Effectiveness of handguns against bears

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  • My daughter is studying arctic marine mammals in Alaska (lives in Fairbanks) and carries a Henry Mare's Leg in 44 mag along with a Ruger redhawk in the same caliber. In 3 years she says she has only had to fire at a bear once, even though there have been about a dozen encounters that got a little sketchy. Most of the time even the largest Kodiak can be chased off with loud screaming and throwing things.

    She wounded the bear and the local natives tracked it down and finished it off..
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    I was told by a Wyo outfitter with personal knowledge , that a fractous Grizzly usually changed attitude and direction when a .44mag bullet passed 3 inches from their ear .( To the outside)
     

    OLM-Medic

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    May 5, 2010
    6,588
    I really don't fear black bears at all. They're timid. In them woods I'm usually carrying a Glock 19 with Buffalo Bore Hard Cast Lead loads. The +P doesnt matter much, but the hard cast lead aids in penetration. if I had money I'd get a Glock 20 for the woods just because I could. 10mm hot loads are pretty impressive.

    After seeing a full grown Brown bear sow in person, I immediately dropped all hopes of any handgun actually working. I still carry my .454 Casull, but I consider it a last resort and still have little confidence in it working. Brown bears are just massive, and without a headshot you're not stopping it right away unless it stops out of fear and pain. If it's in a full rage mindset I doubt it will even notice being shot.

    Carry bear spray too if you're actually worried about bears
     

    OLM-Medic

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    May 5, 2010
    6,588
    To sum it up a bear is only going to stop in two ways, just like a human.

    1) physical stop
    A. Brain shot -immediate stop
    B. Vital organ/blood loss - takes a long time in bears

    2) psychological stop
    A. Noise scares the shit out of the bear
    B. Bear doesn't like the pain

    I wouldn't bet on making easy physical stops on a charging bear, especially with small caliber handguns, and I wouldn't bet on psychological stops if it's really at the point of a true angry attack.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,409
    Glen Burnie
    Thanks for posting. Good read. Contrary to much popular myth and lore.

    I note for the record no instances of successful engagement with a .25

    Ha

    The .25 is to shoot the wife or friend in the kneecap so they can't out run you. LOL
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    I've been waiting for that one .

    ***********

    One of the individuals in the linked article was Phil Schomaker . He lives year round in Lake Clark , AK , and is one of the few people with personal experience to have meaningful comparitive opinions on different guns for gunfighting Grizzlys.

    He writes occasionally for Wolfe Publications on firearms and hunting . He makes very clear that close range bear defense is totally different from hunting them on purpose.

    He holds that the only effective stopping of an attack is a brain shot . Conventional hunting placement may well be fatal to the bear, but if it continues to chew and b**** slap you for 10sec or more , it is faint comfort for you.

    He holds that a brain shot is equally effective with any round that will penetrate the skull, a .458Win being no more dead-er than a .357Mag revolver . We now know, the proper 9mm load will do this too.

    FWIW, his outhouse gun is a .416Rigby .
     

    Alan3413

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 4, 2013
    16,922
    Whatever caliber you decide, it's vital there be no sharp protrusions on the gun like tall bade sights.

    That way, after you shoot the grizzly and he doesn't fall over, it won't hurt as much when he shoves the gun up your keister.
     
    Last edited:

    Baccusboy

    Teecha, teecha
    Oct 10, 2010
    13,881
    Seoul
    We had a black bear rug, growing up. My grandfather killed it with a head shot, after it pursed him. There was a hole where the bullet hit above the eye. Gun was a .300 Savage. He was probably hunting elk or deer.

    The entire extended family loved that rug. He would wear it and chase grandkids around. My cousin ended up taking it to a university play in a black garbage back. Someone backstage stole it or pitched it. Entire family was pissed.
     

    Mr.Blue

    Living In A Bizarro World
    Nov 21, 2011
    1,523
    Miserable in MD
    In the lower 48 states I think my Glock 20 with 16 rounds of hot Underwood ammo would do the trick. I don’t think I’d want to test it on a Kodiak Grizzly or Polar bear though.
     

    Devonian

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 15, 2008
    1,199
    In the lower 48 states I think my Glock 20 with 16 rounds of hot Underwood ammo would do the trick. I don’t think I’d want to test it on a Kodiak Grizzly or Polar bear though.

    I’m hunting in Wyoming this September and I’ll be bringing my G20. I was reading about a retired Baltimore county officer who was attack by a sow with cubs in Wyoming. He was able to stop the attack and kill it with a 41 magnum so I feel the 10mm is sufficient. I think my best defense is that I’ll be hunting together with two other guys.
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
    Staff member
    Admin
    Moderator
    May 22, 2005
    122,853
    In the lower 48 states I think my Glock 20 with 16 rounds of hot Underwood ammo would do the trick. I don’t think I’d want to test it on a Kodiak Grizzly or Polar bear though.

    I’m hunting in Wyoming this September and I’ll be bringing my G20. I was reading about a retired Baltimore county officer who was attack by a sow with cubs in Wyoming. He was able to stop the attack and kill it with a 41 magnum so I feel the 10mm is sufficient. I think my best defense is that I’ll be hunting together with two other guys.

    I always have 46 rounds of ammo with me for the G20, so even if it's not perfectly effective by shot placement or ballistics, I figure volume of fire compensates :D

    If anything, it'll just get tired of the noise. :lol2:
     

    redeemed.man

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 29, 2013
    17,444
    HoCo
    There is a story about a retired guy who kills bears with a Sig Sauer 229 in .357 Sig. The man always hops on airplanes (after bypassing TSA) and flies to the nearest Starbucks. He has never been identified.
    Pretty sure that legendary fellow no longer carries that round.
     

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