Short gun ...big bear?

Redfrog! Here's the big brother to that single six It's the Bisley in .44! Of course I'd swear to a Majestrate of The Supreme Court of Canada that it aint never snuck itself into my pack for the trip up moose hunting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
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Of course I'd swear to a Majestrate of The Supreme Court of Canada that it aint never snuck itself into my pack for the trip up moose hunting

That's a Canadian Thang!!! Eh? I'd be beside ya swearing! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I've killed a few bears over bait. One I took with the Tarus 44mag. I was in a ground blind about 50 yards from the bait. A 180 lb sow came in and I shot her quartering toward me. I was shooting 325gr hard cast, home made bullets. The bullet went through the front left shoulder, through the bear and out just in front of the hind quarter. Smashed the front shoulder to bits and the bear went down NOW!

The following year I carried that same hand gun and just at dark, I had a MONSTER of a bear sneaking in to the bait. At 40 yards I raised that hand gun to kill this black monster and realized that I had the worst case of Bear Fever possible. I couldn't hold it steady to save my life. I decided to wait until the bear got a lot closer and the bear decided he wasn't going to come any closer. It got dark, the bear faded into the blackness and I got off my stand swearing I'd never hunt bears with a hand gun again. And, I haven't. But, the bullet worked fine on the one I shot with it.

Randy
 
Jim, I saw a thread on AR quite a while ago, a guy who made stubby handguns in .454Casull, .475Linebough and .50AE.

Nice little guns, nasty kick I rekon.

Feast your eyes:
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Never hunted bear with a handgun, and probably never will.

I used to carry a 6" 629, then a 4" 629 (and still own the 4"), but carry a bobbed-hammer Ruger SP101 in 357 as backup for a couple of reasons.

First, a double action revolver seems ideal for a backup. It operates with a single hand, no cocking, no safeties, just pull the trigger.

Secondly, the Ruger is light, small, and fits in my belt or pocket without it hanging up on everything (like the 629s did). I built a little tab that mounts under the Hogue grip that works like the Barami Hip Grip - no holster needed.

The Ruger is stainless, too.

I load it with factory Winchester 158 grain SPs.

Granted, this is nothing to hunt with. It's a sidearm. My hope is never to use it, but if I need to, it will be on my person, unlike bulky hoglegs removed and left hanging in it's holster on a tree branch next to the rifle for the same reason.
 
Redfrog-

I carry a 4 5/8" Ruger blackhawk 45 long colt that has been fitted with a bisley grip frame. I use either 300gr JSP @ 1300fps or 325gr LFNGC @ 1350fps for bear loads. It is easy to carry in either a belt or shoulder rig. I normally carry it in the shoulder rig when fishing or snowmachine riding. I still thing it is a bit small for serious bear work. I am planning on have it converted to 475 linebough this winter. You really can't beat the Ruger bisley. The bisley grip really helps with felt recoil. I also like the shorter barrel mainly for ease of carrying. Either the 44 or the 45 will probalby work about the same, I just perfer the 45. Buffalo bore, corbon, and several other smaller company all load "bear loads" for either.
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red, i dont even hunt bear, but i watched some kinda outdoor channel show once, and a guide, whose been attacked like 20 times by griz, said he would never again take a hangun, he carries a sawed off 12 gauge autoloader, with hollow point slugs.. I shot a deer last winter with a mossberg bolt 12 gauge, 400 gr. platinum tip HP slugs, was like someone hit her chest with a hammer... blew her straight over, about 3 feet, counting the rolls.
 
Well as far as I'm concerned you can never have too much bullet for a bear...you need to STOP him from getting TO you.

My main Alaskan rifle is a Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun with Randy Garrett's 540 gr. Hammerheads. They will shoot legnthwise through an African Cape Buffalo.

I like that.

Cas
 
I bowhunt in Idaho, lots of black bears, wolves and idiots in the woods. I carry a Tarus tracker in .41mag, handloaded with noslers, very light ported 2" barrell, that will put most bears that I run into on the ground. I used to carry a tarus model .44, but it was too heavy for those long packing trips.

If your interested I could part with the tracker. Let me know.
 
If you are coming to Alaska and you want to carry a side arm, save time and money. Rem 870 12ga. Short barrel. Load slug,00Buck,Slug,00Buck. Do not bother with hand guns. Put a sling on it. Practice at 30 yard or less.
 
I have talked to several bear guides and the general consensus is that #4 buck is actually better than 00 buck for head shooting charging bears. Neither 00 or #4 have the penetration to work for a body shot but the extra 32 pellets in the #4 load make a head shot more likely. After taking a 3" load of #4 buck at 20-30 yards a large brown bears head appears much like a burlap sack full of jello and small wooden blocks. It will ruin the skull for measurement purposes but it will also keep you from getting all chewed up.
 
I just picked up this SW 629 4" for carrying while fishing and bowhunting. With 320gr cast loads at 1350fps it is just as good as the heavy cast loads I was using in my blackhawk but with the bonus of double action. I added a set of Kim Ahrends fingergroove grips to spruce it up a bit.
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Thanks for the tip bcott, but I don't run much. the Guy would have to be in a wheelchair for me to outrun him. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I used to run a lot, then I gave it up when I learned how to shoot. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I don't know how bear peper spray works on grizzlies but it is extremely effective on black bears.
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WEll I dont know..I have been sprayed with pepper spray many times. Much higher dosage than is allowed to be bought by general public even for bears and if I wanted to kill you...I could still kill you! I would be in pain but if I was fighting for my life it would be no issue....I honestly think if the bear is serious to do harm to you pepper spray isnt going to work. Even on a black bear....again if they are just getting close and no real intent of injuring you...it may work.
 
Originally posted by H-Bar elite:
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I don't know how bear peper spray works on grizzlies but it is extremely effective on black bears.
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WEll I dont know..I have been sprayed with pepper spray many times. Much higher dosage than is allowed to be bought by general public even for bears and if I wanted to kill you...I could still kill you...[/qb]
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Maybe so. I've been sprayed twice, and it kept me pretty occupied.

But, then, I'm a wuss.
 
But, then, I'm a wuss.
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Well it makes me feel like a wuss too...but I have been exposed to OC/CN/ CS so many times now its just a pain in the azz.....also alot of fun getting shot with tazers and other electronic control devices.....Oh the things I do to be a SWAT member.
 
Red frog I'm going on a Black Bear hunt in NortherCalifornia Oct 1st My Guide uses Dogs.Do you think I'm over gunning the bear with a 300 Remington Ultra Mag,shooting 200 grNosler Accubonds? they say they have gotten 500lb plus bears up there before.Any advice you might have would be great,if I get a bear it would be my first one.
 
Have shot bears with my .450 Marlin and a .270 Win. all bears dropped where they stood and didn't need a second shot. that being said I still prefer my .450 marlin as bears are dumb and shooting one from 280yrds (270 win) was purely a harvest with absolutly no hunting skill involved. first bear with the .450 was open sights @ 20yrds. no treestands, bait piles or other garbage. spot and stalk. use enough gun and don;t bother packing the extra steel.

Good luck with the yogi wacking. I will shoot two every year from now on - bear steaks are way to good.

EDIT: Skip the mag, ultra mags an like junk. get something big and slow. a big hole made slow is better then a little one going fast. at least thats my impression.
 
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