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

Something that is seriously corrosion resistant

yes it is

I was about 16yo bear hunting with my Dad's buddy in Puale Bay (base of the Aleutian peninsula). It was just him and I. We were separated from my Dad and another guy by about 1/2 mile. I was helping carry his gear back to the boat and he was carrying the hide and skull of a 10.5' he just shot.

This monster started charging us through the alders. Back and forth thrashing brush, running in half circles. Darting closer then backing off. He would stop about 100y away and do it again. It went on for 1-2min. Felt like a 1-2 hours! The guy had dropped the hide and grabbed his rifle from me. I was behind him at a 45 angle from the bear when it finally split. He turned and looked at me very relieved then freaked out on me! During these charges I set my .338 wm down and pulled out a .44mag super Blackhawk I had just got and was real proud of. He kept asking me "do you know how much more damage that .338 would have done"? I was shaking so hard I really doubt I could have landed a fatal pistol shot anyway.

I don't think I have every carried both since. I really can't think of any circumstance in my life hunting Alaska where I wished I was carrying a pistol also. Ahh, maybe a .22 for spruce hens and Ptarmigan lol.

I'm a new member here. I've never hunted Alaska and don't presume to know anything about hunting Alaska. Nonetheless, I've found this thread immensely interesting. Thanks for that.

I do spend a lot of time in bear country where I live, both in my truck, but mainly on foot. We have black bears, a high density of them, with some going up to 700 lbs and very occasionally more. I am a [very] amateur wildlife photographer and have had some very close encounters with black bears. I've both surprised bears and been surprised by them, two of them in the 500-600 lb range. Only one has ever been even remotely aggressive, slapping it's paws and snapping its jaws at me. Mostly, they hold their ground until I go the other way. Every once in awhile I'll meet one on a trail and it's me that has to move. I hope I never have an encounter that goes south, but that possibility exists, I guess. We did have a local lady apparently eaten by the bears that she liked to feed near her home some years ago.

When I set off on foot, I carry a Glock 20 10mm and occasionally a Glock 29 with an extended magazine and X Grip. It's usually loaded with 200 gr Hornady HPs. And I sometimes carry a .357 Magnum, either a GP100 or an 8-shot Redhawk loaded with 180gr Buffalo Bores. Either, I think, would be effective against either the kinds of bears I'd encounter, or the more dangerous poachers that sometimes roam the same woods.

Anyways, keep up the good discussion. Even though I don't live in Alaska nor have hunted there, I find this forum immensely interesting.

Just a few of my bears...
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WXMUcZ8iPmbU7gmm6

Thanks for the pics. Where you at?

Prince of Wales black bear hunting, was done watching the beaches from a skiff, during my short stay in southeast! Locate a bear, pull the skiff into the next inlet, get out and sneak up on them! To friggn thick to walk the woods. Sit above a clearcut glass and stalk was the second choice of the people i knew there! Needing a hand gun seems unnecessary, but then I carried my .41 in a Blackhawk while there. It has been a long time since I wandered Southeast Alaska. I like the mainland better for hunting. I do like fishing southeast, as well as any place I ever wet a line. Hope you go and have the time of your life!!

I live in southeast Virginia but live the best part of my life in eastern North Carolina.

Exactamundo.

Glock10,
I know nothing about bears but a couple of those look like they’d grade “Prime” if they were Angus!
Not to be critical, but some of your local farmers could hold a straighter line when pulling a planter.

Thanks for the pictures!

Actually, those aren't farm fields. That's a National Wildlife refuge. Those fields are planted for the benefit of the wildlife. They grow soybeans and corn and other crops for wildlife, and then those fields get flooded in the winter for waterfowl. The folks that plow and plant those fields are local farmers who donate their time to the refuge. A steady supply of high quality food is how they grow bears up to 880 lbs. 880 is the NC record from this region. It's not entirely uncommon to see bears pushing 700 lbs feeding near the roads.

Hard to believe this thread is going still. LOL.

I've said before and again. I almost always have one or the other one me.

But I go out to pee at night without. We don't sleep in separate tents. I idon' have one on me at camp, but they are close around usually.

I do swap from rifle to handgun once a client has an animal down.

I never carry both. The extra weight is nuts IMHO.

People can do what they want, but it boils down to simplicity. If you ever have an attack encounter its gonna be rare. The bluffs otoh most people think are attacks.

When and if rare hits, you have to kill. Bullet has to penetrate vitals to kill. Has to penetrate CNS if you need to stop it right now.. CNS is SMALL. Moving.

You have to make the call. But as I"ve noted I don't feel bad with a 9 or larger around. I don't feel bad with a. 223 rifle or larger around., There are times I carry large. But there are other reasons than strictly self defense in those situations. And those are generally because I feel obligated to have to shoot the south end of a north bound animal that already has a hole in it. Different situation by a bit. IMHO.

Finally your noggin, not that some posters on 24 hour have much inside there, but your noggin is more important 99.9% of the time than your gun.

For the OP, and anyone else I suppose.

One thing in skimming through this thread I did not see is discovering what was optimal for the OP.

Since there is no shortage of time before the OP has a chance to go, I would take a few guns out such as his .357, a Glock 10mm, a .44 mag, and whatever else he can acquire and do a side by side comparison. Shoot some drills on a timer.

Discover what he performs best with under pressure.

Just because you can shoot the prettiest group when doing bullseye style shooting with no time limits with a 1911 or Ruger Blackhawk does not mean it will be the gun you perform with when you need to make 4 or 5 hits with in under 3 seconds on a moving target.

A timer will help you in discovering what you are quicker with, including what holsters work with what clothing.

The Scandium 329 .44 may be ideal for packing around due to its ultra light weight, but the dismal shot to shot recovery time, as compared to a Model 629 could be eye opening. Same with single action revolvers versus doubles, versus a semi auto handgun in doing drills.

You might find that a Glock shooting 10mm or +P 45 heavy hardcast bullets is better (or worse) then an XYZ.

The only way to know is to go out run some drills with a timer, write down some info, be objective about it, compare and discover what works for you.

Cheers!

My Arlo motion camera's got a photo of a black bear on my carport here in Virginia the other night. They are increasing moving into populated areas here !

Can the SP101 handle the 180 BB loads and would it be just as effective.....Hmmmmm

The fired cases from bb 180 hardcast get stuck in the sp 101 cylinder. They also misfire in the below zero weather. I load 180 grain swift A-frames to 1200 fps with lil gun powder. These spent srarline brass drop out the cylinder with ease.

The 180s drive clear through a bull moose neck(neck bone and all), found against the offside hide. 16 inches of penetration. The copper partition prevents them from expanding too much. The pure copper and lead allows great contolled expansion diameter, even down to 900 fps. They penetrate deep, and shock the animal better than hard cast.

There's a new small frame 357trail gun in town:

The kimber. It holds a full six shots and is just as light weight as the tiny 5 shooter sp101's and S&W's.

Theres an important cutoff where handguns don't get carried in my world. That mark is 30 ounces unloaded with barrels at 3-4 inches, no shorter no longer'. This new kimber hits the mark, as a full 6 shooter:


https://www.kimberamerica.com/k6s-dasa-4-target-1

You gonna buy one and report back to us Mainer? The cylinder latch on that thing looks like an afterthought. The sights look good.

357 is better than nothing but pick your bullets carefully. Seen a few black bears hit with 9mms, 38s, 357s over hounds mostly using OTC ammo using jacketed bullets up close or when treed, with less than impressive results. Usually the guy wielding the 30-30 then puts em down. 44 mag much better than other pistol rds.

Seen a guy one shot and roll a blackie with a 44 though it was small. Had one local guy who weighed about 135lbs, if he came long he would always run in and grab a bayed up bear from behind in the neck and kill it with a shot to the head with his Ruger Single Six 22lr.

Don't think a black bear is an easy pushover if wounded, had one close call myself. Others not so lucky. They say it's rare?
Back in the 90s, local bow hunter


Black Bear Mauls Bowhunter

Idaho Bear Hunter Mauled

PA Teen Hunter Attacked by Black Bear

VA Hunter Attacked by Black Bear

Ontario Bowhunter Attacked

NC Hunter Bear Misses Juglar

Black Bear Attack

Will also add myself and others have been followed by black bears while packing out game or even just hunting. One time a friend had some deer salami in his day pack and stepped off a trail to take a leak. When he returned to the trail he saw a 350lb black bear standing in the trail staring at him, about 30yds away. It took off but later when he went back down the trail he said the bear had been following him over 1.5 miles. Saw the same thing in Idaho with some other deer hunters, not one but 2 black bears tracked/trailed them a couple miles. Another friend had a big black bear show up and watch him while he boned out a deer, then it started popping its teeth. So he put a round in the dirt before it and it took off.

Worse feeling is having a black bear show up late night in camp after you killed something earlier. Full meat sacks to deal with, and bloody clothes get rinsed and hung away from camp. The bears still show up, and then the fun starts.

Just my perspective on what a black bear can do, no experience with Alaska bears.

Somebody oughtta market this emphatuation with bear defense.

Maybe call it outdoor life magazine or some sht.

So Main-ah, you are the man, or one of them at least, what's the quick and dirty on a handgun backup in AK? No outdoor magazine BS involved.

Blu,
Everyone has a philosphy on handguns used in Alaska. It's a big, vast state full of all sorts of folks.

Hunters, hikers, fisherman, guides, commercial fisherman, outfitters, tactical douches, mushers, gang members, Bush pilots, trappers, artists,etc.

Hell, we even have an athabascan rapper, named Samuel John! I dont know what the fk he wraps, maybe Christmas presents?

Anyhow, many of these personalities are packin handgun heat. In my bush travels, I see a lotta different types n choices.

My brother, that crazy fkn Indian, he recently snuck up on a 6 point white tail buck in the fog, by kayak. He popped that buck with his sub compact glock 9 mil. Guy is 6 ft 5 inches tall. It's kinda silly, he cant even get more n two fingers on the grip. He's got massive bear paws. I wont begrudge him on that lil glock, he loves the fkn thing!

Though he's not an Alaskan, my point is, he had it with him because it's handy.

Talk to an APD cop or ah Trooper, they'll tell yah where some Mountain view prostitutes will hide a beretta tomcat or 25 cap. Um, thats ah little too "handy" aye? Hope the cop didn't "handle" it after the search. Covid-19 would be the least of his worries.

I've carried many ah 44 magnum. Though effective, do not discount those handy trail guns like compact 357 mag or a glock 29 10 mm.

When the hiking gets hard, they'll never way yah down.

I'm a little different than most handguners, and have different needs:

Bear protection aside, winter moose are my biggest problem. Ask ANY experienced musher, they'll tell you what it's like to have 1000 lbs of grumpy dumb, come stomp the fk outta the dogs, thinking they are wolves. I can't use heavy hardcast, it could over penetrate and kill a dog. Not happening.

Swift A-frames in both the ladies 10mm and my 357 mag. If you keep the stock spring on the glock 10 mm, it'll digest light duty fmj, that won't damage small game,. The stock spring still works fine if you're not going after that hot loaded, 220 grain hard cast madness.

My handgun must do double duty as a small game getter. I don't own a rimfire. I can only afford a single handgun. I eat beaver on my moose hunts. So fmj's at lower velocity put away at least 200-300 lbs of beaver, grouse, ptarmigan and hare every year.

Running a heavy dog sled up a hill to help the dogs, can't do that with a chubby 44. An sp 101 357 or glock 29 10mm is ideal. With heavy winter parkas like the Northern Outfitters and Apocolypse design out of Fairbanks,, there is only one place for that gun: Front parka pocket.

Little guns like the sp101 and the glock 29 won't way yah down on those steep hikes.

Anyhow, I'm a buffoon of a man,

But dont discount handy compacts. Theyll do everything well. You wont notice it, till you need it.

No name-dropping here: "this guide carries this kinda bullsht".

Just speaking for myself, my experiences, and what works perfectly well for me.