Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska .357 good enough backup for POW bear hunt?

Not Akpendude and don't know anything about Alaska bears. But for running bears with hounds and killing them in close quarters, I use Underwood 220 gr. hard cast in my Glock 40. It's a very stout round at 1200+ fps.

Thats a joke from Heimo....

Since 9mms work...

I never carry a handgun if I'm carrying a rifle. OTOH when we go back to camp after shooting game and get all the stuff to clean etc... I swap the rifle for a handgun...

Isn't POW a draw hunt? I applied a couple years ago & wasn't drawn.

You don't need a special gun to kill bears. A handgun is used for personal protection when you're not carrying your rifle. If you'll ever put your rifle down for any reason, it is sensible to have a handgun. I live and camp around bears, but they are hardly my foremost concern. Still, I carry a handgun every day, not a rifle. When I go to sleep in camp, it's not a rifle that's in my sleeping bag, but a handgun. When you're camping or hunting with others, it can be another person who gets in trouble and it might be when you didn't think you needed to have your rifle. They might appreciate it if you weren't unarmed.

I suggest carrying the handgun that you're most proficient with. Personally, I carry a 357 Magnum revolver and that's what I devote all my practice to. However, it's better to be armed with a 9mm pistol with which you are proficient than to be armed with an unfamiliar gun. I would be much less concerned about a bunch of 9mm hits failing on a bear or moose than I would be about fumbling around with an unfamiliar "bear" gun with which I might manage to get off one shot that misses.

Its what I carry too all year round. 44 mag is too heavy in the parka pocket. I can't run the dog team up hills with a 44 mag. Little sp 101, no problem. I get charged by grumpy winter moose at least once a season. One dog, Rickus got stomped to sleep. 357 will stop that sht quick.

This season, last two shots out the barrel was in September. A finishing shot in the neck of a big bull moose. The 180 swift A-frame went clear through neck, and found against the hide.

9 days before that, shot a beaver with small game/357 load that provided camp meat for the entire moose hunt.

357 is more than just a bear protection gun, its an all season essential up here.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

go with your 357 and heavy bullets

Any history of Black Bear attacks on POW? I am more afraid of the harsh terrain there!

So .. I carry a handgun to back up my rifle IFF I am packing a questionably adequate, or questionably reliable, rifle. I grew up in a black bear preserve where we might run into up to a dozen or so in a day. It was along a river where the fishing guides, raft "guides", and some of the tour operators put out garbage to draw the bears in for their customers to take pictures so we had a lot of bears conditioned not to run from humans. If I was deer hunting with my dad's .25-20, or my .223, then you bet, I packed my .44 for bears. Similarly, when I hunt with a muzzleloader, I carry a .44 for "backup".

I don't have any faith in the .357 for that use. It is a paperweight. Better than nothing, I guess, but since i have better, when I carry a .357, I carry a .44 to back it up with.

Today, if I'm hunting with a good centerfire rifle, my dividing line falls around the .257 Roberts and .25-'06. Smaller than them, I definitely carry a backup. With them ... maybe, maybe not. Bigger ... why bother?

I saw your later post ... fishing, not packing your rifle? I would not want to rely on the .357. I'd take your relative's offer of loan of the 10mm. It's not ideal, but if you just have black bears, it's "better". IMHO. A .44 magnum is like an '06. It's the yardstick ... for a reason.

Tom

I'm enjoying the total crickets from the OP once the questions about the legality of his bear hunt popped up.

have hunted pow and i would not carry both rifle and handgun. maybe carry a handgun when fishing or just walking.

i drew a tag for 2021 elsewhere and am hopeful it works out.

Exactly, only hits count ! And multiple rapid hits, even from a small caliber, are better than a miss with an unfamiliar hand Cannon.

And as for those who claim a 357 is worthless, I can only tell them the same thing I say to those who claim the 30-06 is ineffective.

I carried my S&W M65 .357 for years and tested its penetration on large bear carcasses killed by my clients and knew the 180 gr FN jacket bullets would penetrate. I gave it to my daughter when she turned 16 and she has carried it now for over 20 years. I found a M29 44 Mtn Gun and carried it for most of that time but occasionally packed a blued steel M13 357, and on the fateful day, my S&W 9mm.
I find that now I am in my 70's I prefer the lighter weight of the 357 as I carry it all day.

You may need a taller front sight with 180's. My .357 FA needed a taller one. FA knew exactly what I needed and with that gun, it's just an Allen wrench and a simple swap.

DF

T_O_M,
This is what a 180 swift looks like after driven square through 16 inches the neck of a 55.75" antlered bull moose at 1200 fps, found against offside hide:

Lotta gusto from a 28oz pistol that fits in my pocket:




And with a smidgen of unique powder, any ole fmj, stacks the cache full o small game as well. So add versatility with the gusto if you don't mind:

If in that situation, I have a couple of candidates, the Glock 40 would need a chest type holster. The FA .357 would be handier.

If a big one was after me, I'd feel better armed with the Glock. But, a cool head like Phil, probably wouldn't matter, although IIRC, he was down to his last 9mm round... Don't think he'd have had time to reload the FA. That could take a minute or so when seconds count... The G-40 surely wins the firepower race, especially with extra clip(s)....

DF

Shot my one and only bear (black) with a S&W 686. I was reloading, but loaded with 140 JHP's. No longer use HP's for hunting. Took 5 shots to kill him - a just why of 6' boar.

I was out deer hunting and blew the fawn beat/distress call. This was late Oct. Something was coming in hard thru the brush - of course I was thinking buck. Didn't see him till he was less than 10 yds away. Opened fire and hit him. He starting heading away bawling. I had to track him down and finish him off. Went to Fred Meyers and bought a S&W 629 a few week later.

I've been known to pack both rifle and pistol while out hunting solo. When you're boning out a deer, you have your loaded rifle in close proximity, but if you got jumped my El Bruno, you may not be able to reach your rifle. Your pistol is on your hip.

I have always chosen deep penetrating bullets and try to be a bit more precise than simply "opened fire and hit him"

Sorry for the slow response. Simply, I work all day and don't have time until evening to read and respond to the comments that have been given. As I had stated before, I know next to nothing about hunting bear in Alaska or more specifically, Prince of Wales. I do know that there are a limited number of tags although I do not know what are the chances of getting one. I guess I am just a little excited about the prospect of going to Alaska and just want to be prepared as much as I can if I am lucky enough get a bear tag. I didn't realize that my lack of a prompt response would generate concern of the "legality" of what I was hoping to do in May. I posted a simple, honest question. To those who answered that question in any way, thank you very much. It has been very informative and educational.

G40s use clips now? LMAO.