In the Land of the Midnight Sun, those who traverse the Last Frontier must choose to carry or not carry, and they must choose wisely. Posted on 09/02/2020 8:19:19 AM PDT by w1n1
In the Land of the Midnight Sun, those who traverse the Last Frontier must choose to carry or not carry, and they must choose wisely.
What are big bear guns that you would carry in Bear country? Here’s the short list with the full story below.
As I see it, it all comes down to this. Hunters, hikers, fishermen and country has a decision to make, and it is much more important than "paper or plastic." Are you going to carry a firearm, or not? Alternative "bear deterrent" in the form of pepper spray is also widely available, and the controversy of which is most effective – bear spray or firearms – remains alive and well.
The group of Alaskans that I spent time with a few summer ago landed decidedly on the side of firearms over bear spray. Some carry both, but they definitely want a gun available. As usually occurs in the gun world, if we decide we need a gun for some task, the question always arises. Which gun is best? Here are a few notes based on what I saw and learned on the firing line at the bear defense class in Wasilla.
"THE 12-GAUGE PUMP shotgun has been the choice of most people for bear defense in Alaska for some time," said Steve Nelson of Anchorage. Nelson has been teaching bear defense classes since 1978, when a USGS coworker was severely mauled by a black bear. "There are many reasons for the shotgun’s popularity. Shotguns and shotgun ammo are widely available, are generally less expensive than rifles, have magazines capable of holding several rounds, and with slugs they will deliver a big, heavy projectile," he said.
The Remington 870 outnumbered other shotguns in this bear defense class, specifically a tactical version with ghost ring-type sights. This is a quick handling shotgun that holds seven rounds and delivers the 870’s rock solid dependability. Read the rest of big bear guns.
Loaded for bear, I expect.
To shoot your hiking buddy in the foot...
338 Win Mag rifle
Ruger Alaskan 44 mag revolver
870 = 7 in the tube, plus 1 in the chamber.
I have a 458 Magnum safari grade with mussel brake that kicks about like a 30-06 with a 500 gr bullet. 375 Mag with mussel brake and 300 gr bullet still tears my shoulder off.
So, basically any 12 gauge shotgun in working order.
Even though I’ve been reading this type of article for 60 years, I always learn a tidbit or two.
I have a couple of Mossberg’s. I prefer autoloaders over pumps but, that’s just me. One of them is designed for close-quarters home defense.
In actuality if you shot your buddy in the foot and kept running the bear is more likely to chase you than bother with your buddy.
I live in Alaska and spent much of my time in the bush, actually just got back from a caribou hunt this past weekend were we were 30 miles off an unimproved Road. I carry a Keltec KSG. It’s a 14 round capacity short, tactical shotgun. One tube I carry lethal, the other tube semi lethal. I want to have the option of hitting a bear and driving it away before it becomes an issue. The selector is always set to lethal, if I need to I can select semi lethal (rubber bullets) and use those. Love the gun!
Corrosion resistance a plus, especially anywhere near the coast.
For protection; black bears: 3030 Marlin 336
For protection; big bears: 45-70 Marlin 1895
For hunting; any big ol’ cannon with a scope
"The Taylor knock-out factor, also called Taylor KO factor or TKOF, is a formulaic mathematical approach for evaluating the stopping power of hunting cartridges developed by John "Pondoro" Taylor in the middle of the 20th century. Taylor, an elephant hunter and author who wrote two books about rifles and cartridges for African hunting, devised the formula as a means of comparing the ability of a cartridge to deliver a knock out blow to elephant from a shot to the head when the brain is missed." - Wikipedia
Reportedly, they kick like a mule, and bite like a crocodile!
That’s what oil is for.
I have a Rock Island Armory VR-80 Semi-Automatic 12 Guage with a 20 round drum and can empty the clip in 3 seconds. WAY faster than a pump action. As my EOTWAWKI first weapon, I have it loaded with some Dragon’s Breath (Magnesium shot that burns at 5000 degrees). I could have the bear cooked medium rare before he hit the ground. :p
Confidence comes with practice and I just wouldn't fire enough rounds of .44 mag. or larger to attain that confidence.
Experience tells me that I can fire 3 rds. of 357 in the time it takes to fire 2 rds. of .44, and with far greater accuracy.
Just don’t use pepper spray and little bells. Lol.
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