Top 10 Bear Guns, What the Professionals Use
- Thread starter geologist
- Start date
Funny video, wonder where he is getting his "data" from.
None of the bear guides I know post on the internet but all but one use 300 wm. The outlier carries a 303 imperial magnum.
He mentioned " non guides". I have never seen anyone in the forestry industry carry any gun but a pump action 12 gauge, unless I was looking in a mirror. Most who work for a living do not carry guns, spray is lighter, and safer. In over a decade of remote surveys in grizzly country in BC I could count on one hand the amount of times I brought a gun along.
There has been recent standardization of the guns carried by bear monitors in oil and gas (with literally 3 exceptions all I've met and I've met a lot, were more dangerous than any bear). Always pump action 12 gauges.
In the wild west days I saw guys with 45/70 guide guns and a 450 marlin blr.
Geologist would have a better idea what mineral exploration folks carry obviously, but I'm guessing his 375 is in the minority. I've visited a few mineral exploration camps and all had pump action 12 gauges as camp guns.
None of the bear guides I know post on the internet but all but one use 300 wm. The outlier carries a 303 imperial magnum.
He mentioned " non guides". I have never seen anyone in the forestry industry carry any gun but a pump action 12 gauge, unless I was looking in a mirror. Most who work for a living do not carry guns, spray is lighter, and safer. In over a decade of remote surveys in grizzly country in BC I could count on one hand the amount of times I brought a gun along.
There has been recent standardization of the guns carried by bear monitors in oil and gas (with literally 3 exceptions all I've met and I've met a lot, were more dangerous than any bear). Always pump action 12 gauges.
In the wild west days I saw guys with 45/70 guide guns and a 450 marlin blr.
Geologist would have a better idea what mineral exploration folks carry obviously, but I'm guessing his 375 is in the minority. I've visited a few mineral exploration camps and all had pump action 12 gauges as camp guns.
For all of the fluff around a 12 gauge... it seems the least logical. Most anything with a bullet, as opposed to a slug, would penetrate better.
Most fellers in the serious, or perceived serious rhubarb patches, that do actual work, are still managing to pack revolvers or pistols of some kind, as a second choice to spray?
The last pic of a "real" bear guide rifle seen sported a flashlight on the end of a barrel, and belonged to a daughter of some guy named Phil...so there is that.
R.
Most fellers in the serious, or perceived serious rhubarb patches, that do actual work, are still managing to pack revolvers or pistols of some kind, as a second choice to spray?
The last pic of a "real" bear guide rifle seen sported a flashlight on the end of a barrel, and belonged to a daughter of some guy named Phil...so there is that.
R.
Respectfully, I think you are seriously overestimating how common ATC's are among people in the industries I mentioned.
Mineral exploration guys, geologists etc do seem to love them some guns though.
As far as I can tell your average pre harvest forestry fieldworker these days is a 23 year old girl from North Vancouver who wouldn't know a Redhawk from a cap gun
I can only speak from personal experience though
I'd agree with you academically on 12 gauge vs basically any rifle over 30 cal, but that doesn't factor into the reality of what guns people are carrying
Mineral exploration guys, geologists etc do seem to love them some guns though.
As far as I can tell your average pre harvest forestry fieldworker these days is a 23 year old girl from North Vancouver who wouldn't know a Redhawk from a cap gun
I can only speak from personal experience though
I'd agree with you academically on 12 gauge vs basically any rifle over 30 cal, but that doesn't factor into the reality of what guns people are carrying
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I see a pretty large numbers of workers from a wide cross section of industries every year and in total have seen maybe 2 with legit ATC?
Maybe 5 percent carry a gun, and out of them id say 95% of them carry a pistol gripped shotgun.
Maybe 5 percent carry a gun, and out of them id say 95% of them carry a pistol gripped shotgun.
Totally agree...
There was no mention of ATC's... for a reason. And certainly wasn't/isn't forestry workers.
R.
- Location
- AB foothills
Couldn't agree more!
steamy teabag
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Inside Carneys Reich
This was a serious discussion around the dinner table between the wife and me because of the nature of the camping we still enjoy ie Eastern Slopes Wilderness camping off the beaten path with no one around but us and the bears. Our XP in the Ya Ha Tinda neck of the woods over covid and with us getting up in the years meant we had to rethink things. Go to for camp was always a MB 12G pump action with a mixture of slugs and double O but short stroking started to be an issue with the wife and honestly me, old age creeping up and all. Changed up to a SA SG and brenneke slugs only. Lots of range time the last 2 years and we are happy. I like bears and have never had to put one down but I love my wife and grandkids more than mr or mrs yogi.
Licensed to kill
CGN Regular
- Location
- Peace Country Alberta
Didn't watch the video but, while the quoted statement is true, whether it is relevant or not depends on the circumstance IMO. If someone is HUNTING bears, then yes, a rifle would be FAR superior to a slug gun. However, if choosing a gun for bear DEFENCE, I would think a slug gun considerabley more effective and a better choice. A bear at 100-200 yards (where a rifle would be most effective and a slug gun not) does not yet pose a threat. If a bear is threatening, perhaps even charging, at <30 yards, a slug would have considerably more "stopping" power than a bullet. JMO but if someone has a valid reason that these thoughts are mistaken I would be interested in hearing them. For the record, back when my Dad and brother hunted sheep a LOT, Dad ALWAYS carried his .45 SAA in a shoulder holster for bear defence. More then once they had a grizzly stand up in the buck brush not far from them and if the horses had spooked (particularly if they spooked because the bear charged) it was likely that the ensuing rodeo could leave rider on the ground while the horse absconded with the rifle and, while dad always said that a .45 long colt was not the best thing to stop a charging bear, it was still better than throwing a rock. A slug gun would have provided much better stopping power but no so much if it is not quickly accessible.
Why would a rifle become less affective inside 100 yards? In my experience, nothing gets an animals attention faster than getting shot with a rifle inside of 30 yards. The results are usually dramatic.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
About all I see from the silviculture side is spray and bangers, but they’re a bunch of granola eating tree huggers. The thought of a predatory bear being shot and killed is enough to trigger them, all the faller’s I’ve worked with don’t carry anything ironically. Having spray on my belt is the last thing I need when I slip and fall in roto or alder, would be a disaster waiting to happen. I’d rather face a bear with my chainsaw or axe than have a can of spray get a puncture while on my belt or in my pack lol.
Anyone I’ve worked with that has carried a gun while surveying or timber cruising etc etc has said it was a 12g pump and slugs.
Shine brighter than a high powered rifle? I doubt it.
