Bear Pistol Opinions

[Jsunkler]

In the market for a pistol to pack along while in bear country and have come to a fork in the road: S&W Revolver in .44 mag or .357 mag OR Glock 20 10mm.

Pro's/Con's to revolver vs semi-auto, .44 mag to .357 mag to 10mm, easy of carry while packing, etc.

 

[Beendare]

A couple long threads on this if you search.

IMO, its all about 1)what you shoot fast and well....and 2) hardcast bullets. The hard cast is a game changer in penetration.

Then whatever you decide on get plenty of practice with it....the one constant is deadly bear attacks happen fast. In some cases the victim never got a shot off.

 

[Jsunkler]

A couple long threads on this if you search.

IMO, its all about 1)what you shoot fast and well....and 2) hardcast bullets. The hard cast is a game changer in penetration.

Then whatever you decide on get plenty of practice with it....the one constant is deadly bear attacks happen fast. In some cases the victim never got a shot off.

My apologies if this has been discussed over n over! Don't want to beat a dead horse, still learning my way around the site and will do a search for this info

 

[colonel00]

Yeah, it's been beat up several times on here. You will hear comments from proponents and opponents of any gun you ask about. As with most gear, you have to find what works for you and what you will use (carry).

Beendare's comments are spot on. A .44 is worthless if you can't hit your target. A 10mm or even smaller can be effective with proper training and shot placement.

 

[FlyGuy]

I had a thread on this a few months back as I am going on my 1st trip into grizzly country in about a month (I am assuming that you are talking about grizzly bear protection here). Below is a quick summary of the Consensus I got (and a little of my under-qualified opinion):

#1 - Ideally, the 44 is the smallest caliber that "most" folks recommended for grizzly, even better would be 454, 460, 480...

#2 - It doesn't matter how big the caliber is if you can't hit anything with it. Big bore pistols are not much fun to shoot (at least not for me). And if you don't practice cause it sucks, then you're down to just hoping you'll get lucky.


I went with a 480 Ruger Super RedHawk Alaskan. Looked hard at the 10mm Glock, but I already have an almost identical 40 cal Glock and I just wanted something different. I also looked at the 454 Casull, but wanted a little less recoil to manage with such a short barrel. This is a single purpose gun. Not going to pistol hunt with it (the longer barrel 454 would be good for that), not going to shoot 200 rounds/week with it (got the glock for that). Magazine capacity between them is a non-issue. Apparently You'll be lucky to get off a second shot in an actual bear charge anyway, so 15 rounds is no better than 5. Just heavier.

If you already have one of these three, then maybe use what you have if you are comfortable with it. If buying new then buy what you feel the most comfortable with. Any will work if you can shoot. I would push you towards the 10 or the 44 IF you can shoot them well as both still have some pop to them.

Also, pay attention to weight. A 6"-8" barreled revolver is much easier to shoot accurately than a snub-nosed Alaskan, but if it's too heavy then you are just going to leave it in the truck. Or in your pack. Or on the ground over by where you were sitting earlier... For that reason alone, that 10mm Glock really stands out. Really light weight but still a good barrel length. Semi-auto, which helps reduce recoil and get back on target. Not complicated, no safety to fumble with in a sudden engagement.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve got a lot of “bear guns”
-Glock 20 x2
-glock 29
-ruger sp101 357
-ruger redhawk 44
-ruger super Blackhawk 454
-SW x frame 460.

I end up taking glock 20s more often than anything else but the ruger redhawk is also an awesome option.

I like having 16 rounds of 220g underwood hardcast loses up and it’s lighter than my redhawk. Another nice thing about the Glock is that I don’t care if it gets dinged up or dunked, I’d be sad if I ruined a nice 1000 dollar revolver though.

 

[skaldugwas]

I went with a 454 so I could practice with 45lc. Although all but the stoutest casull rounds aren’t as bad to shoot as people make them sound.

 

[treillw]

I've been down the same path. Ended up debating between glock 10mm and larger revolver. Ended up going with a 4" barrel 500 S&W loaded with my reloads of 440 gr wide flat nose hard cast bullets at a moderate velocity so recoil isn't a bear (haha). My reasoning was that I probably won't get many shots off before it's on top of me and that if I need to stick the barrel in the bears mouth and pull the trigger once or twice, I want the bullet to be as big and bad as possible. My preference is also for the trigger on the Smiths over the Ruger.

I feel like a 10mm would have an advantage if you have a hunting buddy - if the bear is on top of them, you can just rip off endless shots and visa versa. Bears typically take turns attacking each person if there are two people.

The other thing to think about is night time. I cannot find night sights for my 500. I also cannot mount a flashlight onto the gun, so I have to hold the flashlight in my left hand and cross brace under my strong hand (if that makes sense) to see at night. Single handed 500 S&W shooting is exciting. For this reason, I'm thinking about also purchasing a 10mm.

This link is a pretty good read on how attacks usually go down. Helps a little bit to put yourself in to the situation.
GUN WATCH: Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 incidents by Caliber

Both the 10mm and a larger revolver have advantages. Which do you want to bet your life on?

 

[Matt W.]

This link is a pretty good read on how attacks usually go down. Helps a little bit to put yourself in to the situation.
GUN WATCH: Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 incidents by Caliber

Both the 10mm and a larger revolver have advantages. Which do you want to bet your life on?

That was a well put together account of bear attacks. Informative in MANY ways! Thanks for sharing!!
I'm pretty happy with my G20, Hardcast bullets, and night sights.

 

[JohnnyB]

Interesting article that kind of rebuffs the crowd that believe any handgun is useless against bears. I carry a glock 20 when hunting because I carry a glock 19 the rest of the time. Sometimes I just carry the 19 because I am too lazy to carry the extra half pound. Buffalo Bore hard cast for both.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Interesting article that kind of rebuffs the crowd that believe any handgun is useless against bears. I carry a glock 20 when hunting because I carry a glock 19 the rest of the time. Sometimes I just carry the 19 because I am too lazy to carry the extra half pound. Buffalo Bore hard cast for both.

I carried a g19 with buffalo bore hardcasts here in Alaska for quite awhile, I never had a run in with a bear with it (or ever really) but I used to shoot those hard casts straight through spruce trees, that stuff definitely will penetrate a bears body.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I had a thread on this a few months back as I am going on my 1st trip into grizzly country in about a month (I am assuming that you are talking about grizzly bear protection here). Below is a quick summary of the Consensus I got (and a little of my under-qualified opinion):

#1 - Ideally, the 44 is the smallest caliber that "most" folks recommended for grizzly, even better would be 454, 460, 480...

#2 - It doesn't matter how big the caliber is if you can't hit anything with it. Big bore pistols are not much fun to shoot (at least not for me). And if you don't practice cause it sucks, then you're down to just hoping you'll get lucky.


I went with a 480 Ruger Super RedHawk Alaskan. Looked hard at the 10mm Glock, but I already have an almost identical 40 cal Glock and I just wanted something different. I also looked at the 454 Casull, but wanted a little less recoil to manage with such a short barrel. This is a single purpose gun. Not going to pistol hunt with it (the longer barrel 454 would be good for that), not going to shoot 200 rounds/week with it (got the glock for that). Magazine capacity between them is a non-issue. Apparently You'll be lucky to get off a second shot in an actual bear charge anyway, so 15 rounds is no better than 5. Just heavier.

If you already have one of these three, then maybe use what you have if you are comfortable with it. If buying new then buy what you feel the most comfortable with. Any will work if you can shoot. I would push you towards the 10 or the 44 IF you can shoot them well as both still have some pop to them.

Also, pay attention to weight. A 6"-8" barreled revolver is much easier to shoot accurately than a snub-nosed Alaskan, but if it's too heavy then you are just going to leave it in the truck. Or in your pack. Or on the ground over by where you were sitting earlier... For that reason alone, that 10mm Glock really stands out. Really light weight but still a good barrel length. Semi-auto, which helps reduce recoil and get back on target. Not complicated, no safety to fumble with in a sudden engagement.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

The big bore snubnose revolvers are cool but I ended up moving on from them because I don’t think the Ammo really reaches its potential through such short barrels. I ended up switching from a ruger Kodiak backpacker (2.75”) to a 4.2” redhawk and I like it a lot better, it probably won’t clear leather as fast as a stubby but all the same I like it better. My 454 came with a 6.5” barrel which I had cut down to 5.5” and that seems to balance better.

My 460 has a 3 or 3.5” barrel and it’s a beast, I’ve not carried it in the woods or shot it outside of the range, only really put about 40 rounds through it so far.

I do think the S&W revolvers have better triggers but I think rugers make up for it in durability. My dad is a died in the wool S&W guy, for him it’s a 29 or a 629 or he’s not even interested, I’ve always preferred rugers, they may be a bit more crude than a S&W but I still love them.

 

[frankrb3]

Pros of a Revolver (.44)=More ft/lbs of energy
Cons of a Revolver= Lower Capacity, Harder followup shots, usually a heavier firearm

Pros of a semiauto (10mm)=Usually lighter weight, higher capacity, easier to control
Cons of a Semiauto=reduced ft/lbs of energy

I carry a 5 shot smith and wesson model 69 at all times while hunting down here around yellowstone. I really like the firearm and it is relatively lightweight since it's an L-Frame and not a typical N-frame. The model 329pd would also be a great lightweight option although I have heard the recoil is fierce. I would not be opposed to carrying a 10mm with heavy, hardcast loads. I think its a viable option and I may pick up the 6" glock model 40 version of the 10mm some day. I would never compare the .44 magnum to 10mm as far as equals but when you weigh the pros and cons of revolvers vs. semiautos then you can see how they both have their place in the bear woods.

 

[calico pig]

I've been down the same path. Ended up debating between glock 10mm and larger revolver. Ended up going with a 4" barrel 500 S&W loaded with my reloads of 440 gr wide flat nose hard cast bullets at a moderate velocity so recoil isn't a bear (haha). My reasoning was that I probably won't get many shots off before it's on top of me and that if I need to stick the barrel in the bears mouth and pull the trigger once or twice, I want the bullet to be as big and bad as possible. My preference is also for the trigger on the Smiths over the Ruger.

I feel like a 10mm would have an advantage if you have a hunting buddy - if the bear is on top of them, you can just rip off endless shots and visa versa. Bears typically take turns attacking each person if there are two people.

The other thing to think about is night time. I cannot find night sights for my 500. I also cannot mount a flashlight onto the gun, so I have to hold the flashlight in my left hand and cross brace under my strong hand (if that makes sense) to see at night. Single handed 500 S&W shooting is exciting. For this reason, I'm thinking about also purchasing a 10mm.

This link is a pretty good read on how attacks usually go down. Helps a little bit to put yourself in to the situation.
GUN WATCH: Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 incidents by Caliber

Both the 10mm and a larger revolver have advantages. Which do you want to bet your life on?

My buddy had the same night issue. Check out crimson trace laser grips.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DangerRanger]

Any experience with xtreme penetrators vs hard cast lead? From gel, it looks they penetrate really well for their weight and you can throw them extremely fast.

 

[WJS23]

I have a s&w 329pd it’s shoots really well but I can’t get rounds down range fast but it’s a dream to carry all day. I also picked up a sig220 10mm SAO that’s an absolute tack driver and can dump rounds off quick but it’s a heavy gun.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Any experience with xtreme penetrators vs hard cast lead? From gel, it looks they penetrate really well for their weight and you can throw them extremely fast.

We keep my wofes gun loaded with the extreme penetrators, I like them but I havnt really tested them as much as I have the hard casts.

 

[JJacobs88]

.460 Rowland. I’m using the Glock 21. High capacity with 44 mag ballistics and runs like an appliance. Something to look into. One down side is that ammo is pretty expensive. Might want to consider reloading or find a friend that does.

 

[Mike7]

Any experience with xtreme penetrators vs hard cast lead? From gel, it looks they penetrate really well for their weight and you can throw them extremely fast.

If I remember right, skull bone (just the thin inner and outer shells of the skull) is about 3 x's more dense than the average wood. The extreme penetrators seem to penetrate wood really well/better than everything that I have shot through my pistols, except hardcasts. The hardcasts though, even in 9mm (+P 147 gr bullets), easily out penetrated through wood every non-hardcast bullet, even from a "more powerfull" caliber like a 10mm.

 

[Beendare]

The Lehigh and Underwood penetrators would be a good option...along with the hardcast.

Pretty important to run a couple hundred rounds through your weapon as a function check.

For example....some of the wide meplat hardcast bullets don't feed well in a semi auto. There have been cases of the 329's cylinders seizing due to bullet creep. And then the new revolvers with the hammer lock can vibrate and lock the hammer at crunch time.

^ none good.

A bear charge is the wrong time to be practicing a malfunction drill.