Big Bear, 44 carry.

[ISCS Yoda]

A REAL BEAR THREAD!!!!!!!!!!! DEEEELIGHTFUL!!!!

Someone once said use a .25 ACP. When you and your hiking buddy run away you shoot your buddy in the knee............

Ahhhhh, that's so MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You got your gun planned. I'll leave well enough alone..........

 

[keith44spl]

Wait...what?

If a 300-pound (or more) animal that has claws and fangs is thinking about sampling my leg, I don't think I'd feel over-gunned with a .44 Magnum. I'd probably be kicking myself for not having my 870 slug gun!

This is my "poor man's stopping rifle" and I don't think it would be excessive even for the lowly black bear:

This was a smallish blackie....but, I still didn't want him runnin up my britches leg.

I turned it at about 12 feet with a 348 Win., killed it with the second shot.

Bigger bears, can sometimes take a lot of killin....

A heavy handgun is just a handy tool to have at hand on your person in bear country.

* Back in the old days, then hunting The Bob Marshal Wilderness,
always got one of those combo licences, elk, deer and black bear.

Just to be on the safe side, if I had to kill a black bear...I'd just go ahead and tag em.


.

 

[double-dipper]

Buffalo Bore; Item 4A (305gr. Hard Cast gas Checked LFN) is designed for super deep penetration on large game. The big flat nose keeps the bullet penetrating straight and thus deep. You can expect a good three + feet of penetration in normal flesh and bone. The flat nose also does considerably more damage than a round nosed type of bullet as the flat nose cuts and smashes it way through living matter, while round nosed bullets tend to slip and slide through matter, doing much less damage along the bullet's path and achieving more shallow penetration due to getting sideways while "slipping and sliding" through matter.

As for "bear spray" you better keep the wind at your back or you will get a face full of bear spray and a pissed off bear on top of you.

44 Mag is enough gun to kill a charging black bear.

 

[RoyM52]

The heaviest Black Bear I shot was 575# used a 444 Marlin. My backup was a 357....the next day I sold the 357 and went to the store and bought a 629-3 6 inch. The bear had come out of the low growing balsams at a dead run blowing as it came. {my opinion, 357 is way too small}{even a 44 mag is small for a bear with a mission} I now carry my M 69 2 3/4 inch...there is a feel good thing about that gun

 

[fredj338]

Wait...what?

If a 300-pound (or more) animal that has claws and fangs is thinking about sampling my leg, I don't think I'd feel over-gunned with a .44 Magnum. I'd probably be kicking myself for not having my 870 slug gun!

This is my "poor man's stopping rifle" and I don't think it would be excessive even for the lowly black bear:

Yeah a 300# black bear is no joke if presses an attack. Excessive, no such thing.

 

[joeintexas]

If I did come up on any bear with a bad attitude I would hope I had something with a 4 on the barrel. I still would have one big advantage over the bear, I would be running on clean ground!!

 

[625-7]

.45 colt cause I can easily hit what I'm aiming at. 44 mag is great but you have to hit your target under stress. For a rifle I carry an 1895ss 45-70. Accurate as all get out and capable of stopping rouge Coupe de Villes

 

[beagleye]

A REAL BEAR THREAD!!!!!!!!!!! DEEEELIGHTFUL!!!!

Someone once said use a .25 ACP. When you and your hiking buddy run away you shoot your buddy in the knee............

Ahhhhh, that's so MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You got your gun planned. I'll leave well enough alone..........

That's hilarious! Great posts y'all. Great posts. LMAO and got good advice to boot.

 

[RETDOE]

Bears

Just a quick note of my experiences. Lived in Alaska for several years. Hunting with a friend that shot a "Brownie" with Rem 700 in 338, he did not drop right away and he was just walking around, not charging us. FYI my friend had a bear tag. Until then my "take everywhere gun" was a 1911 with .45 Ball. Quickly sold it for a Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag. Worked an area with a very dense Brown Bear population and had the opportunity to see bear spray work but only as a deterrent and behavior mod and not to stop charging to kill. Fast forward several years and I found myself working with a wildlife biologist doing a bear study, live trapping black bears. I had lived in the lower 48 for many years now so I had long sold the Redhawk. This trapping gig came along quick so got a 22# recoil spring and some .45 Super hard cast from Buffalo Bore for my M&P45. One morning checking traps we ended up trapping a cub, I asked the wildlife biologist where she thought the mother was and she commented "keep your eyes open cause I guarantee she is watching us". That was enough for me to acquire a 41 mag and some 300gr hard cast loads. retrieved lots of pics of activity around those traps to include a big mama cat and her twins checking out the bait site a whole 15 mins after we left the site. Never, never too much gun! that being said when working in the back country it's not always feasible to carry a shotgun, carry the biggest handgun you can afford and handle, its better than rocks.

 

[fredj338]

If I did come up on any bear with a bad attitude I would hope I had something with a 4 on the barrel. I still would have one big advantage over the bear, I would be running on clean ground!!

You do realize you a man can not outrun a bear???? It is a stand & fight moment, unless you are next to a large climbable tree & even that wont save you from smaller bears.

 

[fredj338]

.45 colt cause I can easily hit what I'm aiming at. 44 mag is great but you have to hit your target under stress. For a rifle I carry an 1895ss 45-70. Accurate as all get out and capable of stopping rouge Coupe de Villes

A bear can cover about 25ft per second at a modest run. So you will get one decent shot off, you wont be shooting until it breaks that 20-25ft threshold. If you can not shoot a 44mag, nothing wrong with 250gr 45colt running 1000fps. Not much will stop that, but 1st rd hit will be the same time regardless of caliber.

 

[derek45auto]

You do realize you a man can not outrun a bear???? It is a stand & fight moment, unless you are next to a large climbable tree & even that wont save you from smaller bears.

...or bigger bears


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hURgA_BNSGc&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

 

[p8riot]

I like 4" M29 for bear guns but a M57 would do as well for black bears. This is where a 10mm also can do fine. Most black bears are not as large as grizz or as tough. So a 200gr LFP @ 1200fps in a light wt, shootable package has a lot going for it.

I just picked up a nice 4" 29-2, but I think I'll keep carrying my Super Blackhawk with 340gr Buffalo Bore in bear country.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

The world record black bear (by weight) was killed in North Carolina in 1998. It was taken in Craven County NC on a dog hunt. The bear weighed 880 pounds.

Craven County, Hyde County, and several others in the coastal region of NC are famous for very big black bears.

As we all know, where one walks-hunts-lives in the woods is a big determining factor on what to carry for protection.

My youngest son is a bear hunter with hounds and lives in the mountain region of Western NC. The bears there are much smaller than the ones in the Costal are of NC.

He carries either a Winchester 94.30-30 or a Win 94 .38-55 plus a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum.

All counties in NC have bears and a hunting season for them.

Here's a link to an article and picture of a 784# NC bear.

Teen takes second-heaviest bear in N.C. records on first bear hunt - News - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC

 

[RobertJ.]

...or bigger bears

Well, so much for the "climb a tree" theory. That was something!

 

[Echo40]

Wait...what?

If a 300-pound (or more) animal that has claws and fangs is thinking about sampling my leg, I don't think I'd feel over-gunned with a .44 Magnum. I'd probably be kicking myself for not having my 870 slug gun!

This is my "poor man's stopping rifle" and I don't think it would be excessive even for the lowly black bear:

First of all, Black Bear are the least aggressive of Bears, and will usually shy away from humans unless they're starving or defending their cubs, so the likelihood of one "thinking of sampling your leg" is relatively slim.
Furthermore, obviously you're free to carry whatever you want, that's your prerogative, I was merely stating my opinion that .44 Magnum is excessive because they can and have been stopped by less powerful cartridges, so .357 Magnum, .44 Special, or .45 Long Colt seem like better choices since they're typically easier to shoot, thus making them easier to train with, and hitting a bear that's charging straight at you at full speed is going to be difficult. The power of .44 Magnum is wasted on the dirt if you miss, and you aren't likely going to have time to fire off a second shot, so in my opinion since Black Bears can be reliably stopped by less powerful cartridges which are easier to shoot/train with, in my opinion, they are superior options.

 

[beagleye]

The world record black bear (by weight) was killed in North Carolina in 1998. It was taken in Craven County NC on a dog hunt. The bear weighed 880 pounds.

Craven County, Hyde County, and several others in the coastal region of NC are famous for very big black bears.

As we all know, where one walks-hunts-lives in the woods is a big determining factor on what to carry for protection.

My youngest son is a bear hunter with hounds and lives in the mountain region of Western NC. The bears there are much smaller than the ones in the Costal are of NC.

He carries either a Winchester 94.30-30 or a Win 94 .38-55 plus a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum.

All counties in NC have bears and a hunting season for them.

Here's a link to an article and picture of a 784# NC bear.

Teen takes second-heaviest bear in N.C. records on first bear hunt - News - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC

The bear that crossed the road in front of my car was fridge sized and it wasn't round and rolly polly like most of the bears I see around here. It was tall, masculine, muscular, graceful, fast and it looked like a predator, not like some berry eater. I am sure the berry eaters can put a hurt on you too, but this dude was a whole other animal.

 

[beagleye]

First of all, Black Bear are the least aggressive of Bears, and will usually shy away from humans unless they're starving or defending their cubs, so the likelihood of one "thinking of sampling your leg" is relatively slim.
Furthermore, obviously you're free to carry whatever you want, that's your prerogative, I was merely stating my opinion that .44 Magnum is excessive because they can and have been stopped by less powerful cartridges, so .357 Magnum, .44 Special, or .45 Long Colt seem like better choices since they're typically easier to shoot, thus making them easier to train with, and hitting a bear that's charging straight at you at full speed is going to be difficult. The power of .44 Magnum is wasted on the dirt if you miss, and you aren't likely going to have time to fire off a second shot, so in my opinion since Black Bears can be reliably stopped by less powerful cartridges which are easier to shoot/train with, in my opinion, they are superior options.

I am happy with the 44 special. I shoot one all the time. The 44 magnum and 357 are great too, but I have been shooting 44 special for years and if the experience folks on this forum recommend it as good medicine, I'll take that to the bank.

 

[Kanewpadle]

In my experience growing up in Alaska, black bear are known to be much more unpredictable and more aggressive than a brown/grizzly. Even at only 300 pounds a black bear with a bad attitude can be just as difficult to stop.

The 44 magnum has served a few generations of outdoorsmen well. I never carried anything smaller.

And......I know of one instance where pepper spray failed.

 

[Angus46]

I live in black bear country. They are thick in my neighbor hood. I have seen probably a dozen in the last month or so, mostly mothers and cubs. And thru the years, tons. And they never fail to leave me underwhelmed with their prowess. I have seen a couple of fatties that would have been 4-5oo. But really rolly polly. I know they could tear you up, but they really don't look like they want to. I have been carrying a 38 in the woods for years, really without considering bears.

A couple weeks ago a bear crossed the road in front of my car that was like a pony. Tall, sleek, muscular, fast. It made me think of my dog shaking a ground hog, except with me in the role of the ground hog. I couldn't guess how much it weighed, enough. It has made me re-evaluate my woods gun and I think the new strategy is a model 1926 loaded with some Keith loads. I know they very rarely hunt people, but 44s are probably one of the main reasons they don't and that's a trend I want to encourage.

Back to your original post, lots of people have it right. Bear spray and noise are a great deterrent, especially if we are mainly talking black bears. Yes, overwhelming they don't want anything to do with humans and if it's a mom and cubs, if she knows your coming she will take them and head off. So number one, try to constantly make some noise and if you can carry it, some spray is good for an encounter. Many times of you walk up on them they will try to figure out what you are and what they are going to. That is a great time to deter them before there would be a need to shoot them. Many times shouting, making yourself known will work.

That being said, although very rare there are times that they are hungry, or will be aggressive. This is both black and brown bears. In that case, I don't think you want to be questioning what you have decided to carry or worrying about the size of the bear.

Number one rule, bring enough gun! What many have said is very important, and correct. A 44 mag, 300gr hard-cast over a nice heavy load of 2400 is what you want to shoot or more if you can handle it. However in my experience this gun/load is about all the normal person can tolerate. It is right on the edge of uncomfortable.

What none one has said yet is out of what. This is very important. Those nice Smith and Wesson's, a Taurus or many others won't handel those loads. Get a Ruger Superblackhawk or Redhawk. They will work every time and built like a tank. There are others out there that will handle it but those guns are the most common. Also in my opinion I like the longer 7 1/2 in barell. You will get a significant increase in muzzle velocity, a bit less blast, and i think they point/aim better than the shorter barrel.