Posted on 05/17/2024 7:23:59 AM PDT by marktwain
Many readers are interested in how various handgun calibers have performed in defense against bears. This is a complicated subject. Sometimes, any caliber will do. Sometimes a level of power may be required. Sometimes, a level of accuracy or speed may be required. Many permutations exist. The most important aspect, if a confrontation occurs, is to have a firearm available, easily and quickly accessible. The specific caliber is less important. These updates include all the incidents we have been able to document to the date of the update, after several years of intense searches. We have always asked for examples of failures. We appreciate readers who help us document more cases.
Here are all the cases that have been documented where .380, 9.3×18 handguns, and .38 caliber revolvers were fired in defense against bears. There exists a fairly wide variation from standard .380 (9mm Corto or Kurtz) loads and hot .38 Special loads. This grouping is a way to include calibers with only one incident while including enough incidents to be illuminating. These cases do not include incidents where handguns were used with other lethal means or a mix of handgun calibers were used.
There is 1 incident with a .380 caliber handgun (black bear), 1 incident with a 9.3×18 Makarov (brown bear), and five incidents with .38 caliber revolvers (three black, two brown). There was one failure with a .38 caliber revolver, which resulted in minor injuries. The incidents are listed by caliber, chronologically within caliber.
14 April 2006, Tennessee: From ljworld.com .380 defense against 350 lb+ black bear. The bear had killed a six-year-old girl and mauled her mother and brother.
The bear bit the boy’s head, then went after the child’s mother after she tried to fend off the attack with rocks
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Nobody, anywhere, calls 9x18 Makarov the “9.3x18”. Yes, it’s a slightly different diameter than the .355x17.3 (oops, I mean the 380 auto). And if we are being prigs over diameter, the 38 Special is .357 in diameter, not 38.
A bear can be a serious threat to a human.
It is possible to kill a bear with a small caliber pistol, but the odds are better if using 38 spec +P and up. Especially with my favorite, 357 mag. (with 158gr JHP at high end of velocity range).
Kodiak Bears? Total other world. 50 caliber is not too large.
Thanks for your interesting posts and some useful advice.
Just, me, but I’d like something a little hotter and bigger to defend myself against a bear. A .38 with hard cast semi-wadcutters at a minimum, not a snubbie either. And if I’m there, then why not a full power 357 Mag?
There are just too many choices out there. But I wonder if these people were thinking people defense rather than bears?
Interesting article.
All I have is a couple of 9mm pistols. I don’t intend to ever get into a situation where I would need to see if they would stop a bear - black bear, grizzly bear, I’ll pass. I have to believe any fair-sized, motivated bear could inflict an enormous amount of damage before it noticed that it had been shot.
An article on the common 9mm (9x19), Parabellum, Luger, etc. (all are the same cartridge), is in the works. So far, eleven cases, six against black bears, five against brown bears, all were successful.
A Mak or .22lr in hand is better than a .44 Magnum home in the safe. That being said I have black bear around my place and I carry a .357 magnum or .44 magnum with hunting loads.
As for 9 Makarov, there might be a fair amount of bear experience with those out of Russia. (might be harder to find with the scrotes in DC and their wars) But I would expect it’s not the recommended medicine for Russians or eastern Euro countries that use/used the Mak. And it would be nice to know if Tokarev has a record. 30 cal bullet, but screaming velocity and crazy penetration.
Also, there’s a story about some female dog musher defending her silly self with an LCP 380 from a moose a year or two ago. It failed...
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/380-vs-moose-guess-who-won.901547/
357 mag. is what I carry on my mountain property for just that. Hope I never have to use it. Where I live the black bears are fairly easy to deal with/run away from humans. Normally I yell and shoo them away like I would a raccoon. But running into a mom with cubs would be a different situation entirely!
Thanks for another well researched, real world handgun - bear article.
MoOses Is BIG!
ONE BITE SISTER.
Handguns are for when everything else has failed and you want to top yourself before being painfully mauled to death
I have suspected the 7.62x25 would do well with its 86 grain fmj bullet at 1450 fps. Lots of penetration, and a reputation for splintering bones.
Unfortunately, no documented cases so far. There is one polar bear case where a 7.62x25 may have been fired in defense against a bear, but the cartridge was not specified (could have been a Nagant revolver) and rifles were also used, so it is not a documented case.
An iron pot and a hammer ...just bang it..The resulting frequency hurts his ears...technique has been used by blueberry ‘n children here for 200 years...them city slickers don’t know bears nor mountains... They really is ignorant peoples...
” 38 Special is .357 in diameter, not 38.”
The old Navy Colt .36 fired a .38 ball.
What mean, “top yourself “?
IIRC correctly, results chronicled from bear encounters consistently show that handguns are much, much more effective than bear spray.
I also heard from a gent familiar with Alaska guides and he relayed that the guides are moving from 44 Mag revolvers to 10MM semi-autos (talking grizzlies here.)
What to do if unarmed?
I heard a comedian suggest that you should play dead (because you will be in a minute anyway.)
Sometimes, playing dead against a brown bear attack works.
Do not try that with a black bear or a polar bear.
Do not try that until acting confidently and standing your ground has failed.
If retreat is possible to a refuge, that has worked (a cabin, a vehicle, up a sturdy tree (climbing trees is generally a bad idea, it signals to the bear you are afraid), into water deep enough to let you stand and the bear has to swim). Improvised weapons can work. Knives have worked. Bears have been killed with rocks.
Bear spray also works, a good bit of the time. It is not near 98% effective, and is likely considerably less than 90% effective against aggressive bears. It is very difficult to measure such a metric.
If one had a superior way with animals, and a good measure of confidence, perhaps tummy rubs could be worth a try.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.