I am rarely in bear country, and if I am, I have a .30-.30 rifle handy. (same if I know I'll be in feral hog country) But for every day carry, I keep either a 1911 in .45acp with me for around town, or a .357mag with a hollow point, followed by a #4 CCI shot shell, for out in the boonies. It has been a set up that has worked for me for quite awhile now. I do own a judge, but just cant find the ammo combination I am comfortable with.
Monte, post: 449876, member: 11913 wrote: I do own a judge, but just cant find the ammo combination I am comfortable with.
I have found short barreled revolvers are only good for 10 feet with respect to accuracy. That's too damned close for me.
So now I carry (when needed) a Ruger Sr9 with a 17 round clip loaded with HV 129gr hollow points.
😎
The little Beretta I mentioned has a barrel that is about 2 times the length of the shell. I used to be a pretty good shot, I shot in competition when I was a lot younger, but I can't hit an empty beer can at 6 feet with this thing. But it does make a hell of a lot of noise.
SPMPLS, post: 449756, member: 11785 wrote: I shot a 300 lb. male black bear in self defense in 2015. I used a 12 gauge with a 3" load that had a slug and 00 buck in it. He was about 30' away and moving towards me. This was after running him off 3 times earlier, including with a warning round. I wouldn't have wanted to have been any closer when I made the decision. Not being a proficient handgun user (at least not in a life or death situation) I was glad I had a shotgun. Hit him in the left shoulder and he went down very quickly after cartwheeling about 40' and bellowing something awful. Ironically, I had researched where to shoot one just months before, and almost everything I read said "not the head" and recommended the shoulder. It worked, but I didn't sleep a wink that night.
never had to fire at a bear in Alaska, but was glad they mostly left us alone. We had to practice with a shotgun and always aim for the shoulders. Their skulls are thick and sloped so a bullet often glances off . Damn, though, 30 feet is too close ! glad you got a good shot off.
A client of mine has the 'Taurus Judge' and it's huge enough I would see myself leaving it behind way too often. Whatever you buy it isn't any good the day you decide it's too un-handy to carry and leave it in the truck.
If I was in bear country it would be and .44 cal. compact always on me, because that would be an easy carry option. In locations where my spidey sense told me there's real danger out there I would have a short barreled 12ga. with buck shot and slugs nearby.
I know I get tired much easier that 20 years ago, and am all about minimum exertion to create max results. That Judge would be poking and pinching me every time I bent over.
Steve
flyin solo, post: 449748, member: 8089 wrote: shot a rock island tac 10 that actually wasn't too bad. the weight of the gun probably had something to do with that.
back in the spring during SXSW a neighbor had an unfortunate airbnb experience with a hip hop crew out of houston. one of those dudes unloaded a whole mag my way after i acted like a party pooper neighbor. i thought he was shooting a .380 or maybe a 9mm based on how it sounded. after i scraped myself up off the ground and the cops had run everyone off i went and found his casings: 10mm. glad he wasn't any better a shot.
Glad I don't live in your neighborhood.
Tell you why I carry bear spray as well as a Colt 44. in bear country. About twenty years ago on a bowhunt I stalked a big black bear and lost track of it in thick willows only to find myself face to face with it. The bear was spitting distance and didn't know I was there and me being the dumb sob I am, decided to come to draw on it and if it didn't detect me I'd let him have it. Aiming for center of his chest I loosed an arrow from maybe 10' away. It clipped a willow branch and deflected up striking about 2" behind the bears nose and went clear through the bears head exiting behind the base of the skull. Long story short, fortunately the bear didn't run me over and take me out and I expected to find it in the morning after it bled out. My partner and I had to track that bear the entire next day for over half a mile and 2000' vertical elevation on hands and knees. Talk about puckered up. When we finally caught up with it, the bear had just enough strength to lift it's' head and look me in the eyes before I dispatched it with my 44. I lost all interest in hunting bears after that and learned they are darn tough to kill and at close range I'm more likely to enrage the bear and give it a good reason to try and kill me by using my firearm. The grizzly can take even more punishment than the blackie and if it knows where the shot came from, it will do it's very best to take you with him. Old timer once told me to file the front sight of my weapon and I asked him why. 'So it doesn't hurt so much when that bear shoves it up your ....'.
The firearm is kind of like prorating, very, very last resort.
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
Williwaw, post: 449914, member: 7066 wrote: Tell you why I carry bear spray as well as a Colt 44
You could switch to a Colt 45 and the bears will leave you alone because you're just too damn suave
[MEDIA=youtube]0pK5HmuCMBM[/MEDIA]
I started caring after Rodney King riots and Regional Denny was beat to within an inch of his life and the cops backed their cars up and left. Jp
The Tarus Judge wouldn't be my first choice, but a modern 45 LC load can apporach 44 magnum power if I'm not mistaken.
Hack, post: 449907, member: 708 wrote: Glad I don't live in your neighborhood.
funny, as the neighborhood i moved into 20 years ago, that at the time had an active crack house and at least one meth lab, never has had anything like that happen- at least since i've been there. now in the last couple years with the quadrupling of home values and a tsunami of young, woke, composting, chicken raising yoga practitioners making it one of the [SARCASM]top 5 neighborhoods in america for young hip professional lbgtq-friendly parents to raise their rescue furbabies[/SARCASM] , we suddenly have a bunch of $400/night airbnbs nearby as well. which, i guess, fall within the write-off budget of some low level record producers.
you shoulda seen what they did to that poor girl's house...
I have experienced an occasional failure to feed, or failure to eject on ALL semi-auto firearms I have shot.
That ranges from shotguns, military rifles, to Glocks, Browning, Smith and Wesson, Walther, Ruger, Springfield...I'm sure I'm leaving something out.
It can be blamed on quality of ammo, how the ammo is loaded in the mag., limp wristing, grip, lubrication, bullet style, bullet weight, wear, ect. ect.
Lots of places to spread the blame, but an experienced shooter would be lying if they didn't agree that it happens occasionally.
I'd certainly take pistol over nothing. For me reliability and ease of use under stress are my top concerns.
A double action revolver fits the bill for me. It's all going to be over in a matter of seconds anyway (one way or another).
Anybody ever shot an elk squarely with a high powered rifle (more than 3 times the muzzle energy of most pistols) and watch it continue on for several football fields, knocking snags down as it runs? Large animals require a little extra respect.
I'm considering buying a pistol, even though Mama says they're the Devil's right hand. I'm old. I'm roly-poly. I'm slow. 'Til now my first (and last) line of defense has been a machete in the right hand and a mason's hammer in the left. Too up close and personal really, for an old fat guy. Looking seriously at the North American Arms little single action revolvers chambered for .22 mag. A .22 mag hollow point in your gizzard will get your attention. What say you gun guys? More scared of rabid foxes, coyotes, racoons and skunks than bears.
I have shot a number of hand guns and I carry occassionaly, but choosing a carry gun is a very personal thing. You need to pick a gun that fits your hand, you can shoot well and are comfortable carrying. In NY you can only carry conceled, so that makes big heavy revolvers difficult. 1911's are great, but I will only carry one in a shoulder holster, 2lbs is a liitle heavy anywhere else. For belt carry I now have a Springfield XDS in 40. I dont know if a 40 will take care of a bear, but I can shoot it and carry it.
22 mag is good for fox, coon and skunks, but a little light for eastern coyotes although it will send them packing in the other direction.
Sergeant Schultz, post: 449955, member: 315 wrote: I'm considering buying a pistol, even though Mama says they're the Devil's right hand. I'm old. I'm roly-poly. I'm slow. 'Til now my first (and last) line of defense has been a machete in the right hand and a mason's hammer in the left. Too up close and personal really, for an old fat guy. Looking seriously at the North American Arms little single action revolvers chambered for .22 mag. A .22 mag hollow point in your gizzard will get your attention. What say you gun guys? More scared of rabid foxes, coyotes, racoons and skunks than bears.
Sarge brings up a good point, in the last two months and within 30 miles of me, one lady was seriously attacked by a rabid coyote requiring over 150 stiches to her face and legs, she escaped by jumping into a canal another was gored and kicked severely by a rabid buck. Both had to undergo the long and painfull vacine process.
James Vianna, post: 449962, member: 120 wrote: the long and painfull vacine process.
I had the shots in the 1980s. The vaccine was as easy as flu shots. Much better than in prior decades.
There was also immune globulin to help before the vaccine kicked in. It was supposed to go near the wound, which for me was the thumb the cat had nicked with its tooth. It's a thick syrupy stuff.Doc put it in until my thumb was seriously puffed up and then said roll over. My butt was too sore for easy sitting for a while.
I would think preparing for the near misses would be just as important.
This has been one of the finest threads ever. Great sarcasm. Funny stuff.
But, there is a serious side to it all. Due to all the tree huggin' tofu eatin', sandal wearin', won't kill a flea thinkin', yoga lovin', over priced coffee drinkin', save the world types, who are populatin' this planet, we are seeing more and more lions, bears, and potentially human eatin' animals.
Carrying some sort of defense, will become more and more necessary. Even in places we never before considered. Like Detroit, and Dallas, Oklahoma City. Or, maybe especially in those places.
Thank you,
Nate
I didnt mention it above, but I do keep an North American Arms .22LR in my pocket, sort of the two is one, one is none mantra some drill sergeant concreted into my skull many years ago. But anyways, it isn't much for accuracy, but when you shoot that thing, it sounds like you are firing a .357mag. the little short barrel, boy it makes it loud. And sometimes the sound is enough to scare critters away.