Would you knowingly venture into....?

[Kid44]

If I titled this "Another Bear Thread" I figured no one would bother with it. Would you knowingly venture into bear country armed with only a .357. (Pick your load of choice)

Can be either black bear, grizzly or both, excluding Alaska.
I know there are far better options and yes, I have a few of them but this pertains to the .357

 

[BKDinTexas]

With the right gun and loads yes. Keep in mind you are very lucky to even glimpse a bear. Every bear I saw in Alaska was un-assing the area as soon as he knew I was there.

 

[arjay]

Ive wandered around black bear and mountain lion country mostly unarmed for years,so sure I would!

 

[wolverine]

If I titled this "Another Bear Thread" I figured no one would bother with it. Would you knowingly venture into bear country armed with only a .357. (Pick your load of choice)

Can be either black bear, grizzly or both, excluding Alaska.
I know there are far better options and yes, I have a few of them but this pertains to the .357

Afternoon Kid44

Sure, if it's all I had, or all I had handy. In fact I have done it many times in black bear country.

Probably wouldn't in brown bear country if I had a bigger bore choice, but again, if it was all I had then a .357 is way better than yelling go-away-bear!

 

[Autococker07]

Yes, I do my best to see bears only at the zoo, LOL. In all seriousness, I used to run around all of Montana with a single action 45 ruger, and anemic factory loads and never felt undergunned.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Yes for the last 50 years the biggest caliber I've carried in Pa. is a .357. We have seen black bears at the cabin in the Laurel Highlands. As a general rule I'm more worried about 2 legged varmints.

Otherwise most of us here would all be packing a ".44 or more"; always wear a life-jacket and a parachute over our level III body armor ..... while holding a lightning rod over our heads.

IMHO being prepared does have some practical limits............

In the 70s I spent 2 summers in Alaska working construction... the "bush weapon" of choice was a 12 gauge Mossberg 500 or 870.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

With the right gun and loads yes.

I guess I already have, actually. I was in NW Colorado last summer, visiting friends at their mountain home, and they are definitely in bear country. Mountain lion country, too - and they see panthers way more than they see bears, but they're around.

I brought my Ruger Service Six with me, and I loaded it with high quality .357 Magnum defensive ammunition that my buddy keeps for his guns (offhand, I forget which brand).

When we were driving out and about I left that gun at the house and carried an easily concealable handgun (CHL reciprocity is a lovely thing) but when we were hanging out at the house that gun was always handy, especially sitting on the veranda sipping adult beverages. It was one of those rare times when despite the presence of alcohol we kept loaded guns handy. We were not getting drunk, anyway, just yakking and enjoying the evening air. But bears and lions have been known to suddenly appear so we had to be prepared.

If I was hunting in bear country I would first be carrying a rifle, I am not into handgun hunting, per se, but my backup gun (and there would be a backup gun if it was legal) would be either a .357 Magnum or, if I was inclined, a .45 Colt. I can pump out 6 rounds from either of those accurately and way faster than I ever could from a .44 Magnum, which explains why I don't own a .44 Magnum any longer.

But, since this is a bear thread - HANG ON TIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kozmic]

I figure a good size bear in these parts is 250-300lbs. There's a better chance of me needing to stop a similarly-sized home intruder dressed in winter clothing than needing to defend myself from a bear.

My bedside gun of choice is a 9mm so a .357 in the woods is a keeper. BTW, I usually carry a .22 semi auto without hesitation out in our woods.

 

[kennyb]

yes,i would prefer larger caliber but...i'll gladly go with a .357

 

[Brasky]

I wander through black bear country unarmed all the time. I would not feel under-gunned in any of those situations with my 686

 

[hoosierone]

My bro-in-law lives in NW MT. A few summers back about 15 of us hiked into the Bob Marsh wilderness. He was in front with his Ruger .44 mag that he always, I brought up the rear with a Colt Trooper .357. We came across other hikers who were unarmed. Once I get 100 yards from bro-in-laws home I get spooked. He once had a bear hibernate about 250 yards from the house. Also gets trail cam pics of mountain lions very close by. Beautiful country but you better be alert.

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Sure would. I have black bears around my place (have seen tracks only so far.) and normally just carry a .45 ACP or "only a wimpy .38" as I'm more worried about people with bad intentions coming up.

 

[mod29]

If I titled this "Another Bear Thread" I figured no one would bother with it.

Say what..?!? I love bear threads!

But to answer your question:
.357 mag is pretty potent medicine if someone knows how to shoot and is packing the correct ammo.
So yes, I would go off on my adventure and do my best to keep my wits about me and avoid large bears at all costs!

 

[Lt JL]

I'd like a bit more gun, like a folding stock 12 ga, but I'd feel pretty okay with hot loads with hard cast bullets in a 6" N frame.

 

[gutterman]

Have hiked a lot in Colorado with just a 3" model 60 loaded with 158 gr.LSWC's and felt OK.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Well I"ve mentioned doing so with a .45acp , so I supposed I couldn't say no to a suitably loaded .357 . But a .45Colt were be preferable to either.

 

[Camster]

Ive wandered around black bear and mountain lion country mostly unarmed for years,so sure I would!

This response makes me smile,as last fall,this east coast suburbanite was on Vancouver island,and I took a trail walk from the parking lot, to the beach,at a place called Botanical Beach.(Port Renfrew area)It was posted as wilderness area with bears and mountain lions.
I felt better just having a stick in my hand.A 357 would have made me feel very comfortable.On the way back to the parking lot,I tagged along with an older couple.....figured that I was the fastest runner of the trio. ;-P

 

[Pisgah]

If I titled this "Another Bear Thread" I figured no one would bother with it. Would you knowingly venture into bear country armed with only a .357. (Pick your load of choice)

About 95% of the time, I do it armed with no more than a walking stick...