Posted on 05/06/2024 8:04:47 AM PDT by marktwain
A continual debate in the firearms and hunting community is about caliber wars. 9mm v .45. What is the minimum caliber for whitetail deer? What calibers are good for elk? Moose? Grizzly bears? In the research of handguns fired in defense against bears, a surprising conclusion springs forth: Caliber is not as important as we thought. Having a firearm is more important than caliber. There are several reasons why this is so.
First, a firearm builds confidence. A person with a firearms has more confidence they can do something instead of nothing. Call it the psychological factor. A firearm gives a person the confidence to stand their ground. Even bear spray proponent Tom Smith acknowledges the importance of this. From byu.edu/news, 2008:
Smith believes one of the primary reasons bear spray works is that it gives users a reason to stand their ground. Running is the worst response to an aggressive bear, he said, “but it’s hard not to.
Second, there is noise. Firearms, even small caliber handguns, are loud, much louder than nearly anything in nature except for a thunderclap. Warning shots work primarily though noise. Warning shots are seriously underrated because most successful warning shots are not reported. Of the documented incidents where handguns were fired in defense against bears, warning shots worked 21 of 29 times or 69%. Bears that are indifferent to the presence of a human and to warning shots are very dangerous bears.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Bflr
Shot placement has been and always will be key.
L
Makes sense.
So a loud bang is all we need?, will keep my .380 pocket pistol handy, lol
After reading the government literature on these intense encounters, guns are NOT the answer. Instead, call in social counselors to intervene and see what the perp (this time it’s a bear) really wants. What are his (or her or whatever preferred pronoun the bear chooses) demands or grievances. Perhaps there is some sort of middle ground one could seek for the sake of peace. One shouldn’t be too hasty in these situations. Instead use a calm and gentle approach. Speak in low soothing tones. I’m sure they feel misunderstood. Perhaps after starting a conversation, a hug would be in order to reassure the bear all is well.
Depends on the bear and the time of year.
Black bears are usually skittish of loud noises, brown bears a little less and Grizzlies don’t much care. Don’t know about Polar Bears.............
That beats my 22 short Baretta.
Seems to work about 2/3 of the time. For the other 2/3 you may need more persuasion.
Safety belts are not only for fender-benders.
A .380 is a lot better than a sharp stick. Probably enough against nearly all black bears. Probably will work most of the time, even against most brown bears. Sometimes, though, more is needed.
Dang - I used to be good at math! 2/3 + 2/3 = 1 and 1/3...
I guess a .9mm in grizzly country is better than nothing but Mr. GG2 carried a .454 Casul during the brief time he lived in Alaska and he was still nervous. In fact his neighbor at the time carrying the same weapon emptied all 6 rounds into a grizzly at point blank range and it died on top of him. The neighbors had to come out and roll it off of him. True story.
If only that pesky bear would hold still so I could get a better aim...
I shared an indoor range once with a gentleman who was trying out his brand new Ruger Super RedHawk in 454 Casull. He let me try it out, loading it with
3 rounds. I’ve shot a Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 magnum, and I actually enjoyed that. I shot 2 rounds and gave it back. I was flinching so bad I could hardly hold the thing. I’m not a big guy, and shooting that .454 was…..brutal.
Using liberal logic, you must be undercompensating for an exceptional johnson.
I must be slightly less so, because I have a Beretta Model 71 in .22 LR that I like quite a bit.
“Dang - I used to be good at math! 2/3 + 2/3 = 1 and 1/3...”
Likewise. I’ve forgotten more than I ever knew.
Maybe throw a jar of honey at him?
Yeah, a 22 in the eye will do the job on most anything.
In addition, the 45 was DESIGNED to be the minimum caliber that will drop a cow with one shot. This was experimentally done as part of the design process of the 1911. Yes, they shot a series of cows with various calibers until they got one that did the job consistently.
A bear or moose, I dunno. But, hit any of them inna head and they will go down.
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