Griz gun?

[ccc23454]

I had a close call with a black bear once, changed the way I view this topic. It will change yours too when your a matter of couple yards away from a animal twice your size and looking you right in the eyes and knows your a human! Carry something....

Guy at work told me I would be fine as long as I took bear bells and spray, he also said to not really worry about it till I started finding scat with bells in it and stunk of pepper....lol

CCC

 

[track1]

If your looking to cut weight both Smith and Wesson and Taurus have lightweight 44 mags. I have the Taurus Tracker. I woulda preferred the Smith but didn't have the extra cash at the time. the Taurus shoots pretty well. If you get a lightweight 44 make sure it's ported.

 

[Bullcamp82834]

Think about this. You may get off a round or two during the charge. Maybe.
More than likely your most effective use of that handgun will be when you are on your back on the ground with the bear right on top of you with part of you ( hopefully not your gun arm ) in his mouth. You will be shoving the gun in his face or against his body at very close range, maybe even press contact, and shooting as fast as you can. Do you want an automatic for that? I don't.
My woods gun is a 4 inch 629 loaded hot. Convenience of carry is not a deciding factor in this case.

 

[Redwood]

Think about this. You may get off a round or two during the charge. Maybe.
More than likely your most effective use of that handgun will be when you are on your back on the ground with the bear right on top of you with part of you ( hopefully not your gun arm ) in his mouth. You will be shoving the gun in his face or against his body at very close range, maybe even press contact, and shooting as fast as you can. Do you want an automatic for that? I don't.
My woods gun is a 4 inch 629 loaded hot. Convenience of carry is not a deciding factor in this case.

... and autos won't fire with back pressure on the slide.

 

[ismith]

Nothing is a sure bet against a Griz bent on raising hell, so carry what you are most confident with. I do believe a 12 gauge with buckshot and slugs if the preferred choice in Alaska though.

 

[TheTone]

This one is my favorite when hunting around grizzlies.

http://counterassault.com/

 

[MT_elk]

If you're worried about the weight of a 44. S&W makes a lightweight model (329PD) that is 26 oz empty. You'll hardly feel it on your hip.

 

[MKotur325]

I spent a summer on a fishing boat up in AK. One thing to remember about Grizzlies in AK, a 3 year old bear in AK is as big as anything you will see in MT. I was truly Shocked at how big some of the bears get there.

For those interested, here are links to briefs for two studies done by the same research team about the efficacy of both firearms and bear spray on agressive bears in AK.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/bear_cougar/bear/files/JWM_BearSprayAlaska.pdf

http://www.arcticwild.com/blog/efficacy-of-firearms-for-bear-deterrence-in-Alaska.pdf

Basically it goes on to state that between 1985 and 2006 in 83 incidents where bears in AK were sprayed 3 people were injured and none required hospitalization, in 96% of instances the use of bear spray stopped the attack. In incidents using firearms there were 151 injuries including fatalaties in 269 incidents studied and in approx 80% of instances the use of firearms stopped the attack, in only 61% the bear(s) were killed. This does not include some studies that were sealed by Alaska Fish and Game for privacy purposes. More detailed analysis of the second study used to be avaliable on the BLM website, but its disabled due to the Gov't Shutdown. Broke things down by rifle/shotgun/handgun and calibers that resulted in the least injuries. If I can find a copy I'll link it.

Long story short... Bear Spray is just as effective, and requires a lot less paperwork after the fact. That being said, I carry a S&W 8shot .357 in MT (along with spray) with 180gr Buffalo Bore, I believe that a 10mm with hot 180 or 200gr loads is sufficient for MT. Just remember that with the higher sectional density a .357 with a 180gr slug at 1400fps will out penetrate a 10mm 180gr slug at the same velocity. Smaller surface area, same weight, deeper penetration. Ultimately for a Bear, penetration and shot placement trump all else. Ultimately, its your call. I would be more likely to carry the extra size and weight of the .357 to gain the extra penetration.

 

[Redwood]

Actual bear spray is the best, carried in a shoulder holster. The 329 is a bit spendy but does shoot well, they come with rubber grips and I would use them. They used to make the same gun in a .41 that was nice to shoot. The sw governor chambers .45 lc and .410 , plus .45 acp with clips. First 2 have .410 bird shot to "pepper" them, after that buff bore their a$$es.