Odd question, for the hunters..

[Krh1326]

Not a hunting question, but could be seen in the related category…
Planning a hiking and fishing trip, to South West Alaska, this spring.
Hiking up to a couple old abandoned WW2 forts, and will be fishing, at some other coastal spots.
Been there, before, and have had one mild bear encounter… but this time, is different. I have ccw license, and I plan on taking one of my handguns. My choice is limited to my practical for my home area, hand guns.
Which would be my best bet, God forbid, if I had another bear encounter?
1) SP101 4” barrel .357 mag 5 rnd cyl .
2 ) Sig Sauer P229. I have barrel/slide/mag configs, for 9mm , .40SW & .357sig
3) 1911 5” govt .45 acp

I’m ruling out 9mm, and I’m thinking .45 acp might not have the penetration. I’m thinking the .40 SW would be right behind the .45…. So maybe I’m getting down to .357 mag vs Sig ? I like the FTF free dependability of my revolver, but in a SHTF moment I’d like to have more than 5 .

I’m not EXPECTING a problem, but where I’m going there is potential for one.
Any thoughts?

[versa-06]

I'd go 1911 45 with as heavy a bullet as you can shoot well. They will penetrate well with kwik follow up shots. My 2-cents

[Krh1326]

Wow… I wouldn’t have thought that. I thank you, for pointing that out.
Last time I was able to borrow a .44 mag carbine lever… but this time, that won’t be available, and I really really don’t want to carry that, again, lol.

[M-Tecs]

https://www.ammoland.com/2021/06/han...#axzz7tzvCv3JE

https://www.ammoland.com/2022/03/upd...#axzz7tzvCv3JE

[huntinlever]

See this thread, where this was also discussed: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...ht=yellowstone

[Krh1326]

Amazing Reads ! Well .. I guess I learned something. Don’t discard the .40 and .45 out of hand, lol. Actually, even the 9mm. That had a 100% success rate.
I had some tunnel vision going, thinking high velocity fmj , punch thru to vitals.

[marlinman93]

Since we're talking big game and you'll want penetration, and large caliber, I'd also choose the .45 ACP. But be sure to buy ammo with bullets designed for penetration, not high expansion bullets that may not penetrate a big brown bear.

[Krh1326]

Well…. I’m thinking I need to get my hands on some 230 TC’s, and get to the range. Thank you guys…. Hopefully this will just be an excercise of preparedness.
Will be carrying camp and fishing gear, will be making plenty of noise, lol. Not like stalking. Always follow the bear basics… food stowage, latrine etc etc.
My previous encounter was only because we happened upon a bear, that had killed a goat. He didn’t want to leave his kill, to mess with us, and we gave it a wide berth.

[Winger Ed.]

Sounds like the perfect reason why you 'need' to get yourself a .44Mag.

[wolfdog]

To be honest, I doubt a bear can tell the difference between any of your choices. And all will work. IMHO pick the one that you can shoot the best, that is the most reliable and who's sights you can acquire the quickest. 3 shots of 9mm to the head are better than a 44 mag to the dirt. If you will be doing anything night time, consider your sight/light setup, and consider ease of carry. I would strongly suggest bear mace as a primary first option. JMHO.

[Krh1326]

My revolver. Was first pistol. Know it like back of my hand. Confident with it, in both .38 and .357… but that 5 cyl capacity is a huge liability.
Followed by 1911. It’s just like an old friend. Has new Novak tritiums, plus a retirement gift from my old crew. A Hogue overmolded grip, with a green laser, in the grip. Lol… talk about nigh time function.
The Sig is still kinda “new to me”. Haven’t built up the confidence , like the others, as of yet.

No seriously… 1911 it shall be. I just need to find the right rounds, and burn a few. Carry is a nice comfortable drop leg. . My waders fit over fine, and I can still reach it. I might try a cheap Amazon shoulder rig. Open carry is perfectly legal, not an issue, as long as we don’t find an establishment serving alcohol, roflmao.

[BLAHUT]

IMO a 12 ga. shotgun with slugs, even better, a 45/70 guide gun with 500 + pure lead slugs. The shot gun will hold 5, the guide gun will hold more..

[Krh1326]

Agreed…. But…. I’m getting too old and beaten up to lug those, plus my camping&fishing gear. We’re not part of a guided tour, hitting popular easily accessible ( crowded ) spots. We hike an awefully long way , thru inhospitable grounds. Some of these areas are so bad, the US army only used mules, no mechanized, to supply the gun emplacements. One trail, we frequent, is almost like rock climbing… I can’t even imagine a mule, carrying artillery shells, even climbing its way up… but they did.

[stubshaft]

I would take the SIG 229 in 40 S&W. Not much lower in power than the 45 with three more shots to boot.

[siamese4570]

Do a search for Phil schoomaker and 357. Famed brown bear guide preferred a 357 with 180 gr boolits as a backup. I'm pretty sure I'd trust his recommendations.
Siamese4570

[M-Tecs]

Gun fights and bear fights have the same #1 rule. Bring a gun to the fight. Rifles and shotguns have way more stopping power but they tend to not be handy when needed. I spend a fair amount of time in Grizzly country. If I was fishing next to bears or bear hunting a rifle or shotgun might be the best option. For daily carry even when I see 3 or 4 bears a day a handgun is the best option for me since it is with me 100% of the time.

I will be Grizzly bear hunting in AK this spring and yes I will carry my 375 H&H. After the bear hunt is over I will be helping a friend in a remote area. For that a rifle or shotgun carry is not practical. I will switch to a hundgun.

[quilbilly]

Of the list, I would also go with the 357 mag and use boolits from the NOE 360-182-WFN mold powered by as much horsepower as you can handle. Make practice loads with the same boolit but 10-20% less powerful. No hollow point. That is one impressive boolit. Your trip almost describes Unalaska Is. but I know it isn't.

[MrWolf]

Any reason you are not considering a 10mm? I have a few with my latest being the Magnum Research desert eagle. I really love this one. I can't really shoot revolvers due to some nerve damage.
Ron

[sukivel]

Sounds like the perfect reason why you 'need' to get yourself a .44Mag.

Perfectly written!


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[mnewcomb59]

With a few minor modifications to your 1911 you can run +p and moderate 45 Super loads. There is a lot of overlap with the +p data often shooting lead bullets at Super velocities when you use slow powder like Power Pistol. A lot of +p data shoots 200 gr jacketed bullets at 1000-1050, and the same loads will shoot a lead bullet almost 100 fps faster. I know a hard Lee 200-RF at 1100 fps and a medium hardness 255-RF at 900 fps penetrate 11 water jugs, which is more than twice as far as a 180 grain 30-06 at close range.

There is no need for 10mm when you already have a 1911. Then when you watch the penetration tests, the 200 and 220 gr 10mm almost never penetrate straight because they are barely stabilized by the rifling. The heavy 10mm always ends up curving or tumbling.

My 1911 has been throated so I can load bullets a little longer. It also has a flat base firing pin stop, heavier main spring and slightly heavier recoil spring. When I find 45 Super data for the same weight bullet loaded at 1.18" and I know I can load at 1.22" I feel safe using the low end of that Super data in ACP brass at my longer OAL. This is sometimes useful for heavier bullets than you would find in ACP or for a sanity check for faster powders like Bullseye or Titegroup. The ACP case with a lead bullet will leave the 10mm in the dust at 23k PSI. With factory OAL if you use the right powder you can shoot a 200 gr at 1200 fps at 23k psi in the ACP case. Or you can shoot a 250 gr at 950 fps at 23k psi. If your gun is throated and you can gain case capacity you can probably add 100 fps at the same pressure.

With a fully supported chamber in other platforms, and with a muzzle brake you can take either Super or ACP cases up to 30k psi and shoot 250s at 1150 fps or 200s at 1400 fps.

You could also load up some 180s with Lil' Gun and get about 1300 fps in that 4 inch SP101, but it would probably be a lot less controllable than the 1911 and its only a 5 shooter. But I would be carrying one of those two guns out of your choices.