32 caliber revolver for grizzly bear

[ohland]

I notice in October Recreation the inquiry of E. E. Vance, of St. Joseph, Mo., as to whether or not a 32 caliber revolver would be the right thing to use in a hand to hand engagement with a grizzly bear. A 32 is plenty big enough for the purpose if properly used. This is the proper way: Thrust the revolver down the bear's mouth into his stomach and rapidly empty the cylinder. Meanwhile hold the animal's nose tightly with the left hand to prevent the escape of gas. If the brute docs not drop dead, he will be so flabbergasted that it will be an easy matter to kick him to death.
H. Coleman, Council Bluff's, la.

[lobogunleather]

I've always heard that the best bear gun was a .22 pistol. When confronted with a bear just shoot your companion through the knee, then you can easily get away.

[w5pv]

Not enough powder and lead

[MtGun44]

Beats harsh language or your Swiss Army knife, but not by a whole bunch.

[DougGuy]

If you're lucky enough to put one into a nostril, you can kill a griz with a .22 caliber PELLET GUN.

[bedbugbilly]

When you say "32" you don't specify which cartridge? 32 S & W short, Long or 32-20 Winchester? Makes a big difference . . . especially if the bear is left handed and blind in one eye! :-)

[9.3X62AL]

Aight, I'm a mid-caliber handgun enthusiast in depth and breadth. But with my most cutting and obnoxious John McEnroe-esque delivery possible, I must say--YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS......

[ohland]

When you say "32" you don't specify which cartridge? 32 S & W short, Long or 32-20 Winchester? :-)

Hmm, today it could be the .327 Federal. I bet THAT would make a great deal of difference.... OR.. you could stick it in the bear's ear and put one in the brain pan...

[NoAngel]

Maybe, if you have a pistol in .32 Winchester special. That'd be the smallest .32 I'd want for bear. You could probably build a BFR in .32 special???

[ohland]

Maybe, if you have a pistol in .32 Winchester special. That'd be the smallest .32 I'd want for bear. You could probably build a BFR in .32 special???

Well, since we've gone past the period cartridges available circa 1920, let's throw sanity to the winds...

How about a .444 marlin necked down to .32?

[Ramjet-SS]

LMAO

Funny funny thread read way better than pepper spray bears love pepper on thier meals......

[Bigslug]

If you rebarreled a G.E. M134 Minigun for the 8x57 Mauser round, you would technically have a .32 caliber revolver that I would have no problem using for defense against grizzly bears.

[leftiye]

If you're lucky enough to put one into a nostril, you can kill a griz with a .22 caliber PELLET GUN.

Problem's gittin' him to hold still.

[Cmm_3940]

If you rebarreled a G.E. M134 Minigun for the 8x57 Mauser round, you would technically have a .32 caliber revolver that I would have no problem using for defense against grizzly bears.

:goodpost: :awesome:

[Wayne Smith]

If you rebarreled a G.E. M134 Minigun for the 8x57 Mauser round, you would technically have a .32 caliber revolver that I would have no problem using for defense against grizzly bears.

Actually that historically would be a pepperbox, not a revolver (revolving cylinder) aka the Colt. Great idea, though!

[ohland]

LMAO

Funny funny thread read way better than pepper spray bears love pepper on thier meals......

Don't forget the little small bells...

[gray wolf]

Don't we have a special section for humor ??

[JHeath]

People laugh this off. But if a 9mm with suitable bullets will drop a grizzly, then a .327 should do it. You either get a central nervous system hit, or you don't.

If you don't, a .338 could leave you waiting for results.

I never had to stop a grizzly although I worked a a remote site in AK where a foreman asked me to bring my 18" 12ga double to work every day. The only job where that's happened.

BTW what's the ME of one piece of unaimed 00 buck? How is throwing nine them in a bear's general direction better than aimed fire with a hot .32?

I would feel pretty naked with a small/med revolver going pop-pop as a bear got closer. I've been there with a badger that kept rushing as I emptied a .45 into him and remember the stupid feeling as the slide locked open and he was 20' in front of me and still coming. He died moments later from multiple hits.

How many aimed rounds can you get off with a .327 vs a .475? Twice as many?

That's double the opportunity to brain the bruin.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=108

[hendere]

I was backpacking in brown bear country with a friend years ago and he told me that he was afraid of bear so he was carrying. I couldn't see where he would have been hiding it, so I asked him what he had. He pulled out a 32 ACP. This guy was a cop.

[sixshot]

I'm guessing cops taste just as good as civilians!

Dick

[9.3X62AL]

I'm guessing cops taste just as good as civilians!

Dick

My thoughts are that older admin types probably taste better than tough, sinewy young patrol officers. But that's just a guess.

Having covered the retreat of my wife and I from a berry patch that a black bear had title to, the Redhawk x 44 Magnum didn't seem all that powerful and comprehensive at the time. It was "just a black bear", and he DID get the bulge on us--mostly because we couldn't see him. We could hear him up close, and smell him--and things like critters that can tear you a new aspiration are among those preternatural low-brain instinctive parts of one's psyche that you prefer to not have stirred up. %$# *&^% bear.

[M-Tecs]

I'm guessing cops taste just as good as civilians!

Dick

Rumor has it that cops taste just like donuts!!!!!!!!!!

[rintinglen]

I was 16 walking along a stream that fed into the Torch River with my trusty 10-22 when I encountered a Black Bear Sow with a cub. There was less than a foot of water in the 6 foot wide stream and less than 30 feet betwixt us. She snorted and turned to face me as her cob scrambled up the bank behind her. I slowly faded back as she watched me intently and scrambled up a near by pine tree until she wandered off. That 22 was less than a B gun, as far as I was concerned. I'd carry a 32 in grizzly country only as a noisemaker. Mama didn't raise me to be bear chow.

[wch]

The 32 caliber revolver of whatever stripe is powerful enough to shoot yourself in the head and end your worries when the griz grabs you.

[leftiye]

Hmmmmm.................

[timtheartist]

I'm new to castboolits but what I already like here over every other forum I've ever visited is that when someone posts something obviously tongue-in-cheek funny then here you don't have five or six "know-it-alls" jumping in calling him an idiot cuz "everybody knows you cant do that"

Thanks for the great humor

[Ballistics in Scotland]

People laugh this off. But if a 9mm with suitable bullets will drop a grizzly, then a .327 should do it. You either get a central nervous system hit, or you don't.

If you don't, a .338 could leave you waiting for results.

I never had to stop a grizzly although I worked a a remote site in AK where a foreman asked me to bring my 18" 12ga double to work every day. The only job where that's happened.

BTW what's the ME of one piece of unaimed 00 buck? How is throwing nine them in a bear's general direction better than aimed fire with a hot .32?

I would feel pretty naked with a small/med revolver going pop-pop as a bear got closer. I've been there with a badger that kept rushing as I emptied a .45 into him and remember the stupid feeling as the slide locked open and he was 20' in front of me and still coming. He died moments later from multiple hits.

How many aimed rounds can you get off with a .327 vs a .475? Twice as many?

That's double the opportunity to brain the bruin.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=108

This is mostly a pretty realistic assessment, although I would say any pistol, while better than no pistol, is a pretty forlorn hope once a grizzly is as close as "hand to hand" implies, and you don't get a perfect choice of target area. The only difference between .44 magnum on grizzly and .32 revolver (as usually constituted) on WWF wrestler is that the grizzly isn't faking, and hasn't seen on TV that you fall down when you are shot.

You make a good point about the buckshot, but I suspect that as with lion, the shotgun load would have a greater effect than the same sort of missiles hitting in succession. The latter may provoke the sort of steady advance which is pretty well unstoppable in man or beast. This is just conjecture, but maybe there is more devitalizing effect when the shock-wave in tissues, creating a temporary cavity, collide from opposite directions. I would guess that a .32 like the Skorpion submachine-gun would be far more effective than the same number of pistol-shots.

I've never seen a wild grizzly in my life, although I was introduced to a tame one, who conducted himself like a gentleman and clearly liked me. Mind you, the same applied to the homicidal lunatics on a professional visit (honest!) to the Scottish State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The big cats don't harbor grudges, but those two may, and are smart enough to remember old ones. If the bear is ten or twenty yards off, and looks about to charge, I'd suggest backing slowly away, and if he follows, investing one of your .32 rounds in a shot in the air. He just might have learned to run when he hears a shot, and hitting him with six rounds instead of five isn't going to put you much worse off.

[44man]

Don't we have a special section for humor ??
Don't forget the pepper. Bears like some seasoning.

[Shuz]

I'll never forget the time my wife and I were on a trail in the backwoods of northwest Montana, when we encountered a large black bear. I reminded my wife that I was carrying one of my .44 mag revolvers, and not to worry. At this point, she, an accomplished IHMSA handgun shooter herself, remarked,"Yeah, but I've seen you shoot!"
At least it wasn't a .32 caliber, to remain "on topic"!

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Probably better than the sticks and stones the Park Service is recommending for black bear:

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/black-bears.htm

[BCRider]

I'll never forget the time my wife and I were on a trail in the backwoods of northwest Montana, when we encountered a large black bear. I reminded my wife that I was carrying one of my .44 mag revolvers, and not to worry. At this point, she, an accomplished IHMSA handgun shooter herself, remarked,"Yeah, but I've seen you shoot!"
......

Nothing like some strong spousal support to forge that relationship, eh?...... :D

[JHeath]

--and things like critters that can tear you a new aspiration are among those preternatural low-brain instinctive parts of one's psyche that you prefer to not have stirred up. %$# *&^% bear.

Funny how that works. Even if you've never heard the sound of a rattlesnake before, hearing one at your feet will make you jump. Out of your skin. No deductive process initiated let alone completed.

[FergusonTO35]

Black bears and even mountain lions are making a comeback here. Out of all the handguns I own (I have no big bores or magnums), I think my Glock 19 with 15 shots is the best choice for protection against them. I can shoot it well and FMJ or hard cast will penetrate into next week.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Probably better than the sticks and stones the Park Service is recommending for black bear:

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/black-bears.htm

Yes, that one seemed a bit dubious to me. Sticks and stones landing near the bear might be good, as he isn't used to that, and the new is puzzling. Hitting him a smart one on the nose, by accident or design, might turn him into a bear with a sore head when he originally just wanted you to move on.

That page makes a lot of good points together with one possibly bad one. With an animal which normally lives by running down living prey, playing dead is a useful trick. A tiger, for example, isn't usually much interested in carrion, and may drop you. Fainting is good, which may be why we, and especially the smaller and weaker females, have that useful instinct programmed in. But the bear isn't really a pursuit predator, and acting dead is just a convenience to him.

The great big game hunters often tell us that a wounded animal rarely deliberately charges the man who has fired a shot. He runs, and if that happens to be in your direction, he does what bomber pilots term engaging targets of opportunity. If any is going to break that rule, though, other than the gorilla I think it would be the bear, which is brighter than most.

Some have also said that on a slope the bear's first lunge after being wounded is likely to be downhill, so you should never shoot uphill at a bear you aren't confident in incapacitating. I don't remember the words "big bore rifle" being used, but perhaps they thought that superfluous.

[Thumbcocker]

My sources in the LEO community inform me that the correct terminology for circular pastries with a hole in the center is "power rings".

[44man]

Yes, that one seemed a bit dubious to me. Sticks and stones landing near the bear might be good, as he isn't used to that, and the new is puzzling. Hitting him a smart one on the nose, by accident or design, might turn him into a bear with a sore head when he originally just wanted you to move on.

That page makes a lot of good points together with one possibly bad one. With an animal which normally lives by running down living prey, playing dead is a useful trick. A tiger, for example, isn't usually much interested in carrion, and may drop you. Fainting is good, which may be why we, and especially the smaller and weaker females, have that useful instinct programmed in. But the bear isn't really a pursuit predator, and acting dead is just a convenience to him.

The great big game hunters often tell us that a wounded animal rarely deliberately charges the man who has fired a shot. He runs, and if that happens to be in your direction, he does what bomber pilots term engaging targets of opportunity. If any is going to break that rule, though, other than the gorilla I think it would be the bear, which is brighter than most.

Some have also said that on a slope the bear's first lunge after being wounded is likely to be downhill, so you should never shoot uphill at a bear you aren't confident in incapacitating. I don't remember the words "big bore rifle" being used, but perhaps they thought that superfluous.
Not true, a bear will know where hurt came from and so will many other animals. A Cape Buff will take you out right quick. Shoot a shot over an animal to scare them is like waving your shorts. Make a bad shot on a lion and dang you better be the Flash.
Pop a bear with a .32. Not enough found to bury. What is on your headstone?

[sixshot]

Whether its been an attack by an animal or a bad guy I've never heard of a person wishing they had a smaller gun with more capacity, bigger guns work best!

Dick

[44man]

Whether its been an attack by an animal or a bad guy I've never heard of a person wishing they had a smaller gun with more capacity, bigger guns work best!

Dick
Agree, a bear attack is .458 country. even a .44 is sad. Your PH does not carry a .32. or a nine. If he does, get your money back and go home.

[FergusonTO35]

I think I should point out that if I actually expect to encounter a bear, cougar, or even coyote I would be carrying my .30-30 or even .45-70.

[Blackwater]

ROTFLMAO!

Still, though, I can't help recalling the old story about the Alaskan woman who had only a .22 Short in a single shot rifle when a griz broke into her cabin while her husband was away, and fired a single shot into the bear's eye, killing it instantly. Have no idea how true the old story is, but another friend up in Canada had a neighbor from RSA who had a farm there once, before getting run out, and he was a farmer, not a hunter. One day the help came running, exclaiming that there was a cape buff in his garden eating all his well manicured foodstuffs. He walked out with an old Walther .22 and shot at it, and it dropped like a rock. Seems the bullet hit it in the eye and penetrated or riccocheted around and wound up in the brain pan, killing it instantly. He just walked back into the house not thinking much of the event, and the help had a rather BIG BBQ. Only later did he learn how dangerous what he'd done was. That seems hard to believe, and I relate it as given. All sorts of strange things CAN happen, but they just can't be counted on. It was a good laugh, though!

[Art in Colorado]

Cops are civilians the same as we are. If you are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice you are a civilian. Sorry for the rant but this is a sore spot for me.Art

[FergusonTO35]

Agree totally. I used to work as a criminal records clerk for an agency and it irritated the crud out of me being called a "civilian". Maybe they thought that receiving lots of DOD welfare made them another branch of the armed forces.

[9.3X62AL]

Cops are civilians the same as we are. If you are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice you are a civilian. Sorry for the rant but this is a sore spot for me.Art

Who said otherwise?

[JHeath]

I'm guessing cops taste just as good as civilians!

Dick

9.3x62AL, here's your culprit. But we're conflating grizzlies with brown bears, and taliking about .32 acp vs .458 for protection. So I move we throw out the charges against Sixshot on grounds the entire proceeding is out of order.

[9.3X62AL]

I know I sure as hell was a civilian the whole time I did cop work. I don't know where people get the idea that peace officers aren't civilians.

[44man]

Favorite gun for Polar bears was a .222. But not when a bear considered you dinner. .22 rimfire has killed about as much as anything but room for error is huge.
My friend killed a deer and did experiments on head shots with a .177 pellet gun and got into the brain.
I had a neighbor in Ohio that was shot through the head with an 8MM Germain bullet and survived. He was a little off but got along fine. My brother in law was stitched from a Korean machine gun and lived a long time until cancer got him.

[FergusonTO35]

9.3, the agencies themselves create this myth, at least they do nowadays. The place I used to work at called themselves a "paramilitary organization." When I think of paramilitary I think of a bunch of guys who haven't shaved or bathed in awhile running around with AK-47's and RPG's, not a bona fide police department. The tacticoolization of law enforcement is about the silliest and most unnecessary thing I've ever seen, it causes me to have less respect for them.

[sixshot]

It was "tongue in cheek" fellas, come on!

Dick

[Lonegun1894]

I'm guessing cops taste just as good as civilians!

Dick

My last shift was in 95 degree weather and I was wearing my vest, aka, my easy-bake-oven. Not only would I refuse to eat anything that smelled like me by the time the shift was over, I didn't even want to smell me. I would hope smelling like that would keep me safe from any self-respecting bear cause one whiff and he would decide to eat something that smelled appetizing. And I agree, my days of not being a civilian ended when I got out of the service, and I couldn't wait to be a civilian again. :)

[Lonegun1894]

My sources in the LEO community inform me that the correct terminology for circular pastries with a hole in the center is "power rings".

Every reference to them in my area seems to be "cop circles".

[Cosmiceyes]

I'm guessing cops taste just as good as civilians!

Dick

OK the whole read has me smile'n,but that has made me laugh!
When I was a young daring man without a thought to"will it work when I shoot".I shot a black bear in Alaska whit a 10 inch Contender using the 30 Herrett pushing a 130 gn boolit. Thank God for the eyeball channel to the brain.
So I can laugh today,but please to be so reckless as to think of using a 32 on a Griz period!

[44man]

I remember fixing a revolver long ago in Cleveland, .38 S&W. I needed to test it so I piled a bunch of 2X4's on the back floor of my old mans car. I shot a cylinder full from over the front seat and every boolit was only stuck half depth in the first board.
I read reports of cops shooting deer hit by cars with .38 specials and had slugs flatten on skulls. Darn, a .22 is better then that.

[tejano]

Not a revolver, but I have a CZ VZ 61 Skorpion 32 acp. I reckon that expending a full 30 round magazine on a grizz ought to at least put a grin on his face before I [smilie=s:

[Ramjet-SS]

My last shift was in 95 degree weather and I was wearing my vest, aka, my easy-bake-oven. Not only would I refuse to eat anything that smelled like me by the time the shift was over, I didn't even want to smell me. I would hope smelling like that would keep me safe from any self-respecting bear cause one whiff and he would decide to eat something that smelled appetizing. And I agree, my days of not being a civilian ended when I got out of the service, and I couldn't wait to be a civilian again. :)

Well in bear country just wear you're vest ............:bigsmyl2:

[44man]

Remember cork guns? Now you can shoot plastic balls.
Much humor here and it is appreciated.

[Lonegun1894]

Well in bear country just wear you're vest ............:bigsmyl2:

I knew that was coming, but I don't even want to wear that thing here in Texas, although I guess it would help keep me warm up North, well, maybe not warm, but warmer.

[44man]

The old .36, .44 and .45 cap and balls were deadly and even a pepper box across a card table made you drop cards. All kinds of small guns were made for people but a .32 for Grizz makes you compost.

[FergusonTO35]

I sure am glad grizzlies don't live here. I don't think it would be much fun to mow grass with a four pound chunk of steel on my belt.

[Blackwater]

I'm definitely with you, Fergusson, about the militarization of the police. I can still remember a time when cops thought of themselves as just another member of the community, and were considered as honorable as anyone. Now, with the "us against them" attitude many are trained with today, the average citizen has taken notice - and not without some real fears - of the results that attitude brings with it. It's disfunctional, really, but with all the bad guys being more or less "paramilitary" today, it's easy to see how this can happen. it's still sad, though. I asked a now long retired cop once, about all the new troopers that were coming out of trooper school with this "us against them" attitude. This was shortly after the Hell's Angels and Outlaws were putting shotguns in their motorcycle handle bars, and had killed several troopers with them. In his slow, deep toned drawl, he just said, "Yeah, they've bot to get out on the streets and get the hell beat of of them a couple of times, and they'll settle down and make good troopers, then." That's not how it's turning out now, though. That "us against them" attitude gets ingrained even MORE when they come out on the short end of the stick, and they do everything they can to prevent that, and as a result, we have the terrific tendency for many cops to concentrate on a single offender. This too, is a result of the lib's effects on the laws and courts to want to indict cops who are in ANY way questioned when they have to kill or shoot a man. So .... NOW we have vastly larger number of cops doing what considerably fewer once were able to do.

Cops often have the hardest jobs in the world, so we reward them with what? Donut jokes???? No dang wonder they can get so resentful! It's US who've "gone crazy," and as a result, they clump together more closely and tenaciously, merely from a survival and self-defense posture that we FORCE upon them! Are we "moderns" crazy, or what????

[JSnover]

I was backpacking in brown bear country with a friend years ago and he told me that he was afraid of bear so he was carrying. … He pulled out a 32 ACP.
Beretta markets a "Tomcat" in .32ACP. That's about right.
I carried my 1911 the last time I hiked in bear country but decided ahead of time I would only use it if I had no other options. Even a fatal wound with an 'appropriate' cartridge does not necessarily mean "drop right there in your tracks." I watched my dad shoot a deer in the head at about 60 yards with a 30-30. It bounced off the forehead and blew a hole in the skull about 1"x2". The deer jumped and ran about 75 yards before it crawled under a fallen tree to die. Bears are less likely to retreat.

[44man]

I feel sorry for our Leo's. I wish they would all go on strike. They have been turned to a paramilitary force lately so when Obumbler declares Marshal law they will follow.
Yet every single person in the force, military or gov had to swear to uphold the constitution. I did when in the Army and I live that way. Maybe I have faith that all will support the freedoms we have.
To watch what happened with stores smashed and everyone coming out with booty, NO, put a mini gun up and take them all out. They broke the law. This PC junk has to go away.

[Ramjet-SS]

Oh I thought we were talking the venerable Winchester 32 special.....:bigsmyl2:

I would be ok with my 327 it's better than just running shoes........or nothing at all..:kidding:

[trapper9260]

One of my sisters told me about a guy she was going out with when she was in the Air Force that the guy was in the woods in Maine and had a black bear went after him and he use a 38spl on it and drop it.So I say a 327 would work also it is all have to do with shot placement.lke anything else.

[JSnover]

You could always put the gun in the bears mouth right before he eats you and pull the trigger. If it works it will just look like he committed suicide. :wink:

[kysunfish]

I was backpacking in brown bear country with a friend years ago and he told me that he was afraid of bear so he was carrying. I couldn't see where he would have been hiding it, so I asked him what he had. He pulled out a 32 ACP. This guy was a cop.

He was probably going to shoot you with that 32 and call 911 with your cell phone afterwards

[9.3X62AL]

A 32 ACP carried in bear country verifies the status of being Unclear On The Concept.

[Rodfac]

For those with a death wish, a .32, any .32, would be a perfect choice. Rod

[44man]

A little worse then a nine Glock in bear country. They do make larger guns. I ain't shooting at a bear with a .38 either. My smallest says .475 on it.

[Ramjet-SS]

ha ha 327 Federal Mag is great choice what good are all those big bore guns in a pressure situation if you are only hitting dirt? :bigsmyl2:

[44man]

ha ha 327 Federal Mag is great choice what good are all those big bore guns in a pressure situation if you are only hitting dirt? :bigsmyl2:
Need to get used to them is all. My favorite now is the .500 JRH. Next is the .475 and next the .44 mag.
What you talk about is my grandson. We were doing penetration tests with soaked phone books on a board on top of my saw horses. He came out and I handed him the .475 and since he is expert on internet games and felt tough, he shot my metal saw horses. He fears my JRH.
But affect on a bear with a .32 means taking the front sight off so it does not hurt.

[Thumbcocker]

Has no one even considered the damage a .32 would do to a griz when fired from the inside?

[FergusonTO35]

I wouldn't carry a handgun of any sort to protect against dangerous game larger than a cougar or black bear. I cannot shoot any round big enough to do the job properly from a handgun, regardless of how big the gun is. In that case I would carry my Marlin 1895 and just deal with the extra bulk. To protect against black bear or cougar, yes I would carry a 9mm or smartly loaded full size .38 Special. I don't care what the internet professional guides say, I'm carrying something that I know I can shoot quickly and accurately.

[JSnover]

I wouldn't carry a handgun of any sort to protect against dangerous game larger than a cougar or black bear. I cannot shoot any round big enough to do the job properly from a handgun, regardless of how big the gun is. In that case I would carry my Marlin 1895 and just deal with the extra bulk. To protect against black bear or cougar, yes I would carry a 9mm or smartly loaded full size .38 Special. I don't care what the internet professional guides say, I'm carrying something that I know I can shoot quickly and accurately.

Agreed. As I said earlier, the last time I hiked in bear country I carried a pistol without any delusions about what it could do. The last time I hunted in bear country I carried a bolt-action 45-70.

[Ramjet-SS]

SBR in 458 SOCOM

[44man]

Has no one even considered the damage a .32 would do to a griz when fired from the inside?
I love that one! :bigsmyl2:
Better off to use your teeth.

[44man]

I wouldn't carry a handgun of any sort to protect against dangerous game larger than a cougar or black bear. I cannot shoot any round big enough to do the job properly from a handgun, regardless of how big the gun is. In that case I would carry my Marlin 1895 and just deal with the extra bulk. To protect against black bear or cougar, yes I would carry a 9mm or smartly loaded full size .38 Special. I don't care what the internet professional guides say, I'm carrying something that I know I can shoot quickly and accurately.
Just comes to comfort level and mine has reached the very large calibers. I can shoot them much faster on target then a rifle.
The rifle gets cumbersome so it will wind up on a sling or leaning on a tree when you gut.
Ever hunt birds for hours and hold READY? Your long gun might be in one hand at the balance point.
I am no quick draw artist so my big revolver hangs from a sling at hand level, mostly with my hand on the grip.
Most will never find the holstered gun when needed.

[Walkingwolf]

7.62X25 Tok is known for it's penetration of soft body armor, but still I would not want meeting a bear for dinner with anything less than a 44mag.

[FergusonTO35]

Yes 44man, if your comfort level includes strong cartridges then by all means you shoukd carry them. Never thought of carrying a big sixgun with a sling before. How does that work? I may have a big bore or two in my future, just not right now.

[bearcove]

I think a 32 would work just fine.

A bear will chew on your skull trying to crack your egg. So thats when you stick that 32 in his mouth. Keep pulling the trigger till you're done.

[merlin101]

Has no one even considered the damage a .32 would do to a griz when fired from the inside?

Thats the best right there! :bigsmyl2:

[Ramjet-SS]

44 man running drills at an IDPA match with his single action 475 Linebaugh loaded with 33 grains of 296 with a 405 grain WFN over it. I want to see that!!!!!!!

[44man]

Yes 44man, if your comfort level includes strong cartridges then by all means you shoukd carry them. Never thought of carrying a big sixgun with a sling before. How does that work? I may have a big bore or two in my future, just not right now.
Works great, I put sling studs in the bottom of all my revolver grips. I just use the same sling on all. The 6' utility sling from Midsouth is perfect. You can make your own from webbing. Use a QD swivel and adjust to hang at your hand when you walk.
I had two swivels for the big 45-70 with a barrel band so I could get it across my back when dragging a deer but have since found a shoulder holster. I took the band off.

[Ramjet-SS]

Yup 327 Mag with a cast GC 130 grain HP with a BB in the HP should do the trick BB penetrates the brain and lights out YOGI

[jrap]

he minimum I'd be comfortable with would be a 45 acp but if possible id want at least a 10mm. Ideally 44 magnum. If i had to protect my dogs from a bear I wouldt grab a handgun but my 7mm rem mag ruger m77. Amazingly accurate and made in 1976.

[tctender]

Hasn't everyone heard of having someone else along that they can outrun. Have to make this a joke but a 327 in the right spot may make time to get away. Would want something bigger if possible.

[RogerDat]

Well I suppose if you climbed a tree you could use the 32 to signal for help by firing three shots in the air.
You know climbing a tree is a proven way to determine if you are being chased by a black bear or a grizzly. Black will climb the tree after you, Mr. Griz just knocks it over.

You can also determine bear type from the droppings. Grizzly droppings will smell like pepper spray and have little bells in them.

[Ramjet-SS]

Guys this entire thread is tongue and cheek. Humor if you will.

[44man]

44 man running drills at an IDPA match with his single action 475 Linebaugh loaded with 33 grains of 296 with a 405 grain WFN over it. I want to see that!!!!!!!
Nope, just 26 gr, 420 gr boolit. I am not a speed shooter but have done it with smaller calibers.
Been around too many bears, within a few feet of some well over 400#. I never got the fear. I do not get buck fever.
Once we were walking in the woods and a wood chuck ran across. I shot an arrow and missed, the arrow bounced and stuck in a tree. Happened to be 20 yards from a big sow and two cubs. I snuck tree to tree to pull my arrow and retreat. Friend said I was nuts. Have you ever had a huge boar climb your tree to talk back down? I have. He went down and to an apple tree I was hunting for deer, tore hell out of it and ate a bushel at a time, when he left he bashed my tree with a shoulder.
I wanted bear meat but not legal.
You don't know me. I fear no man or animal. My fear is a pet, family member, friend, or one of you that gets sick.

[FergusonTO35]

44man, I think Elmer Keith would be proud of you!!

[JSnover]

Hasn't everyone heard of having someone else along that they can outrun. Have to make this a joke but a 327 in the right spot may make time to get away. Would want something bigger if possible.
I'd like the bear to fall down, so I can shoot him again. They are unbelievably fast when they want to be… like when they've been shot by a minor-caliber handgun.

[johnson1942]

i think a 45/70 is a little on the light side with the grizzly bear. i dont think their are guns that are big enough for those critters if the going gets tough. they could be dieing and still kill you. i just sold a custom muzzle loader i built to a man who wants to hunt big game with it. it was a fast twist 50 cal and shot a 686 grain paperpatch bullet at 1200 ft per sec. it in theory should do the trick but i would never recommend it to be the only gun and hope he has a back up shooter. a good 12 gauge pump with slugs alternating with double 0 buck may be a good idea. i suppose this post was in jest but dont get caught short out their. anybody want to fight in one of our many conflicts with a 32 pistol? the 32 special for the model 94 winchester wouldnt make me feel safe with the big brown bears. we have enough trouble with the mountain lions around here, i wouldnt want to live with grizzlys in my back yard. this country here is remote enough for me.

[tejano]

Fired my new Ruger SP101 .327 for the first time yesterday. I bought 2 boxes of federal factory ammo for the brass. Shot up one box. Recoil and blast was more than I expected but not bad. I suspect the noise might scare a grizz more than the bullet. Double action pull was next to awful. Smallish factory grips don't help. Hopefully, lots of arm chair pulls will improve it some.

[snowtigger]

You could always put the gun in the bears mouth right before he eats you and pull the trigger. If it works it will just look like he committed suicide. :wink:

A carpenter friend was hunting moose from an atv and stopped to answer nature's call. He was just off the atv when he was hit by a sow grizzly. The only thing he had was a 357 mag. He shoved it into her mouth and fired.
They never found the bear, but it drove her off. It took a lot of surgery, but he survived. PS. I vote no on the 32, any 32.

[huntersdog]

Beats harsh language or your Swiss Army knife, but not by a whole bunch. There was a gentleman hunting on Kodiak Island and killed a Kodiak bear with a 110 Buck folding pocket knife I believe it was.

[LouisianaMan]

Write back to Mr. E.E. Vance and advise him to stay in St. Jo! No trips out West for him, I don't think. If he goes, and takes his .32, AND gets attacked by a grizzly bear...tell him to RAPIDLY insert the gun into his mouth and pull the trigger as many times as possible. He's gonna get eaten by the grizzly, so it'll hurt less if he's dead already!