Choice For Grizzlies

[Wayne Smith]

I doubt I'll ever have the need or opportunity but there is a 405 Win in the closet with 350gr solid lead boolits for it if I do.

[Axton1]

Since "F250 Ford 4x4" is not a choice in the poll, I'm gonna sit this one out.......

Not interested in meeting up with a bear in the woods at night with a flsahlight and a switch in hand....
Ya'll can have'em!
A1

[Bret4207]

Not sure that's a good example-- the real life Crocodile Dundee lost the last gunfight he was in...

Just sayin'...

Guy, the bear would be sleepy after a full meal....after he ATE ME! Get it?

[Bret4207]

Bret: Along with your Walker Texas Ranger/Croccodile Dundee training ya forgot to mention your Supercool Ninja Warrior Fighting Costume with cape and your 50BMG Walking stick/sword cane and Buckshot's casting jock strap.

The smell of the jock should have the bear retreating PDQ................that's if ya can pry it away from Buckshot.....

Who told you about Busksnort and me exchanging jock straps??!!!!

[Bret4207]

There was a study that came out either this year or last year of all the bear attacks, both Grizzly and Black Bear. The ONLY defense that never failed in any one of the encounters, be it Grizzly or Black Bear, was pepper spray. When sprayed in the face, the bear has always stopped his attack and allowed the person to exit stage left.

On the other hand, those using firearms, both handgun and rifle, failed on several occasions. One of the main reasons sited for this is the difficulty in hitting a rather small target that is coming at you like a freight train especially at close range.

On the other hand, the bear spray spreads out like shotgun with a massive choke, making it next to impossible to miss the bear's head if the person doesn't lose his nerve and actually draws and fires the pepper spray.

I'm just sayin'....them's the facts. Personally, before seeing this, I would have leaned towards carrying both pepper spray AND a firearm, but then, if the pepper spray didn't work, it would be a little late for a firearm. Still, I would lean toward pepper spray first and if I became that first statistic that it didn't work for, and if I remained conscious with a bears jaws wrapped around part of my anatomy, hopefully I could still draw a pistol or revolver and still save the day.

By the same token, since pepper spray is more reliable than firearms, I would be giving myself the best chance to live by using spray rather than shooting. If the spray didn't work, although this has never happened, absolutely no one would then fault me for using a handgun provided I had tried the recommended pepper spray first.

Hey, that's great. I wonder if it was done by the same group that did a study and found wolves only eat sick and aged animals and hardly ever bother livestock or the group that did the study that found a gun in the home is more likely to be used against the occupants than a criminal and therefore guns should be outlawed or the group that did the study that determined the Amazon Rain Forest would be barren by 2005 or that the worlds oceans would have risen 15 feet by 2012?

Studies usually have agendas behind them. Never forget that.

[Jammer Six]

Bret: Along with your Walker Texas Ranger/Croccodile Dundee training ya forgot to mention your Supercool Ninja Warrior Fighting Costume with cape and your 50BMG Walking stick/sword cane and Buckshot's casting jock strap.

Well, according to Recluse, it's the Airforce Telecommandos that really pack the where-it's-at.

Studies usually have agendas behind them. Never forget that.

Sometimes that agenda is pure knowledge, using the scientific method. One must be able to distinguish between the two, if one wants to put a man on the moon, invent something worthwhile, cure cancer or sleep well at night.

I'm still alive because some genius figured out how to cure the symptoms that would have killed me. They did it with pure scientific method, and by ruthlessly discarding anything that wasn't truth.

[leftiye]

I want a nice big cuddly mamma grizzly! (and a .458 BAR, failing that a .50 alaskan Win 1886)

[Jammer Six]

And still at the top of the list, pepper spray!

[whiteoak]

Just glad there is nothing in my midwestern woods looking at me like I might make a good lunch...

[waksupi]

I bet the ones voting for pepper spray don't live where bears live.

[Mooseman]

And still at the top of the list, pepper spray!

It's at the top...But A Large rifle still has the Most Votes ! DUH...

[5 RING]

What no thermonuclear warhead, just asking

[GabbyM]

I didn't vote because there was no choice for large caliber double action hand gun.

I’ve been in the swamps in the UP of Michigan tracking wounded black bear at night. Density of saplings made it near impossible to move my rifle around in the direction of sounds in the swamp. That was back in 1981 and I swore to never go bear hunting without a big revolver again. Since then I’ve purchased my one and only ever big revolver. A Colt 44 mag 6” Anaconda. I’ll never wear it out as I can’t stand the recoil enough. About once a year I’ll shoot a fifty round box though it and that’s all that I care to have. 38 Special wad cutter is more my speed for fun shooting.

If I were to go out to intentionally shoot a problem bear. I’d take a big bore rifle plus my 44 mag on a belt. Although the largest rifle I own is a 270 Win.

I sold some cast 420 grain boolits to a forum member up in Alaska last year. He was shooting an AR-15 in 458 SOCOM with 16” barrel. He shot velocities right in line with a 45-70 lever gun and from a multi shot semi auto which he said didn’t recoil all that bad. He owned a Marlin 45-70 so had some comparison. Boolits were WFN (wide flat nose) form one of our old group by Lee molds. He shot them through the stump of an approximately four foot diameter pine tree. Boolits were cast from an alloy based on 2:6 foundry with 50/50 solder added to bring the tin to antimony ratio more in balance to toughen the boolit. I think those 458 SOCOM AR’s hold nine rounds in a magazine. I’d still carry my hand gun but for a bear defense rifle I can’t imagine a better package. Personally I’d stick with a bolt action but I’d not be thinking I had a more lethal firearm than the 458 SOCOM.

[nanuk]

There was a study that came out .... The ONLY defense that never failed in any one of the encounters, be it Grizzly or Black Bear, was pepper spray. When sprayed in the face, the bear has always stopped his attack and allowed the person to exit stage left.
They Obviously haven't talked to some in British Columbia, or in Churchill Mb.

I'm just sayin'....them's the facts.
Facts, as far as they went looking.

By the same token, since pepper spray is more reliable than firearms....
The last two cans of bear spray I had failed when tested before a camping trip! I've yet to have a firearm misfire (excepting a .22)

I'm just sayin'.... them's the facts.

[GabbyM]

I'm just sayin'.... them's the facts.

Yes but I can assure you that I can hit a charging grizzly right were I aim my 44 magnum or for that matter one of my 38 Special revolvers. They will drop like a sack of potatoes and I know this. I’m 56 years old and have been in many far worse situations than a stupid big animal charging.
If all I had was a can of pepper spray or pocket knife I’m sure Jesus and I would have another one of our “here I come” 2 ½ second conversations. Although the chance of me getting caught in bear country with a can of spray is nil to zero as I’m not a dumb ***.

[Jammer Six]

Gabby, unless you're a cop, you'd do well to study avoidance theories.

Most folks don't ever get themselves into that bad a scrape in a lifetime.

[GabbyM]

Gabby, unless you're a cop, you'd do well to study avoidance theories.

Most folks don't ever get themselves into that bad a scrape in a lifetime.

Unless you're a cop?
My gosh man what world do you live in where a cop has a job that is in the least bit dangerous. Maybe some TV dream land. For sure the job of an LEO is stressful on more levels than I can count. Dangerous just isn’t in the job description except as myth. Propagated by the macho skin heads.

[Jammer Six]

My gosh man what world do you live in where a cop has a job that is in the least bit dangerous.

Yup, that's pretty much the way I had it figured. I see how it happened.

Fifty-six is higher than I would have bet.

[saz]

Depends on what I am doing. If hunting for big furries, then by all means big high power rifle. If I am out berry picking or fishing in bear country (pretty much all of AK), my 44mag will be on the hip, or my 16" Puma 92 in 454 casull slung over my back. All depends on the situation.
But bear spray? No.....

[lead4me]

Here ya go.....http://video.foxnews.com/v/148219367...tcmp=obnetwork