[Stonewall Jackson]

Some suggestions I was thinking about are the .44 Magnum, .45 Long Colt, .454 Casull, or one of the .50 pistols. Are these decent suggestions, or should I make some changes? And if so, why?

Thanks.

[Dead Dog]

all good choices, just remove the front site

[wjcsux]

Don’t bother with a pistol of any sort. Bring a rifle, .30-06 as a minimum.

[KoRn]

I wouldn’t be carrying a pistol hoping to take down a Grizzly, at least as a front line weapon. If considering a ‘backup’ weapon in a pistol that could take one down, the caliber had best start with at least the number ‘4’.

[Jeff Head]

S&W .44 Mag Model 29 or 629 with the 7 1/2”, or 8 3/8” barrel.

It’s what I take into the hills and mountains here in Idaho.

[sinanju]

I tell you sir, what your friend really needs is one of these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY6KGMWcPOM&feature=related

A Karelian Bear Dog/Laika. A gun can’t watch your back and with one of these, nobody has to get shot. Plus, if my little old Tyvek is representative, they have dainty appetites and make entertaining company.

[gargoyle]

...

...This enough?

[MarineBrat]

I've always felt safe with my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag, loaded with Federal Premium CastCore. I like the simplicity of the single action, and I feel safer keeping it under my pillow than I would if I had a more complex weapon.

[fso301]

Benelli M3 Convertible

http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/benelli_m3.php

[Mariner]

For Grizzlys, nothing less than a .44 mag with a 6 inch barrel.

Otherwise the S&W Bear Gun in .500mag.

Personally, I'd carry a tactical shotgun with slugs.

[JoeProBono]

[FlingWingFlyer]

When I lived in Fairbanks, I settled for a stainless steel .44 mag. because I always carried it with me while salmon fishing. That was back in the 80s. I bought a book up there called Alaskan Bear Tales (I think. I lent it to a guy and never got it back). The author talks about encounters with grizzlies and talks about one being taken out with one round from a .22 while another attacked a hunting camp and five hunters literally shot the bear’s heart out with their rifles. The bear still tore their camp up. It all depends on the bear. I don’t know whether he was serious or not but at the end of the book, he recommended “the best gun” as being a 40mm flare gun. Hit the bear in the chest with a flare and he’ll be busy for a while. LOL!

[Cobra64]

.

.

[JohnKinAK]

That’s a constant debate up here. Most carry at least a .44 mag. Of course shot placement and luck has a lot to do with it. Shotguns and rifles are superior but you can’t always have one on you.

I’ve only had to pull mine once, and luckily it was a bluff charge, the Bear stopped just short of me. I was in the process of cocking my single action Ruger when he stopped, if he’d a kept coming I might of been able to get 1 shot before he would have been on me. Now, I carry a double action revolver. Bears move fast, real fast.

[baddog 219]

Some bears are smarter than others.....

[Pontiac]

Magnum Research Desert Eagle in .50AE

[fso301]

The FN Five N Seven has very light recoil permitting you to fire very rapidly. If you can't get your hands on military AP, use reloads with solid copper bullets, the solid bullet will go very deep into the animal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Five-seven

[roamer_1]

Around here most of the hill folk carry .45 colt (revolvers)... No matter where you go in the Rockies, .45 Colt ammo is always available.

I carry a .44mag now, but I am more accustomed to a .45... And I think I like the .45 better - the .44mag has more poop, but it also has a considerable kick - which means more time off target. And if you are pulling a hogleg against a griz, the difference between getting four or six off is a very substantial consideration, as that is the last-ditch effort before hand-to-paw/fang.

...Last-ditch because if you have a lick of sense, you probably already got at least one shot off with the .45/70 (which should be carried at the ready in a mountain sling if you are anywhere near brush) before ever resorting to a pop-gun.

... And this is against griz, not browns, so take the word of the AK folks before me...

PS, Revolver: I like a revolver because it can be operated with one hand from any position, is less prone to gunk/brush/sticks/leaves/freezing causing failure in rough country, and tends to have a simpler (and more robust) action... If you pull the hammer and let it go, it will go bang.

PS, 454 Casull: Not a fan. Too much kick, too much time off target.

[G Larry]

If you can’t hold the recoil to get the 2nd shot on target, caliber don’t matter.

I carry an S&W Model 686 in Griz country (7 shot .357).
It’s loaded w 200 grain hard points.
Aim for head & shoulders.

Don’t worry about skull thickness stories.

You need the bear dead or distracted from a head shot, or bones broke to stop the charge.

4” barrel so you can clear the shoulder holster in time.

[fso301]

Unless you can score a hit to the brain, spinal cord or break a major bone, one or two hits from a large caliber handgun may cause a large charging animal to break off the charge but one or two hits won't drop it.

This isn't an easy video to watch but it's worth seeing to understand the kind of tissue damage a large animal can absorb and remain on it's feet.

Do not watch this is you are squeamish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDsOfmpycYM

[Sherman Logan]

Maybe he doesn’t need a gun at all. Here’s a guy who killed a grizzly with a hunting knife.

http://outdoornewsdaily.com/index.php/archives/546