Side Arm for Grizzly Country

Practice is important with any side arm you carry. Right before deer season I decided to load some max loads for my 454 with 31 grains of lil gun and a 300 gr nosler partition handgun. I headed out to the range and engaged a target at 7 yards, hit, hit, hit, cylinder stuck, rut ro I don't know what happened, because all loads were carefully measured and weighed. I had to beat that stuck case out of my cylinder with a punch. I went back and loaded up 50 more rounds with 29 grains and called it a day. I did shoot my 5 point bull in the head with one of these just because he wasn't quite dead yet.

Probably need a little heavier crimp to keep your bullets from growing in length during firing.
 
I wonder how many 10mm guys will be brave enough to actually put up or shut up.
Nice shooting! Definitely motivation to practice more with my Glock 29. Maybe someday when I get better with it I will have to move up into the revolvers. I like my 10mm but I am not going to say it will outperform the big bore revolvers.
I'm not much of a pistol shooter but do like my G29. I can use it as EDC, backcountry carry and home defense. It's not great at any one thing, it will most likely shoot through any two legged threats, will be on the light side for bigger four legged threats and muzzle flash will most likely make it hard for follow up shots at night if the threat is moving. But it checks a box or two in each category I need. Best part is it's snappy enough I think my wife is convinced she needs something easier for her to shoot. 😉
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Nice shooting! Definitely motivation to practice more with my Glock 29. Maybe someday when I get better with it I will have to move up into the revolvers. I like my 10mm but I am not going to say it will outperform the big bore revolvers.
I'm not much of a pistol shooter but do like my G29. I can use it as EDC, backcountry carry and home defense. It's not great at any one thing, it will most likely shoot through any two legged threats, will be on the light side for bigger four legged threats and muzzle flash will most likely make it hard for follow up shots at night if the threat is moving. But it checks a box or two in each category I need. Best part is it's snappy enough I think my wife is convinced she needs something easier for her to shoot. 😉
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Ohh, I would argue 10mm is great for two legged threats. Purpose built for that and still fitting in standard size frames as I recall.

If you want to get better fast and cheaply just find a local IDPA match (concealed divisions and compact are out there). For the $20 match fee and $30-40 of ammo you can't buy better training. Even if you talk to no one else which is unlikely just shooting the course of fire will teach you things or watching others.

And don't listen to the naysayers, there's no special magic to be a revolver shooter, it's like my favorite meme says:
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Yeah, I had some relatively "mild" (if a 240gr XTP @1500fps can be considered mild) 454 Casull handloads lock up the cylinder on my Ruger Bisley after only 3 shots (cylinder holds 5). Was using new brass that hadnt been sized and had been originally belled for my 360gr hard cast bullets so this was partially my fault even though I had properly crimped them, but just goes to show that you dont even need to be on the redline to cause problems (1500fps is only about 75% for a Casull with that bullet for those wondering).

As far as the original topic, I run HSM "Bear Load" factory 335gr Hard Cast in my 454 Ruger Alaskan. It wakes you up but is very manageable even in that gun. I can keep double taps inside of a 12" circle with that load at 25yds. My 360gr Hard Cast handloads that I hunt with are un-shootable in the Alaskan. I carry the Alaskan everywhere when I am outdoors, the grip sometimes gets in the way if I am in and out of the truck a lot, but the weight has never been an issue on the hip. When the great panic of 2020 subsides (maybe in 2025) I will try and get a 10mm Glock to play around with.
I was excited to get my NIB S&W PD (Scandium Frame Lightweight) .44 Mag.....first shot, factory federal ammo, locked up so tight I had to use tools to get it unjammed. I traded it that night for a Ruger Bisley Hunter in .41mag. I would not trust my life to one of those! I have a Taurus raging bull in 454 but it's developing a bit of a rattle with my handloads.....Next stop....Blackhawk!
I do own a Glock 20, it is a fine handgun but nothing puts a stop on a critter like a wide meplat heavy slug pushed as hard as your gun stand......IMHO of course.
Merry Christmas Y'all!
 
I keep hoping s&w will make some 3inch pro series on the 5 shot 69. Something lighter than my 629 mountain gun but heavier than the scandium.
 
So teleworking today and had a free minute or two at lunch. Decided to see what I could do with the best gun I have for speed compared to the revolver, never done a six round string for speed in a semi.

100 yards, slow fire, very windy. I was actually very disappointed to only hit three times. I practice at this distance with this pistol several times a week and it has much better sights m. Usually I can get better than 80% hits. Ohh well, three of six.
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Stood in the same spot as the revolver. Full disclosure I had to shoot this twice, first time it did not strip or feed the last round, these are low quality reloads I didn't sort brass enough. But it also demonstrates why I don't like semis for bears. First shot .57, last 2.20. Judging by the accuracy I rushed it.
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I have a G21, maybe I should run that for more of an apples to apples "EDC" gun.
 
Time to React:
In 2019 we were perched on our hillside a short distance above base camp, glassing for game. A sow grizzly with two young cubs showed travelling down the river bed about 150 yds distant. None knew where we were. I told my partner to shoot his AR15 into the ground to the side of the sow. Don't like grizzlies around camp. Especially sows with yearling cubs.
First shot, the sow looks around wondering what was up, but not too concerned. She doesn't really start heading out at all. Shows just a little concern. Tell my buddy to shoot another round.
Second shot she's immediately on alert. Looking all around her first and next turns to locate her cubs, which were trailing behind some 40yds in sparse brush. I don't know how she communicated to her cubs, but they came to her at a fast walk. Now the sow moves forward 60yds and the stops for awhile. Not as relaxed as when she first showed. Tell my buddy to shoot again.
Third bullet slaps into riverbed gravel and rock about 6yds to the side, and upwind of the sow, at the base of some willows. Kicked up some visible smoke/dust. Sow stands erect on rear legs, jerking neck in all directions, clearly alarmed. When the smoke dust drifted to her, she attacks the location of the bullet strike. Three quick pogo stick hops on rear legs has here into the clump of willows. Her front paws are just a blur, parting the willow branches, while she's looking down for the threat. Then unable to find anything to kill, she hesitates, drops to all fours, and heads for the hills at a gallop.

Whole point of this story? If a guy had been in that clump of willows, it woulda been curtains. This sow was out for blood. The only way a guy woulda had any chance was if the firearm was in hand and pointed toward the sow at the moment she started her attack. It was both alarming and frightening. I looked at my buddy and said "we just witnessed what mauling victims see, just before death".

It was a sobering moment. Something I'll never forget. Still can cause the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. Spookier than when a black bear stalked me by scent, sneaking to within 20 feet before I could respond and kill it.

Just thought I'd share this experience for others consideration, when deciding on what firearm to carry, and how & where to carry it.

That sow woulda killed the majority of us, if not all, no matter the weapon carried. She came unglued and moved way too fast to respond.
 
^ Thankfully bears are not very proficient killers- that alone is why so many people survive their attacks. The same can not be said about the big cats of Africa.
I think it's true bears don't kill to eat people as commonly as lions. But I don't think 'proficient' is the right word. Maybe "determined" fits. They have no problem killing humans should that be their mindset. Adult brown/grizzly bear have little problem killing adult moose, moose much larger than them.
We're no match, helpless without a weapon. Large brown bear are able to kill by crushing our skulls. Has happened twice within less than 15 miles of me. One bite, one kill. Smaller bear often bite the head, but rip thru the scalp, unable to fit the skull far enough in their teeth to crush it. Thus the pics of blood streaming down faces.
No reliable way to know their intentions. Often they'll depart after their mauled victim is no longer a threat. But even non-lethal maulings can be horrible.
 
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Once upon a time, I was around some G bears in captivity. One of their treats was fruit frozen in big blocks of ice. About the size of 5 gallon pails.

Long and the short, I won't soon forget watching the big bruins saunter over to the blocks of ice and with one smack of their paw they'd shatter the big blocks of ice into smitherines (is that a word, gues it is this morning)...:)

I was as you can say impressed!
 
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