What is the smallest caliber you trust to protect yourself in bear country?

My personal favorite defense gun has always been a Beretta Jetfire in 22 short. I have carried it for many years including while hiking. I never leave without it in my pocket. Of course the first rule when hiking in the wilderness is to use the "Buddy System". This means you NEVER hike alone, you bring a friend, companion or even an in-law because if something happens there is someone to go get help.

I remember one time while hiking with my brother-in-law in northern Canada. Out of nowhere came this huge charging brown bear and was she mad. She must have had cubs. If I had not had my little Jetfire I would not be here today. Just one shot to my brother-in-law's knee cap and I was able to escape by just walking at a brisk pace.

It's one of the best pistols in my collection...

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I dont live in bear country,my life is important to me,I would use a 44

Excellent choice on the 22short!!!!! (Funny joke!!!)

If I am dealing with black bears, a .38 special will do damage and turn them. A .357 magnum is better.
If I am dealing with brown bears, or white bears??? Nothing smaller than a .44 magnum. PERIOD. I got to see a decent size grizzly pick up a horse carcass and drag it some odd 30 yards to a log pile to stash it.

Yes, a horse. A full grown horse. Grabbed it by the neck, lifted up a bit and walked off with it like a cat carrying a rabbit. All you could hear is wood being turned as the bear half buried the horse. I do not believe the bear killed the horse, but it left no doubt in my mind as to the sheer strength of a brown bear. And, the sheer size. A grizzly is Huckin' Fuge!

There are no grizzly bears in California, but seriously, if I were to be in grizzly bear country, I wouldn't even think about a handgun. I would be carrying my Browning Model 1886 rifle with my .45-70 handloads. I'm a little sensitive about being torn apart and eaten.

Same here, it might weigh more but thats why they make slings. I'd carry a Large Bore rifle with good solids.
I don't mess around when in Bear Country. Yogi and Boo-Boo
ain't having me for no picinick.


chuck

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They hold no Quarter

Good joke.

I carry a .357 while hiking and hunting. I would like to get a 3" 629 for woods carry. I am also considering a 10mm.

If grizzlies are a concern I would like to have a long gun.

Smallest? 5.56mm. It has killed a great many bears in the far north, including a very large polar/grizzly hybrid. Might be worth investing in one of those new 100rd mags from Surefire though. The trick seems to be "hail of bullets". An M4 clone or something of that nature isn't that hard to carry really, and easier to his with under stress than a pistol. For those with access to it, black tip AP (the current version of which delivers penetration along the lines of the old black tip M2 .30 caliber ammo) would probably be nice to have along.

Something smaller? I always liked the Model 58 loaded with Federal 240 gr Castcore rounds. Though sadly I no longer have my Model 58. Still, it seemed about perfect for toting around where humans or animals might be a problem.

In a non black rifle or handgun unfriendly state? 6.5mm Carcano carbines. Short, light, handy. A bit of research will turn up what makes for the "Alaskan" load, which was/is a really killer in its own right.

Have a flash hider/muzzle brake meant for an SKS permanently pinned/silver soldered on and it will keep the muzzle rise down dramatically on a Carcano.

Hondo 44, you are for sure a familyguy.

I have 8 great brothers-in-law, my wife was the only daughter. They give me many reasons to never miss an opportunity to pick on them.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I am frequently up in the Berkshires and there are Black Bear up there. The absolute smallest gun that I carry when hiking in the woods is a 3" M65 .357 Magnum loaded with Buffalo Bore 180 grain (Heavy) Magnums. They do an honest 1320 fps out of my 3" M65 and a 180 grain hard cast bullet moving that fast will produce 800 foot pounds of energy from a 3" gun! This is strictly for Bear Protection and I am not setting out to go Bear Hunting!

If and when I was to purposely set out to hunt a Bear, I would not go out with less than a .44 Magnum as a back up and a large caliber Rifle as my primary weapon.

I take the M65 with me when up in the woods because it is light, convenient, and I believe it will do the job if necessary, plus I know I will always be able to carry it with me even if we go into town after our hike.


Chief38

[QUOTE=GatorFarmer;136317014]Smallest? 5.56mm. It has killed a great many bears in the far north, including a very large polar/grizzly hybrid. Might be worth investing in one of those new 100rd mags from Surefire though. The trick seems to be a "hail of bullets". An M4 clone or something of that nature isn't that hard to carry really, and easier to his with under stress than a pistol. For those with access to it, black tip AP (the current version of which delivers penetration along the lines of the old black tip M2 .30 caliber ammo) would probably be nice to have along.

Something smaller? I always liked the Model 58 loaded with Federal 240 gr Castcore rounds. Though sadly I no longer have my Model 58. Still, it seemed about perfect for toting around where humans or animals might be a problem.

In a non black rifle or handgun unfriendly state? 6.5mm Carcano carbines. Short, light, handy. A bit of research will turn up what makes for the "Alaskan" load, which was/is a really killer in its own right.[QUOTE]

Hunting bears is one thing, but if being hunted and attacked by a big bruin, most often incidents have shown, time and distance for one shot is all one has.

I would want a caliber/cartridge in whatever the platform sufficient for a one shot stop. People have been killed by 'dead bears' meaning the bear did the damage after absorbing killing shots but was able to reach its victim from shear momentum before succumbing. In that case beaucoup foot lbs of energy from the muzzle is your only friend, more than penetration.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Frankly it is sick and wrong to do such a horrible thing to your poor BIL, think of the pain that .22 to the knee would cause him.... I carry a walking stick, thump him on the head and he's out cold, no pain for the guy. Plus it has the added bonus of no yelling or screaming. I enjoy the quiet of the back country.

To answer the question .44 Mag with 300gr Federal Cast Core has been my side arm of choice. However, I picked up some std pressure Buffalo Bore .45 colts 225 Barnes XPB, claims to pull 950fps out of a 4" Mtn. Gun.... Anyone got a extra Mtn. Gun they don't want????

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always trust your cape...

I'd go with a 44 Magnum if I could not find a 500..

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JR

I carried my 4" 686 while fishing in brown bear country.
Next time I see him I'll ask the PH what he had.

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In dog years I'm dead.

.357 for me. Just got a Model 60 3" for that purpose as we hike a lot in the mountains and woods around here - and there are definitely bears around. Working at having my girlfriend get here CCW to back me up with the 642 too.

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Bud

.375 Holland & Holland or better yet, .458 Winchester Magnum. Handguns are a poor choice. I seem to recall Elmer Keith or Charlie Askins being quoted as saying "you might better file off the front sight of that revolver if your carrying it for protection in grizzly country, cause it will hurt much less when the bear shoves it up your butt".

Cheers;
Lefty

Here in Upstate NY we have black bears that are normally cautious of human contact. I do ride my mountain bike on the Erie Canal trail and they have been seen by others on or near the trail. I have not seen one. There have also been many cases mainly closer to the city on the canal path of 2 legged predators knocking people off their bikes and robbing them or a recent "serial beater" targeting anyone who looked Arabic and beating the snot out of them. They caught him. Therefore I always carry either a .357 340sc with .357's in it or a Combat Commander loaded with ball. I have almost hit deer, turkeys, and once a small child who came out of nowhere while running full bore on the bike. You never know what to expect in life you just have to be prepared for whatever.

The polar/grizzly hybrid that was felled via an M16 was in the process of charging at the time.(It was an actual full auto Colt M16.)

Prior to the introduction of the .458 Win Mag (and gun mags writing about it and other large calibers) the .30-06 was considered fine for Kodiak grizzly. There's the head of one, a very very large head, mounted at the Midland's sportsman club. Dropped at close range with a 30-06 according to the information on it.

Around here I feel OK with a .38 for black bears and 2 legged varmits.

Course it's a good idea to hike with someone you can outrun also.

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Laus Deo! <><

What would I completely trust????

Whatever is mounted in the turret of my Humvee......

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

41 magnum Blackhawk with hand-loaded Cast Performance 265 grain LWFNGC at 1330 fps. I have a 44 magnum Super Blackhawk but I prefer the 41 for carrying in the woods.

.375 H&H. With an A-10 for backup.

"This ain't no game of beanbag here."

.357 in black bear country. If in grizzly/brown bear country, I would use my trusty light saber or maybe a blaster. Either way, its as close as I'm going to get to one.

my rifle would be my marlin 45-70....handgun my 500mag.

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

.44 MAG
JMHO
Guy22

17hmr or 25 acp

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WILL WORK FOR AMMO!

I carried a .44 Mag S&W in AK. No I didn't trust it to kill a grizzly, but I figured I might have a chance. Bears have thick skulls and slow hearts. Makes em' hard to kill. Can't lug around a 12 ga slug gun or 375 H&H all over creation though either. Best bet is to make noise and take great care with your food. My wife is a nurse and the first patient she had in AK was a guy who lost both eyes to a grizzly he met on the trail. After that, she bought me the 44 Mag.

Scott

I carried a .44 Mag S&W in AK. No I didn't trust it to kill a grizzly, but I figured I might have a chance. Bears have thick skulls and slow hearts. Makes em' hard to kill. Can't lug around a 12 ga slug gun or 375 H&H all over creation though either. Best bet is to make noise and take great care with your food. My wife is a nurse and the first patient she had in AK was a guy who lost both eyes to a grizzly me met on the trail. After that, she bought me the 44 Mag.

Scott

The minimum caliber for legally hunting bear is a .270. The grizzly hybrid was shot with a 303 Enfield by an Inuit hunter, and the previous (1st ever) was taken with a 300 WinMag. Those are the only 2 hybrids taken.

The 5.56 hardly kills humans effectively in many cases. It would be the LAST round I would put forth to the task of taking a grizzly or polar bear. Having shot some odd 70 hogs last year for depredation hunts, I can attest to the fact that unless shot placement is very good, a 200lb hog will simply walk away with a .223 in it. Oh, he might die tomorrow, but they do not drop from .223 unless shot well once they are over 150lb. For depredation hunting this year, I am lugging the extra weight of a Bushmaster 308. I do not enjoy tracking hogs at night in thick brush; not with so many snakes around.

EDIT: From the Alaska hunting regs for brown/ grizzly bear: 1.Rifle/handgun: State regulations require that rifles and handguns must fire a 200-grain or larger bullet, which retains at least 2000 foot-pounds of energy at 100 yards. A .30-06 with a 220-grain bullet is about the minimal weapon that meets this specification. Please do not bring your favorite firearm and expect to use it if it does not meet the above criteria.
Did not want to sound cruel, but these are the regs.

You wouldn't have liked being in the Army then

Sorry - Couldn't resist.

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In dog years I'm dead.

A S&W model 48 with a 6" tube is more than sufficient for any black bear.

Of course, the above statement is what I've heard from many in the "hot stove league," as I have no personal evidence or experience to support the above statement.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

Since penetration is wanted in this situation, and light weight and compactness is desired, I'd recommend the 7.62x25 Tokarev. It's a penetrating fool and the Tokarev pistol is very thin and fairly light for its cartridge.
Second choice: 10mm with 200gr. NORMA truncated cone bullets!
Third choice: Super .38 with a good hot 130/147gr. FMJ. Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

Heavy though it may be, a Remington 870 full of slugs would probably be appropriate.

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A closed mouth gathers no foot

Well that depends on your bear country, here in NY we have black bears but I have known guys who have spooked a mom and a cub in the Adirondacks and had to either back her off and in one case shoot her. I would not one of them on top of me any more than a grizzly. Personally I like a good .357 with a nice cast SWC (the bullet makes all the difference). Would I carry that in grizzly country, if it were all I had then yes, but that's where I would go bigger, but not a .44 Magnum, with the recoil a second shot if you miss would be tough, a .45 Colt would be something more my liking again with a good SWC. Something along the lines of a Smith 25 like a Mountain Gun. No matter what I picked I would want to make sure I could hit something the size of a paper plate consistently at 25 yards double action or quickly with a single action revolver. I would not want to let a big bear get too close.

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Vaya con Dios

454 casul would do

This. Pretty sure I've heard this is one of the more common packing gun/ammo combos in places like Alaska. Breneke slugs. Or any good sabot of .50 or bigger.

Here in NH, its black bear. A .357 is enough.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

If I am by myself, then my Marlin Guide Gun with hot loads, with my Model 57 Mountain Gun as back up. If I am with a group of fellow Firefighters, then my 25 Auto, I'll just shoot one of them in the leg Sutty

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"Tojours Pret"
"Scouts Out"

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes here but I lived in Oregon back in the 70s and had a friend who was a professional hunter who trained bear dogs for people. He charged $1000 and on guarantees the dog would live. I spent many winter nights at the wood stove listening to his stories and some were pretty gruesome. But the point is it you are going bear hunting you should always go with a professional and with bear dogs. At least bear dogs. And if you are going into bear country you should have at least one dog, preferably a bear dog. That way if you are attacked by a bear while he is busy with the dog it may give you time enough to shoot it. As far as the gun to use well I have just purchased a s&w 460 xvr with a 14" barrel and although it can kill a grizzly bear I would not want to try it close up and personal. Maybe in the open and at 200+ yards with a dog and time to shoot more then once. Believe me you don’t want to shoot a bear and just tick him off your better off just playing dead and hope your still alive when he is done with you.

Well, if you need to defend yourself in bear country, you are already in trouble. This would be the smallest thing I would carry. The idea here would be to do the unexpected. Wait until they charge, at the last minute, step aside, grab said bear by the scruff of his neck, jump on his back and cut his throat. Of course you need to be fast.

[QUOTE=J. R. WEEMS;137347606] Of course you need to be fast. /QUOTE]

LOL!

I like that Randall #1 with the Eagle Beak butt cap!

The few that I have accumulated:
#8 Bird & Trout Old style grind
#1 5"
#1 5"
Custom special order Bowie grind

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I would prefer a twin 50 cal. machine gun mounted on my jeep. In truth I am never in grizzly country, but have been in black bear areas. I am much more concerned with two-legged threats so I normally carry my Ruger sr40c or my 640 loaded with 38+p, either of which I think is capable of stopping a human threat.

I don't "trust" any firearm against a bear.

My preference, in descending order (what I have):

Bear spray
Shotgun with Brenneke slugs (12 ga)--preferably a double barrel
45 Colt, super Ruger hardcast handloads
41 Magnum, heavy hardcast, super Ruger handloads.
44 Magnum, heavy hardcast, super Ruger handloads

A 75mm recoilless rifle. That way I could get the second bear sneaking up behind me.

The hard part is finding a holster.

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Oh well, what the hell.

41 mag......

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Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

And here we have the best answer. First feel fortunate if you see a bear, they are fun to watch. Next, when people stumble (stumble being the operative word here) on a bear it was very likely they weren't paying attention, hiking in condition white when they should always be in condition yellow when hiking. (keeping in sort of firearms related with old Jeff Coopers state of awareness color code)

I spend a fair amount of time in bear country, looking for bears to photograph. To get good photos, even with big lenses, you need to be close. Well under 100 yards close.

I do carry when hiking. I carry my old well worn, 4 inch barreled. 1926 transition .44 spl. with heavy loads. I also have bear pepper spray holstered on my belt. If I ever have a bad encounter and a real charge I’ll reach for the pepper spray. It doesn’t require the skill of a hitting a charge critter with a handgun and has been shown to be as, or more, effective in stopping charges than a handgun. I carry the old .44 for two legged predators, many of which seem to think our wild places are good places to grow illegal stuff.

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Bill Bates

This is a poor photo due to the lighting but is an example of what you can find if you keep you eyes open. When the cubs finished feeding and started wondering around as cubs do, I decided to move my arse outa there.

Not a pistol but-the smallest caliber I trust in Bear Country is-155MM. Yes-im not successful at being a comedian.

I read a lot of bear gun type posts like this because I backpack and I am always wondering what calibers really are worth it. What I find crazy is that no one ever mentions the Serbu Super Shorty as a viable option. I have my eye on one to take with me, or a Mossberg JIC, when I go from now on. Once I get a little more coinage in the bank that is.

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Still just a kid at heart

I don't live in bear country, but if I would, I think I would rely on my 1911 in .45 ACP.

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Jorge

Caliber means nothing if you can bring a slower friend or a wife who can't outrun you. However if you bring your wife and she survives the encounter with the bear (in my case the bear would be more afraid of my wife than she would of it) you may as well consider yourself deevorced.

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Vaya con Dios