Posted on 12/01/2011 9:29:16 PM PST by Stonewall Jackson
I have a friend and colleague who is moving to Fairbanks next week and he is looking for a pistol to carry in grizzly country. He is an avid outdoorsman and will be hunting up there on a regular basis, but the only pistol he currently owns is a Browning 9mm.
He'd thought about getting a 1911A1, but I've pretty much convinced him that a .45ACP is okay against black bears, but is too slow hitting for effective use against grizzlies.
It sounds like the stories with the uncoventional kills or fending off involved immature juvenile bears who are not fully developed. The last one is typical of a mature adult grizzly which is more than likely what you are going to encounter in the Alaskan wild. Going into the wild you should always be prepared for the worst. Whoever came up with genus name (Ursus Arctos Horribillis) for this species gave it a name that fits it well.
I've got the same gun, but with a scope.
If I go into grizzly country with it though, I'd better take the scope off. That scope wouldn't feel too good when a grizzly shoves it up my ass.
Slight correction - mine’s a Redhawk, not a Blackhawk.
The lesson is don’t rely on a mouse gun.
If your answer to the test is “frying pan” or “5.7”, you fail.
Never mentioned one round, you did. I stated the full clip. Go shot one. You’ll realize you can get a lot more rounds off than just one. It’s loud, but the recoil is almost zilch. GO SHOT IT, you’ll want to own it.
Good to know. I Always wondered how an albino ferret would do against the grizzly. hmmm
...Wonder who inherited that stash?
The NRA, I think.
We call that an Idaho starter kit.
Yep. My brother in Idaho would agree.
Forget about a gun. Kick him in the groin and then run like crazy. If it’s a sow, good luck.
Nice suggestion - how many rounds of .458 does that magazine hold?
Many years ago (42 to be exact) I was on an elk hunting trip near slide lake in Wyoming. One of the party I was with brought a couple of guns with him that a relative had in Alaska. The relative had died in a canoeing accident in Alaska and the guns made it back to Wyoming. There was a rifle in .458 Winchester (I believe it was a Model 70) and a single action .44 mag. We all took turns with the .458 to experience it and once was enough for me. As far as the .44 was concerned, we shot a porcupine with it but hardly fazed it. All we had were some cast bullets and figured they were not soft enough to expand. Poor old beast was finally dispatched with a .22 rifle.
Uh, I never mentioned one round.
You won’t be emptying the clip though.
And it will be very, very intent on killing you.
And it can move very, very fast - which you seem to not grasp.
You are making a lot of ASSumptions. And yes, you write of “a 5.7 round”. Leaving out multiple rounds. Go borrow some money from mom and get the pistol. You will be glad you did.
Full auto P90 vs grizzly, maybe.
5.7 semi auto pistol vs grizzly, stupid. Don’t care how fast you can pull that trigger, you’re a human, it’s a grizzly, and it killing you is a sure bet.
No, as others have pointed out, there is more to the bear vs pistol scenario than stopping power alone. Bullet placement figures heavily and the rifle has every advantage here.
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