Bear Protection Shotgun

[RedTeam98]

Old Goat 1980 Rem 870 Wingmaster 12 Ga with 18.5 CYL barrel no MIM - Metal Injection Molding parts. Installed a Decelerator Recoil Pad and Leupold DPP red dot. Only use Breneke Original Magnum Slugs. 4+1 with Wolff Extra Power magazine spring and NDZ Red Aluminum follower and Magazine light.
This shotgun is always in camp while fishing / hunting and camping. My Main Bear Defense Weapon along with Electric Fence at camp note Bear Fence comes with 4 poles.

FYI I ordered 4 more additional poles to increase my footprint around camp .

 

[ThatGuy]

Seems entirely reasonable. My go-to bear gun (which I've genuinely needed relatively recently) is my 70s era Marlin 336 in .30-30 with Remington CoreLokt 170gr.

The keys to picking a bear defense weapon are 1) terminal adequacy, 2) something you can shoot quickly and well, and 3) something that's easy to carry and that you don't need to be precious about (being ok with dings, scratches, rain, etc).

I'd say you've made a decent choice.

 

[coyotebc]

If that setup doesn't work, I don't know what will.

 

[AlbertaJohn]

My camper gun is a (1973) Ithaca XL300. Holds five 2 3/4 inch slugs, has a 18.5 inch barrel.
Never had to use it against bear intruders but better to have it and not use it than need it and not have it.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

How did you mount the red dot?

 

[crazy_davey]

Shotguns are for the birds.

 

[brybenn]

I've switched from my double rifle 4570 to a beretta 1301 comp as a bear gun when I back pack it in the woods. I find some benefits of a reliable semi auto over a pump gun.
Good choice of slug

A member brobee23 did some great testing of slugs at close range. Very interesting videos

 

[RedTeam98]

How did you mount the red dot?

Drilled 2 holes and used the Leupold mount and installed the DPP.

 

[RedTeam98]

My camper gun is a (1973) Ithaca XL300. Holds five 2 3/4 inch slugs, has a 18.5 inch barrel.
Never had to use it against bear intruders but better to have it and not use it than need it and not have it.

View attachment 1126458

Beautiful Shotgun ! We deal with bears every year at camp. Electric Fence around camp a must at moose camp. We even put up battery powered motion lights at wire facing outward to help light up perimeter when bears come in. So far the electric fence has held and kept us safe without shooting the bear.

 

[scotteboy]

Mine is 30-30 Henry loaded with 190gr barnes originals at 2040ft/sec.
hammer

 

[Locked out]

We haven’t had a Bear defence thread in far to long . Can shot guns shoot into space ?

 

[pathfinder76]

Shotguns are for the birds.

100%

 

[RedTeam98]

Mine is 30-30 Henry loaded with 190gr barnes originals at 2040ft/sec.
hammer

If it’s Black Bear the 30-30 Win is a very adequate rifle. I still have my 1958 Win 94 in 30-30 that I carried chasing bears in NC as a teenager. That Barnes 190gr load sounds like good medicine. I always used Winchester 170gr Silvertips . Still have one box left !

 

[AlbertaJohn]

Beautiful Shotgun ! We deal with bears every year at camp. Electric Fence around camp a must at moose camp.

We've had bears come into camp while we were out hunting but not while we were in camp.
Coolers ransacked, tarps ripped apart and other gear strewed about. One year we found fresh grizz tracks a few hundred yards from camp but we've been pretty lucky so far.

 

[bcsteve]

Old Goat 1980 Rem 870 Wingmaster 12 Ga with 18.5 CYL barrel. Installed a Decelerator Recoil Pad and Leupold DPP red dot. Only use Breneke Original Magnum Slugs. 4+1 with Wolff Extra Power magazine spring and NDZ Red Aluminum follower and Magazine light.
This shotgun is always in camp while fishing / hunting and camping. My Main Bear Defense Weapon along with Electric Fence at camp.

What's the light you have on there?

 

[RedTeam98]

What's the light you have on there?

Magazine Tube light !
Toughsoul on Amazon great little light excellent for camp defense at night when bears are most active.

We've had bears come into camp while we were out hunting but not while we were in camp.
Coolers ransacked, tarps ripped apart and other gear strewed about. One year we found fresh grizz tracks a few hundred yards from camp but we've been pretty lucky so far.

Highly Recommend a bear electric fence around camp we use them every year especially after we get a moose ! They work great ! Today we don’t go camping in bush with out it !

TOUGHSOUL Tactical Mag Tube Cap Flashlight 500 Lumen Max for Remington 870 with Strobe Function, Replaceable Battery Included On Amazon​

 

[RedTeam98]

We haven’t had a Bear defence thread in far to long . Can shot guns shoot into space ?

I don’t think the heavy slug can escape earths gravity.

 

[FLHTCUI]

I don’t think the heavy slug can escape earths gravity.

Not unless they use the technology such as used by Artemis II.
You know , using earths gravity to gain enough speed, etc, etc....
God speed the Safe return of Artemis II and her crew back to earth later today around 17:00 pacific.
Rob

 

[scotteboy]

If it’s Black Bear the 30-30 Win is a very adequate rifle. I still have my 1958 Win 94 in 30-30 that I carried chasing bears in NC as a teenager. That Barnes 190gr load sounds like good medicine. I always used Winchester 170gr Silvertips . Still have one box left !

That load with that bullet will stop anything in North America at a short distance.
It's about 95 percent weight retention.
I'd feel confident stopping a grizzly or a moose if needed.
Easy on the shoulder too.

 

[Gatehouse]

If I was going to get a shotgun to carry for bear defense these days it would be this one. I would attach a light and a red dot to it.