SBR for bear defense

[ckaz34]

Anyone carry a 7” 300 blk in grizzly country? A Daniel Defense or Q Honey Badger.

 

[justinspicher]

Nope, but I have carried my 11.5” and 12.5” SBRs in 556 for bear defense during most of my outings.

 

[ckaz34]

How do you carry it?

 

[Diamondback]

OP, have you ever thought of a 4" S&W 44 mag, a lot easier to carry in a holster.
A Glock 20 in 10mm?

I would only want iron sights especially in camp at night (tritium front sight).

 

[Timjohnson11]

OP, have you ever thought of a 4" S&W 44 mag, lot easier to carry in a holster.

And a heck of a lot harder to shot, especially with a griz running at you. If you are willing to carry it, 300 BLK will work for the role with a decent bullet choice.

I actually just got back from a scouting trip in griz country and had my SBR 22 arc (gasser) build with me as don’t own a pistol. It's 6 lbs with surpressor and optic and doesn’t bother me much with my pack/sling setup.. and, if I see a wolf, I’m ready

 

[ckaz34]

I’m terrible with a pistol, but decent with my AR. Just looking into all options.

 

[Diamondback]

OP, if carrying an AR makes you feel better, carry it. Everyone has their preference.

 

[ItsBrettyWap]

Yall need to shoot pistols more. That said, 30 rounds of 5.56 will stop whatever. If you do .300blk I'd only be confident in supers.

 

[Bowfinn]

Here is a link to a guy who recently used an AR on a bear that was in his home. It appears to have been quite effective, but maybe he should’ve had a 44 mag or 45-70 for extra knock down power.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/s/CbVRl8SPek

I wasn’t able to find a YouTube link to this.
Edit another link to same video

https://twitter.com/x/status/1958607675014676546

 

[RockAndSage]

maybe he should’ve had a 44 mag or 45-70 for extra knock down power.

Good videos. Bear looked dead with the first or second round in CNS though - I'm not sure it would have been a better outcome if he'd been using something bigger. Especially if it came with recoil anticipation.

Curious...how much energy and wallop are produced with 7 rounds of defensive/hunting ammo out of a 5.56, vs 1 round of 45-70 out of a lever action...

 

[Justin (Raz) Rasmussen]

What will you be doing while carrying that SBR?
Add a bow or another rifle and that seems like a PITA.
Just hiking or scouting maybe. But for the rest of my outdoor pursuits a pistol is a much handier option.
Get quality instruction and you will be able to shoot a pistol well enough for bear defense ranges in a day or two training course.

 

[Bowfinn]

Good videos. Bear looked dead with the first or second round in CNS though - I'm not sure it would have been a better outcome if he'd been using something bigger. Especially if it came with recoil anticipation.

Curious...how much energy and wallop are produced with 7 rounds of defensive/hunting ammo out of a 5.56, vs 1 round of 45-70 out of a lever action...

I agree it looked like the first round or two was likely CNS and it stopped the rush that started from 10-15ish feet. I wouldn’t be surprised if that bear had 5+ CNS hits. Also to be clear I feel like this video highlights why the AR is likely the best bear defense tool available. What if the second round was the first CNS hit…

 

[ThorM465]

I hunted with my ar15 chambered in 6.5 Grendel last year and will this year again. While it does limit my range, it doubles as a great platform for bear defense. I worked up a load of solids that I was confident would have done a better job of beer defense than any pistol.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Anyone who would rather have a pistol than an SBR in a self-defense situation - particularly against a bear - seems quite crazy to me. I was taught that the point of a pistol was to let you get back to the rifle you should have had in the first place. I would trust my AR over any pistol.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[justinspicher]

I don’t bowhunt, so my offseason I’m carrying my SBR in the woods. During the rifle season I have a rifle so a pistol is just extra weight and futile for me to consider.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I hunted with my ar15 chambered in 6.5 Grendel last year and will this year again. While it does limit my range, it doubles as a great platform for bear defense. I worked up a load of solids that I was confident would have done a better job of beer defense than any pistol.

The one thing about hunting with an AR that I noticed. Man do they get cold. I'd probly vet wrap that shit next time I use one.

 

[justinspicher]

Do you not wear gloves?