howdy IS 45 cal a good round to pack for the back country looking at my friend ruger p89.Thanks beagle

Marc, try doing a search. This topic was dicussed in a pretty long thread if I remember.

Really depends on what type of backcountry you are in. But in the lower 48 it should be fine. My personal opinion though would be to go with a double action revolver. Whatever you go with though practice, practice, practice. I was on the Air Force Marksmanship team and after a while you get to where the trigger pull and sight alignment is instinctive. Really helps in a high stress situation.
Keith

I think it pretty much came down to that a 12 ga. has about the most stopping power. I perfer a pump, one of those home protection models as they will hold a lot of shells and are cheap. I keep mine at home and it's a Mossberg. I wanted a cheap gun because I figure if I ever have to shoot anyone I would probably lose the gun.
I rarely have a need to fly with a gun where I live and the Mossberg serves double duty. The home protection versions have a short barrel and can usually be fitted with a pistol grip. I keep the stock on mine as it kicks like a mule with the pistol grip.

jmtgt wrote:

Beagle wrote:howdy IS 45 cal a good round to pack for the back country looking at my friend ruger p89.Thanks beagle

It is only good if you have another person with you to shoot in the knee cap as a sacrifice! Hey Wup wanna go flying again? hehee

I know where a guy can get a 454 Alaskan for a set of VG's


and the way you shoot Bro I'll fly with you anytime (cuz I know I can out run and out shoot ya )

I figured that would get your blood goin'


Soooo High noon ??

Don't forget who shot the Bee out of the air!!!

Even an old blind and deaf bird dog trips over a bird now and then.

Hehehe I love that one! It would work good as a retort following a rare but positive comment about airmanship when the equally rare "greaser" actually occurs with someone else on board to enjoy it!

Another one I have heard is, "Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while."

I don't have to take this abuse!!

Where I grew up (Iowa) the phrase went " even a blind hog gets an ear o' corn now and then".

Ahem...

Back to the topic at hand, the answer would be: It depends.

If you're talking about a .45ACP or the (unnecessary) .45GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol), the answer is probably not. Both are pretty wimpy for anything tougher than humans. If two-legged predators are the baddest thing you'll encounter, then the .45ACP is great.

If you mean a .45 Colt (some call it the Long Colt), you're getting warmer. In a stout revolver, a hot cartridge in .45 Colt is a beast. It isn't a grizzly-stopper but it's respectable.

As was mentioned above, add .004 to the .45 and you have the .454 Casull; one nasty handgun round. Still pretty puny when compared to a .30 caliber rifle but it's getting to be decent. With a hot load and heavy, heard-cast bullet, you can kill most any land animal in North America. The bear may still kill *you* but he'll die soon after.

Any handgun round is a trade-off of power vs. portability. Your .375H&H won't help you when it's leaning against a rock, fifty feet away. Maybe the .45 Colt can slow the bear down enough for you to get away or get to a rifle. Handguns are weaker than rifles but lots better than nothing!

A .45 *rifle* cartridge *is* a good bear gun. A .45-70 or .450 Marlin with a hot load *will* stop a bear, even a big one. No, I don't speak from experience; sorry.

But we've discussed this at length here, though. Have a look via the search function.

Jon B.

I think a .308 TC would do the trick as a Pistol....


What do you think JMTGT??

I was thinking my SuperBlackhawk 44 mag. would do until I could p/u something along the lines of a .475 Linebaugh or the Casull. After seeing the pictures Zane posted of the bear attack, I think I may have to opt for a short barreled carbine in a large caliber and magnum cased. It's either that or just let the damn bear eat you, which is what the victim of the mauling is probably thinking would have been better.

Yikes!

Mark

Yeah after seeing those photos...*blugggh* (puke sound) I think fumbling with a rifle inside a tent would be difficult. Looks like that dude shot a hole in his ankle.

I've heard that most attacks occur while the camper is inside their tent and their really isn't time to get that perfect movie-style shot in, so the new highly recommended defense is these perimeter alarm/electric fence systems.

zane wrote:I've heard that most attacks occur while the camper is inside their tent and their really isn't time to get that perfect movie-style shot in, so the new highly recommended defense is these perimeter alarm/electric fence systems.

Zane:

I've spent some time hiking and camping in Glacier Nat. Park over the years and the park personnel there are always quick to tell you that of all the bear attacks that have ocurred in the park since its inception, only a few have occurred while the attack was in his/her tent.

As someone who hunts frequently in bear country, I'd be real interested in hearing other people's experiences or knowledge about attacks in camp vs away from it.

Personally, I keep a .44 mag in the tent right next to my sleeping bag.

zane wrote:Yeah after seeing those photos...*blugggh* (puke sound) I think fumbling with a rifle inside a tent would be difficult. Looks like that dude shot a hole in his ankle.

I've heard that most attacks occur while the camper is inside their tent and their really isn't time to get that perfect movie-style shot in, so the new highly recommended defense is these perimeter alarm/electric fence systems.

If he shot himself trying to shoot the bear (which is entirely possible) he is the one that inflicted the most damage to his body. The scalp wound, while ugly, can be put back together and rehab is pretty simple / quick. Same with the punture wounds etc. That foot has some major damage and I'm thinking it may be awhile until he feels like dancing again...

Mark

Jr.CubBuilder wrote:A 10mm would be a much better choice than a 45ACP.

AMEN.

Custom COlt Commander length 10mm "game gun"

Glock 20 with 3 extended magazines in the vest (I can shoot it well enough to hit things, but the commander was built specifically for the games)

Don, KR5T

Here in Nunavut when me and Ma go fishing we pack a fly rod, a spinning rod and a .30/06 for grizzlies. 220-gr Nosler Partition bullets I hope have enough penetration to drill through the bruin's skull. If we see a likely caribou we forget the fish.

One of the canoe groups through here on the Barrens this summer had one of the paddlers and a grizzly both crest a rise on a portage at the same time, heading for each other. They were both surprised but the grizzly charged first and just before he made contact the paddler whacked him in the snout with a Pelican case then rolled over and played dead. The grizzly bit him on the leg once and pawwed him a couple times but then left the scene. Pretty gutsy group of canoeists. They continued on their trip for a few more days until it bacame evident the wound was becoming infected. Meanwhile they kept camp managers and the RCMP and the Health Centre informed via sat phone. It was finally decided to medivac the kid and get him to medical attention. All ended well however. No permanent damage.

Now, in that situation, how fast can you get your .44 out and fire it? Maybe it's in the Pelican case. Might make a great ad for Pelican.

Handguns for bears:

Make sure you file the front sight off, so it doesn't hurt so bad when the bear shoves it up your.....Uh, never mind.

There are some powerful handguns out there nowadays. Most people can't shoot them for beans, even pretty proficient pistoleros.


A 10 mm isn't much better than a lot of other handgun cartridges. Wouldn't be my choice. Might as well use a .45 ACP. Compare the ballistics of any of these "normal" pistol cartridges with that of a 30-30 Winchester. Would you plan on using a 30-30 on a bear? How bout something somwhat less potent, like a 10 mm?

A really powerful handgun, like the Cassul or the new .50 S&W might be okay, but they are big, they recoil like a rifle without the stock, and again, most folks can't shoot them for beans, especially in a clutch situation.

Look at the statistics of police in shootouts. Lots of shots fired, often at very close range, and a very few hits. And, these are people who practice a little, at least. Stress tends to screw up one's shooting.

Not saying there aren't advantages to a handgun compared to a long gun (such as being able to carry it all the time, and do something else), just understand the limitations they present.

As to the guy in the tent, who knows if he'd woke up in time to fend off the bear with a pistol, compared to a rifle. My bet is probably not. He was probably asleep when the bear grabbed him.

The trick is to always hike or camp with a particularly slow friend. You don't have to outrun the bear, just your ex friend.

MTV

Noticeably missing in all of our comments about what gun to have handy when the bear comes through the tent are any first hand successful accounts of how the gun performed under an actual attack, indicating we are all speculating anyway.

If the handguns that are big enough aren't controlable by us and we are all going to miss under the pressure anyway, maybe the gun is more of a measure of personal comfort that anything else.