Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Handgun Choice for Flyfishing in Bear Country

I offer up for discussion the 21st century Tommy-gun! 450 Bushmaster with 11 rounds. Optional 30 round magazine available. Strapped across your chest? Might work...

thumb',

It fhuqking BETTER be! Hint.

Less retention,you have NOTHING. GFI Kenai's are simply without fhuqking peer and nothing else is even close. Hint...............





dessert',

The 450 in and of it's self,is a HUGE hit to feed/function percentages and a Goat Fhuqk from the start. Hint.

Go FULL Retard with multiple pistol grips and velcro,then you are pissing up alotta ropes. Now place the piece of fhuqking schit across your business and the Bears will even fhuqking LAUGH! Hint.

Bless your hearts for TRYING sooooooo hard.

Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!............

Thanks for the info. I just happen to be in the market for a chest holster

The truth of the matter is a LOT of people can't handle a handgun of whatever type to save themselves in a run in with a bear. If your friend get's a new handgun and he's not really capable of handling it in an emergency, well enough to save himself or whoever he's with, he may need to carry a rifle of some sort. No harm in that, it's important to have the right tool for the job. Just make sure it's got a good sling and you can handle that adequately.

MalibouSmack,

I get it,that you are a CLUELESS Brokedick Fhuqking Retard and you are hovering on your Imagination and Pretend. Congratulations?!? LAUGHING!

Keep "explaining" your Drooling Fhuqktardation and the "benefits" of same. Hint.

What "if" you can handle a Newborn,land a Steelhead and thawrt Bears via GFI and on a DAILY schedule? You DUMB Fhuqk. Hint.



You CLUELESS Stupid Fhuqks are a HOOT! Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!...............

Yep, ridiculous! I'll stick to my coostum Browning BAR .458 Win Mag:

Dont fly fish, but have hunted elk in The Thorofare, place is crawling with grizzlies, first trip was FA 454 with 335 lbt's easily handled with weak side hand at 1200 fps, second outing was G21 with same 255gr cast bullets i use in 45 Colt, 950 fps with Longshot.

For what it's worth, I agree. Muzzle flip with big-bore magnum revolvers makes fast AND accurate followup shots hard. Muzzle flip in a short barrel big bore using full house hardcast gas check bullets can be downright vicious. And bear defense isn't bear hunting. I'd wouldn't choose to carry the same handgun for defense that I would bear hunting. If I had a bear come at me, I'd want to pump as much lead into it in as short amount of time as possible. I carry a 10mm Glock. I don't even carry full house loads, but rather Hornady 200 gr XTPs, 15 of them. It's a moderate power 10mm load that I can fire fast and accurately - at least fast and accurately enough to hit the front end of a bear. But I wouldn't hunt bear with it.

It's been proven that a 9mm can stop a bear. Someone with a Glock 17 9mm and some good 147 gr bonded hollow points, like Speer Gold Dots, in a 17 or 19 rd magazine, a gun that they can fire fast and accurately, would be better served, IMO, than they would with a big, heavy .44 Magnum or .454 that they can't fire fast and accurately.

Iron bender is right on track.

Anyone try something like a Mossberg Shockwave in a easy to reach backpack holster/scabbard.

From the cheap seats....I've got no worries of bears where I fish... For me, the 10mm in a G20 would be first choice. I'm familiar with it, it carries easily with lots of rounds on board, and I shoot it quicker and more accurately than a S&W Mt gun in 45 that I shoot. OP mentioned several options and they would all work but I'm just so familiar with the G20 that I'd have a hard time going with anything else. I'm a big fan of the HPG kit bag for carry with a trigger guard. If you leave the side unzipped it's quick/easy access. Handy spot to carry other items as well.

Several folks opened it up to long guns. I can't see not using a handgun for ease of carry and access. It's something you hope to never use and I'd not want it to be continual trouble to carry. That said, I think a short, stainless 45 lever would be the easiest long gun to carry and use.....and someone who's not a "shooter" would likely do a lot better getting hits with it and no doubt those hits would have more umph than the same from a handgun:

https://rossiusa.com/firearms/lever...ounds-stainless-steel-brazilian-hardwood

Desert: The original question had the word FLYFISHING in it. How do you cast a fly rod with a 450 Bushmaster across your chest or a 458 Browning Safari slung on your shoulder?

https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Scorpion-Gear-TSG-PL001-Lanyard/dp/B01HVMKTLY/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=IKHX5Z2AK0KB&keywords=pistol+lanyard+military&qid=1653832466&sprefix=Pistol+lan%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A346SIG61A32E8&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUEdBV0ZHRkhES1M4JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDUyODMwMjlQQ1I2OURHNDJPNyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzk5ODQ3M1ZYVE1JQ1lGWkVWRSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=


These little guys might deserve a second look if your in water and trembling. Lanyards might be overlooked these days. Just an opinion.

The last time I went to Alaska was in April,15 years ago, for a short notice trip. I took along an SP101 and a 1911. I picked up some Alaska Backpacker 200 grain 357 for the SP101. It wasn't going to be a bushwhacking tour but I did get to spend some time puttering trails from Chugach south to Alyeska. We didn't run into any bears, but a week after we left some bicycle guy got scuffed up good by one on a trail we walked just outside Anchorage.

If a person won't commit to learn or isn't physically able to handle the hard-kickers they are certainly better off with a 10mm. I wasn't familiar with the Kenai rig until shtick posted it. After watching a couple of vids of the holster in use, I'm convinced it's worth the price

All my years hunting all over the place for all kinds of stuff, I've only had to defend myself once from a bear. No handgun was involved so can't comment on that, but what I will comment on is that shrapnel is right, it happens very fast! And you can sit here saying you'd do this or you'd do that, but until it does happen to you, you have no idea how you'll react, no matter what you think you can do. It worked out in my favor my one time, but could have easily gone in the bears favor too. Just incredible how fast they are!

Best to you and your friend in your search, lots of good info here. But also remember, practice doesn't make perfect, only correct practice makes perfect...

've shot a few black bears............but that was with the archery gear. It was effective and final but the bears are tough.

I carried a 629 in a shoulder holster back then and one day had the chance to dig it out when a average size black bear was rounding the bend on the trail and we would meet at about 15'. I had a sweater pullover on over the shoulder holster and it was like a monkey loosing his balance on a tight rope trying to dig it out. The end result was that we never met as he decided to fade away, perhaps due to all the gyrations I had going on.

Today if I was fly fishing in bear country I would opt for a G22 with my 180 reloads that I shoot a lot with and am accurate. The gun is familiar and I can hit stuff with it. It is loaded and shot most of the time with 180g cast at 1167 fps which is on the warm side and comparable to many over the counter 10mm 180g loads, not the premium stuff but the everyday stuff.

No sweater over it now would be the rule and practice with it a lot. Seems like a good tool for me.

If I was MailbouSmack (whoever that is?) I would be offended to be out done by a welfare mom.... lmao

IB said it well. If a guy runs into a bear that wants him for lunch and he can't handle a handgun, which most of us know is more difficult that a long gun, he wants to go to the tool that he can handle to get the job done.

10 MM Had a Glock 20 sold it prefer the XDM 10mm have a S&W model 29 since 1980 shoot it well but took it out side by with the 10 MM and the
10 was easier to shoot accurate and faster. Easier to go out the door with the 10 MM and 2 mags with marked loaded mags. 3 brown bear have been shot by F&G in the last 2 years less than 100 yards away. Going to take Jet Boat tommorow and the 10 MM will tag along. With 220 Grain BB hard cast.

Let's add to this interesting discussion. Reasons "for" and "against" a Smith .500 snub carried in a chest holster: