The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Watch this video and then ask yourself, "Would a pistol be any good in this situation?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZnsL7-UdGc

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Uhm....... Yeah.

Whether they shot it with a 454 casull or what ever long gun he used that bear was intent on killing those hunters.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

That would make a guys hair stand up!!

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

My point was...In this situation, I don't know of anyone that has big enough "oblongs" to stand there, take aim and put a round in this bear that's charging with the obvious intent of killing you. I'll hazard a guess that it's easier to shoot a long-arm in this situation (shaky hands) than it would be to shoot a pistol.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Maybe, but I would venture a guess that if you don't have the stones to stand your ground with a revolver than you probably don't have the stones to stand your ground with a rifle. In that situationa personis likely going to be eithervery calm and collective and do what needs to be done when it needs to be doneregardless of what firearm they have in their handsand then shake like a leaf afterwards when you are still alive or............. shake like a leaf during the entire event, put a bunch of lead downrange and not hit anything unless you get lucky,and have a very real possibility of become that bears lunch.

I know one thing......I would much ratherhave a 44, 454, 480, 475, etc...in my hands than nothing at all.





Or a .22 derringer and shoot my "buddy" in the knee. A good buddy will give their life to save yours you know.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

All good points!;)

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

This past fall while I was bow hunting I spooked up 4 black bears. They did end up running away but it wa a mamma and three cubs. If she charged, I didn't have a sidearm and would have been ripped apart. Pretty spooky but awsome to watch.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

At 8 yards . . . damn right! 6 rounds of double actiopn .454 Cassul would be preferable over 3 or 4 rounds in a bolt action.
BUT! Hope I never have to find out.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Looked like he had a tad more time to wait, on some of those african hunts I've seen elephants charge way closer than I'd of liked, but the guide sometiems fire a warning shot, but I guess elephants mock charge more perhaps? But I've seen elephants that come so close I'd of shot them, but then they stop and turn around, so I guess it's the guides discretion, also why not a warning shot? hate to waste ammo, but who knows, but good outcome, so I'd have to say they did things right.

Also have to agreee with what was said above, if you don't have the stones to be out there, you shouldn't be there at all. And ya, shake after the bears dead, prior to that, do what you have to. In some ways I think these moments may actually be easier shots than most would think or than people even believe, in the sense that the human body is so amazing, personally I would bet that the body takes over, you become way more focused etc....and you get the job done, kinda like those moments you've had before a crash etc....and everythign slows down...like slow motion, that happens for a reason, because youre hyper sensitive, its like amovie camera, slow motion is a camera filming at twice the speed then played back and normal speed, to give you slow mo, your body speeds up and everything else slows down. From all i've read/seen/know, the body doesn't surprise me, its certainly amazing though what it can do. I try not to worry about things I can't prevent either, a bear charges, a bear charges, you either kill it, or it kills you either way, no worries.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

The alternative? Bear pepper spray may be fine under the "right conditions" (little or no wind). However, I've been on the tops of some of the tall ridgelines in the western mountain of Wyoming hunting Elk when it was blowing 35+ mph and snow bursts. I got to thinking up there after I had dropped an Elk and was field dressing it that if a Grizzly came up toward me with that wind, bear spray would be pretty worthless, as it would just as likely blow back in my face or to the side and disipateas it would to reach the bear and do any good.
Now, I carry a Ruger Redhawk .44 mag along with my rifle hunting out there. It's no guarantee that you'd get out of an encounter with dangerous predator, but at least it gives another option in a type situation where a rifle and scope are of little use to defend youself up close.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Many under estimate the stopping power of a 300 Plus grain Handgun bullet at close range. Would I rather have a 12 Ga with Dixie slugs? yes but a 44 mag or larger handgun is no slouch either. I would be pretty happy with the 7600 Remington in 30-06 or 35 Whelen or the Marlin in 450 or 45-70.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

My buddies and I used to practice scenarios such as this one - though this was way more open. We practiced in an alder thicket.

You all can certainly do whatever you want in a situation like this. If all you have is a handgun, you'd better use it. Me - I'll always take my .375 H&H over ANY handgun. Quite obviously, you're taking your life into your hands in a situation such as this. What odds do you want toplace on your living through such an encounter?

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

I'd agree that a high-power magnum rifle with a partition or bonded core bullet would be the first choice, if it came to defending yourself from imminent charge. However, if you have a target running at you and your rifle is scoped, within 50 yards, the rifle would become much more difficult to get off an aimed shot than a magnum revolver of .44 or more powerful.
Let's hope we never have to use either for that purpose.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

.50 AE has more energy and more penetration than a 12 ga. slug. Worst case, if the bear gets you, you might still be able to shoot.

Ideally you pop it with a big rifle before it gets too close. Cleaning a kill? Rounding up some firewood? You might not have that rifle.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

I'd seen another encounter on Easton hunting show where the bear charged from a river bank at these guys in a raft. The guide fired a warning shot in front of bear (Hit water) and turned it. I'd seen this Cabelas show in the video and that was the only thing I questioned is why he didn't try a quick warning shot in front of bear when it first started coming as he had alot more time than the river charge. Of course I wasn't there so it's easy to be an armchair quarterback here too. It was just really unfortunate for the sow and cub in this case but better that than lose of human life...

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

check these out, i would feel a little more comfortable with a belt full of these!

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=377126

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

My son lives just out of Fairbanks. He tells me that more nasty bear encounters occur after a hunter has made a kill than any other time. I know for a fact, we had a bear come running to us immediately after we'd taken a Dahl Sheep. We were well above the timberline and could see her about 3/4 mile away before taking the shot at the sheep. However, when the rifle went off, she turned and came toward us in almost a run. It was like the rifle going off was her dinner bell. Luckily, she held up at about 100 yards and just really looked us over for awhile. Made me a bit nervous to be on my knees field dressing a sheep and having a bear watching it all happen. Needless to say, I don't know how I could have gotten it done if my son hadn't been right there with me to stand up and keep the bear in sight the whole time. I guess that's why you don't hunt alone in Alaska.

Regards, & Good Huntin',
LlindeX

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Did anybody take notice, The guide had open sites on his rifle. you can't be messing around trying to get her in the crosshair of a scope in that situation.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

The way I look at it there are only 3 options. 12 ga. pump shotgun, pepper sprayor nothing at all.

Based on what I've read the preferrable shot placement is a brain the size of a pop can. Factor into that formula a bouncing moving target and a large amount of excitement. If hiting the brain is the only viable option of stopping the griz than using a hand gun is out. (I'm figuring most of us are not great shots with a hand gun).

If pepper spray only works under the best conditions (e.g. mountain winds) this may be a better option than the hand gun but not the best option.

The option I'm leaning toward is the pump shotgun with either 00 buck or slugs. Probably the 00 buck in the chamberfollowed by another 00 and thanseveral slugs. At 20, 30, or 40 yards I know I could get a lot closer at hitting that pop canevery time with the shotgun over the hand gun. I think I also could get back on target quicker after the previous shot with the shotgun.The first shot will be in the air to scare off the bear.

If there are several of us hunting together and if my friend gets attacked I don't want to be shooting using the 00 buck or the hand gun nor do I want my friend shooting at the bear, if withina few feet of me, with the 00 or hand gun. If someone is hit with a bulletthey could be in worse shape than a mauling. Remember we're probably a few hours from help.

The draw back to carrying the shotgun is the size but a sling would help nicely with that.

The other thing to consider is if you're hunting with another person or two maybe more people would help stop a charge and expecially if more than one person is shooting.

I believe Winchester makes a nice pump (name excapes me at the moment) for about $300.

Let's hope we'll never have to find out which option is best.:eek:

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

I was thinking the same thing as I was watching it... Right when the animals started their direction I was saying to my self "shoot one in the dirt in front of her"....

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Here's one where they used a handgun even though they didn't have to shoot the bear it was the right gun for the moment I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbnmLLnsfw&NR=1

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Another one of these bear debates?

I live in northern Montana, and I can tell it to you straight. I encounter black and browns on a monthly basis and hunt seasonally.

If you are hiking in bear country and you want a side arm, you don’t need the biggest gun on the rack. Your actually better off with bear spray, I know that for a personal fact.

You are fine with a .357, here is the proof.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articl...?ID=1000014248

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Stompin, I'm sure you have more experience in big bear country living there in MT than I. But I wonder what do you do with bear spray if you happen to be down wind or with a strong cross-wind and happen to encounter a grizzly.
I have carried the bear spray cannisters along with my .300 WM when Elk hunting in the mountains 100 mi. SE of Yellowstone, where they have them. But I started carrying a .44 mag Ruger Redhawk there this past year as a backup in case I unexpectedly gotten into close quarters with a bear or mtn. lion (which we did cross tracks of this year). The reason I changed to that was being on top of some of those ridge lines with a 35+ mph wind I figure the bear spray would be of little use in such a situation.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

For me shotgun & slugs, but that's just me...to each his own when it comes to that, you really don't know exactly how YOU will react until you are confronted with that situation. I was chased by a hog once, can't imagine having a bear charging...shotgun for sure, that in my book is pretty much going to 100% put him down, if it doesn't then your in trouble anyway.

RE: The "Side arm vs Grizzly" thread got me thinking
 

Targethogs, that's fine if you're carrying just the shotgun with slugs and not a rifle and equipment for hunting other big game. I'm just saying for the case where I'm hunting big game in the western mountains where there are number of big bears and cats, I've started carrying a .44 magnum Ruger Redhawk with Corbon 300 gr solid cast bullets as a backup sidearm along with my .300 WM for Elk. I've been on the tops of some ridges in the mountains of Wyoming with it blowing 30-35 mph and snow bursts, with my bear spray and rifle. I decided then that aside from the obvious first choice to try to avoid any contact with grizzlies, second choice if necessary would have to deter it with a bullet from the .300 wm and lastly if it came too close for that to have a magnum revolver as a last resort. I figured with the wind wiping like that any bear spray would just as like get blow every other direction except in the bear's face or just as bad back in my own. I think there are situations that bear spray is still the best choice (e.g. places where firearms aren't an option, on hikes through areas potentially with big predator encounters where weather isn't a factor.)