another question for caliber to kill bear
does anyone think a .357 handgun is enough to kill a grizzly bear ? i wouldnt hunt with one but in an emergency in bear country do you think a .357 with hollow points and hopefully 5 rounds put in the bear could kill it or stop a charge ?
i have heard of bear hunters using 30-30 lever actions rifles
i have heard of bear hunters using 30-30 lever actions rifles
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i've heard of people killing BIG bears with one shot from a .22
i've also heard of bears not stopping after being shot repeatedly with really big guns.
if i had a bear attack me i would personally want alot more than a 6 shot .3570 -
.50 BMG [:D][:D][:D]
I guess it all depends on shot placement...0 -
I know this might not be relevant - but here in Greenland, the minimum caliber, by law, to hunt polarbear with - is .30-06 0 -
I saw pictures of a dumbarse that carried a .38 special into bear country. He emptied all 6 rounds into a charging bears head. The bear lived and got away. The man's remains were just his head, ribs and spine. I dont think a .357 would do justice either. 0 -
A .357 will do just fine!
But before you go, file your front sights off of your gun
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Actually, I think that people should hunt bears with any caliber they deem appropriate instead of debating the issue. If they make a misjudgment, then the gene pool is cleansed![:D] 0 -
No hollow points, rather FMJ in order to get some penetration. And really nothing smaller than a .44 Mag. A bear has a very thick tough hide, they are not thin skinned like a deer. 0 -
I do carry a 5 shot .357 for bears, but it is only because it is the largest gun I can get away with carrying concealed.
Is it my first choice NO, but it is the best option I have.0 -
Bear protection .454 Ruger Alaskan
We dont have many bears in the South, but it will stop a truck [:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Nwcid
I do carry a 5 shot .357 for bears, but it is only because it is the largest gun I can get away with carrying concealed.
Is it my first choice NO, but it is the best option I have.
Would you have to have your pistol concealed in bear country?
Maybe during bow season due to DNR regulations? We have that problem here in Michigan. During archery deer season your handgun must stay concealed.0 -
Google:
Brown Bear (Grizzly) charge characteristics (note it's speed specs and it's low profile as it fearlessly runs right AT you), anatomical specs (concentrate on the shovel shaped skull & it's thickness), and IF you care to take one with a .357, I'd like to film it with my 500mm lens ... and also have the sales rights as you won't be needing money where you're going!
Blackbear - .357 will probably do fine if you have expert shot placement on a moving target.
[:D][:D][:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by sav99
quote:Originally posted by Nwcid
I do carry a 5 shot .357 for bears, but it is only because it is the largest gun I can get away with carrying concealed.
Is it my first choice NO, but it is the best option I have.
Would you have to have your pistol concealed in bear country?
Maybe during bow season due to DNR regulations? We have that problem here in Michigan. During archery deer season your handgun must stay concealed.
Due to my summer job. I am a Paramedic for the Forest Service. Guns are a big no-no. I spend enough time "alone" in the woods that I feel much better this way. The first couple of years I did not carry but a couple of night time noises while camped out (not in the main camp) made me change. Most folks travel and sleep in crews. Well I am on my own for the most part with other folks in the area, but not with me.
I know the odds of any kind of animal attack are small but it only takes once. Odds of me getting caught are also very small. The risk is worth it to me. Even if I get caught about the worst thing that would happen to me is to loose that job.0 -
I know a man who would laugh at all of you. (and me)
He was coon hunting and he had quite a bit of money invested in his dogs. They got after a medium sized black bear and hemmed it at the bottom of a rock cliff. By the time he got there the bear had done killed one dog and wounded another pretty bad. All he had was a single shot 22 and a hunting knife. He threw the gun down, pulled the knife out and charged the bear. Killed it without getting a scratch. There was 3 other men with him that witnessed his act of bravery(stupidity).
Said he had no choice but to save his dogs.0 -
500 Smith and Wesson packed with some 500 grain FMJ???? 0 -
Up in the 'Big Lonesome,' campers are told if attacked by a blackie - find the nearest
tree and climb! Stop about half way up and kick the bear in it's nose. Three or four
short toe kicks is generally enough to turn it around. He won't let go as you kick his
sensitive snout as his retractable claws on his forepaws will stay in the bark ... or he
will immediately fall.
If a Griz chases you - again, head for a tree - good news, is he can't follow you up since
he/she doesn't have retractable claws! Bad news is, if it takes him the rest of the day -
or two or even three days - he/she will eventually tear the tree down!
... that's why we pack our S&W .500 4"
[:D]0 -
About 1980, I was goin'' fishin' in Washington State, to a lake I had fished in a lot, about a 3 mile walk through the woods from my home - fat, dumb, and happy. As I rounded a curve in the trail, a medium sized Black Bear came on to the trail, ahead of me, heading the same direction that I was (her back to me). I froze. I could her her sniffing as she turned around. I stayed froze. She turned back around and headed away from me down the trail. I turned around , wiped my pants with some leaves, and went home, fishless.
The next day I replaced the 6 inch Model 29 that I had sold two weeks previous with another. 240 Gr. LSWC.
Never went fishin' in the woods again without it.
Never saw another bear.
If I was gonna do it again, I'd carry it with the 300 Gr. Cor-Bon - at least I think that's who makes them.
For me, the recovery time with anything with a heavier round - like .454 Casull or better - with a smaller firearm - like an SAA or the short barrelled Smitty .500 - would be quite uncontrollable for myself, after the first round. And I would want to put as many into the Bear as possible - hopefully 6.
Don't kid around with this CR - it could cost you your life.
Doug0 -
The hottest 357 loads you can find with 158gr Hard Cast bullets.
I'd rather take a 41 or 44 mag.0 -
I can tell by the way you talk that you ain't from these parts, are ya? Normal ol black bear ain't no big thing, I wouldn't feel unsafe carrying a 357 with 158gr HPs, for just being out there. If I was going hunting for one, I'd take my 44 mag. Now grizz, thats a differant kritter, if I'm going to be out where they are, or might be, I'm packing my 44 at the least, and more than likely my 50 AE. for what it's worth.
W.D.0 -
I agree: a .357 with FMJ wouldn't leave you naked in Grizzly Bear country...but it's still not as good as a .44 Mag or a .454 or whatever else is up there. All that doesn't matter though unless you can drill that sucker with a pistol.
I know a man who would laugh at all of you. (and me)
He was coon hunting and he had quite a bit of money invested in his dogs. They got after a medium sized black bear and hemmed it at the bottom of a rock cliff. By the time he got there the bear had done killed one dog and wounded another pretty bad. All he had was a single shot 22 and a hunting knife. He threw the gun down, pulled the knife out and charged the bear. Killed it without getting a scratch. There was 3 other men with him that witnessed his act of bravery(stupidity).
Said he had no choice but to save his dogs.
Yeah, uh-huh. I knew that guy, too.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Zebra
I saw pictures of a dumbarse that carried a .38 special into bear country. He emptied all 6 rounds into a charging bears head. The bear lived and got away. The man's remains were just his head, ribs and spine. I dont think a .357 would do justice either.
If the bear lived and got away, how does anyone know that the deceased managed to place 6 rounds into the "charging bear's head" -? That's either some awful good shooting or an awfully bad story someone told you.0 -
quote:If the bear lived and got away, how does anyone know that the deceased managed to place 6 rounds into the "charging bear's head" -? That's either some awful good shooting or an awfully bad story someone told you.
Most likely fired 6 shot's "at" the bear.0 -
i don't think i'd want anything smaller than a 40 MM with High Explosive heads. 0 -
My uncle killed a Kodiak with an M1 Carbine (.30 Carbine), but it was more of a self defense operation than a bear hunt. It wasn't the plan. [:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Paleobrute
quote:Originally posted by Zebra
I saw pictures of a dumbarse that carried a .38 special into bear country. He emptied all 6 rounds into a charging bears head. The bear lived and got away. The man's remains were just his head, ribs and spine. I dont think a .357 would do justice either.
If the bear lived and got away, how does anyone know that the deceased managed to place 6 rounds into the "charging bear's head" -? That's either some awful good shooting or an awfully bad story someone told you.
There has been a picture on the internet for about a year and a half now of that bear. A DNR employee from Alaska was hunting deer with his BAR in 7MM Mag. The bear charged him, and he dumped his gun and put it down, and he reloaded and finished it off. They backtracked the bear, as when it was field dressed it had human remains in it. They found the guy with the 38, and part of another guy. The bear is on display at either the Anchorage, or Jeauno air port.0 -
Whatever you choose to carry will be WAYYYYY to small if you ever get in a situation where you really need it. If you ever get in that deep you'll wish you had a hand held Krupp. Dave 0 -
Watch this video and be the judge if .357 is enough. http://youtube.com/watch?v=LZnsL7-UdGc
BTW, he also have a side arm.0 -
I've dealt with alot of bears while living in coastal Oregon and especially Juneau Alaska. Personally I never would wander around the woods without a 12 gauge up in Alaska. I've seen only a couple brown bear and those were from a boat and even a 50 cal BMG seems small when you see them in the real world.
Black bears are a entirely different beast in my opinion and they are mostly pansys although the ones in Alaska seemed much more bold then the ones I ran across in Oregon. I'd feel alright toting a 357 in black bear country but sure as hell wouldn't in brown bear country.
P.S. If you have to deal with a bear sure as heck don't shoot for the head they have a extremely thick skull. Also I wouldn't want hollow points. I'd want the most penatration I could get.0 -
THERE KILLED ALL THE TIME WITH A BOW AND ARROW [xx(]
if it is youe time to get [xx(] does not matter what you carry0 -
Let me tell you a story about a customer that came in and bought a .460 from me the other day. He shot a nice sized black bear this year with a bow...hit him a little too far forward (in the front shoulder). He had good blood for about 100 yards and finally lost the trail on my dad's property...so he waited till the next day and took a neighbor's dog and went looking for the bear. The dog jumped the bear up and treed it, so this guy takes out a .44 Mag and shot the bear in the tree. This 450+ lb black bear came down out of the tree and charged the guy. The guy shot him again, dead square center of his chest. About the same time the dog came in towards the bear from his right side. The bear turned and swatted at the dog, ripping it's neck open. The bear was now broad side and this guy shot it 3-4 more times behind the shoulder before it went down. I believe he said he used all 6 shots from a 44 mag to put the bear down...and they were all well placed shots. This was a black bear and not a grizzly as well. This fella had always believed his .44 mag was more than adequate for bear...changed his mind. He now has a .460 S&W.[;)] 0 -
Here's the word, straight from the eastern doorstep to Yellowstone Park. I get @&$@!! griz bears in my dang back yard, and the wife and I will not hit the trail -- not for ten feet -- without a bear gun except in winter. Sav99 is right: you want solid, hard-cast bullets to penetrate the brain pan. This is more important than cartridge power, although power also helps. Huge, high-powered cartridges like the .500 are for hunting, and this is a self-defense scenario. Short distance, and multiple shots. I'd rather get off six shots than one, and you might need all six before this critter stops. The .41 mag is generally considered ideal for penetration, and the .44 mag can't be much worse. I carry a .45 LC, with Cor-Bon hard cast +Ps.
Important note: you also need a can of bear spray. If you shoot a bear, the can had better be empty and his lugs full of pepper. You will be considered guilty of a federal wildlife violation until it is proven that you acted in self-defense. I know what the Constitution says, but the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is above the Constitution. Bear spray is basically useless half the time, but you'd better have it with you. A good handgun cartridge is never useless.
Important note #2: disregard advice re: black bears. They are two different animals, alike only in having the same number of legs. Their brains, and their cojones, are absurdly different. Although I have heard experts say that once a black bear gets over 350 pounds it starts to thinkit's a griz.0
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