I would say that a well placed 357 Mag would be sufficient for HUNTING a bear, where YOU are AMBUSHING the BEAR....

A charging bear, coming for you... with a 357 Mag??? No thanks.

Bear defense with a handgun (almost any handgun shy of maybe a 454 Casull, 460 S&W Mag, or 500 Mag) is downright luck. If I where hiking in an area with dangerous bears, I'd have a 12 gauge.

Hell, human defense with a handgun against a charging PERSON is a low-probablility one-shot-stop...

I HAVE been fishing on e the Kenai Peninsula, in Alaska, and we did see Brown Bears (Grizzly). The one I saw up close was a very young bear, and mearly 600-800 lbs... Black Bear in Washington, are a lot smaller, 200-300 lbs??? But if it's a momma bear, and you end up mistakenly between her and her cubs... that 357 Mag won't even slow her down... short of a lucky head shot... IF it doesn't just deflect off her thick skull.

In Alaska, we had a Remington 308 pump over one shoulder the whole time while fishing... as suggested by Alaska Fish and Game...

If it's legal, that's what I'd hike with too...

My informed 2 cents...

JeffWard

Originally Posted by knoxrocks222

so just because someone else mentioned the 10mm means i cant???

He said that he looked at the 10mm in a post before you posted. Not trying to be rude.

Thanks! Yeah that seems to be the general consensous. It seems in this case there really isn't a one gun fits all senario. I must say that I was really hoping it would work out that way though. So the way this will probably end up is with me getting an S&W .357 with a 4" barrel. For personal protection it will have plenty of power it will be reliable, the wife will ba able to use it with out worring about a safety etc. Also as a very last resort for black bear. I know it is a stretch but at least the 4" barrel will add some penetration. So that is where I am at now. I just came back from the range and the S&W 686 is a really nice fit. I will be going back to shoot it this weekend......

There is no perfect gun, but for an all-around choice, the S&W 686 is a good call...

You'll be able to hand it down to your grandchildren's grandchildren...

Jeff

For compactness I carry either my Ruger GP100 3" barrel .357 or a Ruger .44 mag Alaskan. The Alaskan is available in 454 Casull or 44 mag, the 480 model has been discontinued. I do not hunt and for me a shorter barrel revolver fit the bill. My other hiking woods gun is a Superblackhawk 4 5/8" SS revolver.

A concealable handgun guaranteed to stop a bear?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Bob Wright

Hey Bob!

LOL! Yeah that seems to be it. I was reading a story online about a guy hunting bear in Alaska with a .500. Seems it took quite a few rounds to kill it. The first few didn't even seem to phase it a bit. That puts a little icing on the cake hugh......

Yeah, I'm thinking there are no handguns out there guaranteed to kill a bear, but all are guaranteed to piss him off.

I think a 10mm is the way to go. If you can conceal a fullsize pistol, go for the Glock 20. If you need something smaller [but can still withstand hot 10mm loads] it might be worth your while to find a discontinued Smith and Wesson 10xx series handgun. I own a 1076 and it is a TANK! The hot 10mm loads are slightly better than 45ACP +P loads, and generally are rated somewhere between the 357mag and the 44mag. I've been told it's roughly equivalent to a ".41 magnum" but I am not too keen on its effectiveness on bear. At any rate, if you're looking for a round to double as a bear stopper AND as personal defense, I really believe 10mm is the best way to do it.

I read somewhere that the heart beats only 7 times a minute in a large bear, so you can forget killing a bear [quickly] via blood loss. I'm guessing you need a heart shot or a head shot, forgive the internet slang.

[Edit]: some stuff I found as I think the subject is intriguing:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/protection_field.htm

I do like the fact Chuck also recommended the Glock 20 as an autoloader solution to a bear problem, although he goes on to say a 44mag revolver (or bigger) would be a much better choice. He's right.
http://www.guitarsalon.biz/10mm/10mmhunt.htm

Two shots to the head of a 500lb brown bear from a Glock 20 killed it. He's very lucky the bear stopped though.

Thanks! I have actually read the first one before..... Interesting stuff. If I where to get a 10mm it would be the S&W 610. It can also shoot .40. I am not sure if my wife could handle the kick. She has to hold the weapon with one hand so the gun can't be a monster. With a .357 I can use a 38 special round.... Which will kick harder the 38 or a .40?

The .40 will have a greater recoil however the .40 in one gun may have less felt recoil than the .38 in another. It sounds to me like you need to buy at least two guns

As for versatility, 1911 in .45 might serve him well for city and sticks. That or a fragmentation grenade. I personally have no business being near wild bears. I'm more comfortable battling urban guerillas.

T-

Originally Posted by Drew_Rami_P

The .40 will have a greater recoil however the .40 in one gun may have less felt recoil than the .38 in another. It sounds to me like you need to buy at least two guns

LOL- I have just convinced the wife to let me have one. I think 2 would be pushing it. She was talking about going to the range tonight but had a drink at dinner so we pushed it back until tomorrow. BIG IF she likes it maybe a second gun could be a possibility. I would like her to have a .38... Maybe the Pink Lady. Its her favorite color and since I am planning to reload I won't need extra tools etc.....

The 1911 is a nice gun..... However it's not user friendly. If he wife wanted to use it for home defense one round would always need to be in the chamber, if it jammed or misfired she would be unable to clear it. That would be a major problem in a life and death situation......

i'm going to take a different (and not practical) approach to the "concealable for bear." question. Try a New England Firearms Handi-Rifle in 45-70. stuff it down one pant leg and limp. Not quick into action, but...... Or the Buffalo Bore 6 gun in 45-70?

Maybe not realistic, but a fun answer.

I say forget the bear, but remember the .357

Nice! lol

I am pretty much set on the .357.... For the bear issue... Avoidance first then pepper spray then the revolver. Hopefully it will never happen... Someone mentioned a .44 and use the Cor-Bon Glaser Safety Slug for home defense. Good idea! However I don't want to shoot that regularly at the range even with specials in it...lol

it sounded like you were headed for a .357. just awarning though, if any one sees me limping along, i ain't gonna try and draw, just drop and point the leg lol.

Originally Posted by niadhf

i ain't gonna try and draw, just drop and point the leg lol.

Smith and Wesson makes a snubie 500 mag. If it doesn't break your wrist that bear is toast.

Wanting to 'Stop a Bear' usually means it's on you and has the element of suprise.

That means the fuzz-ball has already sized you up and his intent is clear. Have fun with that.

So- after soiling yourself, shot placement comes next. As with anything, shot placement counts. No matter what you use. If you get lucky and get one off, under duress, prey it's in the right spot.

The Alaskan in Dick Casull's .454 immediately comes to mind. But unless you are a bear yourself, getting two off will be a challange, before you are lunch.

Try one and see.

I prefer the .480 or .44mag Alaskan with a bronze slug (ala Grizzly Punch). You can get two, well placed, off faster than one .454, at least I can. House it in a Sourdough Pancake by Simply Rugged. Get some SL's too. I prefer the .44mag also in that indoor ranges here wont allow anything more. Some do, mine dont'. Practice is more important than raw blam. IMHO.

In either case, you are going to need to practice. A lot. Otherwise, it's a paperweight. Again- we are talking defense. Ya need to be fast and good.

My .44mag first outing out, just having fun and getting to know it. Most fun ever shooting a handgun. I adore this lil hunny. And for a 2.5" bbl? It is dead-nuts on from a sandbag at 25y. Rip off 6 quick-like and everyone knows it. This is, hands down, my favorite piece. Thank you, Bill Ruger, very much. This thing is the bees-knees.

I have little hunting experience and even less dealing with bears so take this comment with a large grain of salt. Maybe you should also consider Bear Mace as an option. I don't know your habits but unless you are a serious mountain man I can't imagine you would be in the woods enough to warrant trying to go double duty on a handgun. Being a smaller guy and living in the humid south I don't think I could comfortably conceal a gun capable of such feats as you are describing. Not to mention that if you shot someone with a .44 mag you might want to check that there is nothing behind them for a mile or so unless you want to chance taking out more than one person. I can't remember which issue but Field and Stream Magazine had a really good article on bear defense while in the woods. It talked about the pros and cons of carrying a gun or carrying bear mace. They made a pretty good argument for mace and used some good statistics to back it up. Try http://www.udap.com/faq.htm , http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos...perience-outdo , http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/...9/bear-attacks . These all seem to be good articles. Try Google searches for bear attacks and I am sure you will find a ton of info. I personally think any bear round would be overkill for use on a human and any human defense round would be underkill for a bear. Stay safe and happy camping.

Well the .354 in a 4" barrell will stop a bear but not very concealable. And to be honest with you, I'm not going to attempt to shoot a bear with a .357 snub nose! Forget that, the bear don't need to be that close to me before I can get an accurate shot off.

I prefer the Glock 20 10mm. It's very concealable and they do offer it in a sub-compact, the 36 I think. But a 10mm round will down damn near anything in it's path.

Originally Posted by thercman

Nice! lol

I am pretty much set on the .357.... For the bear issue... Avoidance first then pepper spray then the revolver. Hopefully it will never happen... Someone mentioned a .44 and use the Cor-Bon Glaser Safety Slug for home defense. Good idea! However I don't want to shoot that regularly at the range even with specials in it...lol

You can pepper spray awild bear all you want. I'll be waaayyyy over here saying "oh man that bear is pissed"

After you piss it off with the pepper spray I'll strike it with the 10mm