Penetration question.

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xring

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I had a similiar question a few weeks ago, but this is what I have to work with for now. For camping in bear country in the Northwest: I now have a Benelli 8 shot 12 ga. that will be loaded with slugs. For back up until I get the .44, it will have to be:
1. Glock 19 with 16 124 gr. FMJ or...
2. S&W mdl. 65 (3") with 6 158 gr. soft points - unless I can get FMJ.
Handgun of course would be extremely close range with most (all) directed toward the head.
What handgun would you choose?
Thanks.
 
My thought was that a 9mm FMJ should easily penetrate a skull point blank, and I won't be looking to "break the bear down" in which a .357 is probably inadequate anyway. The big advantage is having 16 rounds on board. The dissadvantage to an auto in my mind is if the slide somehow becomes restricted - causing a jam. Thoughts?
 
Bear skulls ain't that easy to poke through. They're racked at steep angle so bullets have a tendancy to bounce off unless the bear's head is pointed down. I'd go with the .357 and a couple speedloaders if you're worried about needing more rounds. In a mauling situation the less that can go wrong with your gun the better, and the concern about the slide being obstructed would be a big concern.
 
I'm rather surprised of the unanimous pick of the revolver round so far. I know the ballistics are superior without a doubt. I do much prefer a revolver in the woods. Just feels right. I have seen 9's really zip through heavy obstructions without appearing to slow down. As sumpnz said, it probably doesn't matter if the angle is bad. In a worst case scenario, I guess by the time the bear got to you, he's really PO'd, having absorbed some slugs already. Lycanthrope may have said it best. Keep the shotgun with you.
I appreciate the lack of vaseline advise from all! Randy
 
Nice try there Lennyjoe. That should move at the S&W forum...but being in advertising, you already know that. :D
 
I would tote the shotgun.

To answer your question it would definately be the 357. Spend some money and get some Baffalo Bore hard cast bullets. They're about $20 for 20 rounds online, thats actually not a bad price. Win Supreme Partitions run $15 for 20 and the Buffalo Bore easily outpaces them.

A few good rounds are better than a whole lot of insufficient ones.
Take a look at Buffalo Bore ballistics, the 180gr hard cast 357 hauls butt at 1300fps out of a 3" S&W :what:
The Win Supreme Partitions don't even get that fast out of a 6" barrel and some 9mm loads will go that fast but need 115gr bullets to do it. Not to mention the 357 hard casts have large frontal area, they'll punch a hole bigger and deeper than any 9mm FMJ.
 
Not that I would really care, if I had to defend myself, but I don't think my little K frame would hold up too well to those rounds. I do have a NIB mdl. 28 6" that wouldn't mind at all. I'm just trying to keep it pristine. Thus my choice of the 158's in the 65.
My next purchase WILL be a Redhawk .44 with a 5.5 barrel.
I'm beginning to wonder if any handgun would even matter if my Benelli H2O did not do the trick...
 
357 would work fine on a black bear. Are the bears in your area that aggressive? Here we have both black and griz, and quite frankly the blacks can be shooed off by yelling (if they don'thave cubs).
 
If I'm lucky, I'll be relocating to Washington state sometime this summer. I did camp in the Cascades once. Followed the directions of a local family member to a beautiful remote lake over the logging roads. Had to be miles from anything. I was a little uneasy - with all the bear signs we had seen before getting to this remote area. Aggressive? I have no idea. I just figure if you're going to carry, try to do it right.
Aren't many bear near Cleveland. Just some of the finest rednecks and druggies the area can offer. They're much worse than bear.
 
Camping in Bear ountry..

Sounds like a good excuse..err, reason, to contact Ken, aka wildalaska, regarding a chopped big-bore lever action rifle.

"Hon, we really need this short 480 lever action pistol. I'd hate to see you carried off by a bear."

Its an intestering web-site. Being in Alaska, he might have a few insights about camping in bear country.

salty.
 
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