40 S&W for bear

imjin138 · Jan 26, 2012

A few days ago I was at Shooter's drinking coffee and the conversation turned to self defense against animals. I told them I normally carry a .357 magnum while hiking some times a revolver in .45 Colt. One retired LEO stated he carried his Glock 23 to protect himself against bears in northern Wisconsin.

That brought up a flurry of laughter and chides about how he would taste, and so on. But after thinking about it most handgun calibers probably aren't enough to really stop a large bear but a .40 S&W would be better than a pointy stick or pepper spray.

hannstv · Jan 26, 2012

I believe a man killed a bear with a glock 22 that got into his house in Alaska. Don't remember the details. Some of the specialty loaders have a heavy for caliber hardcast load.

Rule3 · Jan 26, 2012

Annnnnnd we are off! Been a while since a good bear thread graced the page!

Sebago Son · Jan 26, 2012

I have seen what the R-P Fed-Spec 155 JHP does to whitetail deer .... the tissue distruction is beyond impressive. I would think that a cool head and good shot would be okay with this load if faced with an agressive eastern black bear of 2-300 pounds... other loads? I don't know....

TNFrank · Jan 26, 2012

The 40S&W Ctg. has some 500+ ft/lb loads on the market. I'd think they'd be more then enough for Black Bear at reasonable ranges. As for a big Brown or a Polar Bear, I think I'd want a bit more gun, thank you very much,LOL.

DeadAye · Jan 26, 2012

Yessssssssss! A bear thread

40? Sure - But then again there are bears and BEARS

.

I've seen deer killed DRT with a .22LR but it sure doesn't make it a good deer rifle round.

DavidGCalderone · Jan 26, 2012

Okay, living, hunting, hiking, fishing, camping, etc in Alaska for the last 23 years I can honestly tell you that not even a high power rifle or shotgun are going to assure you that you kill the bear before he kills you. With that said, any gun is better then your hands, a stick, or a rock. Believe it or not, pepper spray is often better then a gun.

Damn Yankee · Jan 26, 2012

Not long ago on here a fellow told how him and his brother in law were walking in the woods when huge brown bear attack them and he took care of things with one shot from a 22 pistol.

One shot to his brother in laws knee and he just walked out.

That is a great story and I just smirk thinking about it.

jimmyj · Jan 26, 2012

OK! My turn- flamethrower with a Bowie Knife for backup.

sigp220.45 · Jan 26, 2012

Yay! Bear thread!

I used to work on an Indian reservation in northern Montana where bears were more than just theoretical. We were adjacent to Glacier park, so there were park bears wandering out, and there were naturally occurring bears of both the black and grizzly variety.

The Indians were funny about bears. They were crazy about hunting elk, moose, and deer, but I don't know any who hunted bears (though I'm sure some did.). I asked one of my Blackfeet pals why this was. His reply was a two-parter: Bears don't eat Indians, and a skinned bear looked like a person.

I did know guys who had killed grizzlies that were attacking their dogs in their yard. In both cases, the big bears were felled by barrages of .223 fire, administered by either the ubiquitous Mini-14 or the almost equally popular Remington 788.

I've never shot a bear (though I've tried) but I think a face full of .40 S&W would do the trick.

keith44spl · Jan 26, 2012

Well I's want on the front page on this'n...My dad had this friend that was an ol' sourdough
that claimed he'd kilt a black bear with a .22LR. Shot right through the eye.

Don't know if it was true or not...As a kid I didn't care, he had the hide.

I wouldn't personally choose the 40 short & weak.
But, thats just me talkin here.

Oh, I've killed a couple of bears and have had a run in or two with a few more.

Su Amigo,
Dave

Jst1mr · Jan 26, 2012

So what have we learned here over the years about bears and bullets? Seems some guy did one in with a .45acp, another with a 10mm, some have certainly been felled with a 5.56, a few with .38spl, I'm guessing one or two fell to 9mm, though haven't heard much from the .380 crowd, everyone knows at least one story about .22mag or .22lr. And heaven knows its on the border of torture to haul around those .357, .44, and .45LC cannons when a whee little .22 has been PROVEN to do the job. So why not opt for a little upgrade for safety's sake, drop that venerable .25auto Raven in your pocket and head off to the wilderness with a 12" survival knife lashed to your thigh and play outdoorsman all you want...

spricks · Jan 26, 2012

I hunt bear with my compound bow when I'm fortunate enough to draw a harvest permit. I also carry a 40 M&P for backup if I need it....after all I'm sitting by the bait a mere 25ft away. I feel more than confident that my 40 S&W will save my life if it needs to. I hope to draw that tag this year.
spricks

jlrhiner · Jan 26, 2012

COOL! I made it on the front page of a bear thread!!!

As your wondering around in the woods with your Jennings,
Don't forget the spoon as the ultimate bear weapon. (although special training is required)

BearBio · Jan 26, 2012

Backpacker killed a grizzly in Denali with a 45 acp. Eskimos kill polar bears with 219 Zippers & other 22 centerfires all the time (where they get the ammo, I don't know).

I recently started shooting a 40 S & W and I'm impressed. It should work for black bears==now, grizzlies are something different.

In 1989, I was elk hunting in NW Montana. They had just found some grizzly droppings; first in quite a while. I asked the bio what he found in the droppings. His answer: "Black bear claws"

roundgunner · Jan 26, 2012

I personally carry a 3” 629 in bear country

I think if all I had was a 40 I would stock it with 175gr cast and empty it in the bad bear as fast as I could.

Seems like a 40 would get 14-16 inches deep or hopefully more. I’m probably wrong again but I would rather have the 40 than pepper spray, although when the 40 goes click it would be nice to have the spray.

Ya gotta have pictures in a bear thread...

RIDE-RED 350r · Jan 26, 2012

I think I would try and coax the bear to crawl through a guillotine to get me!

Oldiron · Jan 26, 2012

This brings up the old tale of I only have to outrun you. I would think a fmj or two or three to the head would be a start. Many of the old stories in Outdoorlife and Sports Afield were about the guys who were mauled after shooting a bear in the head with a rifle only to have the bear revive. Most times the catchline was that the bullet had flattened out and slid over the bears skull. I think penetration would be my determining factor. No lite HPs for me.
I might mention that I do have one pistol I would carry as a bear gun; a 14" T/C Contender in 45/70 that I love to shoot 500 gr bullets through.
Larry

DeadAye · Jan 26, 2012

Seriously:
If you're around bears a lot then maybe they aren't a really big deal to you - After all, they do tend to just move along and go about their business most of the time.
BUT
The first time you run into a Grizzly Bear miles and miles and miles from the nearest ambulance it's a BAD feeling! A 454 Casull feels like a kid's toy all of a sudden....

Being on the ground with a bear just isn't the same as seeing one from your tree stand.

Goldstar225 · Jan 26, 2012

As much as I like the .40 it certainly wouldn't be high on my list for bear. If that's all I had it would be loaded up with 180 grain FMJ.

40 S&W for bear

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