Carrying in the wild.

[johnsonabq]

My main carry gun is a G36 in .45acp. When hiking in the mountains there are several different kinds of wildlife to run across; coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, and bears. I'm not that worried about the others but is a .45 any kind of defense against a bear?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[HotGuns]

Its better than throwing rocks.

[johnsonabq]

Its better than throwing rocks.

No, really. Will it just piss 'em off? We're talking black bears.

[archer51]

To be honest, I wouldn't want to come face to face with a bear only carrying a .45ACP. My minimum safety zone caliber against a bear would be .41 mag.
Ruger still makes the New Model Blackhawk in .41 mag, and Taurus has a full line of .44 mag. That being said a .44 mag is going to be easier to find ammo for and will be cheaper to shoot, plus you can practice with .44 Special.

[atctimmy]

Not my first choice but if you use ball or jsp ammo you'll be ok. Like the man said it's better than rocks.

[jwhite75]

I would go with a 41 or 44 mag in a revo if possible. maybe even that sweet 460 smith has out

[kpw]

It's not the best choice for stopping a blackie but it'll do if you do your part. Choose a round that will penetrate deeply and learn where to hit them. We've got a few bears around here. I had one walk through my yard last fall. I still carry a 9mm most of the time.

[muskiehunter]

Carry whatever you've got but if you're looking to make a purchase I agree with archer51 and would look for a .44 caliber. I own both a Blackhawk and Super Redhawk in that caliber and carry one of them when I'm in bear country here in MN.

[usmc3169]

up here it would do you no good... well better than rocks. My dad carries a 454 casull. I usually carry a 12 gauge if in bear country. Until I get my .460 I will have to keep borrowing dad's gun for fishin trips.

[HotGuns]

No, really. Will it just piss 'em off? We're talking black bears.

Well that depends.I've been in on several bear kills and even whacked one myself. It was a 110 yard shot with a .50 cal Muzzle loader. A maxi ball entered his left hip and blew right through him longways, hitting his lungs and his heart,exiting just low of center chest. That bear ran over 100 yards.

I've seen one that was shot right through the heart with a broad-head run over 100 yards. One with a .30-06, 180 grain shot through the lungs, over 100 yards. One shot through the lungs with a .243 that went a couple of hundred yards.One shot with a .270 went about 70 yards. One shot with a .30-30 went about 40 yards. A .45-70, about 75 yards.

All of these were single bears during bear season.

In my opinion, the worst time to happen upon a bear would be in the early Spring time. They are hungry, cranky, some have cubs. I would not want to get in between a momma and her cubs.

Of the bears that I have actually witnessed being shot, NONE of them fell over dead on the spot. We have skinned bears that had .22 bullets in them,shot gun pellets, even some with other calibers in them that didn't seem to do much damage.

A bear is big, had lots of fur and a thick hide.They have big strong bones, dense meat and an attitude that can turn downright mean if need be.

I'm no bear killing expert, Ive only killed one, but I have been known to carry a Colt .44 mag if I even suspected bears might be where I am at. I have had some encounters over the years, bow hunting and squirrel hunting that left me with a very healthy respect for them.

Since a pistol is a compromise, you might as well carry the biggest one you can carry. If a .45 is all you have, so be it. If I ever have to shoot a bear with a pistol, I'll be running the other way shooting over my shoulder. Think jaws and paws here. While Black-bears aren't known to be that aggressive, shooting one might make it so, and even if you kill it, it might still have time to kill you.

Just my 2 cents.

[johnsonabq]

Not going to shoot one unless I have to. Caution and shoe leather are my first defense. Would like a .44mag some day. Maybe something like this Taurus?

[clarkston_cz]

I carry a 10mm Witness loaded with FMJ and Hornady 200 gr XTPs.



MY 10mm has good capacity and a quick reload.

Plenty of people out there that actually hunt black bear with a 10mm.

[trayzor]

Whistle first, Bear Spray 2nd, .357 Mag with hot loads 3rd, 5 rounds for Mr. Bear, round 6 for me if I have the time.

[kpw]

I'm not sure about other parts of the country but the big blackies around here don't bother you. It's the females with cubs and young males that you might have a problem with. Maybe 200 pounds tops, usually less.
Me and my grandpa got bluffed by a younger male when I was a kid. He stopped about 20 feet out and backed off. My grandpa had a Colt Det. Spl., I had a stick. I was real happy he wasn't too serious. I remember looking behind me all the way down the trail back to camp.
If you shoot one in an SD scenario around here, you better have a few scratches or at least some bear spit on you. Otherwise, our PGC isn't going to be happy with you. I guess our bears are tame now.

[Captain Crunch]

If you're concerned with black bears, pepper spray is a better choice than a firearm.

Counter Assault® is the industry standard and the best on the market.

Counter Assault Bear Deterrent Pepper Spray, The Original "Grizzly Tough" Pepper Spray!

From my personal experience, it works just fine on Montana grizzly bears.