What should I get, AR-15 or AK-47?

[109Hammer]

Neither an AR or AK will save you from a bear....maybe the wolf or cougar if you were swift enough to hit it. My money would be on the animals.

If you look at ballistics you will see the KO power and Ft #'s on the ar and ak are insufficient for personal defense against a wild predator like a bear.

 

[109Hammer]

12 ga would be my "reco" for you.

FYI, i travel in the back country in Alaska quite a bit and I carry a S&W 460V. I'd recommend something with the ballistic equivalent. Either rifle or revolver would suffice.

 

[mjsdwash]

ar=unreliable, usually means the person speaking has a broken AR, just my experience. AR parts are easy to get, and while AK parts arent too hard, they are not easy to put in. If you get a good AR, it will be accurate, and very reliable... Most of the unreliable reputation came from defective government contract colt's. Colt could easily screw up an AK 47 production line, and ruin that reputation too. That being said, I dont know alot of people disappointing with their AK's either.

 

[Casefull]

Many posts about the 7.62 not being enough to put down a bear. That is silly. I am not an ak fan but that should be plenty unless you cannot shoot. Put some good hunting bullets in one and shoot anything you want in North America.

 

[mortablunt]

ar=unreliable, usually means the person speaking has a broken AR, just my experience. AR parts are easy to get, and while AK parts arent too hard, they are not easy to put in. If you get a good AR, it will be accurate, and very reliable... Most of the unreliable reputation came from defective government contract colt's. Colt could easily screw up an AK 47 production line, and ruin that reputation too. That being said, I dont know alot of people disappointing with their AK's either.

The way I understand the AR jammomatic coming about is that the environments we deploy in are pretty dirty and it's just constantly getting everywhere. And then during combat, dumping magazines in fully automatic puts much more stress on the internals, which is murder for reliability and longevity. Also, combat and cross country foot travel is rather kinetic so the guns get knocked about and exposed to the elements. Cleanings and lubrication cannot be done on a reliable, frequent basis at times. Sometimes for several days. Combine that with a design which was not at all conceived with running dirty in mind, and you get a lot of problems.

 

[allaroundhunter]

Many posts about the 7.62 not being enough to put down a bear. That is silly. I am not an ak fan but that should be plenty unless you cannot shoot. Put some good hunting bullets in one and shoot anything you want in North America.

The 7.62x39 typically fires about a 124 gr round. It does not fire the 150+ gr rounds that the 7.62x51mm does and does not reach those power levels either. I am not going to go bear hunting with a 124 gr 7.62x39mm round unless it is my only option.

And due to its ballistics I will also not take one hunting when I might have to shoot more than 200 yards.

 

[109Hammer]

+1.

 

[109Hammer]

A good website to get a handle on ballistics.

http://www.ballistics101.com

My goal is to push a 300+ grain bullet in bear country

 

[bluethunder1962]

If you run up on a bear all you are going to do is add some vents to him with those two. I like the 12 gage with slugs option.

 

[coalman]

Given listed options, 7.62x39 no question. No way I want to launch .223/5.56 rounds at a charging bear. But, when really needed I'm sure I'll want more gun than either.

 

[diesel]

ar/ak/bear

good luck!

 

[HD Fboy]

For bear - 45-70 lever gun, 308, or a 12 gauge semi auto.

AR for everything else.

Here is your problem most shots will be at smaller game at distance. AR is best suited here.

Bear requires serious power. 308, 30-06, 45-70, 12 ga slugs. These are expensive to shoot and except the 308 (platform dependent, I would choose FN FAL) not particularly fun. The AR will allow you to get a 22lr kit for practice and shoot small game at distance.

The practice part is the most important.

 

[Fishman777]

Not considered in original post...

I'd either get a Mini-30 or a 12 gauge shotgun. If it were me, I'd get the mini.

 

[Fiv3r]

I think bear defense is a little overrated. As I and others have said earlier, if its a defensive long arm you want for large wild critters, a 12 with good slugs is fine medicine.
Personally, when I'm out in the wilds I'm more worried about other people. Bears are simple. If they want to eat you, they let you know it. People on the other hand... 5.56 does a good job of putting down those kind of dogs (as would a 12 or 7.62).

On a side note, while its hunting and not defense, I've heard that the Inuits will hunt polar bears with the .223. They earhole them from the side. It might not be true, but its what i've heard. The griz is big and bad...but is an omnivore. Polar bears only eat meat. I would mess with that with anything short of a howitzer.

 

[dcarch]

With regard to bear defense: I've been in Maine for four or five summers in a row these past years, and even though Maine is supposed to be bear country, I've never seen one in person. I think the supposed bear threat, while real, is highly overblown. If you live up in the North Woods area, I'd be more worried about bull moose than bear. Of course, in Iowa, where I live for the rest of the year, about the most dangerous animal you'll run into would be a 'yote.

 

[VeryOldDog]

I was faced with a similar decision a little while ago. I have been carrying a Marlin 45-70 Guide Gun in my truck for seven years. The recoil on this is a challenge. I decided at my age to find a substitute for a "truck" gun and something to pack into a scabbard on a horse up into the mountains. I decided that 308 is the correct caliber for me and I eventually chose the Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 Carbine in 308. It is very well balanced and it is extremely accurate in the off hand position at 100 yards. There are also a variety of loads available over the counter and everyone has good clean 308 ammunition.

It is worth a look for a dependable accurate firearm which can be found for $465.00.

Have a nice day!

Ed

 

[gotboostvr]

I really enjoy plinking around with my AKM underfolder, it's alot of fun but still I prefer my AR's, they're lightweight, accurate, and "user-friendly". I don't think I'd reccomend any intermediate cartridge for bear.

That said, pick up an AR in .300BLK! the supersonic rounds are remarkably similar to the power of the 7.62.

Factory ammo avaliable over the 'net inexpensivley (theres no cheap steel cased yet, although there are rumors). But if you prefer brass anyways it's only a little bit more...

Being said, a nice bolt action in .308 or 30-06 or even a decent shotgun shotgun, would accomplish your task better, for less money. Heck, a Mosin would do it all, and would be cheap to shoot as well. Best advice I can say is go and play with some in a gunstore, see which your more comfortable with and get that one.

 

[Zerodefect]

With regard to bear defense: I've been in Maine for four or five summers in a row these past years, and even though Maine is supposed to be bear country, I've never seen one in person. I think the supposed bear threat, while real, is highly overblown. If you live up in the North Woods area, I'd be more worried about bull moose than bear. Of course, in Iowa, where I live for the rest of the year, about the most dangerous animal you'll run into would be a 'yote.

If ya'll want. I know a campgroud where you'll have a 20% chance of meeting a black bear during a weekend camp. A wild one as well, not your normal dumpster diver. But they will still sneak a picnic basket from time to time and can open a tent without tearing it. I have no experience with griz.

I've had my hands on one black bear, they're big dogs. It's only scary if you let your imagination get the best of you. A 5.56 would be fine for the ones I've met. 6.8spc would be perfect. Usually a frying pan or anything noisey works a bit better. Keep in mind, much like dogs when dogs get crazy, they won't respond to regular pain. But bear spray to thier senses is very effective. Prolonged noise works, but a gun shot may be too short, they'd just flinch and then be confused.

Bear spray may actually work better than a poorly aimed shot. Also keep in mind that black bears may bluff charge. I've only seen them do that when they've been chased off the property to a place they feel is a good spot to reteat to, and then the owner chased them some more.

You don't want to spend the night in jail because you fended off a bluff charge with your rifle instead of bear spray, so be careful about that. NY state has bear, but not freedom.

I'm more worried about humans. Widlife in the US is pretty safe as long as you have some sense.