[JK-linux]

Depends on what’s in the woods. In MN, when I can carry, I feel adequately heeled with a 4” .357. But, I’m more likely to run into a deer or coyote or big cat than a bear when I’m “in the woods” these days. Some places require more, but I don’t hunt or hike much anymore. A .44 wheel gun would be appropriate up there. Neither is likely needed, but ya know… Not looking or smelling like an easy mark or meal is best.

 

[darkenfast]

While I love to read about different calibers and guns, and there's a lot I wouldn't turn down if they were handed to me, I'm afraid I've gotten very boring as I age. I gave up on the caliber wars a long time ago, as I realized that most of the so-called "data" ... wasn't. Most of the "Buy this gun!", "Carry it this way, or you'll die", "Hold it like this!" arguments stopped impressing me anymore. The real-world experience of people who have defended themselves against large animals shows that, as long as you have something that can penetrate, and that you can get into action quickly and fire repeat shots accurately with, you will probably be okay.

For me, that would be my 17L Gen 1, loaded with either of the two fast-stepping FMJ flat-nose loads I got on sale at different times (M1152 115 gr. or Underwood +P 124 gr.). That Glock points like a dueling pistol for me. A few decades ago, it would've been a six-inch .357, because that's what I had back then. The long Glock and an old BHP are what I have now.

There you have it. Very boring. I woke up a while back and realized I'd rather spend my money on my church and select individuals who need help. I still like reading about all of it and having the occasional "Walter Mitty" daydreams, though! Carry on.

 

[grecco]

Here in Pa, I usually have my G23 when hiking or hunting.

 

[agtman]

It depends on the woods.

Or the tundra ....

That‘s why those manly-man soldiers of Denmark’s Sledge Patrol are issued 10mm Gen4 Glock 20s.

The 10mm - properly loaded - will take down anything in the woods and wilds from the big bruins to bobcats and dangerous ‘Deliverance’-type dudes with no front teef.

Word.

 

[RedTeam98]

Here in Pa, I usually have my G23 when hiking or hunting.

Don’t forget you have some huge black Bear in PA / NC .

 

[DoctorStrange]

Someone may have already posted this. Surprisingly, 9 mm has been used effectively against bears. I would choose a more powerful caliber if I knew I was going into Grizzly or Brown Bear territory though.

Handgun Defenses Against Bear Attacks - 170 Documented Incidents, 98% Effective

There are now 170 documented cases, with 146 of those cases where handguns only are fired in defense against bear attacks. Handguns are effective 98% of the time.

www.ammoland.com

While this documents largely successful encounters, I’m sure the sample isn’t generalizable nor representative. Which handgun encounters aren’t known, weren’t successful, or never reported?

 

[DoctorStrange]

The little black bears in the east, like Florida, only 760 lbs, a 9mm will do,
for the smaller bears in places like jellystone??


Facts about Florida Black Bears: Biology | FWC (myfwc.com)
There have been two male bears that are considered the largest in the state. One was a 740 lb bear and the other was 760 lb bear, both were found in 2015 in Seminole County lingering in neighborhoods after gaining access to unsecured human-provided attractants.

The two largest female bears found in Florida were 460 pounds killed in a vehicle strike in Lake County in 2019 and the other was 400 pounds, found on the side of a road (killed by a vehicle strike) in January 2007 in Liberty County.


A lot of bear: Yellowstone grizzly weighs in at near-record 712 pounds - Cheyenne, WY Cap City News
In fact, he said, the only heavier Yellowstone-region grizzly bear ever documented was encountered all the way back in 1977. That beast of a bruin was a 715-pound male.


For the glock only gun, a g21 with one of these barrels and a full super/rowland load
with a 230 fn or 250 fn cast boolit, like one of these,
6 Cavity Mold 452-230-TC by Lee (midsouthshooterssupply.com)

6 Cavity Mold 452-255-RF by Lee (midsouthshooterssupply.com)

You could load this one down to 10mm power too, around 1175
to 1225 fps, or load it up to 460 Rowland power, 1450 fps,
Double Cavity Mold 452-200-RF by Lee (midsouthshooterssupply.com)

If you do want to get more power from one of the best guns glock makes,
G21, you will probably have better results with barrels like these,


Lone Wolf Arms Glock 21 .45 ACP Threaded Barrel, .578x28 | 13% Off 4.8 Star Rating w/ Free Shipping and Handling (opticsplanet.com)

LWD Barrel M/21 45ACP 9" Length - Lone Wolf Arms (lonewolfdist.com)

The 9'' can always be cut to around six inches to be more user friendly.

Yes, I do have most of what is posted above for woods carry
and much more, still like my magnum revovlers better.

NC and some other states do have bigger black bears than Florida
and jellystone.

The biggest grizzlies and brown bears are much larger than black bears.. That’s why usually people including on here differentiate between 1) Mountain Lion and Black Bear country 2) Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear, and Moose country for what kind of defensive gun one needs..

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-largest-grizzly-bear-ever-weighed-more-than-a-moose-reasons-it-grew-so-big/#:~:text=Key%20Points,tall%20on%20its%20hind%20legs

.
1600 pounds, ten feet tall standing.

Big Brown Bears - North American Bear Center

Kodiak bears are among the largest of all living bears, being comparable in size to polar bears. Sixteen of the twenty largest brown bears killed by hunters have come from...

bear.org

.
2130 pounds

 

[USAF_PJ]

The biggest grizzlies and brown bears are much larger than black bears.. That’s why usually people including on here differentiate between 1) Mountain Lion and Black Bear country 2) Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear, and Moose country for what kind of defensive gun one needs..

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-largest-grizzly-bear-ever-weighed-more-than-a-moose-reasons-it-grew-so-big/#:~:text=Key%20Points,tall%20on%20its%20hind%20legs

.
1600 pounds, ten feet tall standing.

Big Brown Bears - North American Bear Center

Kodiak bears are among the largest of all living bears, being comparable in size to polar bears. Sixteen of the twenty largest brown bears killed by hunters have come from...

bear.org

.
2130 pounds

Great information, so you are saying a "bigger caliber" my be better, but there is some data that 9mm can work...and if you go hiking in bear country with a 9mm bring along a slower friend?

 

[DoctorStrange]

Great information, so you are saying a "bigger caliber" my be better, but there is some data that 9mm can work...and if you go hiking in bear country with a 9mm bring along a slower friend?

Lol. Actually a .32 will work to pop dem in the knee..

Usually, many will say a 9mm or common service caliber is fine in any outdoors except the big bear/moose country. 9 mm can work, but it’s underpowered for 1500 pound charging animals. My understanding is forest rangers in Alaska often use 12 gauge with slugs. I only have a 9 mm besides my 12 gauge. So I’d use the Buffalo Bore +p 9mm hard cast others mentioned. It’s been used by a guide in Alaska to defend against a grizzly. However, I live in Pa (from west coast and have hiked in Alaska). If I lived in Brown/Grizzly country I’d prioritize getting a more powerful backcountry handgun.

 

[Colt Carson]

9mm sounds like an "eyeball gun" for grizzly bears… and they’ve got little eyes. Hopefully he'll at least hold still.

 

[vindibona1]

Thanks folks. I think a 10mm will be my next purchase. Researching the +P .45acp rounds it would appear that shooting those rounds would batter my 1911 if I were to shoot many rounds through it.

 

[grecco]

Don’t forget you have some huge black Bear in PA / NC .

We do have some impressive bear, but i feel comfortable with my skills and that caliber/pistol.

 

[Cranky old cop]

Great information, so you are saying a "bigger caliber" my be better, but there is some data that 9mm can work...and if you go hiking in bear country with a 9mm bring along a slower friend?

That was the preferred defense prior to firearms 😉

 

[Cranky old cop]

Thanks folks. I think a 10mm will be my next purchase. Researching the +P .45acp rounds it would appear that shooting those rounds would batter my 1911 if I were to shoot many rounds through it.

45 even in the +p version is a low pressure round compared to even standard 9mm

 

[happie2shoot]

The biggest grizzlies and brown bears are much larger than black bears.. That’s why usually people including on here differentiate between 1) Mountain Lion and Black Bear country 2) Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear, and Moose country for what kind of defensive gun one needs..

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-largest-grizzly-bear-ever-weighed-more-than-a-moose-reasons-it-grew-so-big/#:~:text=Key%20Points,tall%20on%20its%20hind%20legs

.
1600 pounds, ten feet tall standing.

Big Brown Bears - North American Bear Center

Kodiak bears are among the largest of all living bears, being comparable in size to polar bears. Sixteen of the twenty largest brown bears killed by hunters have come from...

bear.org

.
2130 pounds

I guess I did not do a very good job with my post,
the point I was trying to making is, in the lower 48, the black
bears are bigger than the griz, usually.

Even in Florida, yes, NC has bigger black bears than Florida
and the Grizs out west, mostly. Lower 48.

Many people say, if it is just for black bears.

The links showed that the bears, grizzly, in Wyoming
are smaller than the black bears in Florida.

 

[PEC-Memphis]

So…. “Bear Country”

There are two (2) countries - black bear and brown/grizzly bear.

I have a .44 Magnum super black hawk. The ballistic of the metrics of the .44 beats the 10mm by a pretty good margin across the board; but it is a SA and limited to six (6) rounds.

I also have a S&W .41 Magnum DA. And across the board also beats the 10mm by a good margin (contrary to popular belief), but not the .44; but is a DA, and like the SBH is limited to six (6) rounds.

So is it worth buying a 10mm semiautomatic; with fifteen (15) rounds, “less” terminal ballistics (by a good margin) than either the SA (44) or DA (41), but considerably more rounds than either, and quicker to follow up?

What would you pick, and would it change depending on which bear country you are in?

 

[Bradley T]

GLOCK 20.

 

[drobs]

A co-worker of mine from Iraq and Africa lives in Alaska, one these days, months, years, I'll find out when he will be in the USA and go for a visit. We will go see some wilderness. His primary carry for Alaska is a S&W Governor - 45 Colt. He's a gun nut like me and I'm sure I could borrow a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs from him. I would bring 1 or 2 pistols with me.

In the running for me are my XDM-10mm. Having owned multiple Glock 21's and 30's the grip is too large for my hands and I don't shoot them well. The XDM just fits my hands better. During Co-vid when everything was selling for a $1 a round I stocked up on Buffalo Bore Heavy 10mm Outdoorsman.

A few years ago I traded for a Ruger Redhawk 45 Colt / 45 ACP. I also bought some Buffalo Bore Heavy +P Outdoorsman 45 Colt for it:

Back in 2019 I went on a houseboat fishing trip to Rainy Lake MN. I had neither of the above 2 guns. I brought a Glock 19 with me and 1 of my Ruger Security Six 357 mag loaded with HSM Bear Loads. No bears were seen.

 

[agtman]

Thanks folks. I think a 10mm will be my next purchase. Researching the +P .45acp rounds it would appear that shooting those rounds would batter my 1911 if I were to shoot many rounds through it.

A greater worry might be whether loading up with heavy hardcast .45 slugs would turn your 1911 into a jammomatic. Don’t want a hiccuppy 1911 in bad-bear country.

 

[agtman]

So…. “Bear Country”

There are two (2) countries - black bear and brown/grizzly bear.

I have a .44 Magnum super black hawk. The ballistic of the metrics of the .44 beats the 10mm by a pretty good margin across the board; but it is a SA and limited to six (6) rounds.

I also have a S&W .41 Magnum DA. And across the board also beats the 10mm by a good margin (contrary to popular belief), but not the .44; but is a DA, and like the SBH is limited to six (6) rounds.

So is it worth buying a 10mm semiautomatic; with fifteen (15) rounds, “less” terminal ballistics (by a good margin) than either the SA (44) or DA (41), but considerably more rounds than either, and quicker to follow up?

The Danes already did that calculus in choosing a Mil-issue sidearm for their Sirius troops operating in the arctic regions of Greenland, where the apex predator bruins roam - i.e., polar bears. It needed to be a reasonably powerful chambering for immediate self-preservation with high penetrative ability against heavy bones and sinew. Their hot-loaded 10mm Gen4 Glock 20s satisfied that metric while still being a handgun of reasonable size, weight, and capacity that their soldiers could easily carry on their person.

What would you pick, and would it change depending on which bear country you are in?

No change at all. A 10mm G20 or G40 fills the bill in any place you call “bear country.”