is a S&W 610 enough for bear?

[Encoreman]

Hi all, my pastor and I went target shooting this morning and he loves to shoot a S&W 610 shooting 10mm. He said he and his sons were planning an elk hunt in a year or 2 and wondered if the 10mm would be enough for a bear that might attack. At first I said yea I think so, it has similar power of a .41 mag, but then got to wondering. So let's hear your opinions. Thanks Mac

 

[mcb]

Oh boy, another bruin vs handgun thread....

I personally would carry a 610 in bear country but for the weight of a 610 you can have an identically configured 629/29 in 44 Mag.

10mm Auto is more on par with 357 Magnum from a similar barrel length. It still falls well short of 41 Magnum power levels. 10mm Auto tops out a bit over 700 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. The 41 Mag goes over 1000 ft-lbs fairly easily. Now that said you can easily have a S&W 610 reamed to 10mm Magnum and have nearly 41 Mag power levels and still get thick robust moonclips for a fast reload.

I competed with a 610 for years and hunted for two or three seasons with it and it has always been a fine shooting revolver, but a 44 Mag would probably be the better choice in the same package size. If he already has the 610 and can't afford a new revolver it would be significantly better than a sharp stick. If he is shopping for a revolver specific for bear protection I would move up to 41 Mag or 44 Mag or at least serious consider reaming the 10mm Auto to 10mm Mag.

-ramblin'

 

[WisBorn]

@mcb really summed this up well. When out west hiking I carry my 41 mag it's what I have it is small (Taurus 415) and I shoot it well. I'm not going to go out and buy something special for a real big maybe. If your pastor shoots the 610 well and that's what he has carry it. Are they rifle hunting or bow hunting for elk? The rifle they are carrying is going to be the first choice.

 

[horsey300]

Hi all, my pastor and I went target shooting this morning and he loves to shoot a S&W 610 shooting 10mm. He said he and his sons were planning an elk hunt in a year or 2 and wondered if the 10mm would be enough for a bear that might attack. At first I said yea I think so, it has similar power of a .41 mag, but then got to wondering. So let's hear your opinions. Thanks Mac

The first 2 replies summed up the firepower response, next is to have your pastor look into what's legal and what's not when carrying a handgun hunting wherever he's planning on going.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

10mm in a revolver would not be in my top 5 choices. If he opts to go that way, or has to, please make sure he gets the right ammo for that need. Buffalo Bore and a few others make deep penetrating rounds which is what you want, not a defense round or one for white tail hunting.

 

[WisBorn]

10mm in a revolver would not be in my top 5 choices. If he opts to go that way, or has to, please make sure he gets the right ammo for that need. Buffalo Bore and a few others make deep penetrating rounds which is what you want, not a defense round or one for white tail hunting.

If you feel that a 357 mag is acceptable for whitetails then a 10 mm is ok . Both need the right load.
I prefer a 41 mag , 44 mag, or 45 colt (Ruger only type loads).

 

[jmr40]

I've carried a G20 for years and more recently a G29. That is what I kept by my side camping in Yellowstone and left the 44 and 357 mag revolvers at home. Ammo matters, and the heavy for caliber hardcast bullets made by companies like Buffalo Bore and Double tap have been used successfully in 10mm on some of the biggest game on the planet. Including Cape Buffalo.

The magnum cartridges, from 6" or longer barrels are more potent. But when fired from 4" and shorter barrels offer no advantage over 10mm. And the more compact Glocks are a lot easier to carry. That is what I based my decision on.

Even at that the real key seems to be just have a gun. Despite the internet and gun shop lore common handguns in cartridges like 9mm, 40S&W, and 45 ACP using standard ammo work pretty well when facts are examined.

https://www.ammoland.com/2019/08/ha...r-attack-73-cases-96-effective/#axzz6RjyEEm9k

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/alaska-man-kills-charging-brown-bear-with-a-9mm-pistol/

 

[jmorris]

Wouldn’t be my first pick but one can’t say it couldn’t work.

https://www.ammoland.com/2017/06/be...-world-record-grizzly-and-more/#axzz6RkoMhGLm

 

[Ohen Cepel]

If you feel that a 357 mag is acceptable for whitetails then a 10 mm is ok . Both need the right load.
I prefer a 41 mag , 44 mag, or 45 colt (Ruger only type loads).

Yes, 10mm and .357 are both viable for deer if the hunter does his part. However, the OP was asking about bear and I was trying to steer him towards better ammo for that use.

 

[MaxP]

While it’s more about the bullet than the caliber, as was pointed out, you can have a .44 Mag or bigger in a similarly sized and weighted package.

Also, I wouldn’t rely on muzzle energy as a measure of lethality as it tells us very little.

 

[mcb]

I've carried a G20 for years and more recently a G29. That is what I kept by my side camping in Yellowstone and left the 44 and 357 mag revolvers at home. Ammo matters, and the heavy for caliber hardcast bullets made by companies like Buffalo Bore and Double tap have been used successfully in 10mm on some of the biggest game on the planet. Including Cape Buffalo.

The magnum cartridges, from 6" or longer barrels are more potent. But when fired from 4" and shorter barrels offer no advantage over 10mm. And the more compact Glocks are a lot easier to carry. That is what I based my decision on.

Even at that the real key seems to be just have a gun. Despite the internet and gun shop lore common handguns in cartridges like 9mm, 40S&W, and 45 ACP using standard ammo work pretty well when facts are examined.

https://www.ammoland.com/2019/08/ha...r-attack-73-cases-96-effective/#axzz6RjyEEm9k

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/alaska-man-kills-charging-brown-bear-with-a-9mm-pistol/

From a 4-inch revolver 41 Mag will still easily exceed 900 ft-lbs. 10mm Auto from a 4-inch barrel without a cylinder gap will only get a bit over 700 ft-lbs. For any barrel length 41 Mag out performed 10mm Auto from a similar barrel length. Whether you need that performance is another issue.

 

[WisBorn]

Yes, 10mm and .357 are both viable for deer if the hunter does his part. However, the OP was asking about bear and I was trying to steer him towards better ammo for that use.

Sorry I miss understood your post.