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AK: Hiker Stops Charging Brown Bear at 6 Feet with 10mm Pistol
Gun Watch ^ | 6 August, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

Posted on 08/18/2016 5:05:44 AM PDT by marktwain


The 10mm is becoming increasingly popular as a wilderness defense gun in Alaska.  Fully loaded it is as light, and a bit more powerful than a loaded, small frame .357 magnum.

The Glock 20 holds 15 rounds versus five or six for a .44 or .41 magnum revolver.  In this case near Homer, Alaska, on the Kenai peninsula, it did the job in stopping a charging brown bear sow. It happened on 29 July, 2016, a Monday afternoon about 4 p.m.  From homernews.com:

A Homer man shot and killed a charging sow brown bear at Humpy Creek last Friday. Kim Woodman, 57, shot the bear five times with a 10mm handgun before the bear fell about 6 feet from him. While backing away from the sow, Woodman fell and accidentally shot himself in the left foot. 
(snip)

Blackwell said Woodman surprised a brown bear with two cubs while hiking about 4 p.m. July 29 off the trail along the southwest fork of Humpy Creek in Kachemak Bay State Park. The bears were probably feeding on pink salmon in the creek. Woodman filled out a defense of life and property report, and Park Ranger Jason Okuly and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Jason Herreman went to the scene and found the dead sow bear. They reported the sow had two gunshot wounds, one below the right eye and one in the chest.
Woodman had another defensive bear shooting 24 years ago, in 1992. In that case he was hunting moose. In 1992 he fired his rifle at close range when the bear was stalking him.

Falling down while backing away from the danger you are shooting at is a significant problem.  Backing away from an attacking animal or person is natural and can be effective.  But without eyes in the back of your head, falling down is a serious danger.

It is possible the bullet that struck his foot stopped the bear.  We may never know for certain.  Woodman is shunning publicity.  Maybe we will see an official report after it is published.  The superintendent of State Parks for the area said "it was fairly close".   The investigating officers confirmed the six foot distance.

The recent video of the well trained Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Deputy shooting his armed adversary shows him backing away while doing so.

To clarify, consider this.  You are backing away as an 800 lb bear is charging you at close range.  You are firing your 10mm handgun.  You trip, but you stay focused on the threat, firing as you go down.  As you press the trigger, you foot flies up into the line of fire as your back goes down to the ground.  The bear is 10 feet away.  It is easy for me to see how it could happen. It is not uncommon for people involved in self defense situations to inadvertently wound themselves or others.   The action is often fast and chaotic.


©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.  Link to Gun Watch


TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: 10mm; banglist; bear; selfdefense; wildlife
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To: Mr. Douglas
1. There is a concern about over-penetration with 10mm.

FWIW, I think over-penetration is way over-thought as a concern when a complete miss of the target would be much worse no matter what the caliber.

61 posted on 08/18/2016 7:45:28 AM PDT by Envisioning (Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?)
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To: KC_Lion

Penetration is the key - here is a story about a guy using a low capacity 9mm to stop a brown bear.

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2016/8/10/alaska-outfitter-defends-fishermen-from-raging-grizzly-with-9mm-pistol/


62 posted on 08/18/2016 7:51:59 AM PDT by nvcdl
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To: Envisioning

I’m getting the impression that the 10mm 230 grain is good for two things:
1. nailing big things like bears.
2. Macho bragging rights.

I now need to compare the Glock 20 to the 41. The ammo is about the same price, but I need to compare the 40 to the 45 regarding stopping power for humans. I need to stop by Cabelos and see what they have in 10mm too.


63 posted on 08/18/2016 7:52:12 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Today is your life. What are you going to do with it?)
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To: rjsimmon

Was it the bear’s own credit card?
Did the bear steal another bears identity?
Was it really a sow, or did it just identify as one?

You’ll have to bear with me...


64 posted on 08/18/2016 7:56:37 AM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: rjsimmon

He probably had Life Lock


65 posted on 08/18/2016 8:22:27 AM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: buffaloguy

“The 10 mm is way too light.”

No kidding. Even 44mag is iffy and that is a lot morepower than 10mm


66 posted on 08/18/2016 8:24:50 AM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: marktwain

For obvious reasons, I highly approve of this thread.


67 posted on 08/18/2016 8:55:43 AM PDT by 10mm
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To: Mercat

“What happened to the babies?”

They tasted like chicken.


68 posted on 08/18/2016 9:10:57 AM PDT by Rannug ("all enemies, foreign and : domestic")
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To: Mr. Douglas

“What about a .45 ACP?”

The government of, I think Norway, issues the 10mm to some of her soldiers for protection from the polar bear.


69 posted on 08/18/2016 9:14:10 AM PDT by Rannug ("all enemies, foreign and : domestic")
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To: Rannug

I actually learned a lot on this thread. It’s looking like the 10mm is the closest thing to a hunting rifle in a pistol that you can get. The muzzle velocity is pretty darned impressive, and with a 230 grain bullet. Wow.

But it looks like the .45 is what I need for self defence stuff. We don’t have a lot of brown bears around these parts, and it will take down most everything else...


70 posted on 08/18/2016 9:16:13 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Today is your life. What are you going to do with it?)
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To: Mr. Douglas

After I find some folks who want some of my friends, I am going to get a Springfield XDS in .45 as my carry friend. I am quite familiar with the .45 ACP round. Very.


71 posted on 08/18/2016 9:23:24 AM PDT by Rannug ("all enemies, foreign and : domestic")
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To: Yo-Yo

That’s why I carry a RPG-7 when in bear country. I figure, it’ll stop a T-72, It’ll stop a bear.

CC


72 posted on 08/18/2016 9:27:30 AM PDT by Celtic Conservative (CC: purveyor of cryptic, snarky posts since December, 2000..)
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To: KC_Lion

It don’t count unless he killed it with a spear.


73 posted on 08/18/2016 9:28:05 AM PDT by Beagle8U (Giggles the pig for POTUS - 2016)
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To: Rannug

Why not an XDM? Too thick?


74 posted on 08/18/2016 9:39:01 AM PDT by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: marktwain
Of two minds about it myself. I love my Glock 20 and I've started carrying it for last-ditch bear emergencies (I do carry spray as well). Thing is, most of the real full-house penetrating ammo is hardcast, and that stuff has a bad reputation for accuracy and fouling in a factory Glock (polygonal rifling) barrel. I'm loaded up with some pretty stout self-defense ammo at the moment and the gun is very controllable, and I'm definitely not a recoil monster. That is NOT, however, an optimal load for penetrating a bear skull.

The Danish forest rangers have changed over to the Glock 20 as a carry piece for exactly this purpose. I'd love to know what ammo they're shooting. You can always use an after-market barrel with conventional rifling, too, such as the Lone Wolf stuff. I'm looking into that myself at the moment.

There are more powerful loads in .44 magnum and the real monsters such as the .454 Casull, but I find them too painful to practice with, and if you don't train, you're likely to fail. Those are some heavy revolvers, too. They need to be.

75 posted on 08/18/2016 9:50:38 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: DCBryan1; Mercat

Other bears in the ‘hood will ‘take care of them’.


76 posted on 08/18/2016 9:54:51 AM PDT by bjorn14 (Woe to those who call good evil and evil good. Isaiah 5:20)
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To: marktwain
Paws up! Don't shoot!

Brown bears rioting as Bear Lives Matter rally erupts in violence after shooting murder of unarmed teen Trayvon Ursa!

77 posted on 08/18/2016 10:07:27 AM PDT by N. Theknow (Kennedys-Can't drive, can't ski, can't fly, can't skipper a boat-But they know what's best for you.)
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To: TalonDJ

An experienced game warden chuckled when I asked if .44 Mag was suitable to carry on an Alaskan fishing trip. He urged .454 Casull plus someone on lookout with a rifle.


78 posted on 08/18/2016 10:35:55 AM PDT by .45 Long Colt
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To: Mr. Douglas

Yep, I have both a Colt Delta Elite and a Delta Elite Gold Cup chambered in the 10mm. I love them, the Glock is great, don’t get me wrong, but there is just something about the feel of the single stack 1911 frame that is just so pleasing to the touch that I haven’t wanted to look any further.

Shoot a few full grain 10mm and then switch to the .40, you really notice the difference too. The 10mm is a rather impressive IMHO.


79 posted on 08/18/2016 12:08:40 PM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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To: marktwain

Looking forward to the follow up.


80 posted on 08/18/2016 1:42:43 PM PDT by MileHi (Liberalism is an ideology of parasites, hypocrites, grievance mongers, victims, and control freaks.)
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