Bear Gun

madluk18

madluk18

CGN Regular
Rating - 94.7%
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Location
Peace River AB
I'm looking to buy a Grizzly bear gun, more for protection
I've been looking at the Marlin 1895 SBL and the 1895 guide gun.
i've also had people suggest Shotguns

just wondering what you guys figure would be a good bear defender
 
.444, 45-70 are synonymous with bear defense. Don't discount a pump shotgun with either slug or 00 buck either.
 
I have a Marlin 45-70 Guide gun. It is a great little shoulder canon. Well built and well balanced. I bought it for work and never carry it since it is expensive to shoot and adds about 8 pounds to my vest. I don't think I will ever sell it so to make it worth while I am going to try and use it for moose hunting next season.

People win the lottery more often than they get attacked by bears and those odds are very low. I work in the bush every day in grizzly country and never thought it necessary to carry a gun. There are a lot of things you can do to avoid bears. Unless you are going to have it in your hands cocked with a round chambered you wouldn't be able to get it out, work the action and fire before the bear is on top of you.

If you really want to carry something for camping or hiking I would get a Champion 12g and cut the barrel to 18 3/4". It is light, takes down to fit in a pack and is very versatile (buck shot, slugs, fares, tail-stabalized bags etc...) all for under $100.

If it is for hunting camp just use your hunting rifle. If your thinking of a Grizzly by Dominion Arms it would probably be better to get an old 870 and cut the barrel or buy a 12" barrel for it.

Run a clean camp, burn all your garbage, make noise when you are walking, look up (it's amazing how long you look at the ground when walking up steep slopes) etc...

Save your money to buy something fun like a Glock or a skeet gun!

Good luck on your choice.
 
The Marlin is at its best if you handload for it; factory .45/70 fodder is pretty anemic. If you don't handload a shotgun can be a good tool, and its often easier to find ammo for. A pump shotgun is often less expensive than a powerful rifle, but an autoloader is a better choice for a bunch of reasons: there is no risk of short stroking the action, a solid forend provides a better shooting platform, less recoil means you can reacquire the target faster and get a follow up shot off quicker.

If you prefer to use a rifle, the .30/06 is probably as light as you should go. There are more medium bore rifles available now than ever before, and the new Ruger Alaskan in either the .375 or .416 Ruger are good choices, but you can find .338s, .358s, and 9.3s as well. If you want a big bore rifle, the .458 Winchester is a good choice for those who can handle it, and is a better choice than the .45/70 if you don't handload.

Worry more about the fit, function, and reliability of the gun than the cartridge it is chambered for. Consider the kind of country you will be in, and get a gun that is appropriate for that area. If you are busting through willows, a rifle with a 26" barrel is not your friend, and a shotgun with a 30" barrel belongs in a duck blind. The sights should be rugged and easy to pick up. A bear can't hurt you if he can't touch you, and by definition any shooting you do will be at very close range, so unless it has very low magnification, a scope should not be installed. The situation is reversed if you are looking after a group of people who tend to get themselves strung out along the trail, but it doesn't sound like that is your concern.

Once you decide on which gun to get, practice with it as much as you can.
 
Thanks All info has been a help and considered. I work up at a camp on the Barrens and the Grizzlies are thick up there. But like you said its like winnning the lotto. I will also use this gun to hunt with too which is why I lean more towards the marlin. If i do i'll get the Marlin 1895 SBL. I'll take a look at the shotguns you suggested first though. and prices.
Thanks Again
 
The 45-70 almost died, until it was resusicated with the advent of modern versions of old lever action rifles. Before it's rebirth, when, if anybody had heard of it, they laughed at it, the Alaskan brown bear guides were using the 45-70 for protection. To me, that's a pretty good endorsement for it.
In the years when I was often in grizzly country I always had my trusty 30-06 Swede, with it's Lyman 48 aperature with the disc out, for a large hole. I think too, your chances of being attacked are pretty slim. There are far greater hazards in the bush and mountains, but all modern travellers just seem to worry about getting a huge gun, to protect themselves.
One time two of us climbed up the shady side of a mountain through thick alders. It was easy walking because we were actually walking in a grizzly bear path! So well beaton was the trail through the alders, that in places it was a tunnel and we had to bend down to get through. I was walking ahead, because I had the only firearm!
We made no attempt at going quiet and any bear would certainly hear us coming, so presumeably, get out of our way. I have several other times walked on grizzly paths through rough going on mountain sides.
Another time, on another mountain, the tracks in the morning plainly showed where a large grizzly had come walking down the path two of us were sleeping beside, in a tiny tent. The bear simply walked around us, then back on the path when past our tent. Without doubt, it knew we were in the tent.
Again, my trusty 30-06 was our only firearm.
The first old timer in the bush that I talked to about grizzlies, a full time northern trapper and prospector who had spent most of his life in grizzly country, told me you should have at least a 303 British for grizzlies. This fellow didn't have to read in books or ballistic tables about such things, he had lived the life. Thus, I always felt secure with my 30-06. He also told me that grizzlies will leave you alone in the bush, as long as you don't get between a mother and her cubs!
 
If you chose a shotgun, forget about buckshot. Forestry and Renewable resources testing in the U.S (and I think Canada as well) have shown buckshot to be largely innefective at ranges of more than a few yards, and have very poor penetration at any range. These studies actually reccomended big bore rifles over shotguns with slugs (again, shot was strongly not reccomended), as information from actual shootings of bears with slugs was that they did not actually go down very fast. A 338 win mag with 250gr bullets, for example, would be considered a superior bear stopper to a 12 guage with 3" slugs, according to the info they published.
 
If the budget is not an issue, get a 45/70, if the budget is an issue, and you are not at risk of a polar bear or a huge costal grizzly, I would get a lee enfield. The 10 shots in the the clip are a benefit.
 
22to45 said:
If the budget is not an issue, get a 45/70, if the budget is an issue, and you are not at risk of a polar bear or a huge costal grizzly, I would get a lee enfield. The 10 shots in the the clip are a benefit.
Click to expand...

This actually isn't terrible advice, but not for the reason posted. The Lee Enfield is a rugged durable rifle that comes up shooting with it's issue sights under very adverse conditions, after weeks or even months of abuse. SMLEs are a common sight here. As for the 10 round magazine, it is of little benefit except that you know where your ammo is. Dangerous bear encounters are not resolved with firepower. They occur at very close range, and there would be simply no time to get off more than an aimed shot or two before the bear was on you. If you don't get it right the first time, you might not get a second chance.

However, even in grizzly or polar bear country, more often than not it is a juvenile bear that goes looking for a confrontation, not the half ton adults. When a problem occurs with a very big bear it is because you have made a mistake and somehow, intentionally or unintentionally got within his personal space, got too close to his food stash, ran into a very old, sick or injured bear that sees you as a food source, or you find yourself in the extraordinarily rare circumstance of facing a healthy bear that is predatory towards people. Back to my point, small to medium size problem bears of any species are easily handled with a normal hunting rifle.

What you choose to carry should be determined by your shooting experience, your physical ability, the length of time you will be in bear country, how much travel you intend to do on foot, and with consideration to how much gear you need to carry. For years I carried a single shot shotgun with the barrel cut down to 20" and rifle sights and a sling installed. This thing was easy to carry and quick to get into action. I didn't feel at all unarmed due to being limited to one shot because I knew that if I had a problem I would probably have only one chance. I carried that gun when I first moved up here, and had an interesting encounter with a very big male. My two sons and I saw this guy from a distance and wanted a closer look. We approached him with the wind so we wouldn't surprise him, but once we had closed, he became interested in us and he closed in on us, well within my comfort zone. At that time I hadn't learned that a polar bear will continue to approach you once you are within his personal space, nor had I developed the technique that I now use when this happens, which is to run straight at the bear and put him in a fight or flight state mindset. I had an imaginary line drawn in the sand and determined I would fire when he crossed it. The SOB stepped on the line then turned back into the rocks! Memory is an unreliable thing, so I won't say how much I thought that bear weighed, but I do recall that at the time I said it was 2' between his ears! I stopped carrying the little Winchester when I discovered that it's firing pin was too short to fire Federal slugs reliably. I ordered a replacement firing pin, but the problem persisted, so I gave it up for a rifle.
 
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