General Rule of Thumb For Bear Loads

When I lived there it was 44.Mag. and 4-3-1. We differ on the 1,
we always said the 1 was for yourself so you wouldn't feel the pain
of the bear eating you alive, (applies to Brown Bears only). :eek: :(
 
The 10mm always comes up in these threads and it demands at least two questions be asked. One if you have time to empty an entire magazine of 10mm at the bear how much of an eminent danger was it? Chances are in a real scenario you'll only have time for a shot or two. And second, 10mm does nothing the 357 Magnum won't. So if the 10mm is viable then so is the 357 Magnum. I know 10mm fanboys typically refuse to admit the latter, which is fine, just know you are wrong...
 
It's a good thing bears generally avoid coming into human occupied dwellings... they would have the additional chore of spitting out computer keys used in defense against them.

Rule 1 avoid close contact with bears.

Rule 2 if you are unable to follow rule 1, bring the biggest gun you can carry in your vehicle.

Rule 3 stay in your vehicle.

Rule 4 if you ignore rules 2 & 3, revert to rule 1.

Rule 5 if you insist on ignoring Rules 1-4 and are specifically hunting bears for sport or livestock defense, bring a large, big bore rifle with lots of ammo and several friends with large big bore rifles and lots of ammo.

Caveat, you don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than your slowest friend(s).

Froggie
 
The 10mm always comes up in these threads and it demands at least two questions be asked. One if you have time to empty an entire magazine of 10mm at the bear how much of an eminent danger was it? Chances are in a real scenario you'll only have time for a shot or two. And second, 10mm does nothing the 357 Magnum won't. So if the 10mm is viable then so is the 357 Magnum. I know 10mm fanboys typically refuse to admit the latter, which is fine, just know you are wrong...

Sometimes peace of mind is worth a whole lot. Extra rounds give me peace of mind whether I need them or not. And I would not feel underpowered with a 357 mag either.
 
What we really need now is a general rule of thumb shark load thread

: )
 
Rule of thumb is to carry a 444 Marlin or a 45/70 or a 12ga with slugs.

We went on vacation to Alaska a couple years ago, and this 870 is what I carried, loaded with seven 1 oz. slugs. Also had a Ruger SRH as a back-up.

Around here, all we have is black bear, and I figure a .44 Magnum will work just fine.
 

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For a bear attack, my preference would be to be behind the cannon of a tank ... which coincidentally would place me inside a tank for the duration of said angry bear encounter.
 
I thought long an hard on this and have read every article above and then some... Bears(black/brown) have been killed with .22lr and 9mms on top of everything else, but to each is own and my choice for this side of the the Mississippi would be my 1026, 10mm loaded with 200/220 Underwood hard cast. Makes for great follow up shots and can stay on point in a panic. If I'm headed west of the Mississippi ill carry the same, but with the addition of my 1895sbl and some 430gr hard cast +P in .45-70gov..... I think that would well protect me for anything this side of the planet...
 
Groo here
Rule of thumb.
Flat nose bullet that will not fall apart if it hits something.
Sectional density of at least .175
Speed from "your" gun 1000 fps.....
This will meet the "Keith " design AND the 45 colt BP loading known to go through a horse or deer at extended range.[aka 100 yds or more]
 
Groo here
Rule of thumb.
Flat nose bullet that will not fall apart if it hits something.
Sectional density of at least .175
Speed from "your" gun 1000 fps.....
This will meet the "Keith " design AND the 45 colt BP loading known to go through a horse or deer at extended range.[aka 100 yds or more]

..exactly what I was going to write...

SD on a 10mm 200 grain bullet is .178, exactly the same as a 210 grain .410.

Since there are several commercially available 10mm loads on the market that crack 1200 fps and from a 4" .41 Magnum most 210 grain commercially available loads are in the mid to upper 1200s I would feel just fine with a 10mm...

Bob
 
..exactly what I was going to write...

SD on a 10mm 200 grain bullet is .178, exactly the same as a 210 grain .410.

Since there are several commercially available 10mm loads on the market that crack 1200 fps and from a 4" .41 Magnum most 210 grain commercially available loads are in the mid to upper 1200s I would feel just fine with a 10mm...

Bob
My handload in my P16-10 is 200 Grain WFNGC at 1225FPS from the 5" bbl. 16 rounds, 18 if I use the +2 mag. I wouldn't feel undergunned at all with it.

Rosewood
 
I can only speak for myself and I try to keep my bear kills down to 2 to 3 a week. On blacks seems any magnum or 40+ cal handgun works fine. The odds of running into a Griz or Polar Bear in SE Ohio are slim. If I was going somewhere to worry about this I believe I would be loading the jacketed bullets they make for steel silo shooting.
 
I hate I am contributing to another bear thread. However, a lot of people in Alaska are relying on Glocks in 10mm for that very reason. A friend in Alaska said 10mm ammo is very plentiful, or was, in Alaska. They are easy to carry, easy to shoot, and relatively reliable with low maintenance.

In that case, one of my 610's should do the job.
 

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