Defense against BEARS.

[Calum]

SKS is the best weapon for bears..also makes a sweet truck gun..

The handy bayonet makes a good back-up as well.

 

[BrotherRockeye]

The poodle is the worst thing you can do. The poodle runs upto the bear, the bear gives chase. The poodle then hides behind you for protection. Happens every time.

That would only happen if it was your poodle...
I don't own a poodle

 

[drbnsn]

I live in bear (black and grizz) country and thus use and own:

12 gauge Norinco HP-9 with brenneke slugs/rubber slugs (nice and short and handy)
.454 casull lever action with 400 grain hardcast (not so short, lots of rounds)

if in Alaska (because of barrel length restrictions in the US):
88 Maverick 12 gague with same loading

and bear spray

 

[acrashb]

-.223 rem. Tavor TAR 21, loaded with 62 grain M-855 tungsten core penetrators. This offers the opportunity to spray 10 rapid shots of light armor piercing rounds, along with a very quick reload. Basically spray and pray at its best.
(I own this rifle, but I'm not so sure I would select it. AlsoI dont even know if you can get M-855 in canada.)

Tungsten? It's steel, and ss109/m855 is readily available. While I have never shot a bear, most likely the steel will rust away before the bear expires from a .223. You might get lucky and put one into the brain somehow. Or, you could just do something else.

As for doing a "quick reload" after "spray and pray" at the bear: I don't think you've shot a lot of bears either. Maybe zombie bears in some online game, but not real ones.

 

[Win 38-55]

At the turn of the last Century a Grizzly was killed in the Wyoming Territory. The Territorial Government posted a $10,000 in gold reward for this bear. It terrorized the countryside for twenty years before the reward was claimed. When it was finally brought in, it was learned that: It had over a hundred rifle bullets in its body. Besides the kill shot (a .30-40 Krag slug between the ears) it had five different medium and large bore pistol bullets lodged in the brain. None of them had killed it. All five had been fired into the brain from the bottom of its head. Those hunters never came back, along with a great many others.

I have to admit, I find some of the details in the above account hard to believe, especially the five slugs in the brain. Does anyone know where the original account is?

 

[frenchyguy]

for bear defense? ruger 10/22 with a 50 round tear drop mag and a Walther p-22 for the follow up brain shot. and a blow gun for back up. would not hurt to have some baking soda / vinegar bombs too. ha! sorry, i must have read too many bear defense threads =D

 

[cyclone]

My wife cooked for tree planters through university, and she had numerous friends attacked by grizzly bears during that time. Best defense? Definitely bear spray. A shot gun for back up would not hurt.

One example story, a checker (job is to check to make sure the trees are planted correctly, kinda like an audit, and they usually work alone after the blocks have been planted), was stalked by a grizzly. It charged, and she sprayed with a large can of bear spray, and started running for the truck.

The bear was stunned, and paused, shaking it's head from side to side while she ran as fast as she could to the truck. It started after her again, charging and catching up quickly.

She sprayed again, getting it full in the face. Again the bear stopped, stunned, shaking from side to side from the bear spray. Again she ran for the truck.

Once more, the bear caught up to her and she sprayed it, then still ran for the truck. Luckily, she made it in time and was able to drive away.

Personally, I think carrying a short non-res shotgun would have been a good idea. My own shotgun (moss 590A2) carries (in order of being loaded to chamber if you had to shoot) Slug-slug-shot-slug-shot-slug-shot-shot. I also carry bearspray, and if I had to bearspray a bear and a car wasn't VERY close, I would shoot it.

Oh, and the checker quit, became a baker in tree planting camps, and had nightmares of bear attacks for years afterwards.

As an accountant , I can tell you that no one likes an auditor.......apparently that goes for bears as well! ..........

 

[banditos]

80 mm Carl Gustav bazooka with a high explosive round. If you're lucky you might be able to recover the ears to back up your story.

 

[hvmetalhead]

.50 bmg, i have also seen it in a pistol, thought i wouldnt want to fire it

 

[thebigslide]

I carry an 1895 guide gun when I'm in the mountains or foothils. In a real bear attack situation, if you are standing your ground, you will never have a chance for more than 1 MAYBE 2 shots. A shotgun slug will not penetrate the skull of a brown bear. The idea in using a gun in a bear attack is not to wound the animal but to drop it dead. A penetrative round is necessary to accomplish this. Any old single shot in any of the hard hitting rounds would work fine too.

I'd never bring a shotgun. Like I said above, slugs are useless and even OOO buck probably won't do enough damage to stop a brown bear dead. Do you really want to be chased by a pissed off brown bear?

 

[Pathfinder]

I have to admit, I find some of the details in the above account hard to believe, especially the five slugs in the brain. Does anyone know where the original account is?

it does sound like a lot of folklore...Id be interested on the actual source.

 

[Kevin M.]

I feel that the story is bogus.

That said, for real bear defence within our Canadian non-restricted laws, I am surprised nobody has mentioned the M1- Garand. Semi automatic fire, with more powerful rounds and a higher capacity then other semis.

Solid, heavy hitting rounds, especially with hollow point ammunition, a legal capacity of eight rounds, and in a semi automatic rifle.

The ability to put eight powerful rifle rounds downrange in the time it takes a bolt action or lever action to fire two rounds is a strong argument in favor of it.

 

[RUPZUK]

Interesting comments,
The defence would depend on what your doing, are you fishing, camping, hiking or hunting?
If your hunting its kinda obvious the gun in your hand is your defence, learn how to use it and bring enough gun. Two 1000 pound plus grizzly's taken in the Bulkley Valley (if memory serves...) were killed with a 30/06 and a 7RM. A 700 nitro mag is of no use if you can't hit it. Another thing to remember is if you are seeing bears, your deer / moose / etc. will not be there.
As for camping and hiking or fishing IMO you can't beat a simple 18" pump shotgun with 4 in the mag + one in the pipe. Leave all the zombie dodad's at home, you won't have time to use them and they weigh too much. DFO trains and equips their counters with them and it works great, light and simple. A 45/70 guide gun would be right their as well but they are twice + the price. IF you could pack a pistol the S&W 460 would be my minimum.

 

[alexD92]

I feel that the story is bogus.

That said, for real bear defence within our Canadian non-restricted laws, I am surprised nobody has mentioned the M1- Garand. Semi automatic fire, with more powerful rounds and a higher capacity then other semis.

Solid, heavy hitting rounds, especially with hollow point ammunition, a legal capacity of eight rounds, and in a semi automatic rifle.

The ability to put eight powerful rifle rounds downrange in the time it takes a bolt action or lever action to fire two rounds is a strong argument in favor of it.

Are you kidding? The bear will just wait for the "PING!" and then he'll charge you.

 

[Bruce47]

.454 Casull

[QUOTE==(M-1)=;just post a Non-restricted firearm you would select.

You wrecked it for me with that statment
By the way got one for sale SRH STAINLESS 454 CASULL MAG
PM ME

 

[Bruce47]

Interesting comments,
The defence would depend on what your doing, are you fishing, camping, hiking or hunting?
If your hunting its kinda obvious the gun in your hand is your defence, learn how to use it and bring enough gun. Two 1000 pound plus grizzly's taken in the Bulkley Valley (if memory serves...) were killed with a 30/06 and a 7RM. A 700 nitro mag is of no use if you can't hit it. Another thing to remember is if you are seeing bears, your deer / moose / etc. will not be there.

Unless their on top of said Moose or Deer

 

[Bullwhip]

Are you kidding? The bear will just wait for the "PING!" and then he'll charge you.

Thanks. Again another coffee spewed through the nose moment courtesy CGN. I needed that laugh today!

 

[Sharkson]

I carry an 1895 guide gun when I'm in the mountains or foothils. In a real bear attack situation, if you are standing your ground, you will never have a chance for more than 1 MAYBE 2 shots. A shotgun slug will not penetrate the skull of a brown bear. The idea in using a gun in a bear attack is not to wound the animal but to drop it dead. A penetrative round is necessary to accomplish this. Any old single shot in any of the hard hitting rounds would work fine too.

I'd never bring a shotgun. Like I said above, slugs are useless and even OOO buck probably won't do enough damage to stop a brown bear dead. Do you really want to be chased by a pissed off brown bear?

I seem to recall reading tests that show how WELL shotgun slugs penetrate. Not sure about a brown bear's skull of course. But in the interest of an honest discussion about BEAR DEFENCE , does anyone else have an opinion?

Check this out:

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm

 

[carl gustav]

Attacks by grizzlies are quite rare, and though still rare you are much more likely to be attacked by a black bear than a grizzly. A reliable 12 ga short barreled shotgun like a Rem 870 or an Ithaca 37 loaded with slugs should be adequate for self protection. Almost always if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone too. More than a few bears are killed just because we prefer to be on the safe side.

 

[jack_GN]

Hi,

Any shotgun with 1 1/8 oz of shot (492 grains at 1200 ft/sec) at chose range is enough for any animal.

The shotgun, in that case, is not the problem...the problem is that the shooter needs to have the nerves to wait until the bear is very, very close.......and that is not easy.

Jack....