The earlier thread promptes this question.
I'm thinking.....

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Forum consigliere

I'm leaning toward a bolt action .30-06. Simple, fool proof, easy to find ammo. Accurate and relatively powerful. Goes bang every time. Works in hot or cold.

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Dick Burg

12 ga with slugs.

Same as the last hit the fan thread. Winchester .30-06, all the power any North American rifleman needs, in a light weight easy to carry dead nutz reliable platform.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

If we're talking bear in close, I like my .45-70 lever with an 18.5" barrel.

If we're talking 2 legged, I like my AR15.

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Pete.

Once upon a time it was a pre-64 Model 70 in .375 H&H. Now it would be a push-feed Model 70 in .30-06.

And a heightened state of awareness.

Same answer as in the last thread.... a Plasma rifle such as the BFG 9000..........

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- The Federalist #46 -

300 Win Mag and/or FA Mdl 83 454 Casul

I am to old to run so any old gun will do. I will just blow my brains out. Don

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"Don't worry be happy"

If I am in bear country on foot and not hunting it is not likely that I'll be carrying a rifle. That being the case it would be my designated anti bear cannon - the Dan Wesson V-44 6" 44 Mag with 305 grain Buffalo Bore slugs.

A Winchester 61 in .22 WMR.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

Most often if I am in Bear Country I am hunting something, so I have a rifle in a proper calibre..

I might be fishing, or hunting grouse, but no matter WHAT I am doing in bear country I carry a handgun, usually a 4" 44 Mag S&W 4".

Eh, bears live most everywhere. I should be so lucky as to see one. That's just greasy meat and a new fur coat. Any 5.56mm will work in a pinch, just hope that you have a couple of mags of black tip.
Lower 48 bears are not that big, nor that mean.

Now if it were big snakes..............

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

My Remington 870, with slugs.

Already lived the dream. At that time I had my Ruger 77 30-06 loaded with 165g NBT over 57g IMR 4350 and a 3" S&W 629-2 on my hip full of 265g Cast GCSWC over 22g W296.

Sow with 3 cubs walking right down the path I was on, not 20 yards away.

I had her skull crosshaired, but no shots were fired as they walked right past me on a parallel path I didn't notice. Why they never saw me, I can't answer, but I was rock still and kept the scope on the target the whole time, until they went past.

I had enough juice with either weapon to preserve myself and make it home safe.

Sir, same gun as in the other thread: M1 Garand. It ought to suffice for the odd problem bear, though maybe not radioactive zombie bears.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Bullet placement is everything with large animals. I would trust any rifle from 30-30 upward with multiple rounds.

Handgun selection would likely be .45acp with 230 gr fmj and a good pair of running shoes.

Marlin 1895 Guide Gun and Garrett 45/70 +P Hammerheads.

I AM in bear country and believe me - throw him the donut and back away slowly.





The bear in the top photo was at the top of our driveway in the neighbor's trash. The bear in the bottom photo had just cut through our yard to get to the house 4 doors down. We usually carry the 637 with 2 snake shots and 3 hollow-points, the Kel-Tec P3AT and the .410 is in the garage doorway. They generally ignore us on the way by but we did have a persistant one who kept coming up to the BBQ at another neighbor's 3 doors down and across the street. We threw rocks and he went away but came back and so we fired one of the 637's snakeshots at his butt and he left for the evening. Party crasher.

Since I own many different calibers/gauges and hunt different seasons, I'll just have to use whats available to me at the time the feces hit the fan. Its all about staying cool under pressure and putting your rounds where they need to be. Bears are no different then here in Indian country.

CD

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De Oppresso Liber

I like Hawkeye10's idea.
Throw the bear a DONUT! How many cops would give up a donut? not Jimmy! To save my donut, I would take the bear on with my trusty Boy Scout knife. (I love donuts)

A NAA mini revolver, which I'd use to shoot my hiking partner in the leg.

As the saying goes, "I don't have to out run the bear, I just have to out run you."

I've been on a couple of hikes with my nephew in the mountains outside of Eureka, MT, prime grizzly country. Both times I carried my Ruger .41 magnum with handloaded, 265 grain Cast Performance WLNGC in front of 21.2 grains of Lil' Gun.

A few months ago, I was at an outdoor gun range in north Georgia. There was a group of 4 - 5 people shooting to our left. While we were getting set up, I looked about 50 feet past them and there was a small black bear climbing the bank and entering the woods. He was not bothered by the sounds of the the 22's they had been shooting for about 15 - 20 minutes. A few minutes later, he came back down the hill and paralleled the edge of the range behind some trees. He was apparently eating some fruit off of one of the trees, as we could see him moving the tree back and forth. After we started shooting bigger guns, I noticed he had either move down further or left the area. The funny thing is I was completely at ease with him there and I didn't feel scared or threatened. He minded his business and we each left each other alone.

I can't imagine why I would be in bear country on foot if the SHTF, but if I really knew that that was the case, I guess I'd drag out my A-5 and load it with Brenneke slugs. And maybe carry a 629 with 250gr Nosler Partitions, instead of the slightly more gentle (and lighter) handguns I usually carry.

My bear roller--- 50 alaskan lever action. 500 grain Woodleigh's at 2050fps -- gun holds 8 + 1 in the chamber.

Hi, Buckeyeshooter1:
What model Marlin (?) is your rifle?
.50 Alaskan caliber? is this a factory round or a special caliber?
Thank you,
Jimmy

Well if your talking handguns id have go with the 500.

I see a lot of black bears where I live. Last weekend my dogs and I saw a bear at the junction of two trails. The four of us stood there and looked at each other for a few minutes. When I took a few steps towards the bear he turned around and left. We waited for a few minutes and my dogs and I continued on the trail. We saw the bear running off though the woods a little later. I had my gun on my hip the whole time but I didn't even think about my gun. It was just nice to see an animal that most people don't get to see.

First, I'd take someone I could out run.
Second, my 7 shot 11-87 with slugs

You know...in all seriousness Gator has me now thinking about the man-eating pigs

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Forum consigliere

The 50 Alaskan is a wildcat. The rifle started as a brand new Marlin 45/70 cowboy-- sent to Turnbull Restoration for conversion to 50 alaskan. The 50 alaskan is a .348 winchester case opened to 50 caliber. It is a bear killing machine-- its done 3 in 3 shots so far!

I would want my marlin 336 35 rem with 200gr bullets.

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God save the SOUTH

Fret not- I hear they don't like Cajun.


(I almost said- "If I was a man-eating pig, I still would not eat a lawyer", but I'm feeling nice tonite)

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

If I'm limited to the guns I have, I guess I would take my 1895 Winchester in .405 although I'd hate to lug that thing around all day. That ought to have enough power for about anything on the continent.

I guess a .44 mag revolver would, too, and that would leave both hands free.

Changed my mind. .44 mag revolver, 4".

Another vote for the '95 Winchester .405 WCF even though this one is 106 years old this year.

Its certainly worthy of consideration.

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C & L

During my Fairbanks days back in the 70s, when floating the remote rivers and creeks, I carried my .458 Win Mag in the canoe unless out hunting with another large caliber.

Since the only thing I'll encounter in the Cascades of Washington are Blackies, my 629 .44 Mag, with Buffalo Bore loads, seems sufficient.

Wow, that looks like it's in really nice shape. Mine is a recent issue with the stupid safety.

I've changed my mind yet again. Instead of the 4" M29, I'd take my 5 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt. At 40 ounces loaded, it weighs almost a half pound less than the M29.

I went to Alaska in 1969, and was packing a mod 29 44 mag, everyone I got aquinted with from there convinced me that a mod 12 short barreled 12 ga. with slugs and a sling was what to cary fishing around BIG BEARS. Today if I went back up there I would feel safe carrying my mod 25 S&W 45 LC. It isn't being a good shot, but being a good shot and lucky that will save you from a surprize bear attack. I have seen a mad momma brown at 10 ft, it's something you will remember till the day you meet your maker.

More people are killed or injured each year in the world by pigs than by sharks.

Research has proven that they can solve complex problems, follow a scent trail, and even play videogames for food treats. Plus they breed fast and have few or no natural enemies and there are some reports of 1000 pounders roaming the woods.

One tried to eat my wife when she was about 12. Fortunately pigs can't climb trees, so she was able to scurry up one and wait it out. Her mom's boyfriend of the moment eventually came along and shot the pig. They later at it. (Circle of life and all that, pigs eating people, people eating pigs.)

The pigs generally can't digest hair or teeth, so presumably one's remains could be identified by dental records after it passed through the pig. They tend to eat everything else.

My wife was moderately upset when I traded away the .458 Win Mag rifle. I keep the .375 Winchester Marlin and my 629 around as designated anti pig guns to placate her fears.

Re:...Pigs,

I found out the hard way when havin a young piglet in the hog trap
and turning your back on the woods.
Luckily it was a sow comin to the rescue and not a boar with cutters.

When the SHTF it is not going to be just another hunting trip I don't think. The pigs and bears may be the least of my concern.
But I would want my 12ga. with 3" mag. Fedral HI-Shok slugs.
My .357 S&W 4".
We don't really have either pigs or bears around here, but when "the crisis" arrives My .22lr rifle will prolly be the one that feeds us. I trust that gun more than anything I own.
Peace,
gordon

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better have that checked