9MM + Bear

[firemachine69]

My CX4 with it's 19" non-restricted barrel has more velocity than a handgun. Thus bringing the 9mm in "competent" territory.

 

[philthygeezer]

As friend of mine who is a bear hunting outfitter, retrieves wounded bears for his clients and recommends to his clients that he does this, for he feels responsble for customer safety. All he has and ever will use is a 12g pump with 00 or 000 buckshot and claims it works excellent when you are very close.

So 00 over slugs then. I guess it makes more sense than relying on one projectile to hit vital organs. I'd never thought of it this way, but I think I'll switch to 00 buck.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Gatehouse]

Ok tell me about the time you had to dispatch a bear with your sidearm.

I've killed hogs and sheep with less. It's about shot placement!

 

[philthygeezer]

A better one yet

I wonder where a 158 grain jacketed .357 Magnum would fit here.

 

[Wild_Thing]

Short barrelled 12g with the heaviest hitting rounds that you can comfortably fire and make consistent hits with. Most of these LEO dispatch bear stories occur when yogi is a lot more sedate, IE with his head in someone's pick-a-nic basket. Worst case, a surprise charge from bear at close proximity, you might get one shot off, if you are really lucky more.

 

[guess_kto]

Just had a question about 9mm ammo after a debate last weekend.

IF a 9mm was to be used for bear/cougar protection, what would be the best type of bullet to use for a close encounter.

JHP and FP... probably 124 grain

if it's a brown bear, you have 50/50 chance to survive.

 

[curtmg]

Ok tell me about the time you had to dispatch a bear with your sidearm.

All you people with real world experience, just get in the way of me and my fellow internet heroes. You may have killed a bear with your duty sidearm, but I have OVER 1300 interweb points, buddy. I'll bet, that if you did it now, after reading in this thread how well 9mm will kill a bear, it'll take you less rounds of 40 s+w. If anything 9mm is almost too much gun, 380acp, makes for a much more sporting contest. Placement is everything. Definitely gonna want some Hornady Critical Defense rounds for that one.




<----------note, I didn't forget the smily.

ETA, of course on the other end of the spectrum, are the fellows who are certain no bear will ever perish unless they get hit with the camp stove at 2300fps. I'd imagine the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

 

[peter2772000]

Be sure to have lots of grease on your gun. After you empty your 9mm into a bear, things will still be hapening. A bears heart beats so slow it may die but not before he shoves your gun where the sun don't shine and mixes your body parts with the berries he ate for breakfast.

THAT was hilarious. Thanks for causing my morning coffee to spill back up thru my nose

 

[Walnutz]

How many of you bet what the next question from Walnutz will be?

Thanks but im well aware of that.Id be suprised to hear how many people with input on this thread have a ATC.

 

[Colin]

Frankly I would be happy if they issued ATC's for 9mm in the bush, still beats rocks and a pointy stick, having been forced to carry a pointy stick due to lack of anything else a 9mm would have made me very happy. Any gun is better than no gun.

 

[t-star]

Frankly I would be happy if they issued ATC's for 9mm in the bush, still beats rocks and a pointy stick, having been forced to carry a pointy stick due to lack of anything else a 9mm would have made me very happy. Any gun is better than no gun.

the point is that the leos and c/os don't want to "confront' anything that might be armed in the bush-m it's their mindset, not ours, that keeps us unarmed-

 

[stevefrench]

holy hell that bear charged fast ..

 

[Ganderite]

Some things to consider:

Killing a bear and stopping a bear before it kills you are two different things. Lots of animals i have shot through the heart/lungs have run a bit before dieing. 30 seconds is a long time if the bear is munching on you.

Someone trudging through the bear's back yard can cause the bear to circle around and follow the spoor of the person. The first instant the person is aware of the bear is when he gets cuffed, hard, from behind. Even if he is well armed, his survival chances are about 50%. A shot gun can go flying.

A bear has a lot of bone muscle and fat (in the fall). I happen to know that 9mm FMJ gets stuck in the fat and is nothing more than a good way to piss off the bear.

The bear forhead bones slant back and tend to deflect head shots from the front. A neck shot or mouth shot are good shots from the front.

The only problem with a shotgun is that it tends to be propped against a tree wheile you are working, or left on the ATV or gets knocked out of your hands when attacked from the rear. A double action 44 in a good holster never leaves your reach.

As a pilot who flew in northern ontario, I usually carreid both. The shotgun also had birdshot and flares.

 

[bearkilr]

So 00 over slugs then. I guess it makes more sense than relying on one projectile to hit vital organs. I'd never thought of it this way, but I think I'll switch to 00 buck.

Thanks for sharing!

I've dispatched quite a number of bears with follow up shots; rifles,slugs and buckshot. Slugs are 1000 times more effective than buckshot. You have to be VERY close for buckshot to work. I've had bears "shake it off" at 30 yards.

About the only time buckshot would have an advantage is at a fast charging bear, you don't have to be as accurate. That's why African PH's use it on Leopards, though a big leopard only weighs 150 lbs.

Still better than a 9mm though!

 

[philthygeezer]

I've dispatched quite a number of bears with follow up shots; rifles,slugs and buckshot. Slugs are 1000 times more effective than buckshot. You have to be VERY close for buckshot to work. I've had bears "shake it off" at 30 yards.

About the only time buckshot would have an advantage is at a fast charging bear, you don't have to be as accurate. That's why African PH's use it on Leopards, though a big leopard only weighs 150 lbs.

Still better than a 9mm though!

Had a long conversation with a few people at the range and they are in accordance with you. I chose slugs because I thought they penetrated better but the poster above made me question that, and I figured multiple projectiles in a bear would bring it down faster.

I think I'll continue to stick with slugs.

 

[geologist]

I have read that a .303 is better than buckshot for charging cats. Perhaps one of the gunnuts with African experience can say for sure what the guides use.

 

[Colin]

Even foster type slugs may fail against a bear's bones.

 

[firemachine69]

It'll sure give it a nasty headache though!

 

[B]

Even foster type slugs may fail against a bear's bones.

I'd say it's very likely to fail. Foster slugs are for light animals. Brenneke style slugs are a much better choice. A .375 or .45-70 would be even better. Really lame that we can't pack pistols in the bush.

 

[giant yetti]

I can empty a magazine in under 4 seconds, I don't know what scnario you have in mind but it's not entirely impossible that one would have to relaod, esp if you see the bear from far enough.

and what part of the second paragraph you don't agree with? bears have been taken with a 9mm, 40, 45acp before it's not impossible!

I believe an average human can cover 30-40 feet in just over a second and a half. some one else on here stated the speed of the average bear(which is much faster than a human).

those last 5 shots will most likely be fired on that bear when you push the gun down it's throat...

nothing personal, just good hearted speculation!