Glock 10MM vs black bear
I don’t have a lot of experience in firearms so I thought I would get a few opinions. I have a Glock in 10mm and a 15 round clip. I bought it because I like to backpack and Glock’s can take a lot of punishment and still be reliable. My question is whether or not you feel the 10mm round is sufficient to handle a black bear. I am not hunting them, I just want to be able to take one out if I had too. There are a lot of choices in ammo what are the best choices for what I want to do. Or should I get something else to carry. I thought the Glock was good due to the high round capacity to size. I think I would grow to hate a giant revolver while hiking so I don’t think a .44 mag is really the answer. What do you think?
Mike
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After talking about killing bears withthe big stuff, the old timers in Oregon that hunted bear with hounds, when they could still legally do that and kill several bears a year, used .22 Ruger single six’s as one of their favorite guns.
The bears were up a tree, the shot was easy to make, and was in the heart, the bear took a little time to die, but slowly fell asleep and dropped to the pack waiting on the ground.
It worked fine, but entirely different circumstances.
The largest Brown bear taken for many years was taken by an Indian woman waiting for it on the side of a trail, she shot it between the eye and ear with a .22 short.
No thanks,
Roachcreek
.357’s & .44’s takes a lot of black bear in Virginia.
I have not done the Alaska fishing thing, but my son used to a lot. He would borrow my S&W 29 loaded with 320 cast bullets that we used for elk.
He had a big brown bear put its nose against his tent one night and sniff and snort, he put the 44 out the flap on the other side and fired one off in the air. He said the bear ran about 30 feet or so it sounded, he could hear him growling and saying in bear talk, grrr I want to eat you grrr!
I always thought a better alternative would be either a FNFAL folder or a HK 91 folder with hard ball. That stuff goes thru anything and one in the brain pan will end any fight.
But then I just prefer carbines.
Roachcreek
I fished in Alaska for salmon back in the sticks years ago. I was always looking over my shoulder for bears….not feeling real comfortable…..The next year when I went back I took a 44 mag with me…upon arriving in Anchorage I told a buddy who met me at the airport about the the 44 and that I wasn’t gonna be feeling nervous like last year……..he asked me if I had filed the sights off the gun ….I said no why would I want to do something like that ……..He said…So when that bear shoves that gun up your ass it won’t hurt so bad………I never took that gun fishing….don
Do you think there is a chance of over penetration on a black bear? Isnt that what those are for?
Its the future dude….. 😉
I think you are right. And here I have been washing them
and destroying the reloading and resale value.
😆
Mike
Reload with stinky socks.
Its the future dude….. 😉
Roachcreek
😆 😆 😆 😀
Mike,
99.9%of the time stinky socks are a coyote deterent.
I have only heard of one incident where coyotes attacked and killed a human adult, it was recently and I was flabbergasted at the news.
I hunted them commercially for two winters down on the southend of Harney County, and before that since I was 13, when I made my first kill. I have lived with them all of my adult life with the exception of when I am in asia.
I have killed hundreds of them, I have been hit by them coming in too fast racing one another to the free meal, and I once shot a wounded bitch off my ar15 muzzel, but they were never knowingly hunting me.
I think I have a greater chance of getting hit by lightening, winning the lottery and fucking Nicole Kidman , hopefull not in that order, all in the same day as I have being assaulted by coyotes.
Having said that, in a park in Canada recently a fairly well known singer was killed by coyotes, and they have tried or have actually grabbed a child in areas like L.A. but that is a case of losing fear of man.
And of course your socks were not available.
Roachcreek
I hope you are right that I will never need it. I was hiking down in Hoosier National Forest and one night I woke up to hear a pack of coyotes howling pretty far away. As the night wore on I kept waking up hearing them closer and closer. In my mind I was pretty sure they would not attack me but the last time I heard them they were only about 2 or 3 hundred feet away. The nylon of the tent seemed pretty thin at that point. 😆
I looked around and the only defense I had were some stinky socks. Peace of mind is worth the investment.
That is a great idea about a ball bouncing down a hill. I will give it a try.
Mike
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Most handgun defence rounds are designed to expand in a human chest and remain in the chest. In my case the first shot would have been better with a fast expanding bullet, but this would not have worked well on a fast approaching bear and that situation was unusual. I usually carried 130 hollow points for protection against two legged threats.
The 40’s I used, were however 180 Noslers, they did not expand, and dropped out with the cavity full of bear fat. The additional velocity you have may make them more effecient. If they are they might be the best bet, you will want weight.
Best thing you can do is practice, find a bear skull sized ball that will still roll when punctured. Throw it 20 feet up on a slope and let it roll towards you unimpeded by debris so it gets some speed.
Shoot it again and again.
I once shot a man who charged me and knocked me over backwards while stabbing me in the chest, the bullet passed between my feet as I fell, these encounter never happen as you imagine they will, you fight as you train, practice is the only thing that keeps you alive in these cases.
Just about anybody can hit a motionless target at 20 feet, but in a pinch that is not what you will be shooting at. We seldon get to shoot game animals from a bench, bird feeder hunter here are the exception.
You will never have to use that Glock Mike, but it will be nice to know you can and you will have fun practicing with it.
Roachcreek
Roachcreek
That is the time you wrote about on this site right? I remember reading that and being worried.
I am not out in the woods looking for a fight that’s for sure. I am looking to have some kind of recourse if they do start something. I take all the precautions to minimize potential contact. I think being a moving target in the woods with bears also moving around I think the chances are slim of a confrontation. When we had a problem in the U.P. we were at a well used camping area the bears were known to frequent. We never saw any after that.
Carrying a rifle in our situation would not be possible so I guess I am covered as well as I could hope.
Are there especially hot rounds I could get that might give me a little edge?
Thanks for all the info so far.
Mike
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Shit dog’s is the main way black bear is hunted in Virginia! Once in the tree head shot and game over. Them black and tans are some bad ass dogs!