Effectiveness of handguns against bears

Norton · Mar 5, 2018

Dude examines 37 cases of handguns being used in defense against bears.

Goes to show that shot placement, type of bullet, and magazine capacity play into the discussion along with caliber.

Interesting that I didn't see any mention of SW .500. Everyone knows that you just fire that round in the general direction of the bear and its insides turn to jelly.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/de...-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/amp/

Alea Jacta Est · Mar 5, 2018

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

Uncle Duke · Mar 5, 2018

And that's when I first saw the bear
He was a Kodiak lookin' fella 'bout nineteen feet tall.........

Squaregrouper · Mar 5, 2018

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.

Alea Jacta Est · Mar 5, 2018

squaregrouper said:
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.

Never identified but his trademark line is..."two to the grape."

Doctor_M · Mar 5, 2018

Nnztg8r said:
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

I was reading a recent gun magazine (can't remember which one)... they had an article on the history of the .25 ACP, and the opening photo was an old advertisement showing a 300+lb bear killed with a .25. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to bet my life on it.

outrider58 · Mar 5, 2018

Doctor_M said:
I was reading a recent gun magazine (can't remember which one)... they had an article on the history of the .25 ACP, and the opening photo was an old advertisement showing a 300+lb bear killed with a .25. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to bet my life on it.

This, the only known photo of him...

outrider58 · Mar 5, 2018

I've been on a couple fishing trips to inner Alaska where we had daily encounters with browns/grizzlies. Most of us carried .44s. We NEVER fire(d) warning or scare shots. It generally isn't done for fear of conditioning the bears to lose their fear of humans. We ran one off(it sneaked up on me while I was taking a dump) just by throwing rocks and sticks and yelling at it.

Huckleberry · Mar 5, 2018

squaregrouper said:
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.

I heard his partner in crime baits the bears with a Cuban roasted pig.

When the bear charges, they just drop the hot pig in dirt in front of the bear then shoot while the bear while it’s brushing off the sand and eating.

Heard their technique works on other omnivore species too

John from MD · Mar 5, 2018

Huckleberry said:
I heard his partner in crime baits the bears with a Cuban roasted pig.

When the bear charges, they just drop the hot pig in dirt in front of the bear then shoot while the bear while it’s brushing off the sand and eating.

Heard their technique works on other omnivore species too

Somebody is never going to live that down. :lol2:

CrazySanMan · Mar 5, 2018

Officially there are no grizzlies in Colorado and I'm glad for that, although occasionally you hear of sightings or a possible grizzly that was taken by a hunter. Supposedly in the 50's the last Colorado grizzly was killed by a government trapper. Then in 1973 a bow hunter was attacked by a momma grizzly who had two cubs with her. The hunter killed the mother and the cubs escaped. This was in the south central part of the state, way too far for a Grizzly to have migrated from northern Wyoming. The tales go that there is a small population of grizzlies remaining in Colorado but the Parks and Wildlife division denies it because if it's confirmed that an endangered species is here all kinds of environmental rules and regulations will be enacted that CO doesn't want to do and can't pay for.

As far as black bear, I've had dozens of encounters with black bears and only once had to throw rocks to scare one away. That was on a solo backpacking trip in Shenandoah National Park. It was dusk, I had just set up camp and went to a river to filter some water for dinner. There was a big black bear in the river about 20 yards from me who stood his ground.I stood up, waved my arms, yelled, finally threw some rocks and he rather reluctantly retreated up the bank. I broke camp and hiked two more miles in the dark to try to put some distance between him and me.

All my black bear sightings were Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. I've never seen one in Colorado. When I'm hiking I carry my .45 XDs, when car camping I carry my Glock 21 with these rounds when the bear are awake:

BUFFALO BORE 45 ACP +P OUTDOORSMAN
255 gr. Hard Cast FN (925 fps/M.E. 484 ft. lbs.)
20 Round Box

ITEM 45-255

The three JHP loads are designed for defense against humans, while the two non-expanding loads are designed to shoot through large shoulder bones or the skull on a black bear. These non-expanding bullets also work well if you need to shoot through cover like car doors or stick frame walls.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=214

cowboy321 · Mar 5, 2018

Norton said:
Dude examines 37 cases of handguns being used in defense against bears.

Goes to show that shot placement, type of bullet, and magazine capacity play into the discussion along with caliber.

Interesting that I didn't see any mention of SW .500. Everyone knows that you just fire that round in the general direction of the bear and its insides turn to jelly.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/de...-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/amp/

A friend in Alaska, Bill, told me about a grizzly he killed on Kodiak Island which had 6 38 caliber bullets in its skull which had been there for years. None penetrated to the brain. He claimed that the bullets were from a camper who was found dead with an empty 38. Bill was a huge hunter who was later wounded while being attacked by a leopard in Africa. He was filming it charging his friend, a surgeon, who actually fired and shot Bill in the leg as he was being mauled. Bad shot placement? A South African Guide dispatched the leopard with a 375 Rifle. This was a big story in Alaska and South Africa and was all over the media. Being shot by a surgeon was actually somewhat convenient.

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Mar 5, 2018

Nnztg8r said:
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 good for bear defense if you pop a round in your companion's kneecap. Then you can just walk away safely.

Since the pistol is never fired at the bear itself it accounts for the "no instances of a successful engagement with a .25."

Squaregrouper · Mar 5, 2018

Huckleberry said:
I heard his partner in crime baits the bears with a Cuban roasted pig.

When the bear charges, they just drop the hot pig in dirt in front of the bear then shoot while the bear while it’s brushing off the sand and eating.

Heard their technique works on other omnivore species too

John from MD said:
Somebody is never going to live that down.

I decided to make it formal by changing my signature.

outrider58 · Mar 5, 2018

squaregrouper said:
I decided to make it formal by changing my signature.

This year's roast will be called "The Redemption Roast"

inkd · Mar 5, 2018

Uncle Duke said:
And that's when I first saw the bear
He was a Kodiak lookin' fella 'bout nineteen feet tall.........

He come up over that hill expecting me to do one of two things, flip or fly, I didn't do either one. It hung him up.

Alea Jacta Est · Mar 5, 2018

TheOriginalMexicanBob said:
The .25 is good for bear defense if you pop a round in your companion's kneecap. Then you can just walk away safely.

Since the pistol is never fired at the bear itself it accounts for the "no instances of a successful engagement with a .25."

Ha.

Remind me NEVER to go into the woods with you.

Alea Jacta Est · Mar 5, 2018

squaregrouper said:
I decided to make it formal by changing my signature.

You, kind sir, have a new name that follows the great native America tradition.

Sandy

usa259 · Mar 5, 2018

Thanks. Good read.

Uncle Duke · Mar 5, 2018

inkd said:
He come up over that hill expecting me to do one of two things, flip or fly, I didn't do either one. It hung him up.

Effectiveness of handguns against bears

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