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Black Bear Country. 3x the power?(454) or 3x the capacity?(10mm)

16K views 266 replies 76 participants last post by  Berto 
#1 ·
I hike and back pack in black bear country. Doing some research on their range, I don't think I will likely ever be hiking in brown/grizzly bear country, so I am only concerned with Black bear and lions.

My question is would you take something like a 454 revolver that only has 6 shots, but has roughly 3 times the muzzle energy, or a glock 20 that has a third the muzzle energy, but roughly 3 times the capacity?

In short, considering a hot loaded solid cast round, how well would the 10mm be against a black bear?
 
#4 ·
I prefer a revolver for four legged creatures. My way of thinking is, if an animal attacks you, they will more than likely get on you before you know it. A revolver will fire with an animal on you and against the barrel. A semi-auto has a good chance of going out of battery and unable to fire in that case.

I prefer a 44 mag or stout 45 Colt for woods carry, though I do carry a 357 at times.
 
#9 ·
My mountain carry gun in Colorado is one of several 10mm's and I've never felt undergunned on the trail. For me, a 10mm is the best trade off between weight and utility when hiking at 10,000 feet. I've probably logged 600+ miles hiking in the mountains and I've never seen a black bear in the woods, only my backyard. Only place I've seen a mountain lion was crossing a major highway - at the edge of town - at night. That being said, I still pack heat in the woods.
 
#14 · (Edited)
...I've probably logged 600+ miles hiking in the mountains and I've never seen a black bear in the woods, only my backyard. Only place I've seen a mountain lion was crossing a major highway - at the edge of town - at night. That being said, I still pack heat in the woods.
I've been backpacking around here a bit (plan to do more) and see a black bear almost every single time I go out. Also, saw a full grown cougar in my neighborhood cross my street last week. My wife has been scared to get the mail the ever since.

Caught this guy with my 200mm a couple years ago. He was only 30 or 40 or so yards away, and was NOT afraid of us. He sat right there and watched me for a good 3 minutes before he went around the backside of the little hill he was on. I left the area.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I hunt black bear behind dogs. I wouldn't worry to much about them and would go with the 10 mm for hiking.
I've witnessed probably 30 or more kills, shot with everything from .357-.500 for handguns, with light rounds like 25/35 win and .243 win. To heavy rounds 30/378 and 45/70 for rifle. 20 and 12 gauge slugs. Shot placement is everything. I have witnessed penetration issues with improper ammo in .357-.44 mag and once with a 20 gauge sabot slug.
Witnessed around seven taken with .454 and it does hammer them. But just hiking around and backpacking I wouldn't really like to carry a big 454. As a matter a fact In bb country I'd be comfortable carrying my sub compact 9mm. When I was younger I backpacked hundreds of miles in bb country without a gun at all.
 
#18 ·
While I have 45 Colt and 44 mag revolvers I always carry 10 mm here in Colorado. More likely to find a pissed off moose than a bear or cat. Black bear tend to be afraid of people and cats only attack if they have the advantage by catching you unaware. Two legged critters are far more prevalent and likely to attack. So 15 rds of 200 gn hard cast 10mm just seems more prudent and still plenty for black bear, moose and kitties.
 
#22 ·
I hike and back pack in black bear country. Doing some research on their range, I don't think I will likely ever be hiking in brown/grizzly bear country, so I am only concerned with Black bear and lions.

My question is would you take something like a 454 revolver that only has 6 shots, but has roughly 3 times the muzzle energy, or a glock 20 that has a third the muzzle energy, but roughly 3 times the capacity?

In short, considering a hot loaded solid cast round, how well would the 10mm be against a black bear?

I love the people who post "aww, you'll never have to worry about one..." ask the scout leader in NJ if black bears are dangerous (recent news story, couple months ago)...oh, and what if after hiking for a few hrs youre in a zone and accidentally walk in between a mother and her cubs??? (I didn't do this exactly, I was 4wheeling in WV and drove in between mom and cubs. No issue as I kept driving).

you prob never need to use a firearm to defend yourself on the streets either. So forget the comfortable single stack and be even more comfortable by not carrying a gun at all, right?!?

but for those of us who wish to be prepared just in case, and OP sounds like you're of that group, I would go w/ 10mm for punch and capacity. If a bear charges you, after you've stained the inside of your pants and a 4 legged bear is barreling through the woods bouncing all around, Id like that if I missed a charging bear w/ the 1st 4 rounds that I still have at least 7 left (instead of 2)....but hey, what do I know?

Note: and in line w/ other posts about 2 legged threat vs 4 legged, I did find a body on the AT that was dumped there...so what if you interrupted that party??? A couple of guys dumping a body and at least one shotgun? would you like to have 6rds or 11 w/ 15rd reloads???
 
#26 ·
but for those of us who wish to be prepared just in case, and OP sounds like you're of that group
I am. The amount of time and money I spend on training every single week far exceeds the likely-hood of being a victim of a violent crime where I live, but my family is so important, the odds don't matter.

My favorite saying... "It isn't the odds, it's the stakes". Out in the woods is no different.
 
#25 ·
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned .45 super yet, the ballistics are amazing. More powerful than 10mm, on par with .357 magnum, and it can be shot out of any standard .45acp gun (though only two pistols - g21 & usp45 - have been approved by the manufacturer for use without modifications.) I keep my usp45 in my car loaded with .45acp golden sabre's and have a spare mag loaded with buffalo bore .45 super in the glove box, in case I get stranded in bear country.

I originally wanted to invest in a ruger sp101 .357 mag but once I saw what the .45 super was capable of, I instead bought 50 rounds and called it a day. Amazing round, wonder why it never caught on..:(
 
#27 ·
I think it depends where in the country you run into Black Bears. In CA, I saw lots of Black Bears down through my decades there when on the trail, fishing, hunting, etc. I never felt threatened by them as they were generally timid and when they did show some boldness, they were not interested in me personally. The last time I checked, the average weight of a Black Bear in CA was like 180lbs. I bet that weight average is down in recent years, they have had a heck of a drought that just ended this last winter. A 10mm loaded with something like UW would probably classified as overkill for those critters.

Again, the last time I checked (many years ago now) the only fatality on record from a Black Bear attack on a human in CA was a trainer whose "trick bear" apparently had had enough of it. I think in recent years, Mountain Lions are probably the most bold and largest threat in CA back country, what little there is left of it. Any service caliber will work with those cats.
 
#93 ·
I agree with you on the mountain lions. At Lake Tahoe, one tried to go through a plate glass window to get to the inhabitant. I always carry when I am in the mountains. Usually a 3" 629 with 250gr MCP silhouette loads. They don't expand as they are meant for shooting steel plates.
 
#29 ·
I own a .45 Colt that I reload my own hard-hitting hard cast 300gr loads for. I hike and hunt and fish mostly in black bear/wolf/cougar country. But I do spend some time in grizzly country. That's why I bought the BH in .45 Colt.

Most of the time I have my S&W M&P40 compact with me. I am not undergunned at all 99% of the time.

I've seen a couple of wolves, a couple of cougars, no grizzlies, and dozens of black bears over 40 years of wandering around the woods.

I was chased by a black bear once when I was 13 and picking huckleberries. I had a bucket full of them and he smelled them and followed me. Long story, but when I ran across a creek a 1/4-mile later and fell and dropped the berries, he stopped following me.

Every other bear in all those years took off the other direction as soon as I was spotted.
 
#30 ·
Proficiency trumps energy for this application IMO, with the choices you have. If you are really worried about power, you should be carrying a long gun.

I encounter black bears and cougars frequently where I live (not right now, the bears are still hibernating here) , wolves and grizzlies occasionally. I carry a .40, because that's what I'm most proficient with, make some noise if I think I'm in a danger area, and keep my eyes and ears open. I would use bear spray instead, but figured that if I got into a conflict with a critter, it would probably be a surprise, and the pistol is quicker and simpler to get into action than a spray can.

Best of luck. Those bears are fun to watch when it's safe to do so.
 
#31 ·
G20.
black bear is the biggest threat i would encounter also.
bigger than that? a long gun, large caliber.

my trail/woods carry is in Michigan's UP.
used to take two handguns for the trip, a semi auto for city, 44 magnum for trail.
i can conceal and carry the G20, all day long. not awkward, not too heavy, enough firepower.
been walking in that area since i was a boy, 1962.
have seen plenty of black bear, never been a problem, and i would be very happy if that continues.
 
#32 ·
Up here in Washington state I carry the G20 with Buffalo Bore 220gr hard cast ammo. Plenty of fire power for black bear and light weight too. I put the Lone Wolf 6" barrel in it, designed for hard cast bullets and gives me a little extra speed.
 
#35 ·
I carry either a Glock 19 (mostly) or a Glock 30SF (occasionally) filled (in the woods) with Buffalo Bore hard cast Outdoorsman +P ammo. So, although I think it is bigger and heavier than I like to carry, between a .454 and a Glock 20, I would pick the Glock 20.

I shoot the Glock 19 a lot now and pretty much know what I can do with it.
 
#36 ·
If you have guns in both calibers, just pick one, either will do the job. If you just have one, use that. I wouldn't go out of the way to buy a different gun just to carry in bear country.

I hiked the AT and ran into bears a few times over the years. Bears visit my hunting property on a regular basis. I generally carry whatever I happen to be carrying when I'm out walking around.
 
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