What handgun to buy?

[Colt44]

Heck, who was that guy that killed the grizz with the buck knife a few years back.... took an arse kicking but won the engagement......bet he later upgraded his weapon of choice...

[ElectricOne]

No personal experience, but everything that I have ever read on this subject suggests that you really need a 12 gauge slug to bring down a grizzly in a self defense situation. IIRC there were reported cases of grizzly being killed by a 357 mag, but those were the hottest loads you can ever find (probably self loaded too) shot out of a 6+ inch barrel with a sniper scope into the most vulnerable body part. And those were professional bear hunters, which means that THEY were choosing when to shoot, and they had plenty of time to take a good aim. Self defense situation, on the other hand, is totally different. (Your normal 9mm, 357, 40S&W and 45ACP won't even always incapacitate a well determined human attacker.)

Since a shot gun is not really practical in your case, I would go with the most powerful hand gun round I can find. (Hand gun rounds that were designed to fire at humans won't do much in a bear country IMO)

I would recommend one of the Ruger revolvers with a short barrel ("short" means quick to draw, and easy to point in very tight spaces ex: when a bear has already brought the human down, the human can still point a short barrel at the bear, even during the fight.)

Something like this: http://www.ruger.com/products/superRedhawkAlaskan/models.html

As was mentioned before in this thread, 44 mag will also take a cheaper 44 special

Edit: That being said, if you just want to make a nice addition to your collection that is easy and cheap to shoot, and can be practically used for self defense (in a human world), get some Glock, SIG or HK in 9mm

[Blackwulf]

Just remember though, if you are going to carry a handgun to shoot Grizz, be sure to file the front sight off the barrel, so it will hurt less when he shoves it up your.....
Nothing wrong with the 1911, good caliber, reliable ballistics, and not expensive to shoot with surplus ammo.

[SmokinLoon]

Loon I think you meant s&w 386 pd.

Sorry, a typo indeed.

S&W 696+ w/ 4in barrel. It is a matte stainless steel 7 shot revolver.  

FWIW: Forget the 9mm Luger, .40 SW, .45ACP.  None of them have enough of the velocity and bullet weight combo to get the job done.  The .357 magnum or .44 magnum are your best bet for calibers.  Both have a "little brothers" that can substitute for target practice and training.

You want simplicity, reliability, and brute force.  The  S&W 686+ offers that.

Love the "sniper scope" on the .357 revolver terminology.     That scope was probably a fixed 3 to 5 power with a FOV of 20ft at 50 yards.  If you have a bear charging, the .357 mag with the proper ammo to the face, head, or shoulder will stop it right in its tracks.   

[ink]

shooting a Grizz with a handgun  

not that smart

[Jayhawk]

I know nothing about grizzly bears, but I don't think the bear is going to notice the difference between a 9mm and a .45.  I think I'd pick the 9mm just to have the extra rounds you usually achieve vs. a .45 (though a .40 is usually close in count to what a 9mm can hold.

General question for someone with more knowledge: Would you load self-defense rounds for a bear or you would just want a quality FMJ for maximum penetration? 

I've got a Glock 19 9mm, Holds 15+1, I love the gun, and am about to get myself a Glock 26 to replace my current CCH firearm.

[AKHog]

About five years ago 3 guys we know were out on a mountain bike ride in the local woods here in Wyoming. They were spread out and the first one came up on a moma griz, and she charged without provocation (probably a cub nearby). When the 2nd guy got there the bear had the first guy pinned to the ground with his bike on top of him. The 2nd guy emptied a can of bear mace into the bear at point blank range. The bear retreated a bit but quickly changes it's mind and turns around, starting to size up both of them now and false charging several times. One guy was injured and they were in no position to run, partially due to all the bear mace they got on themselves. They said they felt like they had just spiced themselves for a nice meal for the bear. At seemingly the last minute the 3rd guy shows up and the bear takes off.

Hearing these guys tell their story first hand will send chills down your spine. Now last year Griz were spotted on the ridge line right above my house, they are practically in my back yard. Or more accurately, I'm in their back yard.

Of course I have a shotgun at the ready for HD, but that is not exactly practical on a mountain bike or when I'm trekking miles on foot already loaded with gear. I know a hand gun is a compromise and no guarantee, but it's better than my pocket knife or nothing at all, like local legend Dale Peterson.

[AKHog]

General question for someone with more knowledge: Would you load self-defense rounds for a bear or you would just want a quality FMJ for maximum penetration?  

I was told to load hydroshock hollowpoints into my .357 for bear defense by a fairly reputable source.

I do know that a charging bear is damn hard to bring down. General thought is that you actually have a better chance of doing damage when the bear is right on you, shooting it in it's head and shoulders as it charges doesn't do as much damage as you might think. That is a scary though when you only have 6 rounds in a stub nose revolver. When do you start shooting?  

[Volron]

A slight hijack here...

Would the Glock 31 be worth the purchase?


Back to topic...
So what's with all this hatred against Grizz all of a sudden?   He gank one too many of your goons?

[Jayhawk]

I was told to load hydroshock hollowpoints into my .357 for bear defense by a fairly reputable sourse. I do know that a charging bear is damn hard to bring down. General thought is that you actually have a better chance of doing damage when the bear is right on you, shooting it in it's head and shoulders as it charges doesn't do as much damage as you might think. That is a scary though when you only have 6 rounds in a revolver. When do you start shooting? 

Exactly why I think I would choose a pistol with a lot of rounds.  Glock 17 holds 17+1 (and I believe there is a 19 round magazine available, not to mention the 33), an XDm 9mm holds 19+1.   I like the Glock 19 because I can usually conceal it on myself and still hold a good number of rounds

[AKHog]

So what's with all this hatred against Grizz all of a sudden?   He gank one too many of your goons?

For the record I have no hate towards Griz. I spend a ton of time in the woods and have a tremendous respect for all of the predators. I even spent a lot of time this past winter tracking Mountain Lions for a National Geographic, spending nights camped out on a kill waiting for a 150 pound cat to come eat, and never once did I feel I needed protection. And besides, personally I would never sport hunt or kill anything in the woods that wasn't trying to kill me first.

But in the last few years the town and region has had more and more bear encounters, and they aren't the cuddly black bears, they are big pissed off grizzlies. The population is growing and their territories are huge, in my opinion it is only a matter of time before I see one too close for comfort.

[ink]

I was told to load hydroshock hollowpoints into my .357 for bear defense by a fairly reputable source.

I do know that a charging bear is damn hard to bring down. General thought is that you actually have a better chance of doing damage when the bear is right on you, shooting it in it's head and shoulders as it charges doesn't do as much damage as you might think. That is a scary though when you only have 6 rounds in a stub nose revolver. When do you start shooting?  

I am not a hunter but I played one on TV.........


na seriously I would not want to have to take on a grizz with out a nice 444 or bigger(and 200 yards between us), for a hand gun  I would get the Largest caliber possible, 357 is not a good choice, they'll bounce off the skull(from stories Ive heard)  

be careful man, Grizzlies Generally wont be a danger, but you get an old one that's malnourished or a mom and cubs.  

be careful, good luck

Exactly why I think I would choose a pistol with a lot of rounds.  Glock 17 holds 17+1 (and I believe there is a 19 round magazine available, not to mention the 33), an XDm 9mm holds 19+1.   I like the Glock 19 because I can usually conceal it on myself and still hold a good number of rounds

dood.....he is talking about possibly coming across a Grizzly Bear up close and personal....9mm the bear wouldn't even feel, one or 17 of em, if your that close to a grizz you need to be able to kill instantly. 

[gyrene81]

   if you're going to shoot a bear...even a black bear...i'm sure the op knows this already but, don't shoot at the forehead or top of the skull unless you're shooting massive slug...even body shots are risky, especially with a pistol.

i know what you're looking for and tbh i think smokingloon has the best idea...a medium frame magnum revolver with a 4 inch barrel...unless your wife can handle a .357 magnum pistol.

i like rugers just from experience of owning a few, but s&w would be very nice if you can afford one.



good luck with the search...

[Jayhawk]

dood.....he is talking about possibly coming across a Grizzly Bear up close and personal....9mm the bear wouldn't even feel, one or 17 of em, if your that close to a grizz you need to be able to kill instantly. 

Yeah, but wanting a pistol that his wife can handle, he can carry easily, afford to shoot, use for personal protection, and grizzly defense just isn't really possible.  It's not just a grizzly gun.

[ink]

Yeah, but wanting a pistol that his wife can handle, he can carry easily, afford to shoot, use for personal protection, and grizzly defense just isn't really possible.  It's not just a grizzly gun.

a woman could get used to a large caliber handgun, there are many woman who use them. its not worth taking the chance that the tool for the job wont do the trick...IE kill a Grizzly bear instantly.



and NO a 357 is not gonna do the job, not quick enough at least.