Which gun for bear? Yes, again....

[mrmeval]

I'd like to hear from someone who has actually used a pistol to shoot a bear.

Any takers.

 

[robertbank]

We use the .45-08 cartridge in our 1911 guns. We get 1350 fps using 200 gr hardcast LSWC which does it for blacks up here. Blacks are far more aggressive than Grizzlies. The difference being Blacks when they attack up here, and normally they don't, they are looking at you to fill out their diet. Attacks when they come up here are from very close range, inside 10 yards, so speed is very important. Load works for Grizz to except the last round is for myself.

Take Care

 

[birddog]

I'd like to hear from someone who has actually used a pistol to shoot a bear. Any takers.

I've been on several tracking missions with a friend who is a bear guide and saw him dispatch several bears at close range with both a .44 and .357. His tool of choice was the .44. When I walked up on the bow killed bear pictured in the above post, I had my 629-2, .44 mag in my hand but thankfully didn't need it.

 

[agtman]

LOADED FOR BEAR ...

Mike McNett, owner of Double Tap Ammo, has taken several black bear with a stock 10mm G20 using his "bear-stopper" DT Ammo 10mm loads.

See: www.doubletapammo.com

Such loads include a 200gn 10mm FMJ-FP @ 1275fps/722fpe & a 200gn Beartooth hardcast WFNGC @ 1300fps/750fpe.

Doing a Search on GlockTalk's 10Ring will produce specific posts on this subject (handgun hunting for bears).

DT Ammo also loads for other calibers. If you're serious about "stopping power" against angry bruins, skip those Way2Ghey loads and contact Mike directly at DT Ammo for specific advice on a bear-stopper load suitable for you.

 

[Cosmoline]

I'd like to hear from someone who has actually used a pistol to shoot a bear. Any takers.

IIRC, the first .357's from S&W were used to take nearly every large game animal in north america, including the great bear. Col Doug Wesson went around and hunted them in the 1930's to advertise the new round. Moreover, people have been handgun hunting brown bear and black with handguns for generations now. I don't know why people forget this. I guess distance from the animals tends to either make them into cuddly Disney animals or demons that cannot be killed with anything short of a howitzer.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I have .44 mags, a .454 Casull and a DE in .50 AE. If I were to go hiking in bear country, which would I choose? One of my 10mm's. Why? A 5" or 6" barreled 10mm loaded with 180 or 200 grain FMJ's will achieve very similar penetration to the big boomers, but without the recoil that makes a follow up shot near impossible in a large magnum. Pick a gun like the Witness Hunter and you have 16 rounds producing over 800 ft/lbs in a package that is only slighty larger than an average pistol and can be fired very quickly and accurately one-handed. Try doing that with a Ruger Alaskan or a 4" .500. Sure, the .454 and .500 have much higher ft/lbs, but a hit (or hits) with a smaller caliber is more effective than a miss with anything.

All that said, a 12 gauge with slugs or a handy .45-70 is the best choice for bear defense.

 

[jeb_ingram]

I carry a 629 Mountain Gun loaded with Federal 300 grain Cast Core. The Cast Core is for max penetration through bone and such. This is the smallest caliber and smallest grain slug I carry for grizzlies. Black bear is a different story but I carry the same gun and ammo. If it works on grizzlies it will work in black bear. This is just my opinion.

 

[runninmike]

Arming bears and saying we are invading their space is as silly a thing to say as it is to say that anyone who invades their domain deserves to be chewed on, killed and eaten by them. We all have the right to be in the wilderness to enjoy this earth as any living being, to include bears. Killing a bear with pure malice is stupid, but killing one in defense is survival and as realist as anything. If I want to share the great outdoors with my daughters on a fishing trip in the thickets to pass on a tradition and teach about natural history or whatever, meeting a bear along a creek bank is going to be something I'm willing to do, and if a grumbly bear takes me out in the process, he wins, but if I sink one in his melon, I win. Caution and respect should win the day and ususally does, but in a pinch I will save the day and kill any bear in defense that truly deserves it and not care that he is now dead, and I certainly won't care about what some "city dwelling only" person says or thinks about my doing so.
Enjoy the great outdoors and carry a magnum!
Best-MC

 

[JShirley]

You know, some folks need to find a sense of humor, and understand it when they read it.

Anyhow, lots of black bears have even been killed with head shots by .22LR, though I don't suggest doing it.

Of the handguns mentioned, the .44 Special gets the heavyweight, high SD nod.
I do like the idea of getting a nice little .41 Ruger. That would be even better, when stoked with the right ammo.

John

 

[ChristopherG]

I can get a handgun into action a whole heck of a lot faster than a longarm of any kind.

If you're hiking in parts of Montana or Alaska, carrying a rifle or shotgun in a very accessible position would not be a problem; people know you're out there just trying to survive in the wild with Griz. But in Oregon? I'd think any encounter with LE (or really almost anyone else) with something like a sub2000 ready to hand would raise questions about poaching--or, with a high-cap black gun that's arguably very marginal for protection from even black bears (all that's found in Oregon), might raise questions about whether you're really some kinda would-be Rambo.

Maybe I'm too concerned about people's perceptions (and the potential hassles they might create for me), but I'd much rather carry a wholesome looking sixgun (in a more suitable caliber).

 

[gbran]

I hunt black bear every year with dogs. I've always used a handgun to dispatch them. This is of course, is usually after the dogs have tree'd the bear. I currently use a 454 SRH, but have used 357's and 44 mags in the past. BTW, do not use hollow points.

This, however, is a whole lot different than defending yourself from an angry bear. For that, I'd use a shotty, 1st round buckshot in the face to get his attention, followed with slugs.

 

[Browns Fan]

Quote:
"You know, some folks need to find a sense of humor, and understand it when they read it."

+1. I, personally enjoy some of the quips my fellow THRers come up with. You guys crack me up!

 

[mrmeval]

WWCRTFM

Some peoples humor is another persons incandecent rage.

 

[Guns_and_Labs]

I'd like to hear from someone who has actually used a pistol to shoot a bear.
Any takers.

One. With an S&W 629 .44 Magnum loaded with Garrett hardcasts.

In the woods, though, I routinely carry an S&W329PD with Buffalo Bore Keith-style .44 Specials or a Glock G29 10mm with Double Tap hardcast loads. Both have worked well on wild boar.

Sounds like the .44 Special should work for you, though a .460 Rowland conversion on the .45 acp would make me feel warm and safe, too.

 

[Bama61]

There was a fellow here in South Alabama that was attacked by a bear while in his tree stand. He was deer hunting and the bear climbed up and took a bite out of his leg. He shot and killed it with a .22 pistol. This was a small black bear, but still a bear. I think the man was fined because the GW found a corn pile close by.

I think one of those little guns that Will Smith had in Men In Black would take care of any sized bear!

Bama61