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.
:)
I wouldn’t need it cuz I generally hit what I’m aiming at with the First shot.
Always appreciate a fellow patriot that exercises gun control. I generally do as well, but I never assume that I will only encounter 1 bear.
We have both. A Mossberg 500 tactical and a Beretta 391 auto loader. The Mossberg is too much for me. I like the auto loader.
I once heard, when researching the Winchester Model 71, that may experienced guides North of the US/Can border or in bear country would choose that model if they could only carry one gun. You can hunt dear etc and it’s big enough cal to kill a bear.
dear, not your wife :)
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