What Gun For Bears?

Kind of depends on the mood.
For rifles I've taken a 44 mag lever action, 30-30, 300 win mag, 270, and 35 Whelen with me bear hunting.
For side arms 357 mag, 44 mag, 10mm, 460 Rowland.
 
CB900F said:
Fella's;

I'm in Montana & regularly hunt elk. It is known to have a bear decide that the shot that kills the elk is really the dinner bell. In other words, he'll dispute the ownership of the carcass with you. This is not a frequent event, but has been known to happen. Your rifle leaning against a tree 5 yards away is perfectly useless when you're up to your elbows in elk guts & you get your visitor.

A good sized caliber pistol on the opposite hip from the side you carry your rifle, in a cross-draw holster can be handy, as it were. Also a good idea to have grips on it that won't slip in your hand when the hand is bloody. Then too, practice with it enough that you can manage the recoil & get a quick & at least somewhat aimed second shot off. Missing with a panicked first shot & having the gun pointed at some poor innocent communications satellite is counter-productive.

900F
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It happen to me in Alaska in 1988 on the Kelly River. My rifle was out of reach as I worked my moose kill, but my .475 revolver was in my bandolier shoulder holster. My revolver was a 475 Linebaugh and the moose and bear in the left of the picture was the first ever shot with the cartridge

http://s33.photobucket.com/user/jwp475/media/00000009.jpg.html][/URL]
 
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Dog Soldier said:
The chances of a fatal attack by a bear is very rare. Since 1900 there has been 71 Wilderness deaths attributed to bears. The states with the most deaths are Montana number one with 12, Wyoming number two with 11 and Alaska number 3 with 5. There were over twenty which occurred in zoos.
The fact that the numbers are low proves that being armed stopped many other wise deaths. Bear spray is not likely to save you regardless of the government propaganda. The wind is usually blowing in Brown Bear country. You are as likely as the bear being blinded. It seems to me over the years the handgun has saved more lives than spray. Where you carry the handgun maybe more important than caliber. The guns carried on the side in budget priced leather will be lost during the initial attack. Carry the gun in a strong across the chest holster. This is your best last chance to acquire and fire point blank into the aggressor. Just some rambling thoughts from an old guy who has survived a live time with the Grizz.
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I know of five in the last five years alone: Treadwell and his girlfriend; the Japanese photographer; the couple rafting on the North Slope... For some reason Alaska bear incidents don't get the attention they do elsewhere and thus are not reported beyond the state or even just locally. I remember a couple of joggers off Bird Creek, another photographer on the Nushagak and just last year a client of a Master Guide friend of mine survived a real mauling--so much so the assistant guide, well, lets just say he got scared right out of his license which he couldn't get rid of fast enough. I've had to do two; one in a cabin that made the Discovery Channel; the other kept coming back to my trap bait stash five nights in a row until I could safely shoot him from the roof of my house. Let's see if I can get this right--first time putting photos in here.
 
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A lot of your standard 30 calibers will work for Black bear and probably grizzly. I would take my 30-06(heavy weight and defiantly a bonded bullet got better penetration). Heard a story of a guy shooting a grizzly in the head(self defense) with a 1911 45 and it didn't even phase the bear.
 
When it comes to a heavy animal that can inflict serious injury or even death to a human by way of fang and claw, it should get an appropriate cartridge/bullet.

For average black bear I would be comfortable with a levergun in anything from the 44mag/30-30 and up. For a bolt gun, 243 and up. Seeing as how BB hunting is typically done from tree stands over bait, I can be more comfortable with a cartridge that doesn't have a lot of range.

For grizzly, a levergun in 35 Rem and up. And in a bolt, anything in the 308/270 category with a well constructed ~180gr bullet, up to the biggest magnum you would want to take. Since grizzly hunting is typically spot and stalk, I'd want something that hits hard or has a more effective range. But I honestly can't see me ever going after grizzly.
 
What I tell people is get a gun that you are comfortable shooting! You don't need to lug around an African dangerous game safari rifle for a little black bear. I was in the ADF&G office a few years ago and some guy was taking his 12 year old daughter hunting for her first black bear. He was going to have her use his .458 Win Mag. I don't know why he would punish his kid like that but they aren't bulletproof. If your gun shy your more likely to make a bad shot that you will have to deal with. I killed a nice sized grizley on the 4th up in Chicken Ak with a 6.5 CreedMoor with handloaded 129gr accubond long range bullets chronographed at 2880 fps. Some people will probably say it was irresponsible of me for using that small of a gun or taking the poke at him like I did. But the first shot at the distance he was at anchored him in his tracks the second shot was insurance. And the bullet transferred every ounce of energy into him and not the hillside he was on. I shoot just about every day and practice up close shots and shots out to 1200 yards with that gun. It doesn't recoil at all so there is no anticipation for the gun to go bang. I have also killed black bears at 10-15 yards spot and stalk with my bow and arrow. But to be clear I didn't go up hunting for griz and the intention of using my 6.5. I was hunting for caribou but felt more than capable of the shot I was taking. The bear was at the wrong place at the right time and got a couple doses of high velocity lead poisoning. I have been out hunting moose in the Kenai and felt like I wasn't packing a big enough gun and I had a 300 win mag at the time. But the bears down there are huge like the size of a moo cow on all fours. I used to pack my 500 s&w but have gone for packing a 10mm with 15 round in the mag vs 5 out of the 500. I don't plan on using the 10mm ever but it's there just in case it's needed. I would personally go with my bear spray which has a proven 95% effectiveness on bears as long as you didn't shoot it first and make it mad. Like the video someone posted above. Im pretty sure the state troopers determined they wounded that sow first then sprayed it and shot it again. Once an animal like that gets that initial adrenaline dump after the bullet impact they are scary.
 
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Matt Travis said:
What I tell people is get a gun that you are comfortable shooting! You don't need to lug around an African dangerous game safari rifle for a little black bear.
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I have posted this before elsewhere, but there is a huge difference between a 180 pound black bear from Maine and a 500 pound plus black bear from North Carolina. This is one a buddy of mine shot last year in NC. We hunt them with dogs and this one actually came for my friend. He stopped it with a .45/70. They were unable to recover the bear that night but came for it in the morning. They tend to lose water weight overnight and this one still almost hit the 700 lb mark. We regularly encounter bears in this particular spot that come in over 500 lbs. That said, you would be hard pressed to stop a determined attack from a black bear that weighed a mere 200 lbs. I don't like dismissing animals as not being dangerous as they all are potentially.

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You can tell Black Bear Scat from Grizzly Scat by the strong pepper smell coming from the Grizzly scat. I have never shot at a bear. We have black bears just north of where I live. Less than an hour away. I have seen them, I had my trusty 45-70, and a tag all with me. Just not in the market for one unless necessary. They run off as soon as they get wind of me. They are not particularly big. Not like the stuffed Grizzly or Polar Bear I saw in the lobby of my Anchorage Hotel.
 
My Grandfather trapped northern Canada all his life and had two main guns 3o/30 and 303 Brittish and a small 22 cal fer trapping
but mind you all the bears were black bears not grizzly
however some big ones but nothing the old 303 couldnt knockdown easily or the 30 30 for closer range not ranges what we shoot today but more up close and personal..
and he was a wicked crack shot also and i think that might more important than anything
 
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we had a big black bear killed here in pa(a little over 500lbs) with three shots from a 35 Remington. it did run a ways before dieing. eastbank.
 
Im glad it hasnt happened here on this forum, but i like the places that have those one or two obstinate fellows that talk about how revolvers dont stop brown bear well....blah blah blah and all after other forum members like jwp post a pic of one shot in defense in a charge! Amazing stuff to all of u. I have hunted bb in nm and alaska. Brown to come.
 
A guy near eagle river (ak) put a brownie down last summer i think, it was early sunday morning on a heavily used public trail. He had an ak-47 type gun in 5.45x39 and he got the job done, ( not my first choice) Look up the article (anchorage daily news). Another guy within the last couple years was hiking in denali national park with his girlfriend put a brownie down with his 1911 .45 auto,(again not my first choice). Theres another article out there about an alaskan fishing guide who saved his client with his 9mm using hot loaded hard cast bullets, but he was firing on the brown bear from the side into its neck, (a lot less meat and bones to get to the vitals). None the less he got the job done. My coworker put one down 2 years ago with his glock 10mm at the russian river, 2 shots with hardcast bullets.
The reoccuring trend seems to be use whatever you are competant with, and hardcast bullets seem to work well. I like .454, 12 gauge, or my .375. Ive lived in alaska my whole life, you will not likely just stumble across a bear, hunting browns is hard, they dont want to be anywhere near you. Most stories you read about happen in national parks, or prime salmon fishing rivers.
 
Tradmark said:
Im glad it hasnt happened here on this forum, but i like the places that have those one or two obstinate fellows that talk about how revolvers dont stop brown bear well....blah blah blah and all after other forum members like jwp post a pic of one shot in defense in a charge! Amazing stuff to all of u. I have hunted bb in nm and alaska. Brown to come.
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Oh it's happened, not recently but it's definitely happened. As usual, lots of nonsense about foot pounds. ;)
 
Just be wary of the grizzly bears. Miss a shot and those bears will be up and at you in no time. They run fast as hell and can climb some trees too. Use a gun you are familiar with and can shoot accurately with.
 
During bow season GA .I was charged by a black bear right before sun down when I was walking out from my stand it came out of pine thicket into hardwood I held my ground
waving arm and bow yelling it stop about 8 feet from me. At that time it wouldn't matter what caliber gun .After that encounter i got a 40 s&w 180 full metal jacket .
 
JeeperCreeper said:
I'm not sure if anyone else saw this, but it's an article that outlines bear attack defense using handguns. It also notes the situation and caliber of gun. I don't think it's truly "scientific" as it is limited by reports as they used verifiable news stories. But an interesting read, all the same.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/de...-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/amp/
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So, pretty much step #1 is hit the bear with whatever you're shooting.

I moved from .44 mag to heavy 9mm HST +P in my area (black bears only) since humans and other predators are more likely anyways.
 
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