If you had to shoot a Black Bear;

[Rpg]

If you’re defending yourself against a charging black. bear with a 357, you need penetration and a projectile that won’t come apart in the target and will smash large shoulder bones.

Sure, you can try to hit it in the head but the larger shoulder target is easier to hit than the head. Breaking a shoulder will stop the bear’s locomotion and therefore the charge. You can then shoot the bear in the head if needed.

The 357 will do the trick for your purposes: defending yourself if you have the skills. If you don’t, there isn’t a handgun in the world that will save your bacon.

Years ago, we built a charging bear target: it was a paper bear target hung on a pulley system with a brisk electric motor that moved the target toward the shooter at about 20+ miles per hour.

Handgun shooters began holstered and began their presentation when the target began to move. The only shooter that “killed” the bear before it got to the shooter was using a 1911. The revolver shooters couldn’t hit the head or shoulder.

Shotgun and rifle shooters were much more successful.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I will say it again, if charged by a bear who is obviously intent on doing you harm shoot at the snout. The brain is directly behind the snout. Even if you hit the shoulder the charging bear can use it's momentum to get to you and probably do extreme damage before it becomes immobile or dies.

Of course the best defense is use your head and try to avoid the situation to begin with...

 

[rwsmith]

I'm not a woodsman...

....and even I've encountered black bears that preferred to be left alone. But that's MOST of the time. SOMETIMES a black bear engages in a wild, frenzied attack. These attacks are rare, but 61 people people have been killed in the US by black bears in the US since the turn of the 20th century. And sure many attacks involve protecting cubs, but you can be hiking along and find yourself in proximity of a bear with cubs.

One particular incident I remember was a bear chasing a man and his wife onto the roof of their house. He managed to leave to get help, but while he was gone his wife got eaten up.

Another, more recent attack was a man in Arizona who was attacked and killed on his property. People are encroaching on bear territory and bears do not like it.

So IF I was actually attacked it would probably be a head on shot and I'd prefer the hard cast SWC any day. Their skulls are pretty tough.

 

[Telecaster]

As a city slicker, I get the impression from these threads that a woods walk is more dangerous than a stroll downtown.

 

[AJ]

As a city slicker, I get the impression from these threads that a woods walk is more dangerous than a stroll downtown.

Depending on the animals you met! There are laces in cities I would not care to walk in.........