Best Semi-Auto for Bear under $1,800 ???

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finalcut

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I love my XD .40 4"

I want to ad another semi-auto to my collection, and it will be on my side while fishing & hunting here in Alask where I happen to live....

I would like to not spend a small fortune - but want to buy the right gun the first time, so....

What would you kind folks suggest
( please keep it to hand-guns / semi-autos )
 
It's good to see another fellow Alaskan!

I'm not sure what semi-autos are good against bears, but my guess is a Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum or .50 AE. The downside to those guns is they're huge, and probably a hassle to carry in a holster, except maybe a shoulder rig. I simply can't think of a better gun for bears than a revolver, .44 Magnum at the minimum.
 
Perhaps something like a .460 Roland?

To tell you the truth if I were to have a sidearm for this purpose I would go to a revolver.
 
Contact Gunnar at Armco and talk to him about the .45-08 cartridge. That is what a lot of us down here carry for bears. The 1911 is capable, light and fast. It along with a shotgun and you are good to go. 360 Rowland balistics without the conversion.

http://www.armco-guns.com/

Take Care

Bob
 
Kimber Eclipse in 10mm. You can get a .40 barrel for it too for cheap practice. Think they retail in the $900 range, haven't looked lately.

Personally I'd go with a Ruger Super Red Hawk .454/.45LC if expecting to engage a Brown Bear. 6 shot's of .454, should either put the Bear down or give you time to run from an injured Bear, at that time you could retrieve your AR-15 pistol, loadded with a 200 round drum of Green Tip SS109 to generally waste that man hateing Bear, even if he is wearing body armor.
 
Kimber Eclipse in 10mm. You can get a .40 barrel for it too for cheap practice. Think they retail in the $900 range, haven't looked lately.

Personally I'd go with a Ruger Super Red Hawk .454/.45LC if expecting to engage a Brown Bear. 6 shot's of .454, should either put the Bear down or give you time to run from an injured Bear, at that time you could retrieve your AR-15 pistol, loadded with a 200 round drum of Green Tip SS109 to generally waste that man hateing Bear, even if he is wearing body armor.
Click to expand...


:)
 
Alaskan bear = heavy frame revolver or long gun.

If you're packing for the possibility of a bear "encounter", my personal opinion is that you should gloss right over the autos (much as I like my bottom feeders) and go right to the big guns...literally. I'd consider the .44 Mag with hard cast, full house loads to be a minimum. My upper limit would stop just short of anything crew served. Dem b'ars git big.
 
1911 guy

How many rounds can you get off out of your .44mag/.460 Casull when a bear comes at you from 10'?

He isn't talking about hunting bears just needs one for bear protection and there is a difference. Whatever gun you chose you will want it to back up a 12 gauge shotgun.

Take Care

Bob
 
Glock 20 ... sure there's plenty of 10mm 1911s out there, but if I'm going up against a bear with only a 10mm I want 16 rounds of some hot 10mm load with another 15 quickly and easily accessible.
 
finalcut,

You're choosing the wrong tool for the job, which is your right, but why? Do you have to stick with a semi auto?
 
15 rounds aint going to matter.... If you don't stop it with the first one or two rounds it will be snacking on your hide. Bears are amazingly fast!

Bears are stopped by breaking the front shoulder and that takes a heavy, powerful solid bullet. You might get lucky with a 10mm, but you might not.
 
Glock 20 in 10mm loaded with 16 rounds of Double Tap 200gr hard cast WFN at 1300fps.

It's my daily carry, woods gun up here. Lots of rounds so if you are presented with the option of a few warning shots (frequently the case) you can do so without worrying. That is not really an option with a 5 or 6 shot revolver. The 10mm is controllable in rapid fire so shot placement is improved. The 200grain ultra hard cast .40 caliber bullets at 1300fps deliver excellent straight line penetration and will reliably break bone which is whats necessary on large dangerous game. No hammer to cock or safety to release, just pull the trigger and it goes bang.
 
Why does a bear want a semi-auto?

I'm guessing it got declawed somewhere along the way.

More to the point, where does a bear come up with $1800?
 
A Grizzly can travel at 30 mph for short distances. That’s 44 feet per second. That’s 30 yards in 2 seconds. I suppose if you actually see it coming at 60 yards or so, you would have time to draw and align the sites (2 seconds or 30 yards)... now that it is in range (30 yards) you may have time to get off 2 or 3 aimed shots before you get bowled over. This all assumes you see it coming in time... if you see it at 30 yards you may only get one shot.

If it was me, I would want the most powerful cartridge I could shoot... 500 S&W comes to mind. Unfortunately, no one is making this is a semi-auto and probably will not since it is a rimmed cartridge. It is one of the few handgun cartridges that even come close to bear stopping power. Sure, people have killed grizzlies with 357 mags, but your chance of stopping the bear are much reduced.
 
coat4gun,

Many years ago on Chichagoff Island, a freind and myself ran our truck behind a grizzly on an old logging road(these are the big fat coastal bears) for at least a quarter of a mile and the speedometer said 45 mph. The bear finally got tired of running down the middle of the road and bailed into the brush. So, 30 mph might conservative.
 
If this gun is for SD against a Bear attack then you really want a Shotgun. If a Shotgun isn't what you are willing to carry then get yourself a .44 Magnum at the very least or a .454 Casull for real safety. Black Bear are one thing but big ol Grizzlies are another. Those monsters are tough and fast, get something very powerful for SD against them.

You might want to look at a 5" S&W .460 Magnum. You can load a .460 round in the first chamber followed by .454 Casull rounds for faster follow up shots. I'm suggesting a .460 round for the first shot because that will probably be your best shot and a round that powerful in the right place will end the threat.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=15707&isFirearm=Y
 
Don't spend too much because it is likely that some stranger will find it in the woods next to the scraps of clothing the bear could not digest.

That has got to be an ugly way to get your ticket punched.
 
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