Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Grizzly Defense With A Handgun: Doable?

This comes up since I've been invited by an old friend to join him and a local hunter friend of his in Idaho (where they live currently) to do some elk hunting there, and he informs me that there are grizzly bear warnings for hunters up there recently, some having been attacked. He recommended that, in addition to my .30-06 bolt gun, I also bring a bear stopping handgun to wear while hunting. Most powerful handgun I have is a .44 Magnum. Have three, in fact, but the lightest one is my S&W 329PD, which is what I'm thinking of packing. But I seem to recall reading an article about ten of fifteen years ago that suggested that there's never been a successful self-defense against a grizzly bear with a handgun, regardless of caliber or load, and that your best self-defense against one is whatever rifle you're hunting with. Thoughts?

PS I remember reading accounts of bear attacks, also, where the hunter attempted self-defense with his rifle, and had the rifle knocked from his hands, resulting in a long drawn out mauling because he had nothing else.

Stories in the lower 48 are yet to be tried on "Mythbusters". It seems that the general rule is to carry bear spray and leave the poor grizzlies alive. A dead bear mauls no one. A sprayed bear lives another day to maul, eat or chase anyone it chooses. Until they allow hunting in the lower 48, Grizzlies will continue to maul and eat humans as they have no fear of them.

Go to Alaska and the bear concentration is magnified 10 fold and they don't send you into bear country with a can of bear spray, they send you with a 375 H&H. I would err on the side of Alaska, and take a gun. Be aware, however, a wounded bear can still maul the crap out of you, so you do need to kill it. The caliber isn't as important as where you shoot it. One shot in the brain will work.

We just spent a week in grizzly country, elk hunting. One Grizzly was seen and thank goodness it turned and ran. The preponderance to have people carry bear spray is another environmental link to keep us unarmed and the bear safe. I will and always have carried a gun for self defense in bear country. I have lived in it all my life and have even killed one of these bears. Bear spray is just seasoning for the hungry bear...

Take the 329pd with a good Buffalo Bore hard cast loading.

There have been some successful cases of deterring bears with a handgun but why?......If you already have a 30-06 in your hands what are you going to do with it?.......don't add to the confusion with a handgun......be sure your rifle is clean and reliable and fits you well....Don't hang so many gadgets on your rifle that you can't readily use it....I carry a reliable rifle and find a sandwich to be far more comforting than a handgun.

I know old brown bear guides that don't allow handguns in their camps....too many inexperienced clients with bearanoia.

+1 but practice with it before hand.
Better that than a sharp stick.
Or pepper seasoning for your hide!

I believe you have to use jacketed bullets, or that would have been my first choice too. The concern is that it's so light that recoil will "inertia-pull" the bullets out from their cases and seize up the cylinder from turning. Major bad mojo during a bear attack. I suppose I could experiment with them to see if this is true.

I can think of two successful saves in just the last two years...

Two hunters dropped a moose in Alaska and went back to the boat to get the recovery items...and left their rifles behind. They did however bring a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum back with them. While they were dressing the moose out they looked up to find a big bear standing looking at them...right next to where the hunter had hung the gun on a tree.

The bear charged...one guy jumped in a deep stream bed, the other was caught by the bear. The one in the stream bed would yell at the bear until it would charge over to him leaving his friend for a few moments. The guy in the stream bed was able to get to the gun and when the bear charged one round of .44 Mag in the chest dropped the bear... They had a full story with all the pics....

Then there was the guy out for a walk who "felt" something behind him and when he turned there was GIANT bear coming for him. He had a Ruger Alaskan .454 "snubbie" and the second shot from the gun hit the bear in the mouth and out the back of the head...again a story with full pics. The bear was 900 pounds and was a very very old bear in bad shape...

I have head a lot more successful stories than that...and of course how many "untold" stories are there when a hiker drops a bear and doesn't report it as they don't want the hassle......

If you have a PD I would load it Federal 300 CastCore rounds... They are not as hot as BB and will be easier to control. I gave a 357PD .41 and would use the 250 CC if in BigBear area....

Bob

When I am in bear country I carry two types of bear spray. One is called Capsin mix and the other is called a .460 Rowland. If I'm going in deep backcountry I'll leave the Capsin behind in favor of a .458 SOCOM. Bring your .44. You will probably not need it but if you do you'll be awful glad you have it.

A couple of years back there was a guy in Clark, WY who was bounced by a grizzly sow while walking about the foothills of the Bearteeth. She beat him up, bit him about the arms, shoulders and throat, and left him only to turn and come back for a second go. Whereupon he got his .41 Magnum out and killed her with I think three shots to the head and neck. So yes, it can be done.

OK, you guys convinced me. I'll bring it, and I'll try the Federal Cast Core. I'll run a couple of cylinders full through it to make sure I don't get any bullet pulling. Otherwise I'll use some jacketed soft points instead.

I went to the S&W web site and the 329PD should do the job and it's light which means you'll carry it with you. Get rid of the stupid locking device if yours has one. Practice, practice, practice at close range, 10 yards and under, as that is the yardage you'll be most likely be defending your self from a bear at.

Most likely you'll be gutting an elk, deer, etc. when you'll have bear problems and that's when a handgun is most likely to be needed. If possible, have a second person with you when gutting to watch your back. It is amazing how fast a Griz can run or how quiet he can put on the sneak.

Hope jwp475 chimes in here. He killed a grizz that came in on his moose kill with a revolver. It was .475 Linebaugh and this was in the late '80s.

i've lived in griz country my entire life.

if i'm hunting in the back country, i usually carry bear spray and my primary hunting rifle.

i have used the bear spray and it works. i have used the rifle and it works. i don't care if a bear is scared of me or not, as long as i make it home at the end of the hunt. i'ts not my job to kill every bear that shows a little attitude, nor do i wish to.

i also have the S&W 329 and it stays home more often than not.

in the end, bring what you are comfey with, because it's pretty much just a security blanket. if it makes you feel better, it's doing it's job.

I'm with VernAK and would much prefer a rifle to a handgun...but I wouldn't mind having a handgun along as well especially if/when bent over gutting game if the rifle would be out of reach.

There will be times, when you are not carrying your rifle, that you will want the security of a sidearm. Your PD should be just fine shooting whatever you are accustomed to shooting, w/o adding needless risk and the task of testing new ammo to your pre-departure list.

Have you fired your PD with such heavy loads? Follow up shots are a bear (ha,ha�get it�bear!!) with heavy loads in a Scandium frame gun.

If you�re going to use the PD, I�d recommend using a 285 grain WFN bullet, but don�t go for rip snortin velocity. The bullet will carry the day, and ranges are going to be close, so you don�t need more than about 1,000fps; ESPECIALLY in that revolver.

Google Alaskan 454 vs Grizzley. This guy was lucky, I would still have some bear spray on my person. It works.

Shrapnel said what I would have and probably better.
I've seen much more powerful chemical sprays fail on humans. I have NO faith in them for bears. Sure, if the bear is being a pest, fine. But not if he is determined. E

You are already worried about what to carry and being in shape, carry a rifle and call it good....No need to carry more weight and a rifle is a better bear defence...

Damn sure wouldn't bother me to carry my 44..in a bear ambush you could have a rifle swatted outta your hands in a heart beat. I'll carry the extra weight any day if it'll keep me from becoming bear dung in the woods!!

I've got the 500 Magnum X Frame grips on it, which really absorb a lot of recoil.