A bear is a formidable foe and can be largely unpredictable. While most will turn and run if they think humans are near, there are some that simply won't care.
The bears that are likely not to care are mothers with cubs and those who won't hear you coming over the sound of their own paws crashing through the underbrush.
Suddenly you're standing face to face with a wall of claws, fur, and muscles.
Hopefully, you've packed a weapon capable of either fending off or taking down this beast.
But not all firearms are the equal, and what you think will save your life may in fact just piss the bear off.
Check out what we mean on the next page.
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If it’s got down to using a side arm, that either means I couldn’t bring it down from a way’s off or I come upon it suddenly or it wakes me up as it enters the tent. Whatever way, things are already going horribly wrong. So I would (want) a desert eagle. I figure a short .50 cal. pistol, with semiautomatic capabilities would be optimal. Because I would probably have time for either one or two shots from this point. I would go “loaded for bear.”
If a bear is on top of me I’m fucked regardless.
The Ruger Blackhawk in 44mag!!!
Bear protection? Simple, stay the hell out of the woods and the bears will be safe…
44 jacketed soft nose , 10 mm 200 gr fmj
I carry an ubertti catleman in .45 colt
.44mag super Blackhawk is my choice. Heavy hard cast.
Glock 20 10mm or a 45-70 bfr revolver
I wonder if a few rounds to the nutsack would change his mind?
My guess would be if you could drop his guts on the ground, at least you wouldn’t die alone.
If you’re in such a panic and, it appears, afraid of shooting a .44 mag. to the point where you don’t think you could even hit a bear, hire an armed guide. It has been said that shooting a big brown bear that is wet amounts to shooting through 4 inches of water before you hit flesh so keep your .40, I’d have stronger medicine than that, for damn sure!
Glock 20 (10mm Auto) or Glock 21 .460 rowland conversion. Choose heavy and full loads ammo from skilled full charge ammo companies like those 3 kings : Buffalo Bore, Underwood, Douple Tap. For bears, nothing below 200gr.
That would depend on what part of the country your in as well as what past of the world. Black bears are smaller than the brown bears. And then you have even bigger brown bears the further north and west you go and that’s just the US. Then you have the time of the year, colder months late in the season they have more fat and early in the season not so much.
It’s all about penetration. You need to get to organs quickly and as hard and deep as possible. Bears have an extremely high tolerance for pain and if you can’t turn them you need to drop them.
Here in the north east I carry a 44mag super red hawk with a 9-10″ barrel during hunting season. And I carry a converted S&W 44mag with a 2″ barrel while hiking and blueberry picking. The reason why I carry a 2″ barrel while I hike or pick blueberries is its easier to draw and that bear is going to be on me very fast and very close. The longer barrel is for hunting and because I’m hidden and more alert to movement I would hope I see it before it sees me and I would have more time plus I have my slug rifle.
If I where in brown bear country I would at least carry the Ruger Alaskan 454 casull.
When I hunt bear in Maine I use my K98 8mm Mouser with a half jacketed soft point … you wouldn’t believe how little damage is actually done
Bears are tough critters and command respect
Bears are smarter than cats and have been known to backtrack. One hunter had the scalp on one side of his head ripped open by a bear he was tracking; I saw a photo of it. If a bear wants you for food and you are unarmed, you are dead!
Ruger super Blackhawk .44 with a 7″1/2 barrel seems to work fine.
Shawn Kelly you should check out Buffalo Bore .44 +p+ 340 gr. flat nose. You want penetration and bone crushing power. Excellent round. I use it on large feral hogs. Very devastating to say the least.
Glock 20 10mm with buffalo bore
sw 500 magnum
There are several factors the writer left out. #1- the type of holster used. #2 Type of round used. Buffalo Bore make a 340 gr. flat nose+P+ that is extremely devastating. That being said, I would much rather rely on my shotgun and use high velocity sabot rounds alternated with slugs. Keep n mind a bear can go from 0 mph to 30 mph in 2.5 to 3 seconds and cover 50 yards in that amount of time. I always travel with my dog. A good bear dog such as a Tibetan Mastiff will let you know if there is something nearby. To a TM nearby means 200 yards or more. Bears are no joke. You may have time for 2 shots and you may only have time for one. A rule of thumb, if it is close ( 50 yards ) shoot for chest. Never head. You will miss head. It bobs up and down. If you blow out it’s shoulder, it will either drop it for a brief moment , or slow it down. If you rely on a .357, or a .40 to stop a Grizzly, you will be dead before the bear dies. I have seen a moose dropped with 7 shots of a .40. Scary Moment. I have seen a Grizzly take a direct hit from a 7mm mag and get up and charge. Took 5 rounds to drop it. Some were grazing wounds. You have to hit the animal with more force than it weighs to make it hurt bad. A Griz weighs 600 to 800 pounds. You better be hitting him with at least that much ft/lbs of energy if not more. Same oes for a pissed off bull moose weighing up to 1400 lbs. The writer mentioned the 9mm. The only thing that is good for is maybe shooting a lynx , or some other small animal. Very foolish to rely on such a small caliber in any forest, or wilderness. You want deep penetrating, bone crushing power with expansion. Which is why I highly recommend the BB 340 gr. +P+. But it is not for the older S&W and lighter framed .44. Ruger Super Blackhawk, Redhawk and Super Redhawk handle this load with ease.
Winchester and Remington make high velocity sabot 12 ga. shotgun rounds that are hard hitting and deep bone crushing rounds. The Winchester is my preference with a modified bullet. A steel ball bearing dropped in the hollow point then filled with JB weld delays expansion. This also works on moose as well. 00 buck is ok for black bear, but I wouldn’t rely on that for a griz, or a moose. 000 buck in a 3 1/2 inch mag shell maybe. But I personally wouldn’t bet my life on it. That is just my opinion based on experience. Another good brush gun is a Marlin lever action 45-70 with a 405 gr. bullet. Loaded hot. Remember , you may only have one shot. And bears are fast and stealthy. Never go it alone and take large dog or 2 large dogs. I say Tibetan Mastiff , because of their natural anti predator instinct and stealth. They are used as livestock guardians for a reason. I have watched my Nessie scare off big cats and black bears that I did not know were there. The moose was too big to not be obvious, but still, venison is good. Don’t go it alone.
I choose a S & W 40 Police Shield as my backup and a Glock 9 MM as my primary. You need to have two because of the law you can’t really carry anything over 10 rounds. Stupid law when they have pieces with 17 and 18!rounds in them…these are my choices.
1911. Sorry I didn’t type a novel.
357 is a man stopper is lowest caliber you can hunt with will drop deer big cats bears if put shot on target Comes in pistols & rifles Skeeder a ex cop invented the 357 to give police a better penetration Against cars & better stopping power against a Bear I’d rather have a 357 Maximum or 454 casual or even 44 mag
Springfield xdm 9mm, it carries 20 rounds to piss him off 20 times, before he eats me.
Idk were you live but there’s no law on magazine capacity here
44M
.44 mag
.44 Magnum with solids.
Amusing to read all these answers and the question its self is a bit on the bizarre side. A side arm used for bear is a last ditch effort to save your$#%&!@* Ammo capacity or size is little concern when the bear is in your face. You will be lucky to get one or two shots off and placement at that moment will be less then perfect. We all know placement is critical. If you had time to place the shot then I would use a rifle or shotgun with 0 buck. This is like shooting a 9mm 4 times in one pull of the trigger but we are talking surprise bear attack. So my side arm would be a double action revolver with the hammer shaved off so not to catch as I pull it. I would never carry a ACP. They jam or malfunction at the worst time and it takes two hands to clear it. The revolver ever misfires you just keep pulling the trigger.
.500 s&w magnum
One that you can shoot accurately
Glock 20.
Alaskan 454 Magnum all day long
How about be aware of you surroundings so you dont have to orphan two bear cubs …
Kinda like that stupid sh!t that shot that juvinile moose last year in I think New England …
Everyone’s opinion on here is just speculation. I know a guy who took down a charging bear with his 10mm glock. So yes, carry a pistol. Granted he had a little time. But if a bear is on you before you’re ready, no firearm will do you any good.
I keep my .45 hk for scary$#%&!@*white guys lmmfao
Larry King Jr. that should do it.
Smith & wesson 500 magnum.
Lane brown have you checked out the Buffalo Bore 340 gr. +P+ .44. Excellent bear and moose stopper. Can’t be used in the older S&W though. But if you have a Ruger SBH or SRH you are good to go.
The Ruger Alaskan 454 Casull is a great side arm.
Smith & Wesson 500 and if that fails you run like hell.
Which ever one let’s you react the quickest and most accurate. That’s the one you need.
Wear bell? You do realize some bears do stalk humans, right? As for dogs, while a dog can be a detrimental burden, a well trained large breed is not. It could very well save your life. Tibetan Mastiff for example. A male and female team are quite formidable. Hence, why they guard livestock in the Himalayan mountains. I have a female and have been saved by her alertness and no fear attitude many times.
I agree with you on semi auto pistols.
As for hunting, there are people who hunt with the Ruger Super Blackhawks and Super Redhawks quite successfully. Depends on the bullet you use. 340 gr. Flat nose hard cast bullet hits hard and crushes bone. With the inch barrel it starts down range at 1650 fps. That is a lot of energy.
As for shotguns, I personally would not use 0 buck, nor 00 buck. I use and prefer high velocity sabot rounds in 12 ga. pump.
Rifle is a different matter.
Using a .40 in the wilderness can get you killed. Bear may eventually die but you will die first.
The old S&W .44 was light frame revolver. Whereas the Ruger went with a heavy frame dragoon design. Heavy frame reduces recoil and with the Hogue grip, recoil is reduced even more. My fiancé shoots a Super Redhawk using anything from 225 gr. ballistic tipped up to the Buffalo Bore 340 gr. Flat nose +P+. It has a 9.5 inch barrel which also reduces recoil and increases velocity. It will do a one shot kill on moose and bear if your aim doesn’t suck.
Practice and train.
That 40 won’t do it with a grissly, need a mag
Have you checked put the Buffalo Bore ammo? They make a 340 gr +P+ flat nose that hits hard and recommendations are mainly for Ruger users and heavy frame revolvers.
Only use magnum style revolver with grissly or high powered rifle. Even a 357 mag has trouble on a grissly skull
44 mag. Don’t bother with your semi auto .45s or 9mm it’ll just piss a bear off as it eats you.
Some don’t just speak out of speculation. Some Speak From experience and knowledge. Wisdom comes with age and learning from others. You will most likely kill a bear or a moose with a .40. But it just may kill you before it dies. Bears run at 30 mph. Can you? They achieve that in 2.5 seconds. That is a little over 50 yards. What if that fancy pistol jams? No time to clear a jam. A .44 , or a .454 will hurt that bear bad with a well placed chest or shoulder shot. That will give you time for a kill shot if needed. Bears are hard to kill. They are tough and deadly. Ft/lbs of energy on impact matter. A glock .40 does not have the energy to get a bears respect.
That is not opinion. It is fact. A bull moos not liking you in his territory will kill you. A cow thinks you are too close to her calf will kill you.
A . is fine for anti personel, but unless you are shooting a bobcat or smaller, you are doomed.
So I guess my TOW missiles are too much then
Here’s a story I read several years ago, I think it was in “Sports Afield…” A pilot had flown an angler into the Alaskan wilderness for a few days of fishing. Before the pilot left, he offered the guy his pistol saying that he was in “bear country.” The angler refused, and when the pilot returned for the appointed pickup a few days later, he found the angler about 100 yards from where he had dropped him laying in the brush with his guts earn out. If a brown bear wants you for food and you are unarmed, you are dead!