Question for the firearms afficianados out there.

[pakrat57]

Go big. The last thing you're going to be worrying about is recoil when a freaking bear is about to chew your head off.

Recoil will definitely play a part if you have to get off more than one shot. It makes it hard to bring the gun back into line for a follow up shot if you can't handle the recoil. The 45 colt or the 410 should not be considered as they won't have the energy required. As far as the 12ga with slugs, that's what the guides in Alaska were using some years back. The large slug from a shotgun is enough to shatter major shoulder bones which is what you need to do to stop a charge. A head shot will mostly glance off a bears skull and a body shot won't do much to slow a charge either.

 

[Ghostchrome]

^^ oh yeah, it makes a difference for sure. The OP sounded nervous about the recoil though.

Whatever you decide to use, practice practice practice until you're comfortable carrying it.

 

[Tonga]

I did not intend to appear as if trolling when I posted earlier above about the S&W 460. After reviewing my post this morning I can see where it could be interpreted as such.

I have a close friend that is an astute gun collector and he chose to purchase the S&W 460 versus any one of the other extreme magnum revolvers based on both the ballistics and the gun’s relative size to weight ratio. The 5 inch barrel is 11.25" OAL and 62.5 oz. He is also a gun rep and salesman for CDNN online.

And if I may add my humble responses below to the previous recommendations:

It may be destructive to people and to people wearing body armor; however it would have a miniscule effect against the muscle and bone mass of a bear. The 5.56mm bullet weight is only 23 to 28 grains as compared to 250+ grain weight of magnum calibers.


I would recommend at least a .44 Mag (especially if you can borrow one rather than purchase one for what appears to be a one-time need), and I would argue against the use of a shotgun for a hiking endeavor. A revolver in a belt holster is way quicker to deploy than a rifle or shotgun, not to mention less threatening than a long gun would be to other hikers.


When I hike I like to enjoy nature with as little intrusion into the environment as possible, as I am sure any hikers that I may meet along the way would not appreciate hearing what would seem to be a disturbed person if following such advice. There again in my honest opinion if you need to make noise to thwart a threatening bear encounter, a magnum revolver is the only sensible means of providing the stopping power and incidental noise.



I would argue that if a S&W .460 or a .500 S&W Magnum will not stop a charging black bear then neither will a shotgun with solid slugs.
[Federal® Truball® 12 ga.- 2 3/4" - 1 oz. Slugs - Velocity: 1,600 ft/s - Muzzle Energy: 2,485 ft-lbs]

.460 S&W Magnum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Whatever you choose it goes without saying the need to determine the applicable gun "carry" laws for your planned hiking route.

I beleive you are a little light on the 5.56mm and its capabilities. The bullet weights go into the 70gr range and even lighter hollow points are destructive to almost any thing on this continent while it is NOT the proper choice for even deer, it can do the job if needed in an emergency especially with up to 30 rounds in the magazine.
The .44 Mag to .500 Mag is appropriate for black bear protection and hunting, if you have experience hunting:beer:.

I don't mean to be trolling or off topic here either, sorry if it appears that. I do like the topic of firearms and get carried away blabbing!

 

[Shadowspawn]

I've been in your situation before.

My suggestion would be a Smith and Wesson 629, stainless steel finish, rubber grips, in either the 5" or 6" barrel (depending on your personal preferences):

Large Frame (N) - Smith & Wesson

You can't beat the reliability and endurance of a revolver, or the stopping power of the .44 Magnum.

Buy it used, absolutely buy it used. New guns are very expensive, used guns are a much better value.

Practice like crazy. These tools are not for the faint of heart, and you'll need to have practiced a lot to be comfortable, and *SAFE*, with it.

I have no clue as to what to suggest for ammunition. If you expect to be good enough to focus on head shots, I'd probably suggest FMJ loads, but if you think you might be making wild-ass body shots, a hollow point might be more in order. Hopefully someone else will have good advice on these lines.

 

[rhd]

LOL, it's so strange to me that in the US you can just go *buy* a handgun - let alone actually carry it places. There is probably some way to legally buy a handgun in Canada, but I wouldn't have the foggiest idea what it is. I've never met a single person in Canada who actually owns a handgun. I don't even know if we have gun stores that sell handguns, so I'm not sure where you'd actually buy one (assuming there was some legal way to do it).

We have lots of bears in Canada, and we use this:
Counter Assault CA-18H-Bear Deterrent 10.2 oz with Belt Holster

Anyone who has ever played with pepper spray (from those little 18 gram bottles) will know how deadly the stuff is, and why a giant 230 gram bottle of it is a lot more useful than a handgun at stopping a bear

 

[Trevor]

LOL, it's so strange to me that in the US you can just go *buy* a handgun - let alone actually carry it places. There is probably some way to legally buy a handgun in Canada, but I wouldn't have the foggiest idea what it is. I've never met a single person in Canada who actually owns a handgun. I don't even know if we have gun stores that sell handguns, so I'm not sure where you'd actually buy one (assuming there was some legal way to do it).

We have lots of bears in Canada, and we use this:
Counter Assault CA-18H-Bear Deterrent 10.2 oz with Belt Holster

Anyone who has ever played with pepper spray (from those little 18 gram bottles) will know how deadly the stuff is, and why a giant 230 gram bottle of it is a lot more useful than a handgun at stopping a bear

Yeah... I hadn't even considered purchasing a gun until a local friend of mine brought up that it would probably be a good idea. I didn't realize that since I'm 21, I can just go pick up a handgun and open-carry here (as opposed to concealed carry).

I do plan on carrying bear spray. But since I'll be spending the better part of ten weeks solo on 2600 acres, I think erring on the side of extreme caution is wise.

Trevor

 

[DarkSide]

You make some valid points. My reccoemendation does not take into account others such as Hikers or personal comfort. Like most here i never have had to navigate past a black bear in the wild. If Trevor is familiar with the territory he's working in then its uncommon or unlikely he will see or run into another human. Thats if he's in North or North West territory, and if he did run into a human it would likely be a ranger. I would carry both a handgun .44 S&W and a rifle. And maybe just maybe i would get a few hours sleep. That twelve i recommend would be the only legal as viable firearm to stop a black bear.
Tonga - Not very fare . I agree a 5.56 could slice a good chunk of skull, meat, and fur from a black bear but the shooter would require a fair amount of skill. And i don't think this an option or desire of the person asking the question. No chance of getting a full auto AR-15 into Canada at least by our buddy here. Otherwise i'll join along with the AR in my Avatar, although its a .308 I would choose a 5.56 if my purpose a long distance disembowelment of a adult black bear at say, 500 yards with one bullet. That's not the case here or would it be fair to a black bear, jeep, two elephants walking side to side.

I did not intend to appear as if trolling when I posted earlier above about the S&W 460. After reviewing my post this morning I can see where it could be interpreted as such.

I have a close friend that is an astute gun collector and he chose to purchase the S&W 460 versus any one of the other extreme magnum revolvers based on both the ballistics and the gun’s relative size to weight ratio. The 5 inch barrel is 11.25" OAL and 62.5 oz. He is also a gun rep and salesman for CDNN online.

And if I may add my humble responses below to the previous recommendations:

It may be destructive to people and to people wearing body armor; however it would have a miniscule effect against the muscle and bone mass of a bear. The 5.56mm bullet weight is only 23 to 28 grains as compared to 250+ grain weight of magnum calibers.


I would recommend at least a .44 Mag (especially if you can borrow one rather than purchase one for what appears to be a one-time need), and I would argue against the use of a shotgun for a hiking endeavor. A revolver in a belt holster is way quicker to deploy than a rifle or shotgun, not to mention less threatening than a long gun would be to other hikers.


When I hike I like to enjoy nature with as little intrusion into the environment as possible, as I am sure any hikers that I may meet along the way would not appreciate hearing what would seem to be a disturbed person if following such advice. There again in my honest opinion if you need to make noise to thwart a threatening bear encounter, a magnum revolver is the only sensible means of providing the stopping power and incidental noise.



I would argue that if a S&W .460 or a .500 S&W Magnum will not stop a charging black bear then neither will a shotgun with solid slugs.
[Federal® Truball® 12 ga.- 2 3/4" - 1 oz. Slugs - Velocity: 1,600 ft/s - Muzzle Energy: 2,485 ft-lbs]

.460 S&W Magnum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Whatever you choose it goes without saying the need to determine the applicable gun "carry" laws for your planned hiking route.

 

[Seoul_lasers]

Need some help. I'll be hiking solo this summer in the appalachian region doing camera trapping to track animal populations. The key here is solo. In bear country.

In all of my years of scouting/camp/etc. I've only run across a couple black bears, who were far more afraid of me than I was of them. Though I still feel like the more responsible thing would be to be able to defend myself.

Which brings up my question - what should I be looking into? A friend of mine was talking about a .44 magnum, but my brother encouraged me to run hollow points through a .45 instead, so as to not be using a revolver.

I'm going to be carrying a pack with camera trapping gear, my own camera gear, and food, so I don't think a shotgun is terribly feasible.

If anyone experienced in this sort of thing has any pearls of wisdom to offer, I would love to hear them.

Trevor

Actually a .44 magnum will work against a bear, however a Winchester 12ga 3.5" magnum slug round will drop a bear dead instantly. This is our standard round for going out to the bush in B.C. bear country. I wouldn't suggest anything else. If a bear charges you fire a warning shot. 99% of the time, this will scare the bear off running... If it keeps getting closer and appears to be heading towards you quickly, aim for the head.

 

[DarkSide]

I wouldn't trust myself at close range with pistol and 3500lbs running at me. Watching a black bear on its hind feet will scare the ---- out of anyone. Few years ago you had problems with a few bears getting very close to neighboring towns? Mounted police pulled out some heavy artillery

Actually a .44 magnum will work against a bear, however a Winchester 12ga 3.5" magnum slug round will drop a bear dead instantly. This is our standard round for going out to the bush in B.C. bear country. I wouldn't suggest anything else. If a bear charges you fire a warning shot. 99% of the time, this will scare the bear off running... If it keeps getting closer and appears to be heading towards you quickly, aim for the head.

 

[millirad]

The .44 mag option is good. If you have strong wrists you could go for something larger. You definitely have to be comfortable with whatever you bring into bear country. One other item not mentioned that "may" help is a mini marine air horn at ~$9.00.

If you see a bear from a distance, it would probably work to get it to leave. Otherwise do what you have to do to stay safe. SeaSense Mini 1.4 ounce Marine/Sports Air Horn

 

[Tech_Junkie]

I'd bring a riffle. Hand guns and adrenaline dont mix well. Especially a large caliper hand gun. A riffle is a better idea in case you get lost too. Its hard to shoot game with a handgun.

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

This sounds like its going to be a really cool trip!
To put in my 2 cents worth; If you are dealing with angry frightened animals, you really need enough power to physically incapacitate the animal if you must.

I have never shot a bear with a pistol, but I did help track one that had been ripping through barn doors to eat livestock feed. It was doing a lot of damage so Fish and Game issued a depredation permit. The guy who shot it hit it with a .300 WSM right through the heart. It ran for about 300 yards before getting caught in a fence where it died.

I'm just guessing here, but I would assume that; if you shoot a bear with a .45 (although the damage may be fatal), you will still have a really pissed off, scared bear on your hands for a while. I can't say for sure whether a .44 mag would even do any better. I would agree with most people who posted here; I would err on the side of power, just in case.

If it is within your budget: Smith & Wesson 500 Revolver .500 S&W Mag 4in 5rd Stainless for sale - 163504 - Tombstone Tactical

Its a good excuse to buy a sweet new pistol IMO

I have the S&W .44mag, and its great. If you have never used a seriously big revolver, I definitely suggest you practice a lot before you might really need it. The recoil takes some getting used to, especially if you are used to shooting a 9mm.

Of course, it would be a shame to have to kill a bear because YOU startled it after YOU came into its territory. Being loud and obnoxious is the best way to avoid animal attacks.

This makes me want to get out and do some shooting of my own (Both Camera and Firearms!). Maybe I'll do some adventuring this weekend! :beer:


Edit: I would also agree with T_J's last post here; that pistols are a bad choice when adrenaline runs high. Rather than a rifle however, (IF you have the room to carry it) I would choose a shotgun. Large-Shot defense rounds pack more power and will be easier to employ than any pistol. You can also carry game loads in case you need them.

 

[Seoul_lasers]

I wouldn't trust myself at close range with pistol and 3500lbs running at me. Watching a black bear on its hind feet will scare the ---- out of anyone. Few years ago you had problems with a few bears getting very close to neighboring towns? Mounted police pulled out some heavy artillery

Miss at close range?
True... scary a$$ situation. 12ga 3.5" mag slug... bear no more. .44mag vs 12ga 3.5" mag slug = 3700 ft lbs of energy.

 

[jcranmer]

@Trevor: So did you make a decision on what to take?

I was at a local gun store and got a much better look at one of the Judge models. They are much bigger then I originally thought. If you are going to go with a handgun that large there may be some better options mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

[jakeGT]

Taurus International Manufacturing Inc

44 mag raging bull
This will definitely do the trick. If the first one doesn't stop it the other 5 will.
I would be scared shitless if a bear came at me but confident I could take it down with this.

 

[Seoul_lasers]

Yes, that is a good gun to own for Bears... but... in Canada we can not carry these for bear protection. Pistols = range only. This may have changed with special permission from RCMP but generally rifles and shotguns only. Pistols are RESTRICTED in Canada unless they are deemed a collectors item (1890's), then they are non-restricted.