Best Bear Pistol……Power…Weight…Practical Carry?
Seriously…BEST BEAR HANDGUN???
On Bud’s Gun Shop Forums, the question came up: What is the smallest caliber handgun you would trust to protect yourself from bear attack?
The forum members, faced with practical dense woodland and mountain-side ease of carry, against the current selection of powerful, but heavy, .40 and .50 caliber Magnum handguns, considered this to be the most practical answer:
‘My personal favorite defense gun has always been a Beretta Jetfire in 22 short. Over all the years I’ve been hiking I never leave without it in my pocket. Of course we all know the first rule when hiking in the wilderness is to use the “Buddy System.” For those of you who may be unfamiliar, with this it means you NEVER hike alone. You bring a friend or companion, even an in-law, that way if something happens there is someone to go get help.
I remember one time hiking with my brother-in-law in northern Alberta. Out of nowhere came this huge brown bear, and man was she mad. We must have been near one of her cubs. Anyway, if I had not had my little Jetfire I’d sure not be here today. Just one shot to my brother-in-law’s knee cap, and I was able to escape by just walking at a brisk pace.’
Do you feel this is practical, or sportsmanlike??? Or, would you take your chances with one of the .450+/.50 caliber heavy magnums?
As always….your opinions in such matters are greatly appreciated!
Kindly ‘Ol Uncle Hoot 🙄
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You’d have to ask Smokey the Bear that one Bogman. 😛
Sorry I could not resist.
Evidently the smell of a camp fire does not deter them, they seem to come into camps at night to raid and plunder. I do not know how they feel about fire.
I know the fire from a contact wound in the ribs with a 40 S&W seems to deter them tho. 😉
Regards,
Roachcreek
Hey RC, any idea if bear fear fire? Does a campfire have any effect? Or do they move right in to see what’s cookin’? 😯
HYFKMM!!!!!
Handguns are really handy, but I personally don’t think they are the answer for a charging bear, and lets face it folks if they are not charging you or in your face, your probably not going to shoot one.
You folks have to remember that a black bear can run faster than a horse or elk for short distances.
If it charges you from cover close in, you will be bear shit, just no other way around it.
A brown bear and Grizzley will be just as fast and weigh aws much as a elk. Their heads, pretty much all bears black or brown, will shrug off bullets big slow bullets because of the sloping skulls.
Some advocate slug shotguns, but not for me, I would take a 308 carbine and a 20 round magazine if I really thought there was a chance of a charging bear.
Hunting does not prepare you for a charging or attacking predatory bear, familarity with your weapon of choice, training and mindset do, having already survived close combat helps immensely.
The night it happened to me, my sleeping toddler boys were 10 feet away, I was all that stood in that bears way, I did not think, I just reacted, but the entire reason I was living there with that lifestyle was because I had survived that sort of thing with human predators and was always prepared.
This is just not the same as a hunting trip or a trip to the range.
Regards,
Roachcreek
Well I did it back ass wards. I started with a contact wound, then did 3 follow up shot in about a 30 foot fight until he disappeared over my driveway.
I shot in combat competion at the time, had a range just below the house for practice and considered myself as good as it got with a defensive handgun, and I got 3 out of 4 hits on a retreating bear one handed, the other hand was holding a rechargeable spotlight.
So I would say 6 shots and 6 hits before you got bowled over is a pipe dream.
Bottom line tho, no handgun outside of the 500 and perhaps a 454 is a reliable bear gun, the recoil is what slows you down. If you want a bear gun because your really serious about it, get a heavy rifle.
Regards,
Roachcreek
I don’t know what he was shooting but the upside to the video is that the boom might be more effective than a hit, .357 is plenty loud…
Both good points.
The narrator was being nice, he hit water but he was pointing and shooting his best. I can’t say I could do any better what with the distraction of all that stuff running down my legs!
I don’t know what he was shooting but the upside to the video is that the boom might be more effective than a hit, .357 is plenty loud… No, I’m not making any recommendations…well, maybe for a couple folks, they should carry .32 specials…
Right…..I understood that.
I just haven’t seen any Black Bear charging footage, and figure that they are probably about as fast as a Grizzly, and that there probably wouldn’t be time for 6 shots. Having time for 6 shots (regardless of caliber) on any bear was the only point I was trying to make.
First sentence I said I have never been in Grizzly country. I deal with black bears and never felt under gunned.
Judging from some of the Grizzly charges I have seen on video, and the terrain they can pop out of, getting 6 shots off on a surprise Bear charge (let alone scoring vital hits) is a pipedream. My plan would be to kill it in two seconds with two shots tops. If not, I’m a dead man.
Look at how much river this bear covers before the guy even gets his gun up. Had that been on land……
Shot the water in front of it? I have to wonder if he was being PC, and actually shot the Bear to make it turn. Would you give a “warning shot” in this situation? I did’t think so.
I have never been in grizzly country but .357 Mag works for me. Not too many animals take 6 .357 mags and keep coming!
10mm semi-autos seem to be pretty popular out here for woods carry, too.
I like to carry a 10mm Plenty enough Snot for a bear
Hoot,
My first of many wives was fat. She weighed in at 220 lbs after she shit out the first fuck trophy, I weighed a slim trim 155 lbs.
We had this tired saggy bed, and as a result she thought I liked her fat, I would go to bed about an hour or two before her, I logged and we had to get up and going early. So every time she crawled in with her fat ass, the bed sank and my skinney ass rolled on top of her, like I said she thought I liked her that way.
I once was parked in a tiny town in eastern Oregon, a rednecked multicolored pickup pulled in front of me and parked, a bumper sticker on the back said it all.
“Save the whales, harpoon a fat chick.”
Regards,
Roachcreek
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I used to fish in the outback of Kodiak, AK with my uncle and we had bears around all the time. In my uncle’s opinion (may he RIP) the best handgun would likely be the loudest as he instructed me to make as much noise without actually shooting the bear as possible. Why? Because a Kodiak doesn’t come down easy and the last thing you want to do is piss it off. I’m sure that goes for other types of bears but no fhe with them. Mostly we just relied on having dogs around all the time.
Roachcreek you just became my newest hero. Standing down an ursine is no small feat much less doing it with a handgun!