What's a good caliber for bear?

[dnepro-mike]

if not for daily carry then .500SW will be OK. can't love that 6 pounds of heavy, coled, high-polished steel against side of your body
regarding controlled recoil - you can always add a forward grip

what part of country are you going to? maybe bear encounters there is not as big of a deal as you imagined.
try getting animal attacks statistics from state department of wild life, they usually track this kind of stuff.
it also tracks locations, so you can put pins on the map and see if you are in the probability area.

scratch all that if you just want to get a new gun and need justification for your spouse

 

[Rmccar4318]

.44 mag would be the minimum. Other wise it will like bounce off!

 

[LTCRN]

I learned from reading multiple posts about the same subject, on this site, that your only option is and should be a 9mm.

 

[Sig Sauer Shooter]

But seriously: something like 85% of the 10mm Glocks are sold in AK,

Silly question, how would a 10mm (.393 inches) work better than a 44 magnum or .45acp?

 

[carbuncle]

Silly question, how would a 10mm (.393 inches) work better than a 44 magnum or .45acp?

It's more powerful than the 45 ACP, less powerful than .44 but more capacity in a lighter package which seems to be attractive. Most folks going into bear country knowingly are carryiing a long gun, though, and the handgun is just a more portable backup.

 

[BOBKATT]

Silly question, how would a 10mm (.393 inches) work better than a 44 magnum or .45acp?

Diameter doesn't mean jack if it doesn't penetrate to the bear's vital organs. A 300 winchester mag is a .30 caliber round. I'll take that over a .45 ACP any day. Actually, I wouldn't bother with the extra weight of lugging around a .45 ACP because its just not going have a good chance to stop a big brown bear before it kills you. I'd sell it and buy a shit load of bear spray before I ever carried a .45 ACP into brown territory.

I also would not carry any automatic. You very well could end up in a situation with the thing on top of you mauling you and I wouldn't trust a pistol that could jam in that kind of situation. I know a man who was still mauled after firing at least two rounds of .375 into a brown bear. Its probably going to happen, you don't want to jam an automatic up right then.

10mm, 45 ACP, .357 mag, I'd even argue .44 mag, is for defense situations against adrenaline raged humans who are trying to kill you, not adrenaline raged brown bears that want to kill you. Some of those calibers might do with a little bit of luck, but "might do" isn't enough for me. I want "probably will do". And, "probably will do", is just about the best you're going to get in a situation where a brown bear wants to kill you.

 

[timbo]

Brownies? Dunno but my brother dropped a Blackie in his tracks two years ago with a Ruger .44 Mag in Northern NH. He estimated it was a 25 yd shot.

 

[Exousia]

Ask my son in AK who put 5 .300 Win mags into a brown at close range while his wife put 5 .30-06s into the bugger at the same time. The last shot was to the head and put him down. Both guns were traded in for a .338 mag and a .375 H&H. .

I would love to hear that story.

 

[cockpitbob]

For brown bear my cousin in Fairbanks says hardcast bullets in something big enough to break bones(44 mag and up). The brain is too small and moving up and down too much. If you hit a lung you'll be mauled before the bear dies. And the heart isn't very accessable when the bear is down and charging. He says the best hope is to break a shoulder, collar or arm bone.

 

[KirkVN]

I've never seen that in a handgun that wasn't a 10" long revolver.

[video=youtube_share;iTMxYhSfh9o]http://youtu.be/iTMxYhSfh9o[/video]

 

[Cerfur]

So this has kind of taken my intrest a bit and after speaking to my buddy and doing a good amount of research here on the interwebs it appears that even though we all love them guns are not nearly as effective as bear spray....So my sudgestion buy some bear spray if you are serious about fending of brown bears and buy a hand gun you will enjoy shooting and tell your wife you needed it for bears!

 

[davemata]

scratch all that if you just want to get a new gun and need justification for your spouse

I'm moving to eastern WA, so I'll range from Spokane north to Canada and maybe as far east as the Kootenai Forest. So, Colville, Kaniksu and Kootenai Natl. Forests.

BobKatt - were those custom loads you were using in the .45, or something you found in a shop? The hard cast and overcharged sounds interesting but not something for someone completely novice at reloading to get into.

LTCRN: Funny that... I HAVE a 9mm. It only works for the ones with tracks like OOooOOoo

 

[OfficerObie59]

Sounds to me like you have an excuse to buy a S&W .500...

 

[Coyote33]

460 Caliber Revolver

.454 Casull vs. .480 Ruger vs. .500 S&W

 

[davemata]

sheesh, this is pretty deep into the exotics territory, isn't it?

OfficerObie59 - and with open carry not causing full freak out in the red parts of WA, I could wear it into a starbucks for some post fishing reading.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

I would love to hear that story.

Mark had sled dogs at the time and a lot of dog food stored in the house (a shed would have to be made of steel) and the bear was actually knocking at the door. When he backed off a ways, they started firing from the doorway when the bear started coming back. Jack.

 

[icyclefar]

Bear spray, and the 460 S&W ........... but also, don't underestimate the effectiveness of a "hard block"

 

[davemata]

Bear spray, and the 460 S&W ........... but also, don't underestimate the effectiveness of a "hard block"

I think that S&W would give a hard block and a loud yell every time you pull the giggle switch.

 

[highlander]

Get a 454 Casull from Freedom Arms,Ruger or Magnum Research. If the 454 recoil is too much you can always get some heavy loaded 45 Cot ammo. I have a Ruger SRH in 454 and factory loads are a fist full and this is a revolver that's MagNaPorted. The SRH has the advantage of being a 6 shot revolver the others above are only 5 shooters.
The 2 things to look out for on the SRH the trigger is terrible and the cylinder is too short for certain types of cast bullets loaded in 454 cases. I have an LBT mold block that casts a 320 gr bullet that when loaded in 454 cases is .010 too long for the cylinder.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

After hunting for 60 years, I've never seen a bear in the woods. However, when I go fishing with son Mark in AK, we carry 12 ga pumps with buckshot when we fish the streams and make a lot of noise. The grass gets very tall and Mark tells me that the bears fill up on fish and nap in the grass. They are in a good mood but would not like to have someone stepping on their nose. Jack.

 

[Acme.Armament]

Dave,
Seriously look at the S&W 460 XVR. It can shoot the 460 S&W Magnum, 454 Casull and 45 Colt cartridges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.460_S%26W_Magnum

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_765500_-1_757771_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

 

[wahsben]

Dave,
Seriously look at the S&W 460 XVR. It can shoot the 460 S&W Magnum, 454 Casull and 45 Colt cartridges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.460_S%26W_Magnum

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_765500_-1_757771_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

Yup. This gives you the most options as far as loads go.

 

[davemata]

Dave,
Seriously look at the S&W 460 XVR. It can shoot the 460 S&W Magnum, 454 Casull and 45 Colt cartridges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.460_S%26W_Magnum

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_765500_-1_757771_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

That's most excellent, and gives lots of load options.

I'll check it out.

 

[sschevy]

Others will chime in with all sorts of answers, but my opinion of a .45ACP against bears is save one round to shoot yourself with after you have pissed off the bear.

If you can shoot well enough with a pistol under the stress of a bear encounter, you will still need something big: 454 Casul, 460, 480 Ruger, 500 Smith, maybe a 44 mag with full house loads, but maybe this is too small.

Brown bears are big, big animals, and not easily distracted from a fight or food.

A large rifle is better, followed by a 12 ga with slugs, a 10 ga would be better. Bear spray is most likely better than a pistol in most encounters, as it will deter most bears from pursuing you.

These are my opinions, only arrived at through reading of bear encounters and the outcomes there of.

Having lived out west for a period in Brown bear country, and with a good chunk of my family employed by the National Park service as backcountry rangers and trail crew the above statement is EXACTLY what they would give for advise, right down to saving the last round for yourself (still LMFAO!)

A 45ACP would be completely useless against a Brown...especially an aggressive or agitated one, if you shot one with a 45 I would think he would quickly become aggressive AND agitated !

My wife and I ran into a big brown in the Big Belt Mountains in Montana, and I was armed with a 5" Colt 1911, I have never felt so utterly helpless in my life while it walked up the road towards us.

Ultimately it spotted us and took a slow meandering left hand turn into the woods and disappeared to our relief. I remember looking down at the 1911 in my hand saying to myself "this just aint going to do it" The bear was frickin huge!

That was the one and only encounter I had with a brown in the wild and I have logged quite a bit of time in the pacific northwest,Washington state, Idaho and Montana. I would now carry a 454 casull if I was concerned about bear in the back country, which I am really not. wear some bells on you boots and make it know you are there, and above all enjoy the backcountry and freedom it brings

 

[SKS Brad]

.44 mag or .454 casul

My brother does some guide work up north (BC and up just shy of he arctic circle) and he carries a .44 mag, heavy grain hard cast, with a significant charge.

They hunt the browns with all kinds of large caliber rifles, all depends on the hunter, but it must be a big bore to even be considered for use by my brother.

Personally, the gatlin gun from an A10 would be my only choice, but carrying would be a bitch.

I don't like brown bears, period, too damn big and strong. Black bears are pissy enough for me, and I only deal with them in my yard and when hiking/hunting.

 

[davemata]

I don't like brown bears, period, too damn big and strong. Black bears are pissy enough for me, and I only deal with them in my yard and when hiking/hunting.

Just think, an evolutionary adaptation gave them that hump, a cord of pure muscle that helps them dig with more force. dig into trees, into your chest, into the earth. Yeah, happy fun huggy time.

I used to not really give much thought to this stuff until a run in with a cougar. Now I do.

 

[Retired-LEO]

For a handgun .44mag / "NO" hollow points. You need the penetration

 

[Burgermeister]

If the choice is between a .44 magnum revolver and a 12 gauge pump with a pistol grip and slugs, which is better? It seems like the shotgun in a scabbard might be easier to carry.

 

[Colt Delta Elite]

Personally, on a handgun for bear, 41mag would be minimum choice, Loaded with Kieth Hardcast bullets, Powder charge, almost to redline, on a magnum primer.

Other that, 44Mag in the same configuration, Which is what I hunt with now

That sounds like a 10mm to me!

 

[Matt_SERE]

This.

Dave,
Seriously look at the S&W 460 XVR. It can shoot the 460 S&W Magnum, 454 Casull and 45 Colt cartridges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.460_S%26W_Magnum

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_765500_-1_757771_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

Dave,

You WILL find a lot of big bore wheel guns out in the PNW.

There are many nice holster makers in the area also.

When I was doing my research I found this back then:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...er&qpvt=kodiak+hunter+galco+holster&FORM=IGRE

View attachment 35567


View attachment 35568


One that was out of my price range.

http://www.ringlercustomleather.com/leathercustombeltsquality.html