Bear hunting: what caliber. What handgun

[deathdragon147]

My friend wants to take me black bear hunting in PA this year. Any recomendations on caliber and handgun? I also want to be able to reload it with a single stage press or a progressive. Looking for guidance. Thoughts? I also want to be able to use it to hunt deer in indiana.

[BruceB]

Caliber starting with "4", bullet weight starting with "2", velocity starting with "1,".... and you should be all set for black bear.

That's simplistic, but based on the experience of myself and MANY others, it should suffice. If it suffices for black bears, it will also work for deer.

If you want to get fancy, opt for a heavy-for-caliber cast bullet and put a smallish (maybe 25%-of-bullet-weight in pure lead) soft-point on it. However, a homogenous bullet of air-cooled WW, or even slightly-softened WW, will do just fine. Such a set-up is NOT a long-range outfit.

[deathdragon147]

That is along the lines I was figuring. Want a larger barrel for recoil comp. Want to be able to mount a scope or red dot. Distance plan is under 100yds

[Bullshop]

Hunting how, bait stand, hounds, or fair chase? Bait stand or hounds I could be satisfied with a 357 mag. I would load the 357 with a 180 to 220gn boolit of medium hardnes. I really like the RCBS 200gn rifle design for things like this. Fair chase I will go with Bruce B.
Consider that the average black bear is about the same weight as the average man.

[GhostHawk]

Bullshop average yes, I agree, but they "Can" go as high as 600lbs.

Also they do have a real tendancy to hang out in thick stuff where visibility can be measured in inches.
Trust me, you have a bear pushing 600 lbs less than 40 feet away, that you can not see, but that knows your there, and it is popping its jaws, and smashing trees, no matter HOW big a gun you carry, it won't feel big enough.

I was young, foolish, had not thought the possible situations though. But as the sun slipped out of sight that Ruger .44 mag carbine got to feeling smaller than my .22lr.

[Beerd]

any "unusual" regs on firearms for Indiana deer hunting?
..

[deathdragon147]

As long as it is a load u can shoot out of a handgun. Lot of flat land.

[fivegunner]

I shot my first bear from a treestand with my Freedom Arms .475 with a 400 grain boolit 15 gr. of HS6. worked very well . I think a good .44 spl or 44mag or 45colt would do as well. :bigsmyl2:

[richbug]

Hunting how, bait stand, hounds, or fair chase?

PA doesn't allow bait or hounds.

[MT Chambers]

I shot my first bear from a treestand with my Freedom Arms .475 with a 400 grain boolit 15 gr. of HS6. worked very well . I think a good .44 spl or 44mag or 45colt would do as well. :bigsmyl2:
I completely agree with the Freedom Arms recommendation, the best there is.......if the .475 sounds like too much, the .454 Casull, or much lighter .44 mag., works as well....

[375supermag]

Hi...
I live and hunt black bear in Pennsylvania, generally with a rifle but sometimes with a handgun.
I also hike in bear country a lot.
I usually carry either one of my .44Magnums or .41Magnums. I prefer a hard cast 215gr LSWC over a near- max charge of 2400 or W296 in my .41s and a 240 LSWC same type of powder charge in the .44s.

If I am only hiking, I generally carry one of the S&W or BlackHawks.
If I am hunting only with a handgun, I usually carry a Dan Wesson or Virginian Dragoon in .44Magnum. A couple of times, I have carried a SBH in .45Colt with a red dot sight. The .45 is real accurate, but very heavy. Actually, they are all heavy, but they hang on target better for me than a lighter revolver.

Sometimes, when hunting with a rifle, I will carry a BlackHawk in .44Spl or .357Mag as a backup. Can't really imagine why I need a backup to a .30-06 or 7mmMag, but I have the handguns and it seems silly not to use them for a serious purpose now and again.

Although, I will admit to wondering why I am carrying all that weight sometimes...that usually doesn't happen until I am about 8-10 miles back in the mountains. Then the whole idea of a backup revolver seems downright dumb, especially when my sciatica kicks up its heels.

[harley45]

Indiana has a cartridge length restriction for handguns, I'm thinking hard about a 4 inch 44 mag as kinda an all around gun CC-hunting etc. I'm waiting on an MP group buy before I make the leap though, but I figure if it will kill Hogs should be fine for a bear. I used my 10mm last time with 200gr WFN at 1100FPS and got a pass thru.

[dh2]

Caliber starting with "4", bullet weight starting with "2", velocity starting with "1,".... and you should be all set for black bear.

That's simplistic, but based on the experience of myself and MANY others, it should suffice. If it suffices for black bears, it will also work for deer.

If you want to get fancy, opt for a heavy-for-caliber cast bullet and put a smallish (maybe 25%-of-bullet-weight in pure lead) soft-point on it. However, a homogenous bullet of air-cooled WW, or even slightly-softened WW, will do just fine. Such a set-up is NOT a long-range outfit.
What I was thinking pretty well fits this bill. .454 Cassull with a 300 gr. sp. no less than 250 gr.

[Blammer]

I have not hunted bear or shot one, BUT IF I were to go this is what I'd take.

Ruger Super Redhawk in 44mag
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/ruger/DSCN6452.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/ruger/DSCN6452.jpg.html)

I'd use the Lyman 429640
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/44list-1.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Cast%20boolits/44list-1.jpg.html)

because it shoots like this. (I adjusted the sight on this one)

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/44SRH_276gr_17grLilgun.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Targets/44SRH_276gr_17grLilgun.jpg.html)

[Blammer]

I'd rather take my 444. :)

[deathdragon147]

Haha nice. Gorgeous gun

[nanuk]

I'd carry the biggest handgun I could shoot accurately, and make sure my buddy was right next to me with a 12ga pump loaded to the max with punkin balls, or slugs!

oh.... and a backpack full of TP and BabyWipes

[Bullshop]

Wouldn't a scoped hand gun be a detriment to fast target acquisition especially a fast moving target?
If as another poster said about the brush there being so thick you couldn't see a 600 pound bear at 40 feet maybe iron sights would be a better choice.
I tried a LER scope on a hand gun and for me it made moving targets much more difficult to get on and follow.

[Blammer]

If the fast moving target is coming at you it keeps getting bigger and bigger, kinda hard to miss. :)

If you're any good with a handgun, the point and shoot works just perfectly for that application, scope or not.

The scope is for the hunting part, which is what the OP said in the opening statement.

[bobthenailer]

When all i had was 357 and 44 mags , i used 44 mag for the past 20 odd years ive been using FA 454 Casull , a 6" and a 7 1/2" with aimpoint micro's ,which i prefer ! and the 3ed a 10" with a 1/5 x 4 Burris with heavy duplex.

[BruceB]

Hi...

Sometimes, when hunting with a rifle, I will carry a BlackHawk in .44Spl or .357Mag as a backup. Can't really imagine why I need a backup to a .30-06 or 7mmMag, but I have the handguns and it seems silly not to use them for a serious purpose now and again.

Although, I will admit to wondering why I am carrying all that weight sometimes...that usually doesn't happen until I am about 8-10 miles back in the mountains. Then the whole idea of a backup revolver seems downright dumb, especially when my sciatica kicks up its heels.

Do a search for "Karen moose".

The thread is titled "The day Karen Met The Moose", and it will illustrate one VERY ugly episode in which having a heavy handgun as backup saved the day.

Personally, I usually carried a .44 Magnum when hunting, too. The weight was nothing more than comforting. My haunting days are pretty much over now, but the previous experience is still valid.

[Bullshop]

[QUOTE=Blammer;2858596]If the fast moving target is coming at you it keeps getting bigger and bigger, kinda hard to miss. :) Response--- True but with a fast moving bear its not a matter of hit or miss its a matter of stopping which will require precise shot placement.

If you're any good with a handgun, the point and shoot works just perfectly for that application, scope or not. Response---Maybe true I wouldn't know because I am not that good. When I think of long guns being used for dangerous game stopping I don't recall seeing too many wearing a scope.

The scope is for the hunting part, which is what the OP said in the opening statement.
I can agree with that. Hunting skill applied a scoped shot at a still target will potentially have greater chance of precise shot placement especially at a longer range.
In this thread however there has been situation presented other than that type of shot. Speaking only of myself in the situation of close in and fast moving target I will have a greater chance of more precisely placing a shot with stock type iron sights than with a scope.
This for me is not theory because I have been in the situation where I have had to shoot and quickly kill fast moving bears at very close range with a hand gun. Although I have never attempted this with a scoped hand gun I have attempted other fast moving non dangerous game with a scoped hand gun and found that for me I could not follow the game with the scope and had to continually change my focus from looking through the scope to looking over the scope to follow the game.
On the other hand it is very simple to follow fast moving game with the front sight using iron sights and keep the front sight on and moving with the game. At close quarters there is little need of the rear sight just keep the main focus on the front sight and the game peripheral.

[deathdragon147]

I want the capability to mount a scope for later with deer but with bear I wouldnt. Sounds like 44 mag with a heavy grain boolot.

[AlaskanGuy]

@ Blammer...... How come you dont have the 429303 labeled in your 44 mag boolit chart??? And the one next to it, I cant I.D. ....... Also, looks like you are missing the 429649 :D in that awesome chart..... I just love that pic of all the boolits you have for the 44... I have used it for reference sooooo many times, I cant count.... I should print it out and pin it to my reloading bench as a wish list.... :bigsmyl2:

[bigted]

i am in the same camp with BULLSHOP. no glass on a defensive revolver for me ... no glass on a bear rifle either if the stuff is thick going in. no glass on my pump 12 in camp either for a scared Ted in the middle of the night is a no fun thing and the scope has gotten completely in the way when the visibility is hot breath close.

we are both from Alaska where the bears are kinda grumpy just about most of the time ... no time in a crunch to find out that all you can see is hair in the glass ... good ol peep or express sights in those close n personal times ... thanks.

the "hunting" thing is a kinda different thing. my eyes are not what they used to be either and for those 100 + yard shots ... i prefer the glass on a good stout hunting rifle.

just for me tho ... on the close and scary ... i prefer to have no glass on my personal weapon.