9mm vs 10mm for Bear defense.

[UpNorth89]

After I killed the bear with my 10mm I backed off to 9 and 40. My shot went home and killed him instantly.....but the follow up shots on the 10 are simply slower and in the event of injury the recoil is substantial enough to possibly not allow the gun to cycle correctly.

Whatever you choose.....shoot it a lot.

This. If a bear is on me I want it to go bang when I pull the trigger and not have to worry about limp wristing a 10mm.

 

[taskswap]

This. If a bear is on me I want it to go bang when I pull the trigger and not have to worry about limp wristing a 10mm.

Honestly, "bears" has to be the one topic where debates over "6 shooter reliability" vs "15 in the mag" actually still have some meaning today.

If Mr Bear ever does come for me, you can just call me "spray and pray"...

 

[Ak kid]

I live, work, and play around both brown and black bears in Southeast Alaska. I've had 100s of bear contacts including being charged and having to shoot nuisance bears. (Former LEO) This is a very informative video and I have considered carrying a 10. Currently I always carry a 44 mag in bear country.

 

[HMU023]

9mm all the way. That has always been my defense but will like to give 10mm a try

 

[Elkhntr08]

Always enjoy the “what would you carry” threads.
Ballistic gel is not flesh and bone. Bullets react differently depending on where they hit. Carry what you can shoot accurately and then work on speed. I carry a Glock 20 and practice weekly, but if I shot my 9mm or 45acp better, I’d carry that. I’d rather hit a bear 10 times with a 9mm than miss him 15 times with a 10mm.
Thankfully, I’ve never had to put it to the test.

 

[BRTreedogs]

10mm Buffalo bore 220gr stops any and most everything pretty quick

Tell us a few stories about the animals and charging bears you have killed with it, I would be interested in your first hand experience.

 

[BRWNBR]

I’ve put numerous holes in browns with my 10mm. None were impressive. None were life threatening situations.
A handgun is just a convenient way to carry something to make us feel better and safer. To be our own first responder.
Whatever gun you have is a bear gun when a bear shows up. 9mm, 380 or 454. Carry what’s comfy and gives you the confidence to spend time in the woods and not be helpless if a situation comes up.
And forget “bear stopping” power. It’s placement, if a bear is charging and your lil 22lr turns the charge, mission accomplished. A handgun is there to keep you and others alive. That’s it. It’s not there to kill the bear. It’s there to save you.

 

[mtnbound]

I carried a 10mm for several years, but I could not shoot it as fast or as accurately as a 9mm. I also went with a 40S&W but the 9mm was still faster and more accurate. How I tested this is, 7yards to target, the target is an 8" circle, pistol in the holster, 1 mag/15rds in the gun, 1 spare mag also with 15rds, on the beep of a timer, fire the first mag into the 8" circle, at slide lock, reload and fire 1 round from the second mag. Passing time is sub 11sec, and all rounds are in the 8"circle. This drill sold me on the 9mm.

 

[gtriple]

I think I'm pretty well sold on going from my 10mm to a 9mm... now the next step is getting down to a 22wmr. That might take a while though. Is there any similar testing done with a 22wmr?

 

[chucko]

I am a lifelong Alaskan and have land surveyed and hunted here my entire life .I have had the unique opportunity to survey every existing dump in Southeast Ak. My go to gun is a single shot 10 gauge with handloaded number 1( 3-1/2) buckshot .As a rule I did not allow my crew to carry a handgun because I think only 5 guys out of a hundred can hit a moving target accurately at 25 feet .I kinda like the fact that my one round throws 21 30caliber balls- point at center mass shoot and end of problem blows a hole you can put a soccer ball in