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.
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/
Thanks for another well researched, real world handgun - bear article.
Handguns are for when everything else has failed and you want to top yourself before being painfully mauled to death
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...
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.)
A grizzly bear was killed by a .22 caliber rifle in 1953. The bear, which was the largest on record at the time, was shot by Bella Twin, a small game hunter from Canada. She used a single shot from her .22 caliber rifle to kill the bear, which weighed over 1,100 pounds.
I practice by running around the parking lot with my Ruger in a chest rig until I'm winded, run up to the firing line, spin in place three times until I'm dizzy, and shoot at six 7" targets at 25 yards. I've practiced enough that I can now hit 4 out of 6 rounds. Good enough for Mr. Bear!