Is 10mm viable for bear defense?

Most ammo manufacturers publish ballistics from a six-inch locked breach test barrel.

The 10mm ballistics overlaps the 357 magnum ballistics with both topping out around 800 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.

The 41 magnum tops out around 1,100 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. The 44 magnum tops out around 1,300 foot-pounds. The 454 Casull tops out around 1,900 foot pounds of muzzle energy.
 
While not as fast as an African lion, which can cover 100 yards in nearly 1/3 the time of the fastest human, a bear is still pretty fast.
I have been bluff charged in Alaska and Southwest Montana, and I could have gotten maybe one shot, maybe two off had the bear not stopped the charge.
The Grizzly in Alaska charged from 40 yards but I had seen him and had the 12ga. pointed his way. He smartly decided to break off the charge.

The Griz that charged me a few miles outside Yellowstone had the slight advantage of charging downhill, but he went from 100 yards to 20 in maybe 4 seconds.
When he (or she ?) jumped over the last piece of chest high deadfall, I was trying dearly to keep the sights on his bobbing head and had the hammer of the 629 just about to fall, when his eyes got big, slammed on the brakes and ran back up the hill as fast as he had come down.
Sure glad I didn't have to shoot, he probably was too.

After the bear left, I found a dead elk at the top of that hill, pretty sure the Griz thought I was a black bear trying to get his meal, until he got close enough to see it was an armed human who wasn't running from him.

Don't show any fear and you're off to a good start. Your first instinct will be to run but acting like prey will not end well.
Unless there is a strong wind in your face, bear spray is a much safer option.
More options are good, carry both spray and a firearm.

The role of the big bore handgun is a last ditch effort when the bear is already within hugging distance.
Having 15 +1 is moot when 2 rounds is probably all you'd have time for.

Where the G20 shines is decent power and penetration while having lower recoil over most big bore revolvers, which should help for repeat shots.
But the first shot is what counts. If you are getting repeat shots, the bear is already on you.

I'll stick to my M69, it might not get back on target as fast as a 10mm, but for a .44 it is pretty pleasant to shoot.
 
I have no idea but occasionally rely on 10mm when waist deep in bear territory. I usually carry a 5" Model 629 when hiking in the Alligator River Wildlife area (far eastern swampy NC). Hurt my arm one year and was unable to shoot the 629 well. So, I used it as an excuse to buy a Glock 40. Carried the Glock 40 with heavy flat-nosed hard cast lead bullets. I THINK that they would penetrate if necessary. Also, you have about 15 chances and easy follow-up. I realize that black bears are smaller and softer than brown/grizzly bears.

That said, I have spent a lot of time deep in the Alligator River and surrounding area. The black bears are HUGE and common. Probably the highest concentration on the east coast. I have seen as many as 30, on foot, in a weekend. Some may be repeats. I have never, not once, had any problems with them. They take off running or slip into the swamp when surprised. The eastern NC black bears are 2+ times the size of western NC black bears because of diet. They eat crops. The food is plentiful.
 
Last edited:
Whether it is a 10mm or a 44, leave the hollow points at home. A cast bullet with a big flat point will penetrate straighter than any round nose. If you are in the brush or on the river bank, make noise. The worst attacks are when you surprise a mom with cubs-black or grizz. Pepper spray and a gun is not over doing it but the best bet is to not surprise one. I have never had any regrets about giving up my fishing spot to a hungry bear. After all, they don't come down to the river to bathe!
 
Someone on this Forum once said to carry a .25 ACP but two of you up there covered the concept of outrunning your partner or shooting his knee - that was the point of the .25 ACP. :D

A friend of mine routinely goes fishing in Alaska and he brings back pictures of bears very close to himself or one of his companions and my reaction is I don't need to fish in Alaska that badly! :D

On the other hand, I had a friend who lived in bear country in Colorado and he and his wife had a wonderful back porch just made for sitting around on a nice evening sipping adult beverages so he kept his AR by his side for possible bear encounters that happily never happened.
 
Mike said:
The largest Polar Bear recorded in Alaska was killed by Indian lady with...............A .22 long cartridge.
Click to expand...

It was a Grizzly Bear, not a Polar Bear. Her name was Bella Twin.

Bella Twin and the Grizzly Bear

Bella-Twin-is-shown-with-the-hide-from-the-world-record-grizzly-bear.jpg
 
In brown bear country besides a gun there is a large can of bear spray in a good holster on my hip and a Storm brand whistle around my neck.

Good bear spray holsters are relatively new to the market. UDAP had the first good one that I know of. Just like a firearms holster, they need to be secure and quick to present. Floppy textile holsters with a snap strap will cost you time.

The Storm brand whistle is louder than you imagine, you have to hear it to believe it. Affordable too. Get some for your favorite women as a panic whistle as well.
There is a Hyperwhistle on the market that claims to be a bit louder, but you can't hold it normally which makes it worthless in an emergency.

Projectiles. Hard cast lead is an oversold selling point, but it is in its element for woods defense. You need hardened slugs too.
 
Last edited:
First off I live in Ohio and have never faced a grizzly in the wild. So my opinion is worth much, haha. However:

In my humble opinion the circumstances matter. I mean if you're in Brown bear country and you're out in your backyard so to speak I'd say a 10mm is fine. Although I agree with the guys that say having 15 rds. or whatever most likely isn't going to matter much.

However if I'm going "up in the mountains" or way out in the outback I'm going to be armed with something more than a pistol. 12ga. loaded with slugs and 00buck, .338 wing mag? Something with A LOT more knock down power than a pistol.
 
Would you have a long gun on your person at all times?
Me either.
That is why the Sirius Patrol issues .30-06 and 10mm to their people.

And please, don't bother with buckshot against large, dangerous animals.
You are shooting to kill. Think of the ethics of wounding such an animal and letting someone else deal with it
 
Last edited:
It surprises me how many do the first up slug then the rest buck, or maybe slightly better, say they load one slug, one buck, one slug, one buck, etc.
I guess they are trying to cover all their bases.

The larger buckshot might do for a small black bear, but on a big one buck will just make it very mad unless one goes in the brain or you happen to break both shoulders. I wouldn't count on either.

A 12 ga. slug has awesome penetration, whereas the buck doesn't.
The reduced mass from having many little projectiles instead of one big one is the main reason for lack of penetration, that and a round ball is not a good shape.

If you need a test, shoot a 200 grain 44/40 against a 500 grain .458 diameter bullet into the same medium at the same velocity.
The .44/40 bullet is barely longer than it is wide, almost like a round ball with edges, not the greatest penetration.
The .45 bullet that is 3 times longer than it is wide will surprise you with how deep it will go, even at BP velocities.

Buck is favored though for following up wounded leopard as they tend to hole up in heavy cover when a client wounds one.
It is the PH's duty to follow up the animal so it doesn't harm others nearby, or go on a killing spree at the nearest village.
There isn't much time when it springs at you,and they are lightly built compared to a bear.
 
Last edited:
rwsmith said:
FMJ Ammo. Without penetration more rounds will just make them madder.
Click to expand...

The powerful rounds made by buffalo bore are hard cast. I bought some Federal dangerous game loads that have some kind of blue coating on them. Syntec hard cast epoxy coating. 200gr @ 1300fps.
 
Miracle Man said:
First off I live in Ohio and have never faced a grizzly in the wild. So my opinion is worth much, haha. However:

In my humble opinion the circumstances matter. I mean if you're in Brown bear country and you're out in your backyard so to speak I'd say a 10mm is fine. Although I agree with the guys that say having 15 rds. or whatever most likely isn't going to matter much.

However if I'm going "up in the mountains" or way out in the outback I'm going to be armed with something more than a pistol.
12ga. loaded with slugs and 00buck, .338 wing mag? Something with A LOT more knock down power than a pistol.
Click to expand...
Well suppose you are just hiking or fishing? Usually in my case, the guide has "point protection" duty. Last one used a 45-70 lever. I asked why not a BAR? Lol. He said its a close toss up between the 45-70 and a semi auto with hot slugs. Whatever you have you must employ it quickly and accurately.
 
One huge advantage of a 10mm pistol, such as that Glock 40 MOS (I think) is the ability to run a red dot. The RDS has a lot of advantages under stress, if one trains with it.
 
murf205 said:
Whether it is a 10mm or a 44, leave the hollow points at home. A cast bullet with a big flat point will penetrate straighter than any round nose. If you are in the brush or on the river bank, make noise. The worst attacks are when you surprise a mom with cubs-black or grizz. Pepper spray and a gun is not over doing it but the best bet is to not surprise one. I have never had any regrets about giving up my fishing spot to a hungry bear. After all, they don't come down to the river to bathe!
Click to expand...

Yep . . . one experienced guide advised me to carry an air horn, similar to what you would use on a boat. He said that he knows of two instances where bear attacks were averted. He even had a two hand grip technique which the horn under the pistol could be actuated as you shoot. I think I would be shooting first then S€hitting my pants. "Walk loudly, talk loudly, and blow off that air horn every once in a while" . . . after the days outing who cares. Get back in one piece. He said that most attacks he knew of happened on the way back to base, taking a shortcut off the trail or walking too quietly.
 
True. I carried my 6in M44 mag in a shoulder rig because it was easy. I practiced drawing and felt reasonably sure I could pull it in time. I guess the feeling I have is that if I have only one gun, I want the extra rounds of a HP 10mm. My main choice would be the shotgun but never carried one.
 
Hollow point (HP) isn’t the greatest choice for a bear. Hard cast heavy bullets in an aggressive charge is maybe a far better way to go.I’ll choose the .44
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2035.jpg
    IMG_2035.jpg
    74.3 KB · Views: 26
Although I believe that 10mm Auto is adequate for Bear Defense, if I were particularly concerned over the possibility of running into Bears, then I would carry this...

attachment.php


If a 10mm bullet will do the job, then an 18.5mm Slug packing roughly 5x the muzzle energy should make a career of it.

Also, it has the fringe benefit that if I mess up and knock myself unconscious trying to shoot the thing, then it ought to work as good as playing dead! It's fool-proof! ;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Bear Hug/Blu Magnum grips
Replies
2
Views
409
HardToHandle
HardToHandle
ladder13
10mm Ruger LC Carbine
2
Replies
23
Views
2K
AJ
AJ
Xfuzz
Colt Delta Elite 10mm...
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
stansdds
S
444 Magnum
  • Poll Poll
Help me rate these Self Defense shotguns
2 3
Replies
41
Views
1K
A10
A10
4
10mm Knowledge?
Replies
19
Views
1K
Autonomous
Autonomous

Latest posts

Back
Top