When one talks about "enough fire power to take on a Grizzly", I not sure I would include any conventional handgun cartridge in the conversation. Anyone who thwarts a grizzly attack with any handgun is an extremely fortunate individual. My preference would be a 12 gauge loaded with as many slug rounds as I could get in it.

 

If I had to use a handgun to fend off a grizzly, it wouldn't be anything smaller than the largest commercially available cartridge. That would leave the 10mm way behind in my choice. No handgun is a good choice, but the biggest would be better than nothing. In most fatal cases I've read about over the years, it's been noted that the person carrying a handgun never fired a shot in defense. Any of the .45cal "super mags" would be a better choice if one had to fall back on a handgun.

 

That would leave the 10mm way behind in my choice. No handgun is a good choice, but the biggest would be better than nothing. In most fatal cases I've read about over the years, it's been noted that the person carrying a handgun never fired a shot in defense. Any of the .45cal "super mags" would be a better choice if one had to fall back on a handgun.

Nonsense. You just have to use them on really big game (not whitetail) to see that they are very effective when loaded and placed properly (same thing applies to rifles). They're only a bad choice when you miss -- which again applies to any given firearm that one doesn't practice enough with.

 

Hawkeye +1.

Most griz attacks with people that carry handguns the guy seldom even fires one shot. Problem: when a griz is close enough on an attack he hits the victim HARD before any handgun can be used from a holster. Second, the handgun most always 'flies' with the hit on the hunter.

A 10mm is as good as any handgun in an attack. When I'm in griz country or hunting griz, I carry a 9mm with FMJ bullets, and expect to be shooting into the chest of a griz that is trying to chew my head off. BUT< IMPORTANTLY> my automatic is on a landyard tied to the belt holster. So I CAN regain my pistol when it the KNOCKED out of my grip.

6 rounds of 9mm bullets at point blank into the chest will kill a griz. And importantly, it will deter the continuation of the attack. I'd expect the bear to break off the attack and stumble away a few yards and die. I really don't wnt him even dying on my chest...ever try to move a dead griz!

Funny thing is every year some fisherman asks me what to carry fishing the salmon streams/rivers in Alaska. All want to carry a 450-460 revolver. That is basically useless, as FEW people can shoot them accurate enough to hit an on-coming bear; and they are so heavy, it is slow to get into action and 'flies' further away from the person when he is hit with the impact of a griz charge.

thinking of a griz bear attack, think of a middle line-backer (225#) getting an unobstructed hit on a quarterback...then figure 4 times that force/impact.

just my 2 cents

 

I would suggest putting your 9mm to the test on an animal that is unaware (and not adrenalized and on the attack) before betting your life on it for bear defense. FMJs are more often than not tragically inadequate in that they produce small wound channels and tend not to track straight -- I am assuming typical round nosed FMJs. If I'm wrong, I stand corrected. The 9mm also is simply of a smaller diameter than I would personally deem acceptable for defense against a large predator.

I agree that a lanyard is a good idea anyhow. If you are shooting off your back, you are no longer facing a charge but an attack. I will argue that a handgun -- any handgun -- is a way more appropriate tool at this point than a rifle, shotgun or spray. Competence with your chosen firearm, be it a rifle, pistol, or revolver is an absolute must. I would venture a guess that a revolver or pistol can be pressed into service a lot faster than a rifle that is slung on your shoulder. The key is practice, practice, practice...

 

This is the same opinion I have. A holstered gun is useless and should be in hand before an encounter but how would you fish? Best by far would be a .475 or larger to stop a bear. To fumble for a gun when he is chewing your head is insane so carry a lot of seasoning with you.

I hunt with revolvers for deer and they have a sling to hang at hand but the gun will swing and bang my leg so my hand must be on the grip when still hunting.

A 10mm is a good caliber if you have time. Any handgun needs time to use. A nine is questionable as are full metal patch bullets. Some even want to use a .380???? I seen pictures of mouse gun bullets flattened on bear skulls to make them get even madder. The mouse guns were used to finish a bear after shot with a rifle and failed to penetrate. A body hit to a bear with a mouse gun is a bee sting. A .22 might do better in the head to finish one.

My question about the guide killed is why the hunter did not shoot the bear off with his rifle? Why did the guide have a pistol in a pack? Nothing makes sense at all.

 

You would be one lucky guy if you stopped a grizzly with a 9mm. The 460 and 500 S&W will certainly work with the right bullets (heavy hard cast lead) those heavy bullets also work just fine in a 44mag, and you can actually pack a 44 pretty easily. Not so with the S&W hand cannons. Several grizzlies have been killed in the Wyoming, Yellowstone border over the years with the lowly 44mag. It's easy to pack and shoot. I've bet my life on it many times.

 

10 millimeter is a longer and more powerful cartridge than a 40 S&W. Either, in capable hands, would prabably work. 9mm FMJ's probably would as well if you can pump enough of them into the chest before Yogi has your head in his mouth as a pacifier while you search for the gun you brought that should have been tied to you by a hefty lanyard.

Have I ever been charged by a grizzly? No, I have not, but I have been run down by a very mad black angus cow. I can only think that if a bear attack is faster, which I doubt, because an angus cow is pretty fast, you don't have time to blink, let alone think. Now a cow doesn't have teeth nor claws, but she does have a big head and big hard cloven feet which can inflict pain and mutilation as well, just more bluntly. I can only surmise what a bear attack is like and would hope that if I were victim of one that I would perform admirably in my own defense.

The best protection in a grizzly attack? A fat friend you can outrun.

RJ

 

Some of the better formulas of mosquito repellent are purdy effective so long as you are well covered.
I would expect the better bear repellents to be similar.

 

Every bear attack story brings me back to conversations overheard between my Dad and the Craighead brothers, Frank and John during their studies of grizzly and black bears in the greater Yellowstone (to be politically correct) Eco System, Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wilderness Areas.

John, who if I remember correctly, said this while pointing his pipe stem at my father "They (I'm thinking the politicians at the time) need to decide what they want here, people or bears, because there is not now nor will there be in the future, room for both."

As it was true in the late 60's, it's still true today.

Back to the point: What ever the way you decide to protect yourself in bear country, be well versed and trained in its use because once you "piss off" a bear, there's no taking that back.

RJ

 

Most effective griz stopper inside 20 yards is Bera Pepper Spray.

Sandog you said it right........"most certainly got mauled, whether I hit him or not."

Any griz shot beyond 20 yards is not considered a "charge/defensive shooting". Folks do NOT understand even basically; where you find griz is NOT at a range. You will be in thick stuff, deet not squared up, of balance, and heart pumping. And the range will be close. Defending yourself from grizzlies means shooting on your back during the attack. I've had 2 grizzly go into agressive behavior on me...Standing up and waving claws at me and clicking their teeth. Sure they just wanted me gone...actually on one of those ocassions, all I wanted was gone.

Grizzlies are heavy, with THICK coats and thick hides. This is absolutely no place for expanding bullets in a handgun.

I've seen grizzlies hit with big rifles; they don't die immediately, and they don't stop fighting. Saw one hit with a 400 grain 416 Weatherby, in the heart (when skinned and examined. Still struggled for 4-5 minutes chewing up eveything within a claw reach.

But to each their own.

 

Most effective griz stopper inside 20 yards is Bera Pepper Spray.


Grizzlies are heavy, with THICK coats and thick hides. This is absolutely no place for expanding bullets in a handgun.

I've seen grizzlies hit with big rifles; they don't die immediately, and they don't stop fighting. Saw one hit with a 400 grain 416 Weatherby, in the heart (when skinned and examined. Still struggled for 4-5 minutes chewing up eveything within a claw reach.

But to each their own.

The spray is good - when it works. Too hit or miss for my taste.

Grizzlies can be heavy, but not all encounters are with 800 - 1,000 lb animals. That said, they aren't armored. Not all expanding bullets are created equally. I wouldn't hesitate to use Swift A-frames on anything short of elephant. This A-frame was recovered in the offside hide of this Cape buffalo a buddy of mine shot a few months ago with a .460, after breaking support bones in both shoulders. It was put down instantly. More than adequate penetration on an animal that is a lot thicker, heavier and tougher to punch through. Anything that can hurt you needs to be hit well -- and often I might add. Too many folks think handguns aren't up to the task, but it's just not true. Do you hunt with handguns? I only ask as it goes to perspective.

 

Skunks seem to have figgered a different way of dealing with griz at close range.
Big firearm for either seems to be a good idea. Down wind for one, up wind for the other.

 

well, the Danish sled patrols chose the 10mm for Polar Bears==contenders for the toughest troops on the earth!

In my profession, I work with people who have been charged by bears (at least two, including myself!) plus USGS, Forest Service, etc. We all choose bear spray rather than listen to the "armchair experts".

In fact, I am teaching a bear spray course next month (I am also qualified for firearms!) Do what YOU want (too many people in the woods anyway!)

Buff ain't bear!

 

You're right, Cape buffalo is much bigger and much tougher.

Charged by a bear? So you had to use spray or a firearm? If not, was it a mock charge? How many have had to kill?

Also, in the scenario laid out by HarrySS about winding up underneath a bear, it's too late for spray unless it somehow works on it's belly.

The OP was asking whether or not a 10mm is capable of dispatching an attacking bear.

 

I'm sure a 10mm bullet could dispatch a bear, and would even stop it before it injured the shooter, if the bullet made it to the brain or spine.
But so would a .22 LR or .380 Auto.
The brain and spine are awful small targets to chance hitting them with a 10mm, especially with a fast moving target.
Hit the bear anywhere else, and you will probably wish you were dead.

As I said before, I've carried a big bore handgun in the woods all my life, but I'm glad I haven't had to shoot at a bear with one. It would be like jumping out of a plane with a stout umbrella instead of a parachute.
Better than nothing, but it probably won't end well.

 

I've killed grizzly bears and Cape Buffalo, yep they are different. Buffalo are bovines that eat grass and only attacck in defense, big and tough, yep. Grizzly bears are carnivores and predatorss the they attack and kill to live. They are different.

Yep, I hunt with a hand cannon 375 with a 300 grain FMJ, has as much poer as your budddies 460! more at longer range.

I assume the guy beside your buddy is the PH that was backing him up. It is one thing to sneak up on a motionless standing buff and without being seen take a shoulder shot, and trying to shoot a head on charging bear. Grizzly can run 5+ times faster than a buff.

I assume the guy beside the grinning hunter is his PH that was standing quietly beside your buddy with his 375+ magmun as back up. I see little comparison with that scene and the original question.

I do like the seed guards on the PH in the picture. I made the same pair for my boots, from a kudu. Keeps the seeds out of the boots and out of the socks.

 

VERY good response! We usually travel alone on twos!

 

You're right, Cape buffalo is much bigger and much tougher.

Charged by a bear? So you had to use spray or a firearm? If not, was it a mock charge? How many have had to kill?

Also, in the scenario laid out by HarrySS about winding up underneath a bear, it's too late for spray unless it somehow works on it's belly.

The OP was asking whether or not a 10mm is capable of dispatching an attacking bear.


Polar bears, on average, are bigger than grizzlies. The Danish sled teams go out, for up to a year, in 2 man teams in Northern Greenland. Just them and their dogs==no back-up! ANYTHING on the ice is food for polar bears to hunt! They carry Glock 20s and Enfield 30-06s by CHOICE!

Merely pointing out what PROFESSIONALS use! Not one-timers with a guide backing them up!

Cape buffalo, when aroused and not shot through the shoulders, are comparable to range cattle. Many a wild Spanish bull was killed by grizzles in old California in bull rings. The fights often weren't fair but many were. For a while, a guide (as reported in Peterson's hunting magazine (a few years back) was guiding people on wild range cattle. A rancher friend had (before he died) to drop two wild half-brahmas that attacked him (and killed one horse)=he borrowed my 458 to kill one of them!

Yes, a 10mm will kill a bear, but so will a 32 acp or a 22 LR! Capstick describes a buddy killing an elephant with a 22!


Charged by a bear? So you had to use spray or a firearm? If not, was it a mock charge? How many have had to kill? Which time?

again, just relating what professionals use and discuss over tequila shots!

 

Hey I've been charged by Watusi of all things...bovines are cantankerous no matter their genetics....I have nothing but respect for them no matter what their reputation.

Again, how did you stop the charges? Or were they mock charges?

 

For what its worth the game warden that tracked down the griz killed it noted that it had a strong scent of bear spray on its head. A empty can of bear spray was by the dead guide. No bear spray for me...!!

 

Read about another incident where the bear was found to have multiple "handgun" bullet wounds after it was tracked down & murdered. Victim was found dead with a empty handgun lying next to him. Bear spray & handguns probably have about the same potential to succeed. At least there are "studies" out there that indicate that to be the case. Just a matter of being lucky if you survive. This thread reminds me of what an old Indian said when asked how he survived all the trials & tribulations in his life. He said, "Whatever you encounter in life makes you stronger". He paused, then said "Except bears. Bears just kill you."

 

I would have a fair amount of confidence in a 10mm if it were loaded with Buffalo Bore 200 or 220 grain +P hardcast.

Picking the right bullet is paramount.

 

And dumping the entire clip into its head. (goes without saying)

 

I had much experience with huge black bears in PA when archery hunting, could not have a gun or shoot a bear. They did not fear people and came into camp to raid cans and tables with food on them, seen them tear tent campers to shreds. Once a bear climbed my tree, maybe well over a 400# monster. All I had was an arrow. I talked him down and he went to the apple tree and tore it up, came down to eat a bushel and go back up to get more. When he left he smacked his shoulder on my tree to almost shake me out. Going back down the game lands road there were bear tracks on mine from when I walked out. I never feared them. A friend was with me when the bear climbed my tree. It had stood up on his tree with his head level with his stand. I told him to put the stand at a branch but he also feared height so he went up 10'. He freaked out and the screams could be heard in Ohio. At the road 2 miles later, a guy was in the road and told us his camper was torn up, all he had was strewn all over the woods. My friend would not hunt that spot so we went the other way and I did not point out the torn up apple trees to him. One day I got a deer and the truck was locked with him and another friend down the road. I went down a ways and hid on the hill until I seen lights coming. I stacked logs up and when under me I kicked them loose and growled. The guy ran backwards up the road faster then an Olympic runner can go forwards. Ken said it is just me. We had to leave that night and the jerk was so mad he never helped pack up. Now to make it clear, picture him with a handgun.

Turns out when they left the stands that we always walked out in the dark from, the jerk had a deer snort at him, slammed into Ken to almost knock him into the creek across the road. His light came on and he played it side to side all the way up. We never used lights because it screws up night vision.

People are all different and to say anyone can stop a bear on full charge with a .32 or .380 lives in the game world of the net. I do not fear and I still prefer a large revolver over anything. Whitworth is correct that a bear has thick fur and skin with massive bones and a thick skull. We are both confident in what we shoot. Hit a bear in the front and the tail will be cut off on exit. Never look down at a revolver and yet some want a tiny semi or pepper spray. Just makes you more tasty.

John Parker had to shoot a bear wanting his animal and he only needed one shot from a .475. He knows what he is doing.

For those that go into the wilds, make a will out to me if you carry a toy.

 

In my opinion, having hunted with handguns for over 30yrs, the 10mm is not enough gun for brown bears. It might prove to be adequate in some situations but it also might not. It's not a chance I'm willing to take when far more effective tools are at my disposal. The heaviest 10mm loads are about equal to low end revolver loads. The 220-230gr Buffalo Bore and Double Tap loads being comparable to a heavy .44Spl load, albeit with a smaller meplat. Smaller because the bullet is smaller and smaller because an autoloader needs a certain nose profile to feed. For me, that is a deer/hog/black bear and at most elk load but not ideal for the latter. It's good that semi-auto fans have a cartridge they can hunt with but let's not get carried away. It is a good deer/hog/black bear cartridge but a long way from the capability of even standard revolver cartridges. What the 10mm does with a 220gr, the .44Mag and .45 Colt do with 355/360gr bullets. Which is a nice sweet spot for either cartridge and cast bullets. The 300-325gr monolithic solids are going to be better for penetration without deformation. The 10mm is nowhere near that. For the record, I am not a hater, the last gun I bought was a 10mm GP, plus I have another, three .38-40's and a full blown custom in the planning stages.

Seems to me that people go to great lengths to convince themselves and others that the tools that are the easiest to use are the most effective and the tools which are not the easiest to use are the least effective. So the 12ga shotgun, Glock 20 and pepper spray are the best tools for bear defense. It's almost comical that no matter where you look, the big bore revolver is either too much or not enough, depending on who is asked. Of course, these are usually the people least qualified to comment on the effectiveness of the big bore revolver but that doesn't stop them.

So please forgive me if I lend more weight to the opinions of those who have hunted extensively with handguns, including dangerous game much larger than deer or even brown bear, than that of anyone who'd choose 9mm hardball, or wildlife biologists from Washington state who have no experience in actually killing bears. Or anything with handguns.

How the fact that PH's are armed with rifles is used as an argument to nullify whatever tool the client is using is beyond me. Whether you're using stick & string, or a .600Nitro, that condition never changes. Some folks obviously just really need to believe their chosen narrative.

 

Per an article that I read regarding the Danish ski patrols referred to by BioBear, they have found the 10 mm effective against both Polar Bear and Musk Ox in close encounters. There was no elaboration, but it appears that they have developed confidence in the 10mm through some experience.

As to how effective a handgun is for stopping a charging grizzly, ask John Parker. He post here on occasion under the pseudonym JWP45 (I think that is right). He did stop a charging bear with a handgun, a 475 Linebaugh.
I remember that Phil Shoemaker killed one with a 9mm that raised a lot of comments on this forum.

A handgun can certainly work, but a lot of that may depend upon the skill of the user.

 

You guys that don't hunt with handguns giving advice on what will work, and what will not, just crack me up

C'm on now.... if you haven't dug through the innards of a really big animal that's been shot with a handgun, how do you KNOW what will happen????? You don't.

I'd pick a number of things over a 10mm, but it would beat fingernails, for sure. With good 200+gr. flat-nosed solids, a mag full out of a high-capacity handgun could save your hide. By the way, anybody mouthing off about how inadequate handguns are for bear defense read Phil Shoemaker's account of killing an attacking griz with a 9mm? It's all about the bullet, folks....

Those who don't hunt with handguns and are giving advice are the 'armchair experts' who are just mouthing off. The only two people I've known to have to kill a grizzly bear at short range on the forum, were our late mod Bob Faucett (who used a Smith model 29 to scrape one off of a friend of his when they were fishing) and JWP475, who has posted pictures of the griz he had to kill defending his moose kill in Alaska. Think John used a .475 Linebaugh.

If you know what you are doing, the handgun can be made to work. If you can't shoot a handgun effectively, then yeah, stick to bear spray or keep some friends with you who can shoot.

LMAO reading some of the silly stuff in this thread from those who don't hunt with handguns....

 

Even if you have dug through a large animals innards, you don't know what a bullet will do. What bones were struck? Spinal hit? Bounce off the angle of the skull? Heart shot? Lung shot? Seen numerous 44 mag, 41 mag, and hot loaded 45's bounce off pig's skulls. Seen a 45-70 stun a small (135 lb sow) at 50 yards==got up and ran off (dropped it with my 300 mag). A 454 took 2 shots in the ribs to put down a 30 lb sow. Cleaned a few elk, lots of big mulies and beaucoup large pigs while guiding. Generally, you pay for a wounded animal just like a dead one and a guide's job is to ensure it doesn't get away==protecting the hunter is a less likely scenario.

What was the adrenaline level?

Comparing a unsuspecting buff (American or African) with a bear or an elk is apples and oranges. Even comparing a black bear with on inland grizzly is apples and squash!, much less a coastal brownie. And a hunting polar bear is a totally different game.

Posters here tend to fall into three groups:

Keyboard wizards=pontificating what someone told them and with no real life experience. (i.e."I've hunted with a handgun all my life but never killed a bear with a pistol")

The professionals with varying degrees of experience who are out there everyday.

Those who been there done that, some more than once.

Remember: the issue is to STOP the bear, not kill it!


BTW: Mike G: Good post!

 

Hunting animals with a handgun is quite a different proposition than having a dangerous game animal charge you at close range.

I've shot a lot of deer and elk with a S&W .44 magnum , done my own pack trips and guided hunters and dudes on pack trips around Yellowstone for 40 years, just so you know my experience.
Shooting effectively at the range, or a resting shot on an unsuspecting critter is a bit different than trying to get off a shot when an 800 pound animal is about to slam into you with teeth and big claws.

What do you think, maybe one guy in a hundred, can be a cool cucumber and get off a perfect shot on a fast moving animal that is almost on you ?
Most of us would just crap our pants.

When the "smaller" Griz charged me back in '86, I was yelling at him to stop, had plenty of time to draw and aim, as he started the charge a good 80 yards away.
He covered that 100 yards in maybe 3 or 4 seconds.
Not only the speed at which he came down the hill surprised me, but how quiet he was.
His head was bobbing up and down as he loped down the hill, making holding the .44 on his head difficult.
There were two dead fall logs across the faint game trail he was traveling, maybe waist high on me.
When he jumped over the logs and landed in dry leaves, he was as quiet as a cat.

That still is burned in my memory, that a large, fast moving animal could be so quiet.
There was no huffing, jaw popping or teeth clicking. Just silence.

The Griz was on the game trail where I'd left my gutted elk the evening before, I'd like to think that when he saw me, that he thought maybe I was a black bear that was about to get the elk he wanted.
When he got close enough to see that it was a human with a .44 pointed at him, he broke off the charge pronto. My knees shook for a good half hour after that.

My point being, 99% of guys are just going to make things worse by shooting.
Guys tell their logic in carrying a pistol with 15 rounds, but the reality is, they'll be lucky to get one shot off.
And that one shot better be in the brain pan.

I know a big bore handgun can kill, even a small bore one can. But the bear isn't going hold still so you can shoot him behind the ear.
Funny how guys can be so brave on the internet and say that with certainty, that they would do great in such a situation.

 

So, im the guy in the pic with the cape buff. Yes the guy grinning is my ph that i know well and have hunted cape buff and lion with more than a few times. He never has fired a shot. That said, that old buff treed our tracker on the track on some cliffs and charged us 3 times but we were on some rocks high enough up on the cliff face he couldnt get to us. Didnt wanna have to cart him off the goat trail or risk him falling off the cliff so we kept on him after giving him his distance. He was quite aggressive with no shots being fired and while not the norm, it does happen quite regularly in africa. Then again, same goes for bears. But then again, youre a professional, 🙄 so you already knew that. So maybe you and your professionals could sit around and have tequila shots and discuss how you know so utterly little about handguns, how effective they are, and why a professional such as yourself doesnt know better which bullets to even use. There are expandables that are the best choice for bears and i have a 96lb daughter that handles the big bore pistols well. Maybe less tequila shots and more working out and you wouldnt think they are so unweildy and tough to shoot. She does fine with em. Go ahead and call us all armchair experts when you clearly dont even know what is a manageable caliber and what isnt. you dont even know what bullets you should use in the aforementioned handcannons and your arguments arent even consistent. One minute all bear attacks are like the stealthiest ninja attacks, how would you even get to the bear spray either. Funny phil shoemaker carries a pistol sidearm. Evidently it works, and yes, with the right bullet a 10mm will work.


Using anecdotal evidence about a bear that was found dead with handgun bullets in it is just ridiculous! What bullet, what load, what cartridge? I can unload all 5 of the cylinders in my 460 accurately at 10 yards in under 3 seconds. Its cuz i practice and whitworth just had a cape buff at 15 yards and put it down within seconds, ive seen the video. Got any videos of anything you speak of harryss? Didnt think so, nothing more than conjecture sitting around a tequila bottle driveling with other “like minded professionals” i would guess. I do find it funny that shoemaker always carries a handgun and i think he probably has more experience in big brown bear country than anyone here, maybe even combined of all here. Nuff said

 

Sure, Shoemaker might be the one guy in 100, or even one in a 1000, that is not only cool under pressure, but also a deadly shot.
The rest of us aren't.

When I got charged, I wasn't exactly calm, but didn't freak out either.
Bears had been on my mind every since I moved to Montana in '84, and before that when I was stationed in Alaska.
A charge happens so fast it can be over before you can react, much less get a shot off.

While I wasn't shaking while the charge was under way, I still had doubts about hitting a grapefruit sized brain while it was moving.
All bear encounters are different, because all bears act different, and the circumstances around each encounter are different as well.
There's not a playbook to go by, where if you just do "this" you'll be O.K.
Some of it is common sense. Hang up your food supply, stay away from a mother with cubs, and if you go back to retrieve a kill in Grizzly country, take several friend's with big rifles or shotguns with slugs, because a bear will have likely found your kill.

So you can't say, for instance, because Shoemaker did o.k. that you will too.
Defending yourself with "only" a handgun against a bear charge is not the same as stalking/hunting with a handgun, and you guys should know that. You blink, and the attack is over.

I met a guy who lived in Las Vegas once who'd shot a world record archery elk the year before.
We got to talking about bowhunting, and he showed me some claw marks on his ribs.
He was hunting on the Alaska coast for Sitka deer a few years earlier, and was walking around a huge boulder on the beach. As he came around it, there was a big Brownie. I'm sure both were surprised.
The guy only had time to get his .44 out of the shoulder holster enough to touch one off in front of the bear's face. The blast and noise was enough to send the bear away, but had he wounded it, even an eventually fatal wound, he would not have got off with just claws across his ribs.

 

Of course bear defense and hunting aren’t the same thing, but rifle hunters may feel a false sense of security because they’re carrying a rifle. What makes you think anyone will be any more successful with a scoped rifle? Gotta make sure you dial that variable powered scope down before the bear reaches you... I still like my chances better with a revolver over a rifle, but again, that’s just me.

I just think that you need a certain level of competence with whatever you choose and a whole lot of luck.

 

CraigC, your post is well stated and objective.

 

If I carried *just* a handgun, I'd have already assessed the potential of having to use it as reasonably low. From there I would choose appropriate ammo.

"Yesterday's Elk" is a .375 Scenario, no doubt.

Scouting, hiking, or hanging around camp is where I would prefer the pistol.