Black Bear Attack Stopped with .38 Caliber Handgun

AmmoLand ^ | August 28, 2023 | Dean Weingarten

[sarge83]

My brother-in-law was a police officer for 30+ years and he briefly carried the .41 magnum as his duty gun but went back to his standbys, the S&W Model 19 .357 and the Colt 1911 .45ACP. He alternated those for many years until he handled a Glock 22 and was hooked.

[Tupelo]

“Wadcutter is a target bullet.”

You really need to read up on wadcutters. Damn good defense round

[LouAvul]

Correct re the N frame and weight. That's why Bill Jordan pushed for the development of the K frame in 357 mag, hence, the S&W Model 19. The 27 and pre 27 are heavy guns to carry around all day. I own both but only for the range. Their added weight and my reduced loads make a pleasant gun to shoot. But I never carry them.

You mentioned shooting lower powered rounds for practice. I load all my magnum range/plinking/practice rounds at lower velocities. 44 mag is 44 special velocity. 357 mag at 38 velocity.

With the model 19, a special problem arose. Light weight bullets at max velocity combined with slow burning powders were purportedly hard on the top strap from excessive cutting due to prolonged burn time. I've looked at my K frames and can see some scarring, but I don't shoot any one gun enough for that to be an issue.

S&W intended the 19 to be carried much and shot little. They fixed that issue with the beefier L frame.

[LouAvul]

I knew a lot of folks from Harlan. Tell Boyd Crowder lou says ‘hey.’

[LouAvul]

I'm not going to waste time educating you re all the different variables. Difficulty in rapid reloads for wadcutters. Type of clothing the perp is wearing. The softer lead typically used for producing wadcutter bullets. Not to mention factory produced wadcutters are produced for paper punching at low velocities.

But be my guest. You're clearly the expert.

[No.6]

Sometimes I get the impression FR is a haven of firearms Luddites — but then most firearms related internet threads are mostly bluster and trolling. Glock this! Calibers start with 4! etc. etc.

Personally if I foreknew that I’d have to shoot a bear I’d leave *all* the handguns behind — pick your favorite long arm I guess but the easy default might be a 12ga slug or several.

In any case *this* guy achieved the desired result regardless of what we all think he should’ve used.

[Tupelo]

“You’re clearly the expert”

Actually, I am an expert.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Exactly. I love my pre-27 (3 1/2”) too, very badass looking. Also have a pre-19, first year. Somewhere along the way I also snagged an autographed copy of “No Second Place Winner” signed by Jordan, and personalized to Joe Peot, who at the time was an officer in the Army AMU. Nice piece of history.

[Max in Utah]

Damn good defense round

Against a human or a vicious dog, maybe.

I would want a round you could count on to penetrate a bear's skull. If he's charging the only way to stop him quickly is hitting the brain or spinal cord. At a close distance even a solid heart shot would leave enough life in him to get ya.

Hard-cast semi-wadcutter or flat nose, heavy weight.

[Hiddigeigei]

"I’ve got a few options but my SW 38 is my preferred go to when I am out and about."
Me too, but I wondering whether I should carry a quick loader also in case six just doesn't do the job.

[Hiddigeigei]

"THE 1911, ITS LIKE A GLOCK BUT FOR MEN"
I have a Colt .45 1911 competition model, but I don't like to carry cocked and I can't see working the slide in an emergency, so I carry my SW .38 revolver with Plus P hollow nose.

[KierkegaardMAN]

I carry a speed loader and an extra box of 50. Statistically the ordeal is over after the first five but times are a changing.

[KierkegaardMAN]

Love it. I inherited dad’s 44 black Hawk. It garners a lot of respect at the range. I upgraded from wooden grip to oversized rubber grip.

[ought-six]

Yes, Bella Twin did it back in 1957.

[LouAvul]

I've had several, but this is current iteration Super Blackhawk. Three screw (which means it's an earlier model; no warning on barrel). Barrel shortened from 7 1/2 inch to 4 5/8 inches. Satin nickel finish on grip frame and ejector rod housing.

[KierkegaardMAN]

I still have boxes of 44 hollow point from the Y2K stockpile that are marked $9.99 for 40 rounds. Glad I stocked up.

[marktwain]

I would like to interview them to get the details. Sounds like they had two pistols and stopped the charge which started a mere 15 feet from them.

A very dynamic situation.

Hard to know how bad the bullet wound was. Could be anything from a graze to a through and through intersecting a lung. Not good if it hit bone.