Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Slugs on Bears

Don't forget, that an 870 has the same receiver port size in both 2 3/4" and 3 " chambered guns. The safest bet on clean follow-ups is to use the shorter shell size, or at the very least, shoot enough of your desired ammo as to be aware of any hitches. Any gun should work very well when worked slow, fast, or anything in between if you plan to count on it for defensive use when your adrenaline is cooking.

Gotta love 870gr heat treated chunk of lead and other metals mixed in.

Hi Brian: I have delt with pissed off bears with a rifle but what i asked is how a brenneke slug works because i was not impressed with regular slugs in stumps. I have 416 rigby,458wm 375 ruger but all are heavy and don't have a folding stock like the 870. Dan

Home Of The Terminator Slug

For what it's worth I grew up hunting whitetails in a shotgun only zone and the Brenneke is by far my favorite slug. However if I was about to walk into brown bear country I think I'd leave the 12ga at home. If you asked 20 guides what they carry in bear country I would be surprised if more than one(if any) said a shotgun.

I have zero experience with slugs on game. Here in Canada the 1 1/4 oz Federal slugs have an outstanding reputation for bear defense. I stoke them in my 12.5" 870 Clone when fishing. After reading this thread I am starting to wonder.

The slugs "outstanding reputation for bear defense" - is sort of like one of those urban myths we hear about every so often.

You know, like one about the couple who went to Mexico and bought a rat, all the while thinking it was a chihuahua - that sort of thing.

I think the logic behind the myth, goes something like this - the hole in the barrel is huge, the kick is powerful - they must really flatten game!

The urban myth sometimes starts to fall apart, if just one simple question is asked.

"So, have you killed a lot of charging bears with these slugs?"

Some "facts" - are better left untested.