Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Nope...don't need no handgun for bear defense...

...until you do....

https://www.alloutdoor.com/2018/09/...09-15&utm_campaign=Weekly+Newsletter

So the bear spray was deployed.

They found bear spray on one bear. They found a canister at the scene. The safety was off. I think I read it was mangled. So, was it used on the bear, or did the bear find it and chew on it?

Hope he's over that "spring set" chit.

The article says Bridger is “thinking about heavier, deeper-penetrating bullets in 10mm cartridges designed for bear defense, to carry in his GLOCK.”

I’d say that’s not a bad idea… although a revolver chambered for a more powerful round might be a better one.

ah, no sh*t.

IMHO. Big bore revolvers are a better choice for bear defense. His Glock did not return to battery. The 10mm worked in the end but only by a miracle.

A rare occurrence.

Phil Shoemaker killed a bear with one 9mm round.

I'm no Phil Shoemaker, I might need all 16 of my 230 grain hard cast 10mm rounds to convince a bear to die.

This is an odd story for several reasons. It definitely adds to the absurdity of the idea that “You only get one shot, at most, at a charging bear.”

And this is more about the Indian than the Arrow.

He shot hollow-point 10mm load at a bear’s "body” without shooting 10mm monolithic rounds at the bear’s head at close range because he cared more about a dog that might possibly have been in the way than his “family members following” along (“He screamed at Janelle to stay away.”).

The guy was videoing a threatened bear. Dumb.

“Bridger elected not to aim for the head. He didn’t want to hit one of his dogs. He triggered two or three shots aimed at the bear’s body.” Dumb.

“Bridger decided to retreat. He turned and hopped to the next boulder, then the next. ... In his fast mind-state, he realized this was bad.” He should have kept putting bullets into the animal, especially with loved ones nearby.

He probably brought the wrong JHP bullets; didn’t load his magazine; put dog life above human life, including “Janelle”; and didn’t keep shooting, but “decided to retreat” when he first hit the bear.

I would never place a self defense shot into anything other than the best place I could; would not stop firing if I had a 16-round 10mm gun; would not disengage and retreat with loved ones nearby; and would not use JHP bullets in bear territory.

He actually hit it 7 times, so I'm assuming that there was more than one round involved.

We are the best arm chair quarterbacks in the world! Looking at it all Shrapnels 357 is sure appealing from a weight, capacity, penetration standpoint loaded properly.

I'm sticking with my Glock 40, long slide 10mm and Federal Trophy Bonded 180 grain SP. Of course we don't have any grizzly bears in Florida, but what the hey,

Very sobering....

Don't disagree, but I also don’t think penetration with the right 10mm round is much of an issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhmxYs23MHs

Sounds like he did everything well enough to live another day. If you've never been around dog nuts they are a different lot. They don't think anything of bear or cat encounters and it's very common for them to try and get everything on film.

Biggest take away I have from this story is dumb schit [bleep] that wouldn't know a spring from a dilddo convincing people to download their mags.

Or how about a Redhawk 8 shot 357 mag.?

The client threw the pistol towards the guide and ran away?

My son just got back form his annual one week bow hunt for elk in the southwest part of the state. He said they saw 7 different grizzly bears. All were within 60 to 100 yds and at least 4 (a sow and 3 two yr old cubs) were responding to elk calls. He said the cubs were as big as black bears. None of the bears showed any fear of humans.

FWIW,

Paul

I'm still looking for the magazine I read that in. What is the source of your information? From Mr. Shoemaker?

There are three different bear/handgun stories being tossed around in this thread. The New Mexico black bear, the Wyoming grizzly and Mr. Shoemakers Alaskan brown bear.

The original thread was about the New Mexico black bear and the guys Glock 10mm. That guy either needs to educate himself about semi auto pistols and appropriate loads or start packing a sixgun. Load the magazine full, spring set from a fully loaded magazine isn't a real thing. Choose appropriate loads for heavy game. Don't jam a semi auto against whatever you are trying to shoot. Shoot to kill the thing that is trying to kill you, dogs be damned.