Can we all agree that a double-action revolver is best for bear defense?

[Tom W.]

Never seen a wild grizzly, nor have been anywhere that they live, to my knowledge. I don't know what I'd do, but I have a bad habit of shooting my SRH in single action mode.... I suspect I'd carry it with me with heavy boolits, and carry my 870 Express. But here in Alabama a bear of any kind needs to be chewing on your foot before you can shoot one, and even then you'll probably be in serious trouble with the fish and game department.

[Ozark mike]

If people want to carry semi autos that's there choice I'm not going to argue about it but I won't do it they tend to fail at the point when I need them most. They also don't chamber a heavy enough round to make me feel comfortable that being said I use a bfr 45-70 500grs loaded to 1500 fps which is almost a compressed charge of h322 and a slightly compressed load with shorter coal in the 1895gs @1750fps I always carry them at the same Time when playing in yogis territory which is pretty much any time I walk outside. As far as double or single I know a few who are better with singles than most could hope to be with a double. I don't even own a double anymore last one burnt along with everything else maybe again someday. Hell most around here are going the yuppie route and spraying good seasoning on em I would think a shotgun would be better served but the tree huggers are on a mission to say different

[murf205]

Attachment 240168
After trying a lot of different shootin' irons, I have settled on this one. 4" 629 with 275 gr cast boolit over 2400 and CCI mag primer. I tried bumming around the fishing streams in Alaska with a shotgun, then a 358 BLR Browning but the long guns get in my way and if it is uncomfortable or cumbersome, sooner or later you are going to put it down or leave it at the cabin and you will be defenseless. I know all the downsides to a revolver as opposed to a 15 shot whatever, but I have shot this gun a lot and I am very familiar with it. It has been in the bottom of the Kenai River (while attached to my clumsy butt) 2 times and I just took it back to the cabin and dried it out by the wood stove and shot it a few times just to be sure. Whatever you decide to carry, remember to practice , practice, practice. Oh yeah, leave those candy bars at home, ole' smokey has a sharp sniffer.

[Bigslug]

I wouldn't have any more problem with a .45 ACP loaded with non-expanding LFN's or truncated cone FMJ than a whole lot of other choices - it's not appreciably different terminally than than the .45 Colt option. As soon as you stop thinking of common duty auto calibers in terms of only common duty hollow points that are DESIGNED to stop in less than 18" inches, the possibilities increase markedly.

I've got no issues with running a DA revolver for the same job, but more and more, I am NOT a fan of the hand-cannons. Sufficient penetration can be had in the range of .357 to .45 with 175-275 grains at 800 to 1200 fps given the right bullet choice, and I don't want something I have to seriously brace up on to control, or spend much time coming out of recoil on before I can thump again. I figure if I can't send the round up the nasal passage into the brain, I'm getting mauled before WHATEVER I fired can cause enough blood loss to do me any good. The beauty of the high-cap Glock - in any caliber - is that it gives you more likelihood of having one left for yourself.

[stubshaft]

Freedom Arms FA83 in .454 Casull for me.

[Markopolo]

It is not always convenient to carry a shotgun.. I strap on my chest holstered DA 44 mag loaded with 310 hard cast lee’s. They are what I been practicing with for years. It doesn’t interfere with my backpack, or my fly rod and waders, or my mushroom bags... and that is in thick bear country. Been carrying it in big bear country for over 20 years... I dont worry about it any more, but I don’t leave home without it spring, summer, or fall..I know where I am going if a bear gets me, and know something has got to be able to kill me sometime. I do hope to go kicking and scratching and pulling the trigger though. I have pulled it a couple times, but never shot one with it... I have killed several black bears with it though.

Marko

[GL49]

475 Linebaugh revolver. I'd rather make a couple/three good shots count than five I can't control. I just feel more comfortable with a single action, never have been good at double action. Then again, I've never had an angry bear wanting to have a close-up conversation with me and been able to evaluate one over the other. This is kind of like deciding what's better, Fords or Chevys. And neither is good if you're a Dodge owner.

[Ozark mike]

You would say it like that I just happen to like old internationals current project is a 2.5 ton. any who I agree that a big da 44 mag+ would be idea better yet if you can see it coming a auto 5 10 ga. I carry a 58 rem when I plan on going into town which has close to the same energy as a 45acp and I just don't trust it for bears. I know someone who shot a blackie with a 338 mag while facing him at 20 Yard's the bullet ricocheted off the forehead and blew the fur/skin off the forehead they tracked it for several hours finally treed it and put one thru the heart

[Ramjet-SS]

I'm talking about grizzly bears in Alaska and Montana.
Nearly all of the bear attacks I have read about involve a sudden attack in thick cover and the bear making contact.
Nearly all encounters result in the victims getting off only a couple of shots.
These are sudden and terrifying encounters.
Therefore, a large frame double action revolver with a shorter barrel and maximum power is ideal.
My bear sidearm is a Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt with a 5.5" barrel.
Not ideal. Having to thumb the hammer is a detriment and lying on your back with a bear on you and you trying to shove a gun into it's vitals is no place to try and also get the hammer cocked.

My other woods gun is Glock G29 10mm. Under powered for grizzly and will not fire with the muzzle shoved into the side of a bear's head.

So it seems obvious to me that double action revolver in .454 Casull with a 4" barrel is the ideal SIDEARM for a "typical" grizzly attack.

Why don't I have one? Because I rarely ever go far enough East in the Idaho woods to encounter a grizzly and my Glock loaded with 15 rounds of 200gr hardcast boolits are adequate for the wolves and cougars and smallish black bears that I run across.

But for folks that regularly hike and fish in grizzly country, in lieu of a long gun in .45-70 or 12ga, then the double action revolver makes the most sense.

How about a hybrid Mossberg Shockwave single point sling stoked with buckshot and slugs...

Or a x-frame 460 S&W 4” or the big 500 or short barreled 475 Linebugh or 480 Ruger with 400 grain WFN cast.

Love these what if threads though they are fun.

[Earlwb]

As I see it, The grizzlies can move through the forests and tall brush quietly. If one decides to hunt and ambush you, you are not likely to be able to draw, aim and fire anything at it. No time. The grizzlies you can't see or hear are the ones to worry about. So whether it is single action or double action is really a moot point. In open country where you can see them approaching which would give you time to draw, aim and fire. So even then a DA or SA would still be a moot point. So it simply boils down to what you prefer and what you are used to and comfortable with using in the field.

[Idaho45guy]

As I see it, The grizzlies can move through the forests and tall brush quietly. If one decides to hunt and ambush you, you are not likely to be able to draw, aim and fire anything at it. No time. The grizzlies you can't see or hear are the ones to worry about. So whether it is single action or double action is really a moot point. In open country where you can see them approaching which would give you time to draw, aim and fire. So even then a DA or SA would still be a moot point. So it simply boils down to what you prefer and what you are used to and comfortable with using in the field.

Your scenario is exactly why I opined that a double action revolver would be superior to a single action.
You don't have to try and thumb the hammer back to fire; you just have to pull the trigger. Having it in a chest rig is also superior to a belt holster.
Markopolo has it figured out. He's been sharing the woods with these critters and knows what works.

[scattershot]

I doubt there is anything we can all agree on.
The .454 Ruger Alaskan has been put to a real life test and did the job.

So has the 9mm. Wouldn’t be my first choice, but apparently it works, too.

[Ozark mike]

As I see it, The grizzlies can move through the forests and tall brush quietly. If one decides to hunt and ambush you, you are not likely to be able to draw, aim and fire anything at it. No time. The grizzlies you can't see or hear are the ones to worry about. So whether it is single action or double action is really a moot point. In open country where you can see them approaching which would give you time to draw, aim and fire. So even then a DA or SA would still be a moot point. So it simply boils down to what you prefer and what you are used to and comfortable with using in the field.

Around here there's some brush not much up in the cabinet's it's mostly just a heavy canopy you can see a little. Down around the Kootenai that's another story.if I'm going to be in heavy brush I make sure my rifle is in my hands ready to go it's been modified with only the first click safety so I don't have to worry about pushing a button or any other nonsense we usually have about 5 or 8 grizzly attacks a year around here an I hope to never come in to that situation. Last year over in the flathead a game official ran directly in to one with a bicycle on the road didn't have his gun and I don't think he even had spray. He didn't make it. Maybe waksupi can fill you in more on that one it happened just north of him

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Idaho45Guy -- I'm with your conclusion about a double action revolver being the best solution for an unwanted face-off with a bear, but will relate the following story in trying to make a point: About 15 years ago I lived in a rural environment that required me to walk about 1/4 mile up my lane to the mailbox. A neighbor phoned one day to tell me that when driving past he had recently twice observed a mountain lion in the pasture near the mailbox. Not being one to pass up the opportunity to acquire another gun I ordered a 3" barrel Magnaported S&W Mod. 29 from Lew Horton. I loaded it up with some factory JHPs and carried it daily on the mail walk, until I eventually got tired of packing it and the lion seemed to have moved on. Sometime thereafter two shooting friends and I went a ways farther up into the mountains to target practice and try out our new acqusitions. I got out the S&W and fired one off ....... it was just astounding. The shock wave was awful, and the muzzle was pointed skyward.
I fired it twice more, then handed it to one of my buddies who fired one shot. He, in turn, passed it to the other fellow, who just passed it back to me. I dumped the two remaining rounds, pocketed them, and gave the revolver a good cleaning when I got home. I put a stick-on label on the nice blue plastic factory box reading "The Beast" and stored it away. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the wrong caliber/cartridge in the wrong gun won't be much good for fast repeat shots. That negates any advantage of a double action over a single action. But I'm thinking that the double action would still give the best results in a manageable caliber and model. Now if I could just find a nice, reasonably priced 6" S&W Mod.25 in .45 Colt.........

[MT Chambers]

My first choices would be Freedom Arms .454,.475,or .500, they can be holstered and not as big or clumsy as the S&W.

[charlie b]

Carry what you can shoot accurately under pressure. Read one of the incidents in the links where the guy fired twice and didn't hit anything. He got lucky.

Enough penetration to get to vital organs. Enough practice and skill to put a round (or more) in those spots. And lucky enough to have time to do all that.

[Texas by God]

SA is ingrained so deeply in my muscle memory that it would be my choice. On my hip. There would be a 12 gauge 870 in my hands if in Grizzly Land. I can shoot a shotgun quicker than I can a pistol.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[lar45]

I agree that a double action revolver would probably be the best choice.
I have a 4" 500S&W, but the d*m thing weighs almost 5# and really starts to pull your pants down, so a chest holster would probably be the way to go.
I'm thinking about getting a Ruger Super Redhawk in 480 and have the barrel cut down to 4" or so. Maybe leave the barrel just long enough to remount the original front sight.

I tried loading some 400gn hard cast in the 454, but they wouldn't stabilize and went through the target sideways. I did have great luck with 350s.
A 454 might be a good choice as you could probably get 45Colt ammo to shoot in it in a pinch. The muzzle blast from the high pressure 454 would be pretty unbearable, HA I made a funny, but I guess you could load them down a little bit.

Years ago I read about some Canadians that made the 45-08 in modified 1911s to carry for bear defense. They took 308ish rounds, but them down to 45acp length and reamed the inside out deep enough to seat a 200SWC. I think they loaded them to 1200 or 1300fps.

Anyway, my vote is for a chopped SRH in 480 loaded with 400gn hard cast.

[9.3X62AL]

I wouldn't have any more problem with a .45 ACP loaded with non-expanding LFN's or truncated cone FMJ than a whole lot of other choices - it's not appreciably different terminally than than the .45 Colt option. As soon as you stop thinking of common duty auto calibers in terms of only common duty hollow points that are DESIGNED to stop in less than 18" inches, the possibilities increase markedly.

I've got no issues with running a DA revolver for the same job, but more and more, I am NOT a fan of the hand-cannons. Sufficient penetration can be had in the range of .357 to .45 with 175-275 grains at 800 to 1200 fps given the right bullet choice, and I don't want something I have to seriously brace up on to control, or spend much time coming out of recoil on before I can thump again. I figure if I can't send the round up the nasal passage into the brain, I'm getting mauled before WHATEVER I fired can cause enough blood loss to do me any good. The beauty of the high-cap Glock - in any caliber - is that it gives you more likelihood of having one left for yourself.

Erik--As usual, your observations make a lot of good sense. That CZ-550 in 9.3 x 62 Mauser you sold me was prompted by a Close Encounter Of The Furred Kind in our local forest, near Clark's Ranch. Not a griz or a brown, but the local black bears defending their berry patches are still quite capable of spoiling your afternoon if given the opportunity. Yeah, it's a bolt rifle--but I assure you, I could have made it sound belt-fed if the need arose. That Redhawk 44 didn't seem very authoritative at the time.

Subsequent summer berry patch daytrips have been reinforced by the 9.3mm or the 38/55 Win 94. Bears have avoided us by the hundreds, which is fine by me and mine.

[lar45]

I read a book about bear attacks many years ago. One thing that was in it was generally speaking, if you are attacked by a Griz, it may be defending it's territory or a kill, and playing dead may save you. If a Black Bear attacks you, it probably means to eat you, so fight with everything that you have. Hopefully that will never happen, but if it does a good large caliber firearm would be a great thing to have handy.