Side Arm for Grizzly Country

[Buzzsaw]

Carrying a heavy sidearm along with a 10# rifle, 50# pack is just not needed.

In Camp, YES wear a sidearm. your guide will have a big gun for back up, your rifles scope should be set on its lowest power, be alert.

You should be fine. If a Big Ole Bear gets on you in camp, the .357 will kill it dead

 

[Xescane]

First! The likelyhood of you getting off a calm accurate shot is unlikely so the more rounds the better. The sound will send them running 9 out of 10 times anyways.
Second! The kill area of a bear facing you is very small so make lots of holes. I carry a Springfield 10mm xdm.
Lastly! I live in and hunt in grizzly country every day I have ever hunted and have seen them hundreds of times. Unless your in alaska they aren't much larger than a large black bear. Most under 400lbs. There is no such thing as a pistol that knocks down a bear anyways. I double lunged a 100lb black bear last weekend with a 212gr eld x out of my 300 mag and he still ran 75 yards before tipping over.
So I vote auto for a defense side arm against bears.

 

[Stiltsville]

I'll "play it again" ---- a 329 in a tanker holster is NOT a "heavy" sidearm.

Few Griz bears in TX I believe.

 

[rammac]

I don't know what info I looked at but here is one small snippet (I'm not even sure this was the same study the article I looked at referred to or not) that seems to contradict what you posted. Maybe I looked at biased info, who knows. Post a link to your info so I can see where you got your numbers.

Shoot or Spray? The Best Way to Stop a Charging Bear

While many gun proponents remain adamant that firearms offer better protection against a charging bear than pepper spray, a growing body of scientific research suggests otherwise

www.outsideonline.com

6 Best Bear Guns

What are some good bear guns? There are many, but here are 6 excellent bruin bashers that can keep you safe in the deep woods...

aliengearholsters.com

I posted a link to the article that I referenced, I guess you didn't read close enough - click on the words "this link".
The problem is that most people are quoting a study called "Efficacy of Bear Spray in Alaska" and the other report entitled "Efficacy of Firearms for Bear Deterance in Alaska". Both were written by the same author and they were published by one of the Universities in Utah. The author states, in the article that I linked to, that people make the mistake of comparing both reports to each other and he says that this is an incorrect comparison since one report was a study to find out why bear spray works and the other was to find out why guns fail to work. That's not the same premise as which one works better. It's sort of like saying that you did a study asking why an electric car is efficient and and a second study asking why a muscle car is fast and then concluding that the electric car is better than the muscle car. Neither of the two studies compare the data to the other so making any claim that one proves something about the other is baseless - and that's what has happened with these two bear studies.

 

[UplandFreak]

Just for fun I am going to share my reasoning on going with the glock 29 - I am a firm believer in practicing with whatever weapon you choose. My EDC is a glock, my nightstand weapon is a glock. I am at a phase in my life where I am crazy busy with work and kids and am lucky to break away for some range time a couple times a month. The time I spend with my 23 and my 17 and my 43 transfers over to my 29 that I carry in bear country. So I roll with a single platform (glock) for everything. I have a ton of confidence in my ability with the 29 and if I had to bet my life on something that would be the gun right now.

 

[Rooks]

A shorter barrel would be easier to stick in the bears mouth if he crawls on top of you... j/k, but seriously. I've carried a 6 inch 44 mag all over the country. Choose your holster carefully, it will contribute to your comfort or your misery. If I were to buy a side arm for bear I would look for something shorter, but 6 inches will do the job. Pick the right ammo and practice.

 

[del2les]

Several griz have been killed with a .357, and while it is not my first nor second cartridge I prefer in bear country, when I do carry one, it is loaded with 180gr hard cast WFN bullets driven as hard as I dare. There are several commercial loads in the 180 cast marketed for bear, so if that is your choice of handguns, I would use one of those. PENETRATION is what you want. Heavy muscles, bones, etc.

Personally, I tend to carry a 44mag with 300 hard cast WFN's, a 5 1/2" 45 Colt in a Ruger Redhawk loaded warm with either a 300 or 325 cast WFN, or if feeling like an auto day, my 45 Super with 230 hard cast TC running at 1,100+fps.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I have friend that went fishing in Alaska several years ago. Taking a 357 Mag with them. The guide ask it they had a firearm with them. He stated he had a pistol 357 mag. The guide said that great. So a big smile came up on his face. Then the guide stated that would work. Stick it in your mouth and pull the trigger. That way you won't feel any pain.

 

[rammac]

Just for giggles if anyone wants to see just how fast those buggers can move on you- watch this.

Expert halts grizzly bear charge with bear spray; video could help save lives

Families are planning wilderness trips as bears are emerging from hibernation, and hikers are urged not only to carry bear spray but to learn beforehand how to use the devices. To this end, Yellows…

ftw.usatoday.com

If you're packing a pistol- try rolling some bowling balls down hill at 20-30mph towards you and see if you can hit them

That is not a true charge, that's a faint and that's why the bear spray seemed to work, that bear had no intention of actually attacking, she was just trying to make sure that the guy in the video wasn't going to go after her cub. A real charge is far more aggressive and you typically wont see it coming because the bear is actually stalking you so it will hold to cover until it's ready to attack. I live in SW Montana and more often than not, when you read about bear attacks around here, real attacks, it's more common to hear about how the bear just ran right through the spray without any effect. What's even more of a problem is that when people buy a can of spray they never practice with it and it's not unusual to hear that some guy TRIED to deploy his spray and he never did because he didn't know hot to disengage the safety, or he didn't know how to use the spray.

 

[flyguy1]

There are extensive discussions of this on other groups without consensus, even among Alaskans. The common theme, though is to use good bullets (like Buffalo Bore). We always carried .44s (Model 29) but basically I did it because my mentor did it. As he said, "Just something to stick in his ear when he's chewin' on you".

This is an interesting read from last year in Montana though. These guys were both wildlife biologists. As usual, the title is not exactly the take-home, but oh, well, I guess.

Grizzly Bear Attack in Montana Stopped with 9mm Pistols

A pair of bowhunters in Montana were attacked by a grizzly bear on September 16, 2019. They stopped the attack with 9 mm pistols. One hunter said bear spray would not have worked.

www.ammoland.com

 

[Hawk in WY]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the essential few: Bear Aware training and bear spray.

By all means, carry the biggest caliber handgun you shoot well. My choice is a .44 Mag revolver.

The first line of defense is awareness of bear behavior and bear spray.

 

[Methow Packer]

Double Tapp or Buffalo Bore

Look at the Lehigh bullets and their performance showing large wound channnels

 

[Gar Guru]

I am yet to hunt in grizz country, but when I do I will carry the pistol in my right hand the whole time I am there. Won't need a holster, lol

 

[Montanamike]

Look at the Ruger Alaskan in 44 or 454, 480. It's stainless compact and carries well. I use it in Montana for hiking, fishing and definitely when we hunt. I never leave home without it. Several manufacturers make great chest holsters that work with packs and horseback. I switch to a belt holster when on our horses but still use my chest holster if hunting from horses as I may have to pack up for a stalk. Good luck on your hunt! You'll have great memories