This article and other articles i've read say that is the case and i wonder why.. All i can think of is the manufacturers don't want to really incapacitate the bear for hours as that would leave it defenseless if attacked by another bear. I don't care about that and i would like to have a big can of bear spray that is just as powerful as human spray.
Is bear pepper spray WEAKER than human pepper spray?
- Thread starter piettakid
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Yep
Saber's bear spray is 2% OC (they state max allowable per EPA) while their Saber Red pepper spray is 10%. https://www.rothco.com/upload/dealertools/MSDS/20010-20011_PEPPER_SPRAY.pdf
There is more to this than just %OC for bears. The volume and the distribution is important for wildlife. Bear spray canisters put out a larger volume for each blast than anything other than riot sized personnel sprays. Their crowd control 16oz spray is 5% and are able to deliver 10 one second bursts out to 25-30 ft.
https://www.sabrered.com/bear-spray
https://www.sabrered.com/pepper-spray/sabre-50-067-mc-160-oz-stream-mk-9
https://www.sabrered.com/sites/default/files/product_images/spec-sheets/SABRE MK-9 H2O Spec.pdf
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Yeah my guess is that bears have such an acute sense of smell that a lot less oomph is needed. Humans, with our pudgy little sniffers and tiny olfactory organs tucked away to make room for our binocular vision need more concentration of chemicals to be effective. We also have to take into account that if you pepper spray a human, he or she KNOWS what happens. You better make it count as if you don't deter them to the point of extreme discomfort and temporary blindness, they are going to be mad...because you pepper sprayed them. A bear doesn't understand what pepper spray is any more than it does a skunk that sprays them. Animals, unless desperate, generally do the risk/reward calculation instantaneously and much more risk adverse.
For me, big ol' can of bear spray out in bear country. Make sure I can blanket the area and shoot it far enough to keep Smokey from entering my comfort zone. I honestly go out of my way when it comes to animal defense to NOT harm the creature if I don't have to. Animal aggression is different than human aggression. If I've walked up on a fresh kill or stumbled upon a mama or something I have been the one who unknowingly crossed the line, and usually with a calm backing away or mild deterrent the situation can be defused. It doesn't want to eat/kill me, and I don't want to harm it. People, well people should know better. If you are going act worse than an animal, then you are going to get treated worse than an animal. You get the highest OC I can get and just be thankful it's not a .45 slug.
For me, big ol' can of bear spray out in bear country. Make sure I can blanket the area and shoot it far enough to keep Smokey from entering my comfort zone. I honestly go out of my way when it comes to animal defense to NOT harm the creature if I don't have to. Animal aggression is different than human aggression. If I've walked up on a fresh kill or stumbled upon a mama or something I have been the one who unknowingly crossed the line, and usually with a calm backing away or mild deterrent the situation can be defused. It doesn't want to eat/kill me, and I don't want to harm it. People, well people should know better. If you are going act worse than an animal, then you are going to get treated worse than an animal. You get the highest OC I can get and just be thankful it's not a .45 slug.
You fellas aren't reading the linked material.
The limit is an EPA limit. If Saber can make riot spray at twice the bear spray the can and would up the concentration in bear spray for marketinh purposes alone.
The limit is an EPA limit. If Saber can make riot spray at twice the bear spray the can and would up the concentration in bear spray for marketinh purposes alone.
rodinal220
Member
The % of OC has nothing to do with effectiveness, just how long it lasts or "wears off". 2% works just as well as 10%. Don't fall for all the BS out there.
rodinal220
Member
Sure, I and others have tested OC over the years, I did this over twenty years ago, so have others with real world experience. During our testing we found the % of OC had absolutely NOTHING to do with how it affected test subjects and out on the street. What we did find is the % had a time span on how long the burn and blinding effect lasted. Less % had less decontamination time and more took longer to wear off. We found patterns with test subjects over the years, such as 10% products tended to last about 45-60 minutes with most people, Less % = less time for it to wear off. Trying to wash it off with water or milk didn't lessen decontamination much it only made you feel better (less burn), a constant flow of water was best.
If you didn't get it all out of your hair you knew about it the next time you took a shower.
Lots of BS out there from people just trying to sell product. You can tell who has real world experience and who is talking out their arse.
There are pros and cons to stream, cone/fogger, gel, foam versions.
I'm not a big fan of OC but it does have its place and uses, if used correctly. How many of you out there have had to call the FD to ventilate an Apt complex because someone thought OC was like Glade air freshener??
Now I'm not saying I did this but I have it on good authority than when officers were low on manpower and say outnumbered at a large party, and sized up the situation that announcing their office may not be the best thing to do. Stream OC units can be a good thing at "streaming" over a wall into said group of haughty teenagers. 10-8.
If you didn't get it all out of your hair you knew about it the next time you took a shower.
Lots of BS out there from people just trying to sell product. You can tell who has real world experience and who is talking out their arse.
There are pros and cons to stream, cone/fogger, gel, foam versions.
I'm not a big fan of OC but it does have its place and uses, if used correctly. How many of you out there have had to call the FD to ventilate an Apt complex because someone thought OC was like Glade air freshener??
Now I'm not saying I did this but I have it on good authority than when officers were low on manpower and say outnumbered at a large party, and sized up the situation that announcing their office may not be the best thing to do. Stream OC units can be a good thing at "streaming" over a wall into said group of haughty teenagers. 10-8.
whughett
Member
All very interesting. At my age I’m a thousands of times more likely to be menaced by humans than by bears, I simply don’t go where there are bears, not so easy with humans. Of course I don’t rely on pepper spray anyway, just a .380. 
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