Split from "My Kit" by @Ol Gill, which was a more general survival gear thread.
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A hard hitting, very reliable sidearm. They are butt ugly and have a god awful feeling trigger but a 10mm Glock with a few spare magazines. They aren’t expensive, practically maintenance free and could be the difference between getting food vs. being food.

Mantoga wrote:A hard hitting, very reliable sidearm. They are butt ugly and have a god awful feeling trigger but a 10mm Glock with a few spare magazines. They aren’t expensive, practically maintenance free and could be the difference between getting food vs. being food.

Not so good for preventing "being food", but I'm thinking that for most of us,
a 22 rifle and/or shotgun (or preferably a combo gun like the savage 24) would be better at "getting food" than a 10mm Glock.
Plus more fun for lightweight plinking around camp.

hotrod180 wrote:

Mantoga wrote:A hard hitting, very reliable sidearm. They are butt ugly and have a god awful feeling trigger but a 10mm Glock with a few spare magazines. They aren’t expensive, practically maintenance free and could be the difference between getting food vs. being food.

Not so good for preventing "being food", but I'm thinking that for most of us,
a 22 rifle and/or shotgun (or preferably a combo gun like the savage 24) would be better at "getting food" than a 10mm Glock.
Plus more fun for lightweight plinking around camp.

I spent 30 years flying the friendly skys of Alaska, including some pretty remote areas, and ALL in bear country. While working, I was required to carry at least a handgun. Most days, I did. If we were working on big animals (bears, moose, sheep, etc) I carried a short barrel Remington 870 (issued to all LE personnel). That shotgun also lived in my assigned plane. All our field crews were also equipped with the shotguns and slug rounds. I also carried bean bag rounds as a deterrent. This equipment was dictated by policy for anyone operating in bear country.

I also conducted the mandatory field firearms training and certification for ALL assigned field employees. Our bear protection policy was absolutely clear: ALL field employees had to carry or be protected by someone trained to protect them, with the 12 guage shotgun OR a high powered rifle (30-06 or louder). The single exception in policy was for the Fisheries folks who (occasionally) conducted electrofishing. Their argument was they couldn't carry a shotgun along with all the electro fishing gear while wading.

So, those guys always showed up with their .44 mag handguns, in a chest holster for requalification. Now, EVERYone who was carrying was required to go through either initial training or requalification every season. Our requalification was really simple: They had to demonstrate to me that they were competent and safe in handling the firearm (loading, unloading, verifying condition, basic handling, etc). Secondly, everyone had to shoot a "Charging Bear Target". The slightly smaller than life size bear target was fixed to a "sled" which had a rope harness, and fifty or sixty feet of rope. Each participant lined up facing the target from fifty feet away, gun at port arms. Another held the rope and at my call of "Charge", they took off at max speed, dragging the "bear" toward the shootist. My requirement was they had to get off three rounds from a locked and loaded condition, and at least ONE slug had to hit something significant on the "bear". No toenail shots counted.

In almost twenty seasons conducting this, I NEVER had anyone qualify with a handgun, and yes, one participant did show up with a Glock 10.

A side note: The FBI at one point transitioned to 10 mm handguns for routine carry (ugh!!}. Within a year or so, they realized that their average scores in their recurrent qualifications dropped significantly. Which is when they started carrying .40 caliber ammunition in those 10s. I heard more recently that they are issued 9mm handguns. There is no question that the average scores are going to be better with a 9 than any of the heavy caliber handguns.

So, would you rather carry a Glock 10 or a S&W .44 and miss with most rounds, all the while abusing yourself regularly to practice wtih those things......or carry a Glock or Sig compact 9, and put four or five rounds in the beast? Me, I'm a .40 cal guy, what I was trained and shot most. Those little 9s are sweet shooters, though.

mtv wrote:In almost twenty seasons conducting this, I NEVER had anyone qualify with a handgun, and yes, one participant did show up with a Glock 10.

Out of curiosity, in your 30 seasons much of it in heavy bear country, how many times did you or anyone you helped qual ever use said firearm(long, short, or anywhere in between) in defense against a bear?
As I'm prepping for my first run up to AK from the 48 in a little plane, I'm restricted to bear spray. I'll probably carry some just in case, but I'll also be carrying hot sauce. Dual purpose, good on food and should I be at risk of being bear food at least I can pour it on myself and be tasty for the bear.

mtv wrote:

hotrod180 wrote:

Mantoga wrote:A hard hitting, very reliable sidearm. They are butt ugly and have a god awful feeling trigger but a 10mm Glock with a few spare magazines. They aren’t expensive, practically maintenance free and could be the difference between getting food vs. being food.

Not so good for preventing "being food", but I'm thinking that for most of us,
a 22 rifle and/or shotgun (or preferably a combo gun like the savage 24) would be better at "getting food" than a 10mm Glock.
Plus more fun for lightweight plinking around camp.

I spent 30 years flying the friendly skys of Alaska, including some pretty remote areas, and ALL in bear country. While working, I was required to carry at least a handgun. Most days, I did. If we were working on big animals (bears, moose, sheep, etc) I carried a short barrel Remington 870 (issued to all LE personnel). That shotgun also lived in my assigned plane. All our field crews were also equipped with the shotguns and slug rounds. I also carried bean bag rounds as a deterrent. This equipment was dictated by policy for anyone operating in bear country.

I also conducted the mandatory field firearms training and certification for ALL assigned field employees. Our bear protection policy was absolutely clear: ALL field employees had to carry or be protected by someone trained to protect them, with the 12 guage shotgun OR a high powered rifle (30-06 or louder). The single exception in policy was for the Fisheries folks who (occasionally) conducted electrofishing. Their argument was they couldn't carry a shotgun along with all the electro fishing gear while wading.

So, those guys always showed up with their .44 mag handguns, in a chest holster for requalification. Now, EVERYone who was carrying was required to go through either initial training or requalification every season. Our requalification was really simple: They had to demonstrate to me that they were competent and safe in handling the firearm (loading, unloading, verifying condition, basic handling, etc). Secondly, everyone had to shoot a "Charging Bear Target". The slightly smaller than life size bear target was fixed to a "sled" which had a rope harness, and fifty or sixty feet of rope. Each participant lined up facing the target from fifty feet away, gun at port arms. Another held the rope and at my call of "Charge", they took off at max speed, dragging the "bear" toward the shootist. My requirement was they had to get off three rounds from a locked and loaded condition, and at least ONE slug had to hit something significant on the "bear". No toenail shots counted.

In almost twenty seasons conducting this, I NEVER had anyone qualify with a handgun, and yes, one participant did show up with a Glock 10.

A side note: The FBI at one point transitioned to 10 mm handguns for routine carry (ugh!!}. Within a year or so, they realized that their average scores in their recurrent qualifications dropped significantly. Which is when they started carrying .40 caliber ammunition in those 10s. I heard more recently that they are issued 9mm handguns. There is no question that the average scores are going to be better with a 9 than any of the heavy caliber handguns.

So, would you rather carry a Glock 10 or a S&W .44 and miss with most rounds, all the while abusing yourself regularly to practice wtih those things......or carry a Glock or Sig compact 9, and put four or five rounds in the beast? Me, I'm a .40 cal guy, what I was trained and shot most. Those little 9s are sweet shooters, though.

You must have had some limp wristed crappy shooters! Or, maybe pilots can't handle recoil. HAHA!

You can't use 40 short and weak ammo in a 10mm, rimless rounds headspace on the case mouth. You might get an occasional to fire but highly unlikely it would cycle or eject. But, the FBI did start using downloaded 10mm.
In bear country I used to carry a 475 Wildey auto pistol. I carried a 44 blackhawk for too many years archery hunting bears, until I decided not to bring the extra weight. In recent years I carry a 454 Casull Freedom Arms. But lately I've been shooting my LAR Grizzly 454 win mag auto a bunch, more power than the average 44 mag load.

I’m going to save the last round for me after I’ve missed the charging bruin with all the others.

DreadPirateWill wrote:

mtv wrote:In almost twenty seasons conducting this, I NEVER had anyone qualify with a handgun, and yes, one participant did show up with a Glock 10.

Out of curiosity, in your 30 seasons much of it in heavy bear country, how many times did you or anyone you helped qual ever use said firearm(long, short, or anywhere in between) in defense against a bear?
As I'm prepping for my first run up to AK from the 48 in a little plane, I'm restricted to bear spray. I'll probably carry some just in case, but I'll also be carrying hot sauce. Dual purpose, good on food and should I be at risk of being bear food at least I can pour it on myself and be tasty for the bear.

I spent eight years in Kodiak and two years on the Alaska Peninsula, both of which host arguably the largest brown bears anywhere. They are also the mellowest bears I ever met. I've had them walk past me within twenty feet and less, and never even look at me. We handled bears some 180 times in capture events, with no issues, good drugs. The State fisheries biologists on Kodiak walked salmon stream surveys in DENSE cover all the time and most never carried a gun.

On the Yukon Flats, in the Interior our crews regularly encountered black bears, a lot and grizzlies somewhat less often. One crew shot a big male who'd become acclimated to their camp and took it over. Not long after that, we started using electric fences at all our camps, and never had a problem in camps again. That is, except for the time a camp left the gate in the fence down during dinner and a young black bear joined them. They shooed him away, and put up the gate.

The Fisheries folks shot and wounded a bear at their camp, after they'd chosen not to put up a fence. Then they called me to come get the bear. I did, and put up an electric fence. Fortunately, it's first customer was the guy who'd wounded the bear. I shot that bear with the 870.

Understand that we often had three to four camps out there at a time, two people per camp, and they were constantly dealing with bears. The crews generally got smart pretty fast, and learned to deal with them. The electric fences let us sleep......a BIG deal.

The beauty of the 12 guage shotgun for bear protection is that there are a few non lethal rounds that are available, and pretty effective on bears. Bean bag rounds hurt like hell, but aren't lethal. I generally carried the extended magazine loaded with slugs, and a bean bag round in a pocket. Meet a bear who needs discouragement, drop the bean bag in the chamber, plug the bear, and next up is lethal, in case.

I had bears bluff charge once or twice, and met lots of them that I shooed off, with a cracker shell or bean bag, only if they acted too friendly.

As bear guns go, and Remington 870 is inexpensive, reliable, it's tough and functions even if filthy, carries lots of rounds, cycles really fast, and with brennecke slugs (sabots), it's deadly. Even with standard slugs, it's a wicked weapon. And, relatively easy to shoot well.

Further, if you're going to travel through Canada, a long gun is the only way to go. I heard of Customs questioning short barreled pump guns, but I've cleared canada customs with one. You do want to declare them, and pay for the permit ahead of time.

If you're hunting big game, then most likely, the rifle you're hunting with will suffice.

MTV is spot on when it comes to what to carry. I have treated 3 Grizzly bear attacks and for all 3 that attack very fast, one had a rifle with deer over his shoulders, one had his 357 pistol in his back pack, the other might have had bear spray (trail runner) All three got hit fast and hard, never got a change to use anything. Two did not play dead long enough and got abused a second time. If you are going to carry a sidearm keep it on you at all times and learn to use it. I carried a .44 magnum for several years until I realized I was not capable of a second shot in any reasonable amount of time so I have switched to a 9 MM. I use a shoulder holster because I can fly, butcher an animal carry a pack without any problems, Put it on in the morning and forget about it. I hunt with a 338 RUM but the 9mm always comes along. A 9mm will kill a grizzly if you have proper shot placement. I would say a 12 Gauge shotgun is about as good as it gets for close up protection. Handguns /long guns will work but are not as effective or easy to use. Pepper Spray is also very effective in the right situation. Keep in mind younger male black bear are predatory and will go after you for a meal. My wife does a lot of hiking with there 55-75 group of women and see more bear up close than I do a year, all she ever carries is Bear Spray. If you do fly with it strap it to the gear leg, don't put it in the plane. If you are coming into Anchorage a lot of Regal or other flying outfits at lake hood may have several on the shelf hunters leave when going home give them call.
DENNY

here's some easy reading, https://www.temporaryresidentpermitcanada.com/guns.php . here's the form
https://rcmp.ca/sites/default/files/doc/5589e.pdf ....worked for me in 2019
Also Canpas was handy https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canpass/menu-eng.html