Polar bear defensive handgun

[freezingduck]

I might be placing this in the wrong forum, but here we go.
I am going to Svalbard as a helicopter pilot for 5 months.
I am going to have a short shotgun with slugs in the cabin.
I am bringing a signal pistol.
I am looking for a handgun for backup.
I have a wide variety of glocks in 9mm.
I fire almost 10.000rds a year thru my glocks shooting IPSC.

I know the 9mm glock only has a limited penetrating and energy.
So I have been looking on a 4'' 44mag and a 5'' 454 casall.

Which one should i bring.
I never shoot revolvers, and i bet I can shoot 6 9mm shots in the same time i can shoot 2 454 casall.

what should I do?
buy a magnum revolver or stick to my all time favorite glock.

 

[HARPERC]

I'd go with one of the magnums loaded with heavy bullets.

 

[freezingduck]

probably a good idea, but do you have a link to a good holster that is in stock?
Will be used every day for 18 months.

 

[JOHNNIE WALKER]

Hitting a bear that size and that powerful with a 9mm, would be similar to trying to stop a 200 pound man with a BB gun. One perfectly placed round to the head at very close range might do the trick, but you could NEVER, and I mean NEVER, count on that happening. The 454 would be a much better bet. You would be much better off with one or two hard hitting deep penetrating rounds, than you would 9 or 10 little bee stings.
You have to cause serious internal damage to stop an animal. Making it mad will only make the situation worse. The 9mm will never penetrate far enough into something as big as a bear to stop it in time.

 

[HARPERC]

Diamond D leather Alaskan Guide holster. I can't say if they're in stock, but I'd start there.

 

[lamiglas]

This is just my opinion. Glock model 20 sf 10mm with a lone wolf longslide upper 6 inch barrel. Using 200 grain beartooth or double tap flat wide nose hard cast. When you go to a short barrel in a revolver you are losing a ton of velocity and energy. With our 10mm loads we are exceeding 44 mag energy with a 3 inch barrel. Confirmed through chronograph. With a 6 inch 44mag same load we are equaling energy with our 10mm. I'm not saying you can't get a hotter 44 load either. I had lone wolf build this for me last year and love it. I had them open the leads in the chamber to accept these bullets for dependability. Goggle what fish and game uses for polar bear country sidearm in Alaska? no I'm not saying this is the best choice for everybody But this is what I would take. With a plus 2 mag ext. I have 18 rounds with close to 900 lbs energy.

 

[HARPERC]

This is just my opinion. Glock model 20 sf 10mm with a lone wolf longslide upper 6 inch barrel. Using 200 grain beartooth or double tap flat wide nose hard cast. When you go to a short barrel in a revolver you are losing a ton of velocity and energy. With our 10mm loads we are exceeding 44 mag energy with a 3 inch barrel. Confirmed through chronograph. With a 6 inch 44mag same load we are equaling energy with our 10mm. I'm not saying you can't get a hotter 44 load either. I had lone wolf build this for me last year and love it. I had them open the leads in the chamber to accept these bullets for dependability. Goggle what fish and game uses for polar bear country sidearm in Alaska? no I'm not saying this is the best choice for everybody But this is what I would take. With a plus 2 mag ext. I have 18 rounds with close to 900 lbs energy.

More critical than energy for me is penetration, and wound channel. I have some experience on smaller bear, deer, and such with the 300 grain .44 loads, and they penetrate well. Using the Buffalo Bore 305 grain loads in the .44, and the 365 grain loads in the .454, any idea how the 200 grain hard cast 10mm might compare for penetration? Genuinely interested in what your saying, you've mentioned it before, and I'm curious as to what your seeing.

 

[lamiglas]

I agree completey with everything you have said. We have only personally tested this bullet in deer ( complete pass through) and ground. Weight retention has been amazing and very little deformation. We picked this bullet based on its reputation and the tests we have read about and heard about in our research. Bear tooth bullets used to make the bullet that double tap uses but now DT makes their own ( still same bullet from what I understand). they just make it their self. Bear tooth is out of dover Idaho and I have spent a lot of time talking with the owner (his name is Marshall -very nice guy) he told me a lot of guys have reported back after shooting 600 lb hogs with excellent penetration results. Wish I had more first hand experience on game. Hopefully more to come! I love the big revolvers and we only started the 10mm project after I chronographed my 3" 44 mag. By the time it became comfortable to carry I lost to much velocity ( in my opinion). My conclusion was this. If i was OK with carrying a long barreled revolver, it would be the way to go, but if I was going to choose between a short barreled revolver, I would go with the 10. These things are amazingly accurate to a long ways out! Again, don't have a ton of results yet but from what we have seen/ read/ heard we are very impressed so far. On a side note, have you made it to any of the shoots near Spokane that Caleb puts on? Let me know if you can make one and I will bring the 10.

 

[HARPERC]

No I'm ashamed to say I haven't made it to one of Caleb's shoots. I did meet up with him one day, good guy trying to do a good thing. I will keep trying to get to one.

Currently, I've got the Ruger, .44 Special, 4 5/8 pretty handy at tent distances, and with Buffalo Bore hard cast 255's I believe it will work. They claim just shy of 1000 fps from a 3.25" barrel. I can't vouch for that never tested them, on order so we'll wait and see.

 

[ducmarc]

what does everyone think about a 460 rowland conversion in a glock 21 or a 1911 325 from brownells supposed to give 44 magnum horse power

 

[lamiglas]

Harperc, your set up sounds like a good one.

On the 460, I am not that familiar with it. I've read on it a little in the past, but have no first or even second hand knowledge of it.

Appears to be a very impressive round though!

 

[rwk]

460s&w

 

[HarryN]

Since you have a lot of experience with auto pistols, maybe a desert eagle in one of the more powerful calibers would be interesting ?

Some people are more experienced with revolvers and that "hold", while others are more trained with pistols. My personal experience is that the transition between the two is not always so straightforward and rewarding.

 

[etisll40]

460 S&W, get the 4 1/2- 6 1/2" barrel.

find a holster custom to you and how you'd like to carry it.

A bear spray wouldn't hurt either.