Posted on 10/15/2023 5:06:35 AM PDT by marktwain
A surprising result of the research to determine if handguns are effective when used in defense against bears is that they appear to be more effective than rifles or shotguns. This is a surprise. Rifles and shotguns tend to be more powerful than pistols. They are also easier to use accurately at a distance. When expecting a bear encounter, the preferred firearm is almost always a high-powered rifle or a shotgun.
Much of the advantage of accuracy at the range of rifles and shotguns is eliminated because most defenses against bears occur at very close ranges. Defensive handguns have been designed with close-range defense in mind. They are specifically designed for quick access and repeated fast shots at close range.
In the study, Efficacy of Firearms for Bear Deterrence in Alaska, the authors found handguns to be marginally more effective than long guns, with long guns at 76% effective and handguns at 84% effective. Herrero and Smith, the authors of the study, note because of the small sample, this is not a statistically valid difference. The study included many instances where a firearm was not fired for various reasons.
One of the main reasons handguns appear to be more effective is because they are fired more often in defense against bears. Handguns are meant to be carried on the person, usually in a holster. Holsters are ergonomically designed and extensively tested to allow quick access during stress. The same holsters are designed to prevent the firearm from being lost during strenuous activity.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
I’ll take your 500S&W and raise you my 475 Linebaugh.
I think there’s a town in Norway where carrying a rifle is mandatory.
The ONLY factory firearm that S&W makes that will chamber the 454 Casull is the S&W 460 Magnum.
I killed a 300lb plus black bear that came at me at around 10 feet. Drove a 44mag 315gr hard cast at 1300fps between her eyes and down into the body.
We ended up about 5 feet apart.
She was Dead right there.
I have killed several other black bears with the 44 and or 41 mag. With proper bullets and shot placement the results were just fine.
I have also shot bears with rifles and shotguns. Proper bullets and proper shot placement is the key.
I have also convinced bears that they had better places to be instead of causing problems.
One has no plans to go up into near country, but... Just put of curiosity what’s your opinion of the .357 magnum with 180 hardcast bullets for bear defense? How about the 10mm?
TIA
Maybe I’m mistaken about it being S&W
Thanks
I dropped a 45 several months back. It went off and shot my leg. Blew left shinn in two. My guess is a 45 is a pretty good defensive round for shooting a bear….
Davy Crocket killed him a ‘bar when he was only three.
I believe it is all the towns under Norway rule in the Svalbard archipelago.
The rule only applies outside of town, though. They also allow 12 gauge and up shotguns and .44 magnum and up handguns. They are making it much harder to carry handguns. It is a European antipathy for handguns, not the record of handgun use, which has been exemplary in Svalbard.
May you inform us as to the make and model? Lots of .45 handguns out there. Not many have a reputation of going off when dropped, anymore.
Or, perhaps it was a really freakish accident, which happen from time to time...
In whatever case, it would be nice to know a bit more.
Was a Springfield Armory…. Model P9 chambered in 45 acp. Only made a couple of years…. Like in 1992. I have owned gun since back then.
I have a little YouTube channel and did a video about it. Video got 118k views. Not trying to promote my channel, but if you are interested the link to vid is here. I show the gun etc…. It was a very bad accident.
https://youtu.be/BqA-K70BOc4?si=ZcDUtUO9lq70uBZ0
Thank you for the information.
Thanks. I remember it now. Terrible accident. There was a reason they stopped making that model...
Yes…. I remember requesting prayer that night while in hospital waiting on surgery. Freepers really supported me. I guess I should post an update in chat or something. Not trying to be a narcissist though. Thanks
Scary stuff, glad it turned out “ok”. I’m in a rural area, so being able to get to my handgun in a hurry isn’t as important as in town. I like holsters with retention, thumb breaks for autos and Jordan’s for my revolvers.
Honestly… I carry at our ranch all the time. Carry conceal when in okc. I don’t carry anything with one n the chamber anymore. Whatever happens…. I need an extra second to rack it. That is just me… now.
I’m 7 1/2 months past now. I’m getting around pretty good….. for 64 years old.
Same age, don’t think I’ll complain about my arthritic knees anymore.
That sucks about your leg. I hope you are recovering.
However, while a .45 is very effective against a person, I would not want to use it on a bear.
A few years ago, a buddy was here on my place hunting whitetail with a .50 black powder. I was roofing my house just before sunset when I heard a shot. He came back to the house and I asked if he hit it. He says, I’m pretty sure I got him, so I came down off the roof, grabbed a flashlight and my Colt 1911.
It was dark and after a while, I saw two eyes glowing from the flashlight and the beast stood up, looking me directly in my eyes. I drew on him and shot. Nothing happened. I shot again and again. The buck just casually walked away. I thought I was just a terrible shot.
Eventually, we found him dead and loaded him into the tractor bucket and brought him to the house.
As we skinned him, there were multiple .45 slugs that fell out, just trapped between the skin and body cavity. They never penetrated into anything vital, just got stuck there.
Later, telling my FIL about it, he said, yep, a .45 won’t do anything to a deer.
If I had to shoot a bear, I would want something with more punch than that, at least a .357.
what loads?
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