apriav Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I have a choice of 357 Sig 14 rounds and 45 ACP 9 rounds....what should I take, bullet weight and velocity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 The old joke says you should take the one without a front sight on it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Shoot a bear with either of those and you're in deep kimchee if the bruin notices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Santiago Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 (edited) Shoot a bear with either of those and you're in deep kimchee if the bruin notices. +1 I don't think either one of those would be considered "Loaded for Bear". What type of bear country? Black, Grizzly, Kodiak? You MIGHT be okay with a black bear. Lunch, if Grizzly or larger... just my .02$ Edited October 12, 2007 by pas44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtrooper Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Which sidearm is not important, just be sure and take a friend along that can't run as fast as you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I had a nice pair of aluminum trekking poles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentlemanJim Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I guess it all depends on the bear you piss off 480 ruger or 500 smith would be my choice 44mag in a pinch little guns just make bears real mad I shot a big one with a 264 win mag...in the right spot...close range...it was PISSED OFF This bear has been shot at least three times that I know of...and roams still today!!!...bears are not an animal to trifle with.! wash your hands after eating...have NO food close to where you sleep...no perfume Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superdude Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 kind of a tough one to answer. if i had to select between the two i'd go with the 45 and a 230 grain bullet for deeper penetration. maybe even hardball. velocity wise go for the fastest possible. as nice as the 357 Sig is, i suspect it might not penetrate as deep as a heavy 45 bullet, and with bear one issue is to get through some of that tough muscle and bone. if you have extra money consider the 460 Rowland conversion for your 45. it produces impressive velocity and power, but it adds a compensator to the gun's length. reliability is an issue for a couple of reasons, one being slide velocity which is very fast on the rowland. i have one, and its damn powerful. the compensator is necessary as it would likely destroy the gun without it to slow down the slide - and it still uses a 24 lb recoil spring! now, if you take the 45 and still get mauled or eaten by a bear, its not my fault. my best advice is to take enough gun, like a 500 S&W. oh, and don't miss. good luck - and i really mean that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I personally don't think either of your choices would allow you to survive a bear attack. JMHO. 460 rowland or 500 S&W mag would be my choice. 500mag comes in a 4inch barrel with a comp. Still kicks the $hit outta you but makes a terrible hole and it's relatively easy to carry. And by the way....practice, practice, practice. The guns may kick but don't let one of your first shots be a life-dependent shot. FWIW dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 There's only little bears where you are anyways... blow a whistle or knock some pots otgether.. those black bears will scoot.. Still, take the 45.. there's worse things then bears out there.. When you're backpacking, making enough noise so they here you coming is good.. you just don't want to surprise one. If you were in Montana... get some bear spray.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Back the truck up, Jake. If we're talking black bear, those aren't that big. Anything that works on people will work on a black bear. They are about the same mass. Grizzly. Different story. As for aggressiveness. I worry little about black bears, but there have been documented attacks here very recently. But they are exceedingly rare given the large # of encounters people have with black bears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 On another forum (I don't remember where) the consensus for black bear was a 10mm. Time to pickup a new Glock! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Religious Shooter Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I'd bring the .357 Sig. Loaded hot. 135 gr @ 1425 fps. Near .357 mag performance. You hear of bears being taken with .357 mags all the time. Mixture of FMJ and HP rds in magazine. The extra rds on tap are a comfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliston Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 What part of the world bear country are we talking about? That makes a pretty big difference. Prevention is always better, make lots of noise, don't leave food out. If you have bear spray and have an encounter (that looks like it's going bad), just spray some in your face and you will be fine. No bear will ever mess with somebody screaming that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Whichever of those two you take, be sure to save one round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Forget the P-shooters and take good running shoes Oh yeah, don't bathe so you stink to high heaven and make noise wherever you go. Thats the best advice other than don't make agressive moves if you have an encounter, make yourself real small and back away slowly and steadily keeping yourself from looking tall (tall = threat). Then run like hell when you have some distance and a clear path away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 whichever gun you like to carry best, Your threat is from the same source it would be in the city, two legged ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I'd recommend take the gun you can reload the fastest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 (edited) take good running shoes lol - these are the people you see coming down in the bags... ETA - Spelling Edited October 12, 2007 by BerKim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j1b Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 (edited) The most relevant question asked is which bear country? First, read up on bear country. Bears are really very intelligent and they have no interest in dinking around with the two legged invaders of their country. The only time you'd really ever have a situation is if you surprise them, threaten them, or get between a Sow with cubs. I am going to agree with some of the comments about the gun choice though. The first thing I'd say is get a round gun. You want, need, and have to have reliability. Auto's are fantastic and I shoot them all the time. But my backcountry rig is a Ruger Redhawk. Most autos aren't designed for dirt, rain, snow, sleet, ice, etc. etc. Sure it might work - but it's the "might" in that statement that scares me. I've got competition guns that have never failed me that I wouldn't take out into the bush. And then I'd go .44 Mag or higher. Regardless of the size of the bear. The only time you'll actually shoot that gun is if you're in a "situation." Situation means your adrenalin is pumping but I'd also say it means that bears adrenalin is pumping too. There are documented instances of bears getting shot 13-15 times with a .338 win mag before going down. Those situations are rare but it speaks to the strength and will these creatures have. I will say those stories come from up north where they "grow um' a little bigger" To give you some perspective though, my father was a bear biologist up on Kodiak Island Alaska. That's where I grew up. My dad, in all of his years working around bears, never really had a situation. Never once shot a bear in defense of life or property. We hunted for years and years up there and encountered hundreds of bears - never had a situation. The greatest, most powerful weapon you'll have in your aresenal will be the one between your ears. Use that one the most, and then have a back up that's powerful enough to close the deal if need be. Last, if you do get close to a bear - don't run. Don't freak out. Keep your wits about you. Make some noise and shoo it away. If s/he knows you're there, don't get too dramatic with it. Wait it out and look for the signs. Flattening ears, and popping the jaws means they are uncomfortable. You'll see it in their body language. But you can not out run one. Don't think you can. I saw a bear spook up a mountain that took him about a minute to get up. We had to hike up it a little later, took us something like 45 minutes. Granted he was in a hurry and we weren't. You can't outrun them. Just my $.02. J Edited October 12, 2007 by j1b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 If you have bear spray and have an encounter (that looks like it's going bad), just spray some in your face and you will be fine. No bear will ever mess with somebody screaming that bad. That is some of the funniest shit I've ever heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 take good running shoes lol - these are the people you see coming down in the bags... ETA - Spelling I think the idea of running shoes is to allow you to outrun whoever is with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 M240G oops, you said sidearm didn't you? hmmm..a short M240. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 (edited) I would feel pretty good with a Bennelli full of full power slugs.... IF I carried a pistol a 2011 in .460 Rowland would probably make me feel a little better... Edited October 13, 2007 by Merlin Orr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 I think the idea of running shoes is to allow you to outrun whoever is with youExactly LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now