Picking out a friend for bear country

[wolfkpr]

A long gun, if you dont mind packing one- is a better stopper. While 10mm 1911 may be on the light side for bear, if you shoot it better under pressure than the .44 mag wheelguns- thats what matters..

 

[Mack45]

No one has mentioned a Desert Eagle in either .44 mag or .50 cal. It is in your price range. They are a bit large but semi-auto .44 mag should stop a bear! And less recoil than a revolver.

 

[Cohiba]

This is what my buddies in Montana and Alaska carry.

1. Unless they're specifically hunting a Griz or Kodiak.....they try to avoid them as much as possible.

2. When they're in bear country the choice of pistol is a 44 Mag. revolver. This is a self defense gun...one to try and deter, scare, or delay the bear. If they're lucky...maybe kill it.

3. The little brown or black shouldn't be much of a problem....I stated ...shouldn't be. All the ones that I have encountered saw me and turned the other way...except one that I would feed by leaving outdated produce from the grocery store. I would leave it by the river bank...several hundred yards from me while trout fishing. I never encountered a small bear with babies...that may be a different story.

Big bear...Grizzly and Kodiak have a different frame of mind(at least to me) than the smaller bears. But when the big bears have babies with them.....turn around.....get out of Dodge.....give them plenty of space-Plus what ever space you gave them-give them a few extra hundred yards more. You can't outrun, win a fight, nor climb a tree faster than big bear.

***Ever thought of having a hound or two with you on the trail? Not to hunt but as added ...hmmm....protection....or a target for the bear to hit before it gets you...giving you time to Get The *uck Out Of There?


If you want to hunt big bear....my buddies use 300 H&H, 300 Win Mag, and 375 H&H. They usually give the meat to tribal groups.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[dennishoddy]

Interesting article in the latest NRA American Hunter magazine about this very subject. Most bear attacks in Alaska start at 50 yards. It takes a 500lb bruin less than 4 seconds to cover that distance moving at 15 yards a second.
The USGS that put on a training class for its employees that have to live in the bush recommend a 12 ga with slugs, and not your forester slugs from walmart. Too soft and not enough penetration. Brenneke Black Magic and the DDupleks Steelhead are the slugs of choice.
They DO NOT recommend bear spray as a primary because at 7000' altitude it only sprays 10-12' and if really cold probably won't spray at all. They don't argue that having some handy might be useful if a buddy is being mauled to get the bear off them before shooting it.
Large caliber pistols were second choice with the .454 Casull being preferred, and .44 mag second.
Nothing was mentioned about 10mm nor anything smaller by the trained professionals.
The article stresses speed and accuracy with firearms. If you see a bear, get the firearm in your hands and have it ready for use. They cited some incidents of attacks that happened within seconds and if the gun was shouldered or holstered, the bear would have been on them.
I highly recommend getting a copy of the article because it describes the difference in a bears attitude from a mock defensive charge to the actions of a predatory bear that is looking to eat you.

 

[HoLeChit]

Just remember if at some point you get to drive to Alaska, you cannot take handguns thru Canada.

That was gonna be another question I had... However, I can carry a long gun, correct? What kind of limitations are there? I've never considered Canada to be a sporting destination until a year or two ago, due to finances.

Hi, welcome back. Let me see if I get it covered first; you want to go traipsing about in large Brown Bear territory, you prefer a semiauto, can't shoot a Glock very well, are a bit recoil sensitive, want to keep it under $1,100.00 bucks, and have advocated the spray and pray method...so, your choices are very limited. The Witness 10MMM is a good pistol. Ruger makes a nice 1911 in 10MM as well. The Colt Delta Elite is a winner too. But my two cents is this: (1). Re-think this whole thing; you are more than likely going to end up dead. Seriously. (2). But if you insist on such folly, and insist on a semi-auto, then you need to learn to shoot a Glock. Why? The polymer frame will flex, and it does mitigate the felt recoil of the heavy, 10MM loads quite well. A Glock 20 or 40 will give you 15+1. (The 40 would be my choice for your stated conditions). Longer barrel/greater sight radius, and more velocity (whoop-ass) out of the danger end.

I often carry a Gen 4 G29, loaded up with Underwood heavy hitters. (10+1). But it's a CCW gun, not a gun designed with Griz in mind. I shoot my G29 at least as well as my G19. It's just not that bad as far as recoil goes. Oh, it does have some, no doubt, but it's controllable, if you have a strong grip and stance anyway. Also, the Glock is going to be more forgiving of the harsh conditions you may encounter. The Witness, or other steel guns, not so much. I'm not arguing the age old plastic vs steel here, it just makes sense to me to go Glock for the conditions you are likely going to encounter. But back to the bigger guns; the 20 or the 40. Probably not a good choice for CCW, but the best choice, IMO, for the scenario you describe. Read up some more. You'll find that some of the Scandinavian Countries outfit their Ski Patrols with the big Glocks, for Polar Bear defense. Polar bears are bad, but they aren't Grizzlies or Alaskan Brown Bears, which as you know, are both BIG and bad to the bone.

Again, welcome back, and let us know what you decide and when you go, so we know why you aren't posting anymore. (It's hard to type from the stomach of a bear).

Thanks, its nice to be back. In regards to the spray and pray and Glock shooting abilities, I just shy away from Glocks largely because of my partiality to 1911 style grips and weapons. Its definitely something I can practice and most likely become rather proficient in, its just something I've never pursued. My reasoning in the Spray and Pray verbiage (to clear things up, because I am a firm believer in judicious and smart marksmanship) is due to the fact that if I have a 800 pound apex predator coming after me, my adrenaline and limited amount of time will be affording me more of a "hit the target as much as possible in the area you need to hit" rather than knocking hairs off the fleas rear end on the left ear of the bear.

I'm not completely ruling out wheel guns, or Glocks, but I was just stating initial concerns. I don't know that I am too worried about recoil when things are going down.... like I said, in high pressure situations such as that the only thing you feel is adrenaline. and maybe the turds running down your pant leg.

If you had a wheel gun, what would you choose?

If a bear is in your immediate vicinity, I don't think you'll notice the recoil. My grandparents retired NW of Durango. When we hike I usually have a Blackhawk 44 in a chest rig.

Thats a good point, I haven't thought of that.

A long gun, if you dont mind packing one- is a better stopper. While 10mm 1911 may be on the light side for bear, if you shoot it better under pressure than the .44 mag wheelguns- thats what matters..

Just trying to consider all options.

 

[okierider]

I have done a lot of studying this topic, plan soon to go to bear country! 12 gauge pump alternating 00 and slugs!! Will get a pistol for camp but out and about is shotty time as well as bear spray!!

 

[AKJ20]

This was what a carried in Alaska for 5 1/2 years. Luckily never needed it!
Ruger Alaskan in .44 mag. With Buffalo Bore .44 Magnum +P+ Ammo - 340 gr. Hard Cast (1,425 fps/M.E. 1,533 ft. lbs.)

Lots of people carry shotguns with heavy slugs also. But i found pistol easier to carry, when fishing.

 

[Glocktogo]

I considered the Witness Hunter myself. I handled one and really liked it. The only downsides are weight and no stainless option. When the Glock 40 came out, the blue label price difference was too much to ignore, so that’s what I went with.

 

[AKJ20]

 

[Buzzgun]

MODEL 870 TAC-14 MARINE MAGNUM

I'd add a +1 magazine extension to get to 5+1 and a sling.


Or

590 Shockwave - 6 Shot

I'd have it Ceracoated to prevent rust/corrosion and I'd add a sling.