Is 10mm viable for bear defense?

[jetjky]

Yep . . I think so. I have a 6in M44 (shoulder rig) that I have toted around in Alaska and on other hunting trips when I use a shotgun. Overall, VERY happy with that big 44mag and its capability, but since experimenting with my G41 & 10mm barrel, I have come to believe that 15 rounds of 10mm might be preferred over 6 rounds of 44mag.

Interesting article here . . .
10mm Caliber Pistols & Their Defensive Use Against Bear Attacks

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

If it wont stop the bear at least you can put yourself out of misery.

John

 

[CH4]

It’s more about shot placement and bullet construction. Along with the various 44 and 500 magnums, the Glock 10MMs with 15 rd mags are very common in Alaska, or they were when I worked there.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

The largest Polar Bear recorded in Alaska was killed by Indian lady with...............A .22 long cartridge.

 

[mikerjf]

No personal experience but done some reading on the subject… I get the impression that a good 10mm is about on par with a good 357 mag. Yet generally people will say 357 doesn’t cut it for brown bear.

For head shots sectional density should be king, since virtually anything that makes it into the skull will have an effect. (See Bella Twin, for example.) Perhaps the 357 is derided simply because the 44 mag exists in similar guns?

Can’t argue with the capacity side of the equation. Love the story of the guy doing the 45acp reload *during* the bears charge - wow!

 

[Autonomous]

A lot of knowledgeable outdoorspeople, guides and agencies have gone to 10mm handguns for bear defense.
At handgun velocity it is all about penetration and the projectile hitting something vital on the way through. It isn't necessarily intuitive but as we learn more about terminal ballistics, it becomes clearer.
Faster, more accurate follow-up shots from a pistol with good penetration count for more than heavier rounds from a revolver.

 

[rwsmith]

Use....

FMJ Ammo. Without penetration more rounds will just make them madder.

 

[Lonestar57]

I would feel adequately safe with a 10mm in Bear country. Although I would imagine not being caught by surprise by a Bear would be high on the list regarding surviving a Bear attack in order for you to get those good shots first, regardless what you’re carrying.

 

[jetjky]

If it wont stop the bear at least you can put yourself out of misery.

John

Speed is critical as is accuracy. Personally, I would prefer a flame thrower.

 

[jetjky]

Its amazing the various threads and events I have read on this topic on Ammoland. I saw one list where they detailed bear defense encounters with everything from 38spl to 454 casul. Several 9mm and 40SW events but nope, I would have not chose them. One guy was out changing a tire roadside when attacked.

 

[Oldengineer]

My wife, myself, and two dogs have made two camping trips to Alaska in our Airstream. For protection, we rely on two firearms; a 12 gauge shotgun and a Glock 29 (with 15 rd. mags). We travel through Canada with the shotgun. I ship the Glock to a friendly FFL in Anchorage. When out in the boondocks I carry the Glock on my chest and bear spray on my side. This is pretty common practice. We have close friends in Fairbanks that fully support this approach. Buffalo Bore hard cast ammo is a must.

The 12 gauge shotgun has a slug up front with 00 buckshot and is always very close when camping.

 

[Bill Lear]

You can handload - or buy Underwood ammo for maximum power in a .357 magnum that has enough barrel to benefit, but it's still just SIX shots with a relatively slow reload.
You can carry a relatively portable .44 magnum stoked with overloads, but you still only have SIX shots and the recoil is extreme.

The same applies to "compact" .454, .460S&W, and .500S&W revolvers - super powerful, but only FIVE chances in the wheel.

The 10mm is only 11 - 16% less "powerful" than the .44 magnum, and in Glock format holds 16 shots with standard mag, larger mags are available. That's SIXTEEN chances to "get 'er done" as they say. Put another way, that's 2.66 times as many shots as the 6-shooter. Total potential deliverable energy is 12,000 foot-pounds. Even the mighty .500S&W short barrel maxes out around 10,000 foot-pounds with top loads.

The same rule applies when dealing with dangerous animals in the wild as it does in the inner city. When all the compared calibers are capable of killing or effecting a "one-shot stop" with just ONE shot, or failing to do so, energy per shot becomes irrelevant, while number of shots becomes primary. The same concept that applies to the 9mm versus all the others regarding human encounters applies to 10mm versus all the others regarding dangerous animal encounters.

For those who aren't fans of the Glock platform, there is now quite a variety of 10mm handguns on the market including longslide models that really extract the best the caliber has to offer.

 

[murphydog]

Hey, a new topic.

I think nothing portable and legal is definitive in a life or death situation with an aggressive animal of this size. You can only improve your odds around the margins with enough power, multiple rapid shots on target and practice. For this situation, a 10 mm pistol seems as good as anything you can carry on a belt.

The Danish government issues the 10 mm to their northern Greenland forest patrol staff. Presuming they could buy and use whatever handgun they thought best for the task, that is a pretty strong endorsement.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Ah........All these bear threads...........Safest escape is to make sure you can out run your partner.

 

[22shtur]

I live in grizzly country, but the encounters are rare, yet very possible. A track star runs 100 meters in 10 seconds with only two legs. A grizzly runs faster. If you do have to pull out your handgun, it's probably less than 100 meters away. When I go hiking without a rifle, I carry a sure six, because if I don't get it done by the second shot, well - there are no second place winners in bear country.

 

[SuperMan]

A .41 Magnum Remington 210 grain Soft Point from a 4" 57 runs 1250...

An Underwood 200 grain Hardcast has the same sectional density as the .41 210 and is also going 1250 fps...

A Buffalo Bore 10mm 220 Hardcast is running 1200 fps...

Since I've been carrying a 4" .41 for bear/moose/cougar defense for over 40 years I've come to also appreciate the 10mm...

No hesitation about carrying one here...

Bob

 

[stansdds]

I would think that a 10mm stoked with a full power 200 grain non-expanding load should be adequate, especially east of the Mississippi river.

 

[glenwolde]

You can handload - or buy Underwood ammo for maximum power in a .357 magnum that has enough barrel to benefit, but it's still just SIX shots with a relatively slow reload.
You can carry a relatively portable .44 magnum stoked with overloads, but you still only have SIX shots and the recoil is extreme.

The same applies to "compact" .454, .460S&W, and .500S&W revolvers - super powerful, but only FIVE chances in the wheel.

The 10mm is only 11 - 16% less "powerful" than the .44 magnum, and in Glock format holds 16 shots with standard mag, larger mags are available. That's SIXTEEN chances to "get 'er done" as they say. Put another way, that's 2.66 times as many shots as the 6-shooter. Total potential deliverable energy is 12,000 foot-pounds. Even the mighty .500S&W short barrel maxes out around 10,000 foot-pounds with top loads.

The same rule applies when dealing with dangerous animals in the wild as it does in the inner city. When all the compared calibers are capable of killing or effecting a "one-shot stop" with just ONE shot, or failing to do so, energy per shot becomes irrelevant, while number of shots becomes primary. The same concept that applies to the 9mm versus all the others regarding human encounters applies to 10mm versus all the others regarding dangerous animal encounters.

For those who aren't fans of the Glock platform, there is now quite a variety of 10mm handguns on the market including longslide models that really extract the best the caliber has to offer.

I'd like to see the math on that statement about 11-16% less powerful. Of course it depends on how you define power and what loads you're using but I can't come close to those numbers. More like 20-30% less from the few loads I've looked at.

I'm not dissing the 10mm. It's a good cartridge. But it's no .44, or even a .41 for that matter. These comparisons always seem to use the most powerful boutique ammo available for the 10mm but some random factory fodder for the .41s and .44s.

Go compare Underwood's 10mm to Underwood's .41 and .44. It's not even close.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

"Oh, Mudder, Fadder.. Take me home! I hate Granada!

Don't leave me, out in the forest, where...

I might...

Get EATEN BY A BEAR!"

Cheers!

 

[Farmer17]

We go backpack camping in Bear Country, and weight is very important and I have owned 41 and 44 magnums and they were pretty heavy and I didn’t enjoy shooting them very much. I bought a Smith and Wesson M&P 4 inch 10 mm and carry it in a zipper gun pouch on the appendix part of my backpack belt. I like the Sig 180 grain flat point full metal jacket ammo at 1200 ft./s and recoil is not bad at all and I can shoot it fast and accurately. The tall sites make it easy to see them in dim light and I really love the gun, it’s become my favorite handgun and I have quite a few.