Pistol For Bear Defense

[TylerS105]

I am looking to purchase a pistol for bear defense in the backcountry for next year. I am looking for some different opinions on caliber and brand, let me know what you think!

 

[MHWASH]

I like a light weight 9mm with a rail to mount a light when back at the tent. I’ve had several 10s but ended up leaving them home because of the weight. I’ve had to track a few bears in the thick stuff and for that purpose prefer a pistol to my rifle.

 

[jnawalaniec]

Clay Newcomb has a really interesting video on youtube with some guys who train people how to defend themselves in bear country, the stuff they said was pretty surprising. They said the one guy they’ve trained that actually had to shoot a bear used a 9mm

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I hunt in grizzly country and carry a glock 29 10mm.

If you aren’t in grizzly country and are looking at black bears or Mt Lions, I would carry a 9mm or 40, really anything would work.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Most people here are going to say a 44 or a 10mm with hard cast bullets. Glock 20 and some of the lighter S&W revolvers seem to be favorites here. Somewhere I saw a compilation of stats on bear defense that stated the caliber used. I will post if I can find it.

shoot something you are comfortable with And will carry. A heavy 454 might pack a lot of punch but it won’t do you any good if you don’t have it with you when you need it. 44 has more crack than 10mm but A glock holds 2x the rounds. Whether or not you might get off enough shots on a charging bear to use them gets awfully theoretical.


Whatever you buy, get a decent holster and train until you are comfortable.

 

[Tmac]

I carry a 40 S&W in the lower 48 and most of AK, if I don’t have a rifle with me. Generally have 200 gr. loads in it. Carry a 12 ga. with stout slugs if in AK near salmon rivers, aka Brown bear country.

 

[txtransplant]

Somewhere I saw a compilation of stats on bear defense that stated the caliber used. I will post if I can find it.

Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 Incidents

Using a pistol to defend against bear attacks seems to be a viable option.

www.ammoland.com

Even 9mm is surprisingly effective, if inferring from this small sample size. Carry bear spray, too. It’s not either-or. Bear spray is better for the species long-term because it teaches bears not to get near humans.

That said, I own a .40 S&W and want to get a 10mm as my woods sidearm.

 

[NevadaMike]

I carry a Glock 20 10mm with hard cast ammo. I have an FHF bino harness with a Razco holster. I have never needed it but its comfortable to carry and I have logged quite a few miles carrying in in Alaska.

 

[txtransplant]

I have an FHF bino harness with a Razco holster.

That’s the same setup I want to get. Any issues or downsides? All comfy, doesn’t block access to any other gear or anything?

 

[NevadaMike]

It worked great for me and so far I have had no issues. The pistol all loaded up is heavy though.

 

[Mt Al]

Most people here are going to say a 44 or a 10mm with hard cast bullets. Glock 20 and some of the lighter S&W revolvers seem to be favorites here. Somewhere I saw a compilation of stats on bear defense that stated the caliber used. I will post if I can find it.

shoot something you are comfortable with And will carry. A heavy 454 might pack a lot of punch but it won’t do you any good if you don’t have it with you when you need it. 44 has more crack than 10mm but A glock holds 2x the rounds. Whether or not you might get off enough shots on a charging bear to use them gets awfully theoretical.


Whatever you buy, get a decent holster and train until you are comfortable.

^^^ What he said. something you're comfortable with, will carry and practice with your loadout on you. I hunt in grizzly country and carry a Glock 20 10mm, others carry 44 Mag single actions, etc..

 

[NevadaMike]

To expand I carry the Glock 20 because of the number of rounds it holds. While I practice with it I would hardly say I am a marksman. When I first bought my place in Alaska I feverishly set out to find a bear gun and research led me down a different path. Generally I do not carry unless I am in brown bear country and anticipate standing over a carcass where a rifle might not be in arms reach. Most people attacked by bears that survive report never having time to fire a single shot and not even knowing it was coming until the last second. My experienced friends were sitting glassing in Alaska last year when they looked over and a black bear was 10 feet away. They never heard it coming! Fortunately the bear looked at them and just slowly wandered off and they were restrained enough to not shoot it. I guess my point is the best defense is to be vigilant, be very noisy when not hunting and anticipate. Standing over an elk in brown bear country is a good time to anticipate. I only carry the pistol when I do not have a tag and I am supporting a hunt. If we get into thick brush or areas of poor visibility we take the rifles off the shoulders, talk about it and make a plan.

 

[eddielasvegas]

Bear spray is better for the species long-term because it teaches bears not to get near humans.

Yes, this would be my first thought too as a angry bear is thinking of sending me to the promised land.

In the scenario discussed, teaching a bear should be second to self preservation, but that's just me and my wacky way of thinking.


Eddie

 

[txtransplant]

Yes, this would be my first thought too as a angry bear is thinking of sending me to the promised land.

In the scenario discussed, teaching a bear should be second to self preservation, but that's just me and my wacky way of thinking.


Eddie

Good grief. Do I *really* have to explain to you that I wasn’t implying bear spray should be used in lieu of a firearm when fighting for your life?

It turns out, *sometimes*, humans encounter bears in scenarios where they aren’t threatening the human, but also aren’t afraid to get close. In fact, if that happens a lot more than lethal encounters. Those bears need to be trained to stay away, or else they’ll eventually have an encounter that leads to their death either by a victim or by the game management dept after the fact.

 

[Brendan]

You didn't specify black or grizz, but assuming grizz thrown into the mix at times and assuming you're somewhat concerned about weight and packability, two options: G20, or S&W 329PD.

If weight doesn't matter, plenty of bigger hand cannons.

I own both, usually carry the G20 because of capacity and I can just bring the one mag. I do carry bear spray too in grizz country.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Glock 20, hours have three of them.

 

[hodgeman]

It turns out, *sometimes*, humans encounter bears in scenarios where they aren’t threatening the human, but also aren’t afraid to get close. In fact, if that happens a lot more than lethal encounters. Those bears need to be trained to stay away, or else they’ll eventually have an encounter that leads to their death either by a victim or by the game management dept after the fact.

Good input. Bear spray works pretty well for discouraging curious or nuisance bears. It usually works well enough things don't need to go farther and teaches them that people aren't to be messed with.

I did have one instance where a trash bear wouldn't be dissuaded...so he turned got into sausage.

 

[mississippilpj]

A 44 Magnum will never let you down, but lots of guides have went to 10mm Glocks with Buffalo Bore Ammo. The S&W 500 is popular as well but has really nasty recoil

 

[Antares]

This topic comes up every two weeks. If you search you’ll find a bunch of threads. Buy whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy, it doesn’t matter because you’re probably not going to ever shoot a bear.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

A G19 or G45 works well for me.

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