, and voraciously hungry! DON"T smell like food, and chances are they won't bother you. If you act as the aggressor, you should do just fine. Throw something at them. I once was woken up by a bear cub, momma a little further away. I was startled, to say the least, and so was the cubby - ran right up a dead tree, bawling. I stood up, and momma was very concerned, baby bawling and me suddenly getting to my feet. I did the right thing and screamed like a little girl and ran off. Probably wasn't the best strategy, but it worked. Bears were so plentiful where I worked, we used to throw water at them or swat them with brooms(which actually got someone hurt when the bear couldn't get away!) But, that's a different story. Nowadays, I carry my trusty .357 in the woods, mostly because it's comfortable, makes a lot of noise, and it's the 2-legged critters that I'm concerned about most!
 
Btw a .357 loaded with a 158 grn swc running 1250 fps makes 548 ftlbs, a .45 with a 230 grn swc running 900 fps makes 413 ftlbs. 135 ftlbs more from the 357 = deeper wound
 
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