Revolvers for bear defense

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

I have been evading this question, cuz I don't think
any handgun caliber is adequate for bear's;
especially old griz! However, if out in the woods
and confronted by a mad bear (any type) and all
I had was a handgun; I would want my Smith &
Wesson .44 magnum 5" barrel, 629-5 "Classic".
Perhaps with one good, well placed shot old griz
would coming tumbling down!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Poohgyrr]

Steve,

We passed those pictures around at work recently. Afterwards, I decided the absolute best rifle for big bears is whatever shoots the biggest bullets at the highest velocity. Then take three or four friends along, and everyone gets one of those rifles.

I've always thought a good handgun for big bears is a J frame .38. Just what you might want to end it all real quick...

 

[munk]

We're used to dealing with certainties. When the 4 point Whitetail Buck is shot with a 30.06, and the 165 grain bullet enters his lung heart area; he dies.

As Ala Dan said, no handgun cartridge is a reliable stopper for bear. Many of them duplicate the power of blackpowder cartridges and rifles used in the settling of the West. Many of them are more powerfull. Certainly a Prospector in 1878 handed a Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag would be ecstatic once he realized how powerfull the gun was. (and we really should drop a case of ammo along with the gun, as he won't be able to make any more.) Those men met bears with much less.

An African heavy cartridge is called for to stop Brown bears.

But a 44 or 41 or 45 Colt can work. There is a good chance they will work. But I don't know if that's 70/30, 60/40, or 50/50. So when people talk of these rounds being woefully inadequate they mean you could die.

You might die if you had a 375 H&H in your hand at the ready before the attack.

What I am saying, is after all the reading of experts done in the lifetime of a shooting sports enthusiast, I don't think it matters whether you have a 44 or 45 Colt. I think it matters only a little bit more if you have a 454 Casul. I wouldn't bet on it mattering too much more if you had a 30/40 Krag. Somewhere around the 3006 level I think things improve. 338 is starting to get even better.

If you had the best biggest rifle in the world you could still die in a sudden grizzly attack. A conventional big bore revolver cartridge is your chance to live.


munk

 

[braindead0]

Perhaps a .577 t-rex pistol would do the job.. you'd probably break your arm.. but it beats being dead!

 

[355sigfan]

You are not going to kill a charging brown bear with a handgun. Everytime I seea tourist with a 475 Linebaugh (long barrel) for bear protection, I laugh.
END

I laugh when I see some nut in the woods with a 9mm when bears are around. A hot loaded six gun can stop a bear if your shot is well placed. A 9mm has little chance of anything other than lessening your own suffering if you remember to save one for yourself.
PAT

 

[Thumper]

My parents have a cabin in the middle of bear county and I get to go up there a pretty good bit.

When I'm out knocking around, my carry gun changes to a .45 Colt Blackhawk loaded with unprintable loads (Thanks, Mr. Linebaugh).

I realize that if I get between momma and cubs, however, it's all pretty much wishfull thinking.

 

[JShirley]

When I was planning on moving up to Alaska (before the 9-11 incident occurred), I was looking for a handgun powerful enough to use for bear defense, but compact enough to be concealable. I found such an arm in a 3" bl Smith 657.

I think we can all agree that no sidearm is the preferred choice vs large bruin, but a large caliber handgun with good loading beats the hell out of a dirty look and a prayer.

John

 

[munk]

It has to be better than playing dead.




munk

 

[JShirley]

"I'll play dead when I'm out of ammo."
John Shirley

 

[munk]

that works.



You get a good chance, that's all, not a certain outcome. My bear paranoia loads are in 41, 44, and 45 Colt.

You ever noticed everyone has a bear load, even in the San Gabriels outside of LA?

We need to start a thread on Cougar loads. Yeppers.




munk

 

[Wildalaska]

I laugh when I see some nut in the woods with a 9mm when bears are around.

I laugh when people refer to others who have mad an educted choice as "nuts"

Whatever

 

[355sigfan]

I laugh when people refer to others who have mad an educted choice as "nuts"

Whatever
END

That’s funny you laughed at the tourist who obviously made a wise educated (not educted) in caring a big bore six-gun. Anchorage is not exactly wild Alaska. Come to the bush if you want to see the real Alaska. Not trying to start a war but its funny how you don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot.

PAT

 

[stevelyn]

Poohgyrr,

I couldn't agree with you more.

 

[Gordy Wesen]

Yea Baby:

http://www.wildwestguns.com/CoPilot_And_Guide_Rifles/body_copilot_and_guide_rifles.html

 

[gunsmith]

a year or 2 ago a black bear killed an infant in NY State

In the Catskill mtn resort area.
A Cop shot it (way to late)
by shooting all of his .40sw he had in his
glock.
The baby's mom screamed,a crowd of new yorkers
banged pots and made noise,making the
bear run faster with the infant in it's mouth.
I was living in NYCity when the kid climbed into
they polar bear tank at central park zoo
if my memory serves me well the cop had a
hi cap 9mm that he used to kill 2 polar bears
(I guess no one told him you can't do that)
What I remember most about that incident
was everyone in the media was against the cop
who tried to save the 10 yr old kid

 

[gunsmith]

links to upstate NY bear kills infant story

you don't need to be in AK to worry
about bears
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/bear020820.html
Witnesses reported seeing the young bear with the baby in its mouth as it ambled into dense woods 20 feet from the bungalow.
Isaac Abraham, a community leader from Brooklyn, said people desperately tried to save the girl. "People started chasing the bear, throwing rocks at it," he said. ...
I am still looking for the central park incident

 

[gunsmith]

only you can prevent bear fires

http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2002/bears_calif_fire.html

 

[gunsmith]

stop or I'll toot

Kristy L. Abbott, 27, of Harrisburg, Ore., has returned to work at American Safari Cruises, according to her father, Ralph Abbott, speaking from his home in Harrisburg. She could not be reached for comment.

Abbott told troopers that she was jogging on Petersburg Mountain Trail about 5 p.m. Wednesday when she saw a black bear ahead. She stopped and sounded a portable air horn, but the bear charged.
http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2002/black_bear_anchorage.html

 

[Gordon]

Kristy would have been better off with my 629 mountain revolver with 300grain Hornady XTP ammo in it!

 

[Poohgyrr]

Don't they use silver bells anymore ??

 

[Frohickey]

The bear eventually dropped the New York City infant, but she had severe injuries to her head and neck, and was pronounced dead at Ellenville Hospital, said Fallsburg Police Chief Brent Lawrence.

Its time to ban bears. Do it for the children!!!!

 

[munk]

No, but because of the actions of a few bad bears, all the bears will now have to register their teeth.




munk

 

[foghornl]

Just to be Mr. Wise N. Hiemer here...

////smarmy mode on

revolver for bear defense? Ahnold's GE mini-gun from "Predator"

////smarmy mode off

 

[Dwayne Russell]

Since no one else has said it, I will.

The revolver you want for bear defense is one without a front sight. That way, it won't hurt as much when the bear shoves it up the nether region.

When most mauling survivors are interviewed they all say the same thing. "It happend so fast I couldn't do a thing". I used to laugh about that until my neighbor of 26 years was attacked by a bear while clearing deadfall. He said he removed the axe from his pack horse and had walked over to the fallen tree. Slipping his rifle from his shoulder he rested it against the tree as he was about to cut. He heard a noise above him and before he could drop his axe the bear was nearly on top of him. The bear came flying down the hill and got snagged on some deadfall and tripped. He then slammed hard into the downed tree between them. Even stunned he then lunged back into the bush and was gone before John could even reach his rifle. And it was only 2' away! It happened so fast I never had a chance he said.

Last summer we did a 26 mile pack trip with our horses through the Maccarib Pass in the Canadian Rockies. This is Grizzly country and two hikers had been killed on that very trail by bears. We proceeded very cautiously on that trip and took no chances. On another trip I came across a brown bear cub in a meadow all by itself. It was terribly unnerving backing my horses out of that meadow knowing mom was watching my every step. I had visions of scattered pack animals and a horrible ending for one of us.

I switched from a 6" Dan Wesson .44 to a 5.5" .500 Linebaugh this past year as a packing gun. But realistically I doubt that anyone could get a shot off at a bear with any degree of accuracy. They attack so swiftly that unless you in open country and have some distance between you there is probably no chance of clearing leather, get sighted and hitting your target before he tosses you about like a beer can at the superbowl. Keep in mind these animals can run uphill at speeds near 35 mph. Thats about as fast as a horse can run. The Canadian Grizzly's and Brown bears I have seen have claws bigger than a man's fingers and believe me they are sharp! I usually laugh when someone says forget the .44, carry a .357 so you can get off a second shot!! Yeah Right! Carry Vaseline!!!

Theres probably a 95% chance you would never get a round off. If you do you had better pray it was large in caliber, high velocity, and struck in just right place.

As for me I won't be hanging around waiting to take a shot. I will be too busy making sure there is a hiker, or more tasty backpacker between us.

 

[MCgunner]

I've often wondered why .357 wouldn't penetrate as well as .44. A long .357 bullet looks to have at least as much sectional density as a 300 grain .44 and the velocities are similar. Sure, the .357 doesn't have either the energy or the bullet diameter, but that seems irrelevant to me since neither caliber has enough on a big bruin on Kodiak Island. Seems sorta like shooting a human with a .25 auto, you pays your money, you takes your chances with either one. I don't think I'd be significantly better gunned with my hot loaded .45 colt against one of those things than my easier to carry .357 with heavy bullets. I'd much rather have a .338 on me. Even my SKS with FMJ ammo and its 20 round magazine would seem preferable and easier to carry than some of those huge revolvers. Sure, the SKS is a pop gun, but aimed fire is easier and you have 20 rounds on tap with mine. I think I'd still wanna save the last round for myself, though. I don't think there's an easily carried firearm I'd trust to stop a big brownie before it ate me. Bullet placement would be critical. I guess I'll worry about it if I ever get to go fishing on Kodiak Island.

You never see guys up in the arctic in polar bear habitat without a LARGE caliber rifle. Those are the real dangerous bears, actually will hunt you for meat. Even on TV when they're filming up there, they'll be packin' big rifles. Of course, if you were one of the first Americans, you might have had to take on a cave bear with a friggin' spear. Imagine that THAT felt like!