Do you think a .357 would stop a brown bear attack ?

[GodSpeed1]

Do you think a .357 could stop a brown bear attack ?

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Carry a 10mm and preferably hunt with somebody. You have two scenarios that you are preparing for - the surprise encounter when hiking and you come across a mom with cubs or a bear on a food source it is willing to defend. That food source can be your downed elk. I have come across several grizzlies and most of the time they are curious, but easy to scare off with some yelling and the occasional warning shot. Once you get the animal down head on a swivel and process it as quickly as you can. Best to get it all out in one trip. If you can’t hang the remaining meat up in a tree several hundred yards away from the carcass.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Lots of threads on this, worth a search. Just be smart, store food/cook/eat away from where you sleep, don’t linger around kill site, move meat away from guts and hang in an area with good visibility if it’s going to take multiple trips. If the idea of grizzlies is going to keep you up at night and on edge the entire hunt, maybe look to somewhere without them, plenty of places.

 

[crazyhawksfan]

I carry a 10mm and some fresh shorts... In all seriousness just be mindful of your area and if it's bear dense carry a side arm and hunt with a buddy. I personally wouldn't hunt deep grizzly country solo. If you shoot an elk 6 miles in and your solo good luck getting it out before the bears find it. Common sense goes a long ways.

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[Pony Soldier]

In the 80s my partner and I spent a fair amount of time in griz country. We hunted together but apart. One of us was high while the other was low. 100-150 yds apart. Who ever shot first - the other would close in for backup. One would gut it and cut it in halves while while the other picked a spot to cover the partner.

We would rope up each half and take off into the creek bottom. It was cooler down there and would hold the meat better.

Once in the bottom, we would pick a spot that we could see easily from a distance. Then we quartered the halves and built a ladder using parachord and 3-4 inch sticks tied to the trees every 3 ft. We hung the meat on the top pole and cut the chord on the lower ones denying access to the bears. We would return with horses or packs and ferry out our meat at our liesure.

The grizzly could feed on the guts peacefully as they were usually 1/2 to a mile away near the top of the ridge. We only had to compete with the camp robbers for ours.

If we would have had to fight the bears for our meat- the bear would have lost. We did that for ten years and then the cow season went away and we had to search for a bull area for early in the season.

 

[WoodnotRust]

Do you think a .357 could stop a brown bear attack ?

If bear spray is effective, then you'd think a .357 would be a pretty effective irritant too. If the question is whether a .357 will drop a bear in its tracks I'd say "no" unless it's a really lucky shot. If you get off 5-6 rounds at point blank range then probably "yes".

Not that I have had this experience...just my guess.

 

[madtinker]

Different but related question…

It seems to me that bear spray would be more effective than a pistol, for the simple reason that I am unlikely to hit a bear if I’m panicked. The spray can affect a large area so I don’t have to aim precisely. Am I wrong?

 

[realunlucky]

Different but related question…

It seems to me that bear spray would be more effective than a pistol, for the simple reason that I am unlikely to hit a bear if I’m panicked. The spray can affect a large area so I don’t have to aim precisely. Am I wrong?

Couple things come to mind-
Wind if it blows the mist back on you then your senses are now impaired.
Bears returning after you've sprayed them once

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[Tmac]

Do you think a .357 could stop a brown bear attack ?

Could, sure. Wouldn’t, possibly. You’d probably need to make a cns hit, unless a hit or two made it leave you and run away, which could happen I guess. Likely would depend on the bullet you used and where you put it. You say an attack, so meaning it is already on you?

 

[WKR]

.357 could stop a brown bear but you would need the right kind of bullet and really good shot placement. There are better choices out there but I've read stories of them being killed with a 9mm.
I always think that your sidearm is the last resort and if you are carrying your rifle in your hands (like you should be in grizzly country) that is the smarter and hardest hitting option.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Better than nothing. Load it with a good bullet and rock on

 

[journeyman713]

A 357 would kill a bear, dead, no doubt. But, it might take a minute, or two.
The question is, how much attacking will he do, during his last minutes of life, to the guy that just shot him?

 

[Maz7869]

Could it with a lucky shot yes, get solids or copper bullets and cross your fingers 357 is less than ideal.

 

[WCB]

use a cast core or pest penetrating bullet you can find. CNS shot is essentially required for certainty of a dropping something in its tracks. 10mm .44, 454, .500 etc. don't hit CNS who knows if the bear will drop, turn. or keep coming. It is like any other caliber debate. Guys think a .338 win is the cure all for poor shot placement on Elk. IMO same with the bear question. A properly built bullet, placed right will get the job done more efficiently than a big caliber poorly placed.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Sure beats nothing.

 

[Marbles]

Could it? Yes. Will it? Maybe. A 9mm has worked. A folding buck knife has worked. A 22 hornet has worked. The question is not what can work, it is what will work most often.

A 357 mag is at the bottom of what I would personally select, however a 357 you have on you and can shoot well is better than a 500 S&W you leave in the truck or cannot bring into play fast enough. You can never miss fast enough to kill, nor can you miss with a large enough round and kill. But, if you put everything perfectly on target without adequate penetration it also does little good. So, careful bullet selection, regardless of cartridge, is a good thing.

 

[BDWMT]

I packed a 357 for years while bow hunting. I sold it and upgraded after having a grizzly in camp and feeling inadequate with the little 5 shot 357. I now carry a 10mm or a 44 while bow hunting. I go back and forth between less energy and more chances or bigger energy and less chances. I doubt my shot placement if the situation ever arises and a few more tries would be nice.

 

[Beendare]

Do you think a .357 could stop a brown bear attack ?

Yeah maybe.....I think it depends more on the; 1) Guy pulling the trigger and 2) the Ammo

I packed a .357 for hogs when hunting behind dogs for about a decade. I was consistently underwhelmed by the .357's performance on charging hogs...and just overall.....when shooting them at close range.

I think it was the hollow point 158g ammo. Some of those HP bullets just splattered on a hogs skull.

I think the Hard cast penetrating ammo is going to prove to be a game changer.

 

[BigHink66]

Sell the 357 and get a 10mm! Anyone who suggests this on a basis of 10mm being more powerful should check Buffalo Bores website for hardcast ammo and compare the two.

They are nearly the same thing. 357 will penetrate deeper.

 

[waitforit]

Right or wrong, I carry a 9mm. You may find this interesting:
https://concealednation.org/2018/10/handguns-for-bear-defense-a-study-by-caliber/