BangBang
Professional
Article on bear country guns, not my favorite place (CTD) but a good article. https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/best-6-handguns-bear-country/
Bear country guns
- Thread starter BangBang
- Start date
KillerFord1977
SAINT
BET7
Ronin
Yup, posted by our Mad Thread Poster himself: Anni 
. And I agree that the 10mm should have made the list IMHO. But a good post nonetheless BangBang.
www.thearmorylife.com
. And I agree that the 10mm should have made the list IMHO. But a good post nonetheless BangBang.
Best 6 Handguns for Bear Country
Good read on the best handguns for when your in bear country https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/best-6-handguns-bear-country/
www.thearmorylife.com
BangBang
Professional
Yup, posted by our Mad Thread Poster himself: Anni
Best 6 Handguns for Bear Country
Good read on the best handguns for when your in bear country https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/best-6-handguns-bear-country/
I just need to leave the articles up to the one and only. My paw in law is trying to get me on board with us getting a .460 S&W and we were talking barrel lengths. I like the 5” he likes the 7.5” and 8.38” I was trying to find some “ballistics by the inch” on the 5” vs the others.
Every outdoorsman has his opinion of "best" handgun for bear defense. I've figured out that it doesn't get better than a Springfield Armory TRP .45 Auto. I'm sure a TRP 10MM would be as good. However, FOR ME, I prefer a .45 Auto.
I've owned a 6" 629 .44 Mag. That was one huge gun. It was not comfortable to carry. I was and am not recoil averse. There was no way in you know where that I could rapid fired that gun. I called it a one-and-done handgun because of it's recoil. Assuming I were able to get it to battery (out of holster and on target) at a charging bear, I'd most likely have time to fire one round. I'd pay to watch anyone rapid fire a 6" .44 Mag with authentic magnum rounds. It was too big and too slow to battery to have utility FOR ME. I sold it with zero remorse.
I tried a 4" Model 586 with 180 Buffalo Bore hard cast bullets. It was so close in weight to my Model 629 that I couldn't notice weight differential, assuming one existed. 180 gain Buffalo Bore .357 Mag ammo has substantial recoil. Same conclusion: there had to be a better way.
Reloading any revolver, especially under stress takes too long.
When fishing the Eastern Sierra and the Rockies, it's all about comfort and portability. A full-size 1911-A1 handgun has to be the most comfortable big bore handgun to carry all day on my strong side. In a good holster on an authentic gun belt, I can forget it's there.
Now, rationale for choosing a Springfield Armory TRP .45. I did extensive research. Other than going with a custom made guy, there is no factory production gun that's superior to the TRP. Mine has been unbelievably accurate. It is as close to 100% reliable as as mechanical device can get. Mine has been 100% reliable.
Here's where it gets better. Not only is my TRP easy to carry and lightning fast to battery, it has the most devine natural point of any handgun I've held: it practically points itself, and it's superbly constructed. Its Armory Kote finish is impervious to thermonuclear detonation. Well, that might be extreme, but the point is conveyed. To write that it's well-made is a slight to it. It was crafted to precision. It doesn't rattle. It's slide-to-frame fit is perfect. To get better, one would have to go with a SA Custom Shop 1911-A1. I found during research prior to buying that it's such a superbly constructed handgun that some owners, after installing a 24 pound recoil spring, fired 255 grain .45 Super Buffalo Bore ammo out of their TRPs without a single malfunction. This ammo is much more powerful bear defense: https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=397 than any 10MM load. However, I have no intention of firing that ammo in my TRP.
When I'm in wilderness areas of the Eastern Sierra where there are more black bears than trout and the Rockies, I'll load my TRP with 230 grain Fed HST LE +P ammo. Only mythical bears could take 8 rounds of that ammo and keep on ticking. For bipedal vermin, I'd good with standard pressure 230 grain ammo, even ball ammo.
If it were necessary, I could reload another 8 rounds in my TRP within seconds.
Speed to battery, ease of carry, ability to completely field strip my TRP miles from nowhere if I were to drop it in mud requiring thorough cleaning, its vaunted reliability, its unbelievable accuracy, speed of reload, and the extremely versatile .45 Auto cartridge made my choice of bear defense handgun a no-brainer.
I'm completely good with others' choices. After all, every outdoorsman has to choose a handgun that's perfect for his intended application.
I've owned a 6" 629 .44 Mag. That was one huge gun. It was not comfortable to carry. I was and am not recoil averse. There was no way in you know where that I could rapid fired that gun. I called it a one-and-done handgun because of it's recoil. Assuming I were able to get it to battery (out of holster and on target) at a charging bear, I'd most likely have time to fire one round. I'd pay to watch anyone rapid fire a 6" .44 Mag with authentic magnum rounds. It was too big and too slow to battery to have utility FOR ME. I sold it with zero remorse.
I tried a 4" Model 586 with 180 Buffalo Bore hard cast bullets. It was so close in weight to my Model 629 that I couldn't notice weight differential, assuming one existed. 180 gain Buffalo Bore .357 Mag ammo has substantial recoil. Same conclusion: there had to be a better way.
Reloading any revolver, especially under stress takes too long.
When fishing the Eastern Sierra and the Rockies, it's all about comfort and portability. A full-size 1911-A1 handgun has to be the most comfortable big bore handgun to carry all day on my strong side. In a good holster on an authentic gun belt, I can forget it's there.
Now, rationale for choosing a Springfield Armory TRP .45. I did extensive research. Other than going with a custom made guy, there is no factory production gun that's superior to the TRP. Mine has been unbelievably accurate. It is as close to 100% reliable as as mechanical device can get. Mine has been 100% reliable.
Here's where it gets better. Not only is my TRP easy to carry and lightning fast to battery, it has the most devine natural point of any handgun I've held: it practically points itself, and it's superbly constructed. Its Armory Kote finish is impervious to thermonuclear detonation. Well, that might be extreme, but the point is conveyed. To write that it's well-made is a slight to it. It was crafted to precision. It doesn't rattle. It's slide-to-frame fit is perfect. To get better, one would have to go with a SA Custom Shop 1911-A1. I found during research prior to buying that it's such a superbly constructed handgun that some owners, after installing a 24 pound recoil spring, fired 255 grain .45 Super Buffalo Bore ammo out of their TRPs without a single malfunction. This ammo is much more powerful bear defense: https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=397 than any 10MM load. However, I have no intention of firing that ammo in my TRP.
When I'm in wilderness areas of the Eastern Sierra where there are more black bears than trout and the Rockies, I'll load my TRP with 230 grain Fed HST LE +P ammo. Only mythical bears could take 8 rounds of that ammo and keep on ticking. For bipedal vermin, I'd good with standard pressure 230 grain ammo, even ball ammo.
If it were necessary, I could reload another 8 rounds in my TRP within seconds.
Speed to battery, ease of carry, ability to completely field strip my TRP miles from nowhere if I were to drop it in mud requiring thorough cleaning, its vaunted reliability, its unbelievable accuracy, speed of reload, and the extremely versatile .45 Auto cartridge made my choice of bear defense handgun a no-brainer.
I'm completely good with others' choices. After all, every outdoorsman has to choose a handgun that's perfect for his intended application.
claymartin
Alpha
I'm a big fan of 15+1 10mm, but that is just me. retired my others for bear country when XDM came out.
The 10mm was number 5 Glock 20/40This was posted here previously.
leaves off the 10mm
HansGruber
Ronin
In my day, I had no problem running a warm .44 fast; today, I’ll take a heavy, hard .41 for bear protection...both of these cartridges smoke auto loader cartridges for both power and Bullet weight.
A revolver also has one big advantage over an auto when it comes to dangerous game—and that is contact shots. Push an auto into your target, and you push it out of battery, making it useless. This doesn’t happen with a revolver...which makes it a lot more useful if your target is on you.
A revolver also has one big advantage over an auto when it comes to dangerous game—and that is contact shots. Push an auto into your target, and you push it out of battery, making it useless. This doesn’t happen with a revolver...which makes it a lot more useful if your target is on you.
BET7
Ronin
I have the Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull in the 7.5" barrel. Wearing 1/2 finger shooting gloves, and fire 20 rounds, I was done for the day. I'm thinking the 5" would have a bit more of a kick, and that's on the 454 not the 460 which I never shot. But that's just me BangBang, you need to do what feels right for you. Good luck on whatever way you choose, I don't think you'll be dissatisfied with either chose to be honest.
ChanceMcCall
Master Class
Doesn't it depend, at least in part, on what type of bear you are likely to encounter?
Over the years, I have shot quite a few black bears, mostly with a Ruger (out of production) .44 carbine, one with a .45 ACP (mostly because I didn't expect it and that was the only gun I had with me) and several with a Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 magnum. The .45 was not the best choice, but the other two guns did their job fine.
Many years ago, I and some others went for polar bears (the last legal year) in Alaska. At the time the bear decided to charge I was wishing I had a LAWS rocket instead of a Marlin 45-70. While the gun did its job, I certainly had a hell of an adrenaline rush until the bear went down. My buddies were all using .375 H&H bolt rifles for their bears. The guide had a Marlin lever action in .444 Marlin. (The last I knew, my bear - dyed black - was in a Peoria, Illinois coffee house.)
Different bears - different guns.
Over the years, I have shot quite a few black bears, mostly with a Ruger (out of production) .44 carbine, one with a .45 ACP (mostly because I didn't expect it and that was the only gun I had with me) and several with a Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 magnum. The .45 was not the best choice, but the other two guns did their job fine.
Many years ago, I and some others went for polar bears (the last legal year) in Alaska. At the time the bear decided to charge I was wishing I had a LAWS rocket instead of a Marlin 45-70. While the gun did its job, I certainly had a hell of an adrenaline rush until the bear went down. My buddies were all using .375 H&H bolt rifles for their bears. The guide had a Marlin lever action in .444 Marlin. (The last I knew, my bear - dyed black - was in a Peoria, Illinois coffee house.)
Different bears - different guns.
KillerFord1977
SAINT
Though not a bear, a 300+lb wild boar charging will get your heart going. Why I switched from a bolt gun to a .308 AR. I use a .357 Mag S&W for back up. I have found using the .357 Mag for quick shots when the AR wasnt on me have been adequate.
i could not imagine a bear charging though. I’d need new trousers afterwards.
i could not imagine a bear charging though. I’d need new trousers afterwards.
BangBang
Professional
Nice hog.
Annihilator
Emissary
This Westinghouse Phased Plasma Rifle in 40 Watt range works for me.......
But this will ruin the hide and cook the meat.