handgun for bears, snakes, etc

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  • ehall

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Mar 19, 2020
    40
    Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not really a fan of revolvers, too many axis in motion to keep on target. Looking at the ammo options though, thinking about something like a large shell HK
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
    Staff member
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    May 22, 2005
    122,848
    I imagine that if you don't F with any bear cubs your chances of being attacked by a black bear are pretty slim

    Exactly. East Coast black bears are not the brown bears of the West. They don't view you as a food source; you're not on the menu.

    We were out this past weekend in the Western mountains of Virginia. About an hour into the hike, a medium sized black bear was about 75 yards to our starboard and had an "oh shit" moment and took off like a bat out of hell.

    Two years ago, walking the Appalachian trail, came around a corner with a big assed sow and worse case scenario about 2-3 cubs. Cubs hauled ass up the nearest tree and the mama sat there and stared at us a bit. We backed our way up the trail and gave them some space, she got them together and schlepped down the mountain away from us.
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
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    May 22, 2005
    122,848
    What if the bear is throwing snakes at you?

    I’ve never been attacked by any animal i haven’t F’ed with first and i have encountered bears, bears with cubs, all sorts of snakes, bob cats, and a cougar. When i carry in the woods it’s for people (who mean me harm obviously)

    You stand far more of a chance of being attacked by either people or a pack of dogs that have banded together and gone feral.

    I carry a Glock 20 and two extra mags at the Undisclosed Location. The first mag is FMJ or solid copper bullets depending on what I have. That's for the unlikely case I have a bear encounter.

    The other two mags are Underwood JHPs and will give a person, a coyote or a dog a bad, bad day.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,730
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Black bears have more encounters with stupid people it seems. Like the stupid guy who approached one to take its picture. The recovery team found a good picture of a person about to get eaten on his camera. :facepalm:
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    It was a couple of years ago outside of Frederick near Gambrill State Park a woman heard her neighbor's dog (her daughter's the neighbor) barking like crazy and she went outside and inadvertently came between a bear cub and Momma...big mistake. She was clawed pretty bad.

    About a month ago my wife saw a bear cub playing way back in our back yard up against the tree line. She didn't see Momma around but I would bet Momma keeping an eye on baby from inside the woods.
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
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    May 22, 2005
    122,848
    In all of the years that I've been in the woods, I've had exactly one situation that a bear intentionally walked towards me.

    I was at the Undisclosed Location and went on my after-dinner walk. I was on the road above the cabin and he came down the mountain on the other side of the property. He clearly smelled my dinner and was coming along to invite himself.

    The cabin was between us, and he was going to get there first.

    I set my bottle of bourbon on the ground and started screaming like a madman and waving my arms. He turned around and figured he didn't want any part of my stupidity.
     

    308Scout

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 27, 2020
    6,545
    Washington County
    As many have replied, if there is a snake, walk around it if possible, and most east coast black bears will actively avoid you if they know you are there. However, taking this a step or two beyond what "normally" happens in these encounters, I would consider the following:

    1. A venomous snakes, "no retreat" scenario - snake shot is your best bet out of a handgun. These tend to cycle unpredictably in semi-autos. Predictable and repeatable in revolvers if a follow up shot is needed (be it another round of shot shell or something more substantial). The amount of shot and pattern at 6-9 feet will largely vary by the amount of shot held by a given round and this obviously increases with caliber. CCI manufactures #4 shot shells for some of the larger calibers. I believe the norm is closer to #12 or #10 shot.

    2. A charging bear scenario - a charging bear is fast and presents little anatomy for a clean shot to the vitals. Bear spray is an option to potentially deter a charge. If a deploying a firearm, penetration would be critical. In a handgun, 10mm is a reasonable minimum for semi-auto. Shot what ya got in that scenario though. Bear have been taken out by less with the right shot. Personally, if I were actually prepping for a likely charging bear and limited to a handgun, I would consider the minimum at 44mag (or 45 colt hot loads) as a personal personal preference.
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    The area of VA I live in has a lot of black bear. For the most part not a problem as black bears don’t see people as food, but we have some real porkers that occasionally like to wander the neighborhood at night and eat suet out of bird feeders. Very fat, nice glossy coats. Oddly enough they don’t mess with anyone’s trash. Very different behavior from other places I’ve been, like the Poconos.

    For what it is worth I do a lot of jogging and hiking around here, and don’t generally carry much besides a folding knife. Black bears aren’t much of a threat to people who know how to act when they encounter them. Though I amwaiting for the day one gets injured and decides pets and people are easier to catch than whatever else they are eating around here. Hopefully never happens, but my thoughts on the subject run toward an LPVO scoped suppressed AK47 Pistol loaded with soft points.

    Don’t shoot snakes. If you see them in time to shoot them, you aren’t in any danger. If they are close enough to be a threat, you’re better off with a snake stick. We have rattlers and copperheads that like to sun themselves on the paths near our house, but typically they move on when they hear people coming. Worst case scenario someone pins them down with a stick and helps them off the trail.

    If you just want to use that hypothetical reason as an excuse to buy a new gun (Not hating, most of us on here do that sort of thing all the time) and aren’t going to do anything irresponsible, anything 10mm semi auto is probably fine if you don’t want a revolver. Hell 9mm would be fine if you’re loaded out with buffalo bore.
     

    ehall

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Mar 19, 2020
    40
    I know black bear are mostly just big raccoons, but I don't like leaving all the big choices up to them either. All you need is a cub to come to your campfire and you got problems. Snakes aren't a problem for the most part but if I see one in the campsite I'm not throwing it 10 feet away from the tent and saying good night. Humans are obv a concern too--illegal marijuana farms, felons on-the-lam, all kinds of stuff out there--but I didn't think it would be good for business to include them in the forum post. Anyway, I never made it to Eagle, but I know to "be prepared" for anything
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,730
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Good point about the humans. Years ago my wife and I were in the White Mountains and stopped at a little mom and pop store to get some stuff. When I came out, there was a car sitting next to use with four men in it and one was counting a pile of hundreds you could choke a horse with. I pretended to see nothing, kept cool and drove several different roads to insure we weren't being followed. At the time, I was armed only with a S&W model 66 and I didn't figure that would be enough. :sad20:

    Thinking about that makes me think I should change my recommendation. I think the 10mm may be a better choice if you take the possibility of running into some bad characters along with the wildlife.
     

    Alphabrew

    Binary male Lesbian
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 27, 2013
    40,749
    Woodbine
    You stand far more of a chance of being attacked by either people or a pack of dogs that have banded together and gone feral.

    I carry a Glock 20 and two extra mags at the Undisclosed Location. The first mag is FMJ or solid copper bullets depending on what I have. That's for the unlikely case I have a bear encounter.

    The other two mags are Underwood JHPs and will give a person, a coyote or a dog a bad, bad day.

    I need a Glock 20, that may be bumped up to next purchase
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
    Staff member
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    May 22, 2005
    122,848
    I need a Glock 20, that may be bumped up to next purchase

    I'm growing to be quite fond of the platform. You can load it up to abusive power levels, or down to a pleasant day at the range.

    The range of available ammunition is pretty astonishing.

    Plus, you can always buy a G21 upper half and have a .45ACP as well.
     

    AssMan

    Meh...
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 27, 2011
    16,211
    Somewhere on the James River, VA
    Like others have stated...if you have time to stop and shoot the snake, it's not a concern and yo should just walk away or grab a stick. I encounter bear on a monthly basis and they're generally skittish and don't hang around long.

    Good idea to carry a gun for methheads or idiots though. I'll say G20 or S&W627PC.
     

    Moon

    M-O-O-N, that spells...
    Jan 4, 2013
    2,367
    In Orbit
    I go into the mountains of VA and PA somewhat often. I know there are bears where I go, because some of the places are only open in bear season. There are snakes and such too. I am looking for a handgun that I can carry that will be good for everything. I was leaning towards a 9mm for subsonic and hideability but now thinking I would benefit from more power. Not necessarily The Judge but maybe a step between. Also open to things like AR pistol, or SBR, or anything that qualifies as a handgun for carry.

    I'm interested to hear what folks suggest.


    Maybe instead of going out into all that scary nature, your should get a VR headset and take it all in from your couch. Can't get any mosquito or tick bites in your living room.
     

    Jake4U

    Now with 67% more FJB
    Sep 1, 2018
    1,148
    I carry a .41 Ruger Alaskan in a Galco chest holster when fly fishing in rural Montana.
     

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