Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game side arm for bear protection !!

from:

Pasitshniaka-Arts, M. 1993. Ursa arctos. Mammalian Species No. 439, pp 1-10.

"Crown length and width of the first mandiublar molar are always > 20.4 and 10.5 mm respectively (Gordon 1977). Greatest crown length of the second maxillary molar also is > 31 mm (Storer and Tevis 1955). These features differentiate U. arctos from U. americanus and other Ursus."

Brent

Suluuq, just use H-110 and and drop down 1 gr from top loads for a 300 gr cast bullet.

Thank you, Paul...
Load info I have, H-110 I don't. Importing gun powder into North Alaska is more then expensive, its outragous. One of the local stores wanted roughly $50.oo for a pound of BL-C2! I had pre-paid for it at a mis-quoted price, about $35.oo. On occasion powder can be added to a haz-mat order for much less then ordering just the powder alone (they orderd the BL-C2 alone). I'm waiting for them to order the powder at the same time they order haz-mat items. ~~~Suluuq

Paul, I've been lucky enough to have read posts by JJHACK for the better part of 7 years. If he's not a writer for some hunting mag, then he SHOULD be.. I've learned more good, common sense info from him than any other poster, bar none. I'm glad to see him back on here. I know he's busy with his guide business in Africa so his posts are now a little rare.

To those who promote 'bear sprays'.. LOL . Maybe they've worked once or twice. I wonder if any of those same promoters have considered asking the bear to sit down and discuss the reasons why they're considering a human for breakfast? (Poking gentle fun here, no flames, honestly...), but I'd rather stake my life on my Ruger..

If carrying an extra 3-4 pounds of a tool that might save your life is too strenuous, there's an option: stay closer to camp. I'll chance the weight, but obviously this is JMHO....

Blacks don't worry me, unless one gets in the wrong position and happens to get in between a sow and her younger cubs.. Even then, most of the time, one can extricate yourself.

Any handgun takes practice to become proficient. Some above posters have been absolutely correct in stating that most people do not practice enough to become proficient. The big bores take not only practice but good discipline. Basics in stance, grip etc., must also be practiced to tame the recoil down a bit. And, let's face it, some shooters are recoil-shy. I know a lot of guys around here who think a .44M is just not fun to shoot and stay away from them. For me, a .44M is comfortable but the .454 is a handful. That's about as big as I want to use. I have not fired the Linebaugh, and I've had some Encores with short barrels and chambered in things like 45-70 that make me cringe. I'm not shooting those. LOL...

The Ruger I have in .454 has a 7.5" barrel. That's about the minimum size I'd recommend for that caliber anyway. As to hitting something with it? I can poke holes in a gallon-sized plastic jub filled with water at least 4 out of 6 shells at 75+ yards, and I don't practice with that particular revolver all that much. I use my other Ruger SRH in .44 a lot more.

It all boils down to what you feel comfortable with. If you're ok with sprays, go for it. If not, get something you can handle and practice, practice, practice.

Best to all of you for the holidays.

When I lived in Alaska we always told the tourists the way to tell black bear scat from brown bear scat was black bear had roots and shoots and fruit pits in it; brown bear scat has cow bells, and little jingle bells, and smells like a tamale.

Redneck:

I just can't develop confidence in pepper spray for bear either. I've seen humans who scarcely sneeze when hit with it. I have heard that the bears keen senses play into how negatively it affects them, but I'd rather have a 44 magnum.

Be careful not to underestimate the black bear. I've read that there are more black bear attacks and injuries than there are with the others. I'm sure this is due to there larger numbers and broader geographic distribution, but there are also more accounts of man eating black bears. I'd hate for a 100 pound doberman to get hold of me. Using that as a baseline, imagine what a 250 pound black bear could do.

I'm still reading this thread with great interest. I'm with JJ on the shape and size of the teeth being inconsequential to the nature of injuries. With their jaw strength they could have a mouth full of 2x4's and still rip you apart. Throw claws into the mix and you are indeed fortunate to ecape serious injury in an attack.

Paul

Dang, I love this site! JJ and Art both have superb credibility IMO. To see them get into a cat fight- well, that's just great!

I have no basis for a dentition opinion one way or the other as polar bear tracks 5' outside my tent in the morning were about as impressive as brown bear tracks 5' outside my tent in the morning. I didn't hear either one of them, much less examine their teeth! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> They both probably had bad breath anyways.

I wonder how much the perceived differences in teath has to do with diet, rather than speciation. Polar bears feeding nearly exclusively on meat won't get much wear due to grit or high silicon content, while a brown bear of the same age, feeding on vegetation of various sorts, not to mention salmon rolled in sand, may experience more wear.

Despite my comment about filing the front sight (it was meant as humor), I concur any gun is better than no gun. But beware of over-confidence. Short arms are not only less powerful than long arms, but far less accurate in the hands of most of us. I personally am not overly optimistic of 240 grains of slow lead vs 800 plus pounds of pissed-off, fast moving bear.

Taking a short-arm - or even a long-arm - to a bear in DLOP should only be done as a last resort - preferably after one has pre-planned so as not to put one's self into that position at all, if possible.

For example- I know of a couple dandy moose hunting areas close on to salmon spawning streams. I don't go there.

Most bear attacks are surprise in nature. If you look at enough accounts of them you'll see a common thread in that guys that are armed with any kind of holstered weapon or even one that's not in their hands and ready for use (like a shotgun on a sling) rarely get off a shot before the bear grabs them anyway.

Most of the bear attacks that I've read about that were stopped with firepower were those where the individual already knew the bear was there, had their rifle ready, and commenced firing at the start of the charge. In all of those cases it was a guide backing up a hunter that made a bad shot or was (in my opinion) stupid or crazy enough to go after a grizz with a bow.

Your milage may vary but for me the idea of a handgun in a holster as any measurable increase in safety in a bear attack just doesn't wash. Always going afield with a friend, hopefully a slow one with a pronounced limp, is the best bet...:)

There are many recorded instances of bear attacks in which the victim had plenty of time to realize the threat and even attempt to avoid it, but was mauled while unable to fight back effectively simply for lack of a firearm.