Bear Defense Rifle

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Hey guys,

I'm looking for some advice on what kind of rifle to buy this spring. It has to be a non-restricted semi that would be capable of taking down a black bear in a reasonable amount of shots (2 if not 1 ideally). No shotguns, but accuracy isn't a big deal; minute of DEER within 100 yards.

Thanks guys, lookng forward to hearing your opinions.
 
Any cartridge from the 6.5X55 on up has a reasonable expectation of killing a black bear with a single shot, from any angle within the range limitation of the cartridge you choose. Solving the marksmanship problem is up to you.

Given your criteria, I would opt for a .308 or a .30/06, and although I am not a fan of gas guns I would think some of the newer Euro semi auto's would work well, as would a BAR, Garand or an M-14 clone as suggested. Because it is a short range problem, I would choose a heavy for caliber round nose bullet, providing it fed reliably, and my second choice would be a 180 gr TSX.
 
M-14 might be a bit heavy for lugging around.

For what you want, Semi, big bullet, close range, light carry weapon, I suggest the ruger Deerfield (or whatever the call it now) It looks much like the 10/22 but is chambered in .44 mag. Low maintenance and surprisingly accurate (not a 100yd tack driver by any means)
Old model:
rug041_lg.jpg

New model:
30L.jpg
 
bill c68 said:
M-14 might be a bit heavy for lugging around.

For what you want, Semi, big bullet, close range, light carry weapon, I suggest the ruger Deerfield (or whatever the call it now) It looks much like the 10/22 but is chambered in .44 mag. Low maintenance and surprisingly accurate (not a 100yd tack driver by any means)
Old model:
rug041_lg.jpg

New model:
30L.jpg
Click to expand...

Plus 2 on this firearm, if you can find one. I haven't had any problems with mine, reloads or factory, has functioned flawlessly in the 250+ rounds I have put through it. A bit tricky to take apart and do a complete cleaning, but well worth it IMO.:D
 
I have to second GEOLOGIST's remarks with the .45-70 Its a whole lot of bang for the buck, and I can't imagine needing a second shot, unless you hit the bear in the foot.
I have a .45-70 marlin with a 22" barrel and the bear I hit last august was dead before it hit the ground. It was shot at 50 yards max. I think that any caliber in the .30 cal family will do the trick (and of course bigger) and MANY have been shot with a .30-30 winchester. So its more a matter of hitting it in the right spot than what its hit with.
 
aside from the usual BAR Safari suggestions, i think an M1A shorty in a light USGI fibreglass stock would be pretty sweet :)
you can save some more weight by removing the steel hinged buttplate and replacing it with the rubber pad. no cleaning kit in the stock of course.

youd have to open up the rear aperture to ghost ring proportions, however, since the factory is only suited for target work.
 
...after being attacked by several Black bears in the early '80's with only a knife to defend myself...I upgraded to this...
rpg7a.jpg

... after dispatching a couple few attacking black bears with it I came to the conclusion that although the round had adequate stopping power shots inside of 50 yards were a little messy to say the least.:eek:

These days I'm getting to old to lug my bear defense R.P.G., so instead I usaully just bring my good friend Chuck Norris along with me on hikes.
chucknorriss.gif

He can spot a bears aggressive behaviour at 500 yards and dispatch it with one shot from his modified 10/22. Since bringing Chuck along bear attacks have dropped from an average of 4 per year down to just 1 or 2. I can live with that!:D


C'mon it was a bear defense thread I couldn't resist,
Mad Mikey :p
 
once again: bravo!
just the kind of posts the antis need for their cause.
M1A, R.P.G., BAR ...
and then you wonder why so many people thik bad about 'hunters'.
 
narraway said:
once again: bravo!
just the kind of posts the antis need for their cause.
M1A, R.P.G., BAR ...
and then you wonder why so many people thik bad about 'hunters'.
Click to expand...

...your post comes in at a close second to mine as the most useless in this thread. I thought there was some good suggestions dotted with a bit of humour that bear defense threads usually generate. Sorry we offended your supreme code of ethics and your untarnished "hunter" image. Thanks for comin' out though :) and please work extra hard to restore my image with all the offended. :)

Cheers,
Mad Mikey.;)
 
Thanks to all who have given their opinions. I've done a little searching on EE and some dealer websites to see what kind of prices the rifles/ammo would be. I can deal with the weight of a larger rifle, most of my time will be spent in one spot.

All the ammunition prices were from wholesale sports, which means they probably aren't the best I could find. Also reloading for the caliber wouldn't be out of the question at all.

I want a rifle that I can afford to shoot often because like all other things in life practice makes perfect, and muscle memory (ie target re-acquisition) can only be learned by playing at the range. For this reason .30-30 and .308 are very appealing.

.308 Win. - at least $14.99
Norinco M305 $450-$500
BAR $600-650

6.5x55 Swed. - at least $24.99
Ljungman AG42 - $350-$400

30.06 Springfield - at least $15.99
M1 Garand - $800
BAR - $700

.44 Mag. - at least $30.99
Ruger Deerfield/Deerstalker - $500 used
Marlin 1894 - $400-450 used

45-70 Govt. - at least $34.99
Marlin 1895GS - $?

.30-30 Win. - at least $12.99
So many lever options I can't begin to count them...

.30 Carbine ???
I'm not sure if the .30 Carbine round pack enough punch for a bear.
M1 Carbine - $400

I'd love to have an M1 Carbine but after seeing very few 2000+fps loads on the reloading data chart I think that the 2500+fps loads with the same bullet weights in .30-30 would be far more effective. Afterall the .30 Carbine is for shooting men, not big ole bears haha.
 
i was about to pick up an Ljungman as a plinker a couple months ago, until i read this:
Use caution when firing the Ljungman and Hakim rifles as the burn rate of the powder has a dramatic effect on the operation of the rifle. There have been reported cases of catastrophic failures of both these rifles when fired with incorrect ammunition. Even the Swedish m/41 ammunition was required to be lightly oiled by Swedish troops prior to loading as the burn rate of the powder is too slow and the oiling of the cartridge body facilities extraction.

The main dynamic involves the pressure curve and the timing of the pressure curve as it relates to the location of the gas port in the barrel. While the Hakim has a gas port adjustment the Ljungman does not. As the bullet passes the gas port the gas pressure is channeled back to the bolt carrier to unlock the bolt. With a powder that is too slow a burn rate the bolt carrier opens violently premature and at an extremely excessive pressure. What this does is causes the extractor to tear the rim off the cartridge case exposing the action to the dumping of very high pressures which typically exits the action downward into the magazine well blowing the magazine completely out of the rifle and often destroying the magazine and stock in the process. Pay close attention to use the correct ammunition in these two rifles.
Click to expand...

anyone more familiar with them care to comment on how true/exaggerated the above is?
 
I think I remember reading about an FN49 blowing up when using Igman ammo a few months ago. May have been a Ljungman though, the details are a bit foggy...

Don't buy a Ljungman for a bear defense rifle. It's expensive to shoot and way too long. Get something that is powerful but quick-handling and fires relatively cheap ammo so you can get a lot of good range time in. I'd go for the .30-30 for effectiveness, availability and cost.
 
For those that suggested the 30-30 and teh 45-70, yes, they will do the trick but he wanted a semi and so far, I think the Deerfield fits the bill according to what he wanted.

I know there have been many bear defene threads, but come on guys, you know we love them! and this one was specific!
 
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