Outdoor Writer Re-Thinks Pistols as a Defense Against Bears

Ammo Land ^ | March 11, 2019 | Dean Weingarten

[Perseverando]

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Many people have a difficult time changing their minds once they have formulated an opinion, especially once they have committed to the opinion on the record. I am happy to say fellow writer Wes Siler is of better material than that.

In a June 2017 article, Wes was of the opinion that firearms, all firearms, were worthless as a defense against bears. He opined that statistically speaking, a person, when attacked by a bear, was as well off without a firearm as with one. He depended on research which had some problems with selection bias. Wes, quite generously, quoted me correctly. From outsideonline.com:

Like most tragedies, this one has become a canvas onto which various crackpots and special interests are painting their opinions. My favorite hot take has to be this one on the Truth About Guns, arguing that teenagers should pack heat while going on fun runs. “The runner was able and willing to carry a cellphone,” writes Dean Weingarten. “He could easily have carried a Ruger LCP II, which weighs about as much. Whether or not that would have been ‘enough gun’ for a black bear is not entirely germane. It would have given him a chance.”

Would carrying a small .380-caliber pistol have made a difference? A study of 269 bear encounters conducted in 2012 found that relying on a firearm (any firearm) as your primary line of defense gives you the same odds as carrying no defense whatsoever. Statistically speaking, Cooper was just as safe from bears running without a pistol as he would have been with one.

With a year and a half more experience available to Wes, as well as the salubrious effect of moving into grizzly bear territory in Bozeman, Montana, Wes has considered the evidence and changed

[Tenacious 1]

The supposed impervious to bullets nature of a grizzly skull is a myth.

I suspect it comes from ignorance of where the brain is inside a bear's head.

That is a good post. Informative. It causes me to google and research. Thanks for an informative insight.

[marktwain]

I have seen DEAD people trying to protect themselves from the bears with 9mm.

I am collecting all cases of pistol defenses against bears that I can find.

So far, I have found five cases where people used 9mm pistols to defend against bears.

All were successful.

I am very interested in the case or cases you refer to, where 9mm pistols were used, but failed.

A link would be much appreciated. If you do not have a link, a personal account would be appreciated.

Any sort of source would be helpful.

[NorseViking]

https://forum.guns.ru/forummessage/44/122597.html

You need to read with Google translator.

[Who is John Galt?]

...smart Alaskans carry a Glock 20.

I talked to a resident of the 49th State, who refuses to carry a semiauto rifle or shotgun for bear protection, because semiautos are (in his opinion) less reliable than other action types. Alaskans with the same or similar priorities/experience likely carry revolvers rather than Glocks...

[AlaskaErik]

I talked to a resident of the 49th State, who refuses to carry a semiauto rifle or shotgun for bear protection, because semiautos are (in his opinion) less reliable than other action types. Alaskans with the same or similar priorities/experience likely carry revolvers rather than Glocks...

I'll take a Glock over a wheel gun any day. The last time I fired my Colt Trooper .357 it stopped working. Never had that happen with a Glock. It's the AK-47 of the pistol world. Pull the trigger and it's going to go bang. Have your friend look at what the State Troopers and the local police carry. No police department today has their officers carrying a revolver. As an Alaskan, I only carry semi-automatics. Maybe a few old timers stubbornly cling to the notion that a revolver is better, but no informed person does.

[Who is John Galt?]

Maybe a few old timers stubbornly cling to the notion that a revolver is better, but no informed person does.

A lot of folks prefer a handgun cartridge with more power, than is commonly available in automatic pistols. And even AKs (which you mention as a standard of reliability) malfunction - I've seen it happen, more than once.

I've learned over the years that every gun owner has an opinion. Some are based on real experience, others not so much. If you want to carry a Glock in bear country, knock yourself out - but your personal preferences do not make other guys, with other experience, in other circumstances, uninformed...

[AlaskaErik]

I've learned over the years that every gun owner has an opinion. Some are based on real experience, others not so much. If you want to carry a Glock in bear country, knock yourself out - but your personal preferences do not make other guys, with other experience, in other circumstances, uninformed...

I never considered the Glock 20 to be something I'd carry for bear defense. Until I did some research after reading about it being used for just that. And, as Joseph Stalin once stated, "Quantity has a quality all its own." Yes, shot placement is important, but I'll be able to put 16 rounds on target, vs six with a wheel gun. And I'll be able to reload much faster. So I consider myself to be better informed than those who stick with a wheel gun more out of stubbornness than anything else.

[NorthMountain]

Next morning I only found one, old, bear track. No other animal tracks that I could make out.

It wasn't a bear. It was aliens.

They don't leave tracks.

Just ask Giorgio.

[trisham]

#youpompousprig

***

:) Love it.

[Who is John Galt?]

...I consider myself to be better informed than those who stick with a wheel gun more out of stubbornness than anything else.

Not everyone who disagrees with you does so out of "stubbornness," or knows less than you do. I've worked in bear country (lower 48) since the 1970s; during that time, I've learned that every gun owner has an opinion, and I don't operate under the illusion that reality conforms to my personal preferences...