Handguns against bears

Well I guess anything is possible.

I have 'heard'/read of instances of attacking bears being killed by handguns.

I personally know a guy who killed a black bear with a .22 rifle.

If you have ever looked at a grizzlies skull up close you will see the problem with the theoretical 'one shot in the head' kill. Grizzlies have rather thick skull plates and sloped foreheads making for a difficult to penetrate brainpan. -Kind of like the sloped armour on a tank.

If you have ever slaughtered beef or pork you will be familiar with the problem of skull penetration. If you hit them right they gone down hard:if you don't - they take off like a mad bandit and the chase is on. I have seen beef hit square between the eyes with a .357mag - and in another instance a .455 - shake their head and take off.

Just 'cause you can do it doesn't make it a good idea.

Personally I would never pack a handgun for bear defense. I would rather have a shotgun or nothing rather than a false sense of security.

IF you are travelling in big bear country a 12g. shotgun loaded with slugs is the choice of champions. Don't mess with warning shots. If you are absolutely sure a bear is going to do you or someone else harm, wait until it is close and then shoot it until it falls down. Reload. If it moves hit it again. If a big bear -as in grizzly- gets up, it can be very hard to put down again so don't let it get up.

If you are really scared of bears stay out of bear country! I will never forget walking around a corner on the trail to one of my favorite fishing holes and finding myself staring down the barrel of a 12g. I asked the nitwit what the flipperty flip flip he thought he was doing? He replied he thought I was a bear. I then politely explained that the flipperty flip flip bear bells I was wearing were not normally worn by the local bruins.
HE defintely did not belong in bear country.

John
 
A handgun in an emergency is better than a shotgun leaning against a rock 25 yards away, when you are busy doing things that require both hands and your full attention, like tying in a blast. The problem when using a handgun for defense against a bear requires you to solve three problems; 1) the choice of a proper bullet, 2) the selection of the correct target, and 3) marksmanship under stress.

The bullet of choice should have a wide meplat like a WFN or at the very least a SWC. The bullet should be non-expanding as penetration rather than expansion is what will save the day. The bullet's weight should be sufficient to ensure good penetration and but be capable of a supersonic muzzle velocity. A WFN bullet passing through soft tissue at supersonic velocity complicates the wound far beyond what is seen with a sub sonic bullet. Big calibers are better than small, but they are more difficult to shoot well due to their recoil. Very powerful rounds like the .475 Linebaugh should be avoided unless down loaded, as they are slow to bring out of recoil for a followup shot, and a followup shot may have to be made quickly. Over sized handguns should be avoided as they are as much of a hinderance to carry as a long gun and an X frame left in the tent does you no more good that the shotgun left leaning against the rock.

The pointy of shooting is not so much to kill the bear but to stop its forward progression, to give you time to kill it. You are much better off to shoot a 100 pound head than you are a 1000 pound bear, if that makes any sense to you, and the same should apply if you carry a long gun. A chest shot will not normally deter a bear on a mission, so your first choice of target is always the head. Where on the head to shoot is the question you must answer. A bear's brain pan is behind the eyes and ahead of the ears, and is only the width of the snout. If the bear is coming head on, a shot that hits high but is well centered will hit the spine and thats as good. If the head shot is not an option, you need to break a supporting bone such as the shoulder or hip, which is viable if the bear is attacking another person and your target angle is from the side or the side.

Your ultimate survival depends on your marksmanship under stress. If you choose a good gun, the proper bullet, and aim for the right spot, that is all for naught if your bullet goes wide. You have to control your fear, and that is best done by concentrating on the mechanics of the shot, and by being familiar with your gun and confident in your ability to shoot it well. In other words you've shot the gun lots, and have tested the bullets and know they are up to the task. When at the range, once you've got your basic marksmanship down, stress yourself by making short hard runs prior to shooting. If you can arrange it shoot at moving targets, a plastic pail comeing striaght towards you and pulled by a quad or a vehicle is good practice. Shooting a fast incoming target is a difficult problem to solve, perhaps more difficult than a target moving across your field of view.

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mrsmitty said:
This situation I always thought is where the glock 20 would prevail. 15 shots of hot 200 gr 10mm would come in handy for rapid shots under stress.
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I guess basically, there's really two primary choices. I've only had one real up close and quick encounter with a Bear. Heaven forbid but should it happen again, my choice would be for powerful fire rather than fire power.
 
I would feel more comfortable with a handgun than a shotgun. Just because you know when you get a case of the scrambles and grab for your rifle/shotgun it always seems to get caught up on something
 
Holy jumpin jeebus does that bear come in fast. if that guy was scrambling for a shotgun on the bottom of the boat it would have been all over for them, although at the sight of the cubs i would have fished out the ol shotgun and made sure that i got straight to loading if it wasnt loaded already.
 
pitdogboy said:
Well...It worked didn't it?
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Exactly.........

No one is saying that a handgun is the better choice over a shotgun or a crazy big bore rifle or whatever, but this is a good example that in some circumstances maybe even a Grizzly might not be all that jacked to be on the muzzle end of a .357 Magnum either.....
 
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