Most likely you are not going to see the mountain lion , but they are the size of humans so I would say it would stop one if hit in the vitals .

I would want more for a bear , but it has been done . I would bring bear spray .

 

.... I would bring bear spray ....

Yes, bears like the flavor... :faint:

OK, enough being a wise-guy. You never mentioned your skill level or level of experience and training with handguns. Your questions would indicate to me that, in reality, your knowledge and experience with firearms is limited.

Having a sidearm with you when out and about in wild areas is prudent. Having said that, you need some minimum training in order to utilize such a tool in an effective way.

The choice of a 9mm, while not ideal, would be a practical choice for an occasional firearms user. More powerful rounds suffer two main disabilities; their recoil is far more severe (which takes training to overcome), and the price of ammunition for many of the more powerful rounds is pretty steep.

You mention that you already have a Glock 43. This is a handgun the purpose of which is for personal protection against human assailants. It is not an ideal handgun for use against a large aggressive animals such as bear or mountain lion. You also mention firing a round into the ground in order to frighten the animal off. Well, the model 43 is already a very limited capacity sidearm, firing a round of modest power. I question the wisdom of that tactic. (if you wish to simply make some noise, bring firecrackers...)

If you could supply us with a more complete understanding of your ability and background with handguns I suspect the answers supplied would be of more relevance and use for you.

Best of luck!

 

I would rather have the 17 for quantity vs the 43

 

Not only the quantity of ammo, though that's important, but the fact that a larger gun provides you with a better grip and is more accurate and the longer barrel gives more velocity to a cartridge that is already marginal for bears. a Glock 17 will also be more controllable with the hottest heavy bullet ammo

Ammunition choice is important. You want a heavy bullet that will penetrate and it should be a flat nose bullet because round nose bullets impart less shock and can glance off the skull when fired at certain angles.

Here is the ammo I would recommend. It's made by underwood and comes in a 50 round box which allow you some ammo the practice with as well as 18 rounds of ammo to carry. It will recoil more than regular ammo but 9mm in a Glock 17 doesn't recoil much to begin with. The polymer frame absorbs recoil and the wide grip disperses the force over a larger area.

https://underwoodammo.com/shop/9mm-luger-p-147-grain-full-metal-jacket/

 

With the nato fmj, it might not stop a bear, but I'm sure it would change his mind.

 

What's that?

 

You won't see the mountain lion coming..... until it is on you.

A bear has been stopped with 9mm Buffalo Bore outdoorsman.

You are more in danger of two legged threats.

 

Yes, well...for some time, according to what I have read, the world record african lion was shot and killed by a photographer with a .22LR revolver, but that does not mean that it would work again. So, what I am trying to say is that just because something has worked in the past, it is not necessarily an indication that it will work again. In my humble opinion, the 9mm should be totally sufficient in stopping a mountain lion, but not a brown bear.

 

Winchester has a NATO spec round. Its a 124 gr full metal jacket that is pretty hot.

 

My 2 cents worth (keep the change): Carry bear spray for 4 legged critters, Glock for 2 legged critters. Bear spray against 2 legged critters is also an option, but the Glock to be sure. That is all.

 

It will piss both off. .44Mag min, .454 Casull preferred.

 

Oh yea...judging by her picture a .44 mag or 454 will most likely act like a JATO pack and get her into the next county...she should look at a 19 or 26....

 

I live in Colorado too. I've never seen a bear I couldn't run off with bear spray. Carry the 43 or maybe a 19 for the tweakers

 

Hi, I live in Colorado and hike and bike a bit and sometimes I'm fly fishing in pretty remote areas. I bring my 43 with me thinking if I needed to I can always fire it into the ground to scare something off. I have never hunted so I have no idea what it takes to stop a large wild animal. Any advice or mostly experience would be much appreciated. Thanks

I have friends in Colorado , they used a 22 mag when they hunted lion in the past.
I carried a Glock 19 when I went with them.

 

A lot more people die from lightning and bees in the wild than bears and cats. In the rare case you do get attacked that 9, 40, or 45 won't help you out much unless you are lucky.

 

Get a Ruger Redhawk 5.5", or 2" Alaskan with a chest rig... any caliber will take down any animal but using a large caliber will make up for perfect placement. Also for scaring a predator the 44 will make a heck of noise. The recoil and noise is terrible with these guns but that should be secondary to your protection. I would not use bear spray, that will surely piss the bear off even more than it was. Good luck and stay safe.

 

Ummm Colorado dude. BLACK bears not Grizzlies.

 

Two legged predators are the much more likely threat. Either one of your choices will work on those.

9mm is less than ideal for bear protection. So I would recommend something in a different caliber if bears are a legitimate concern. But, if the G17 and G43 are all you have, and you're not going to get something else, I'd take the G17.

 

I've hunted both mountain lion and black bear. A 9mm can work on bear but it's not optimal. We hunt with dogs. Had a bear jump on top of a guy. He was on his back with the bear on top of him, he fired 6 shots out of his .357 magnum and killed the bear. The bear died on top of him.

The 9mm is plenty fine for mountain lion. My son stopped one dead with a glock 19 9mm, hornady critical duty I think was the round he used. I've heard of people using .22 mags on them hunting but for defense I'd want more than a .22.

Also bear spray has a very good track record.

 

Is it true that mountain lions are treed by the dogs and then just shot from the ground by the hunter? Ive always wondered how challenging it is to kill a stealthy predator like that.

 

Why not a 26 with a 17 mag?

 

Bear spray has an excellent ability to stop bears...

I would prefer .40 or 357 sig or 10mm , but in a pinch 9mm with enough hits in correct places should do the job. I don't know what the sweet spot would be... I am sure someone that knows more will let us know... I am guessing head or chest would be useful spots to hit...

 

Bear spray has an excellent ability to stop bears...

I would prefer .40 or 357 sig or 10mm , but in a pinch 9mm with enough hits in correct places should do the job. I don't know what the sweet spot would be... I am sure someone that knows more will let us know... I am guessing head or chest would be useful spots to hit...

A chest shot in the vitals, yes. Never shoot a bear in the head... that sucker's practically armor plated!

 

Do you think a 17 or 43 would stop a bear or a mountain lion?

If shot placement is perfect, yes.

But even with perfect shot placement, the odds of stopping either of those before they do grave bodily harm is slim to zero.

 

Yeah not much satisfaction in knowing that the 4 legged predator died 30 minutes after parts of you are in they're digestive tract. As a side arm, I don't carry anything less than a Glock 23 when in the woods. And that's as a last stand weapon to back up a .270 or 7mm mag. I realize that a long gun is not much of a practical choice for hiking or bicycling. What it comes down to is a g43 or 17 beats throwing rocks and then saying your prayers.

 

Either one is better than nothing, but if you actually think you need protection from bear, a Glock 9mm is not the preferred tool of choice. Unless you have a 33 round "fun stick"!

 

 

9mm and bears, that's just foolish. If it's aggressive and committed enough to attack a couple of 9mm rounds wouldn't slow it down, cause you might get two or three shots at best and the bear will be on you. Also well placed shots are very unlikely.

 

for east coast hiking i just do a glock 19 loaded with buffalo bore 147gr +P.


if im gonna see anything bigger than a black bear then its either the smith 629-1 or a glock 20 with buffalo bore outdoorsman.

 

With a good SD round if you do your job it will likely do it's job, are there better options-sure. I would rather have the 17 than the 43 just for capacity. Just understand like any other fight be prepared to get hurt if you get into one.

 

9mm is not a good bear round.10mm is better. It's one more.

 

10mm would be my minimum comfort level in black bear country only. Brown, Grizzy, and Kodiak require 44mag as minimum comfort IMO.

As the old saying goes; If you choose to carry an inferior caliber in bear territory, always save the last round for yourself.

 

I would take the 43 in bear country with a few modifications. The first and most important is remove the sights.














That way when the bear decides to stick it up your a$$ it won't hurt as much. :exercise:

 

"QUOTE"
Do you think a 17 or 43 would stop a bear or a mountain lion?

No, if your in the market for a NEW pistol consider the
G29. Easy to carry & will solve any problems you encounter.

 

If firing into the ground doesn't work, then what?

In all likelihood, 9mm is probably not going to be a one shot stop a large majority of the time. That's why so many states have minimum calibers and barrel lengths for hunting, to ensure sufficient energy for a clean kill.

Chances are you won't see a mountain lion until it is on you as they tend to attack from behind or above. Don't know if bear spray is effective on mountain lions. Their skull is sloped so a brain shot probably will glance off the skull.

Not a fan of bear spray because they have to be too close to use and it has to be a hit to the face, eyes, and nose to be effective. If the bear is charging, it can cover the effective range distance in about one second. Add a wind to it and it can further reduce its effectiveness/range.

Under ideal conditions, you disperse a cloud higher than the bears head prior to the bear reaching effective range. This is so gravity can bring it down and it can act as a deterrent as the bear enters the cloud.

Motivation might make a difference. Do you smell like fish and is the bear hungry or is it protecting cubs?

You may want to talk to locals and see what the environment is like as far as animal behavior and temperament. They may be able to disperse any fears or give you things to watch for.

I live in N. California and I believe my lions and bears are similar to yours. I usually carry a 3" 629 44 magnum on a belt holster or a 44 magnum Vaquero in my cowboy rig with me when I go into bear and lion country in the Sierra Nevadas.

 

A (G)17 or (G)34 stopping a bear or a mountain lion? Only if in a panic you missed and the ricochet dislodged a precariously perched boulder and it came down and flattened them.



Miss Heidi, of the Glock pistols I'd recommend a soft shooting larger caliber model, perhaps a 10mm G20 or it's longer brother, the G40 with it's 6" barrel. Both share 15 round capacity but I believe that only the G20 is available in the "SF" (Short Frame) model which may suit you better, as the SF model has a reduced grip depth (the length of the grip from front to back) that's intended to help those with smaller hands have a more secure and comfortable grip.

I have a Gen3 G20 with it's OEM 10mm barrel, along with an aftermarket .357SIG conversion barrel for it, and it's very pleasant to shoot in both calibers.

I also had the opportunity to purchase a Gen3 G21SF (45ACP) frame, which I used as a foundation to build a 10mm "longslide" version with a 6.02" barrel, and it too is a pleasure to shoot, with both pistols being more accurate than I.

With Pearce +2 mag extensions, both the G20/G20SF and G21SF frames can carry 17+1 rounds of 10mm, which is more than sufficient for most situations.

So if you think you may find yourself in the midst of either 4 or 2 legged dangerous animals, consider the full sized 10mm Glock. As per my usual suggestion, find a range where you can rent either or both, so you can experience for yourself if you can comfortably use either of these pistol frames in 10mm; if not, try the reduced size G29SF in 10mm, then take it from there.

Gen3 G21SF longslide 10mm on top, Gen3 G20 10mm/.357SIG below it:

Best wishes to you

 

Why thank you!

Bear Spray and a Pistol. If the spray doesn't work you can shoot yourself so you won't have to endure the agony of being consumed by a wild animal.

lol

 

Given the number of people that go fishing and hiking without a gun I would probably carry the G43 and some bear spray and be comfortable. And as cool as a 10mm pistols seems, it seems it is very seldom the choice for those who are charged with going after a bear when it has harmed or threatened people.