food for thought



had to be done

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NRA RSO

I'll take the 10mm. Brown or Grizzly? DEFINITELY the 10mm, if not bigger.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Kind of quietens all of the "it will bounce right off the skull" comments huh? Granted this is still a simulation. And at the right angle, you can make a bullet bounce off a plastic yard sign (I have done it). So as in real estate, a shot is all about location, location, and angle of entry.

Rosewood

Neither, .44 Magnum

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V/r,
Markham

For bear the 9 and 10 are both marginal so whichever you shoot better is your best bet. My choice would be an 870 with slugs and if not that I will defer to my 500 magnum.

I'll take my S&W 460 with 325 gr. bear loads.

I would say 9x19 is marginal when it comes to black bears and not adequate for any larger species of bear. 10mm Auto would be a much better choice for any bear defense, but still less capable than 41 or 44 Magnum.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Just like people bears can be of various sizes within breeds/species. Also of varying temperament even if cubs aren't part of the problem. The local black bears are fluffy, but generally about man size. Shot placement, shot placement and sufficient penetration are your friends.

If we're talking grizzly, I think I'd avoid handguns.

Neither. I’ve seen Bear shake off much much larger calibers. Even though it was temporary, they still had enough time to eat you.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Some say the universe is limitless. I know for a fact from my time here, the Bear Thread and the forms it may take, are indeed limitless.

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Possum—The other white meat!

I'd want something heavier than either the 9mm or 10mm ...if it were for defense against bear .

What is the best gun oil to use?

....if you can make a brain shot at a charging bear; and you probably WON'T. So for me the bigger gun the better. After all, we aren't all Bella Twin, you know.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Did you hear the story about the Eskimo that killed a 1200lb Polar Bear with a single shot .22LR

It was a 22long not rifle

If I were to choose any 9 mm weapon for bear defense it would be at the very least a rifle in either .35 Remington or .358 Winchester. Preferably a .35 Whelen, or possibly a 9x57 Mauser.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Call in air support.

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There's a Monster on the loose

For anything the size of an adult bear a 9mm is, at best, marginal and probably sub-marginal. A properly loaded 10mm is in the same general range as a .41 magnum and unless you are going up against a large polar bear it would probably do the job if you can hit with it. Bears are a lot "thicker" than a human and have heavy bones. Getting into a spot that will shut a bear down quickly with a 9 mm is a questionable endeavor.

22 long in a rifle.

The friends and family in Alaska carry a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs and a Glock 20 (10mm) loaded with buffalo bore hard cast bullets — when going fishing . The 15 round Glock is thought of as backup and carried across the chest. A 9mm would be considered a bad joke.

NEITHER......Wear the fastest pair of tennis shoes you can afford.

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S&W Accumulator

...when he found the trapper frozen stiff with a note that read. "Whoever finds me can have my rifle. It is a good rifle. It killed the bear that killed me."

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

A 9mm is quite capable of saving your life in a bear attack, just shoot your buddy, then run like hell.

I don't have to be the fastest. I just have to be faster than you.

The only 9mm I'd feel comfortable carrying for Bear Defense is the variety with ".357" in its name.

I'm aware that Bears have been successfully dropped by everything including .22LR — it's almost as if they're made of flesh and blood or something — but I'm an advocate for carrying the most powerful firearm which can be quickly deployed and fired accurately if you're headed into bear country.

So personally, I wouldn't carry a 9mm, heck I wouldn't be completely comfortable carrying a .40 either, despite the fact that it's my favorite cartridge.

If I were headed into the woods then I would either pack my H&K USP45 Elite loaded with Buffalo Bore 230gr .45 Super FMJ or my Mossberg 590 Shockwave loaded with Brenneke Black Magic Magnum Slugs.





When it comes to something as dangerous as a bear, don't mess around with what can work, choose what absolutely WILL work!

Granted, if 9mm is all you have to work with, then go with it, but at least get the hottest loads you can find and use solid ammo, no JHPs!

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Whats next, the "my jennins bryco/raven arms/pheonix arms 25acp is a fine bear gun" hread"

Why not? Colt certainly tried...

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Let's go with real world experience if possible.

Surprised 9mm did so well, but i would trust 16 rounds of 10mm over 18 rounds of 9mm. Also if i ran into the 2-legged critter that needed shooting, i can hit them at 100yards much easier with 10mm than any of my 9mm's.