Would a cal 44 remington 1858 do the job?

[Robby]

Hic!
Robby

 

[59sharps]

Well not sure what a 22 would do to a bear tho..i mean it sounds like it would be like scratching the bear most of people here say the 44 wouldn't be enough.

At same time i actually heard a interesting thing and i'm not sure if it can be true or not but i heard the largest bear ever shot was killed with a 22...but i'm kinda sceptical to that.

I guess i might just load 58's up and go out hoping they won't attack me sounds like it's pretty safe tho...i mean bear attacks. Sounds like that happens very rarely and almost no risk even tho you never know what happens!

I don’t have to out run the bear just you. One to the knee cap and I’m sure I can out run you.

 

[59sharps]

Charging bear? May as well stick the .22 muzzle in your ear and make it a relatively easy death.

I’m surprised no one gets it it is such an old joke. A 22 what goods a 22 answer I don’t have to out run the bear just have to out run you one to the knee cap and I’m sure I can.

 

[Whitworth]

Lots of inexperience in the comments. Noise from a gunshot won't stop a charging bear. The only sure place to put a bullet is up through the nose since that leads to the brain. See the photo. A shot to the spine will stop it, if you can put it there. A pistol will help a person feel more secure and in a pinch you can shoot your partner, if you have one, in the foot so you can out run him.

View attachment 98652

I just had this view the other night but the bear was still alive. Big old boar on my deck, come over to the sliding glass door and looked in, I leaned over and shined the light up the bear's nose! Watched the same one pull over my recyclable bin last night. They usually take off at noise and movement, but a feisty one at a feeder growled back at my attempts to shoo him away. Needless to say I closed the sliding glass door and let him enjoy the snack. Only real danger is disturbing a Mom and her cubs. In the next county over a stupid lady with a dog messed with one that had cubs, woman got mauled pretty severely and the poor bear was put down, should have spared the bear and put the woman down for being dumb. A stoutly loaded .44 while deadly leaves a lot to be desired. A 12 gauge and my trusty Stainless 4 inch 629 in .44 Mag on my hip would comfort me bit in BIG bear country. The double action 629 over my SAA because if wrestling with a bear I want to be able to just keep pulling the trigger until until it just goes click.

 

[Newtire]

While it might absolutely true I can't see myself standing my ground with a can of RAID pointed at a charging bear

I am not doubting that this stuff is pretty nasty but the fact that it sprays in a narrow stream and you might miss.

 

[SOLANCO]

I live in bear country, matter of fact my wife watched one yesterday on the drive way, at 9am. We consider it lucky to see them, they are an awesome animal, and they taste good to. Around here the mountain lions are what we are weary of, the bears want nothing to do with us, the cougars look at us like prey. According to my many game cameras the cats are outnumbering the bears by at least 20 to 1. I live in northern Ca, 380 acres total. We see it all on cameras. A dog is the best first defense, bears hate them, cats look at them as an easier meal than the human they are with, but then again, mountain lion is a fine meat also.

Maybe 2 or 3 Neopolitan Mastiffs?

 

[SOLANCO]

I’m surprised no one gets it it is such an old joke. A 22 what goods a 22 answer I don’t have to out run the bear just have to out run you one to the knee cap and I’m sure I can.

That assumes you are not alone

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Uh no. I work for Mike Lindell I skipped a step. Statistically about 126 million, in the USA. participate in some form of outdoor recreation each year [fishing, hunting, camping, skiing, hiking, backpacking, etc]. So in that 21 years about 618.000,000 were doing some form of outdoor recreation. I was wrong. You can divide 618 million into 9 certified bear killings in the USA since 2000 to find the real miniscule risk. You are many times more likely to be killed by a 14 to 26 year old male American youth than by a bear. BTW: There are bears in 41 of the 50 states. I live in a housing development near Eufaula, Oklahoma and we have bears nearby. Additionally some of those 9 killings did not occur in forest settings. Example: Adelia Trujillo, 93 years old, in New Mexico, was killed by a bear that broke a window and killed her in her home. Have a great day all. Watching Oklahoma football get a lickin' so far. [whoa ... OK won] Polecat

Is it me or is the math a little off here? 126 million people are involved in outdoor activities each year so in 21 years it seems like substantially more than 618 million would be involved over a period of 21 years. Did I miss something?

 

[Bergmann]

We have plenty of bear where I live. Just found a big pile of scat next to the fence about 20' from the house a couple of days ago. They've been making a nuisance of themselves getting into trash, opening car doors and busting chicken coops lately.
The mountain lions have been busy too. Neighbor had a goat taken while she watched out the kitchen window. We build fortresses for the chickens and lock vehicle doors at night...not for burglars (rare here) but for the bears. I'm not too worried about our black bears unless mama has cubs along. I do pack heavily while fishing Alaska rivers. Brownies just don't much tolerate sharing a good fishing hole.

wm

One of the reasons early Settlers hunted them to near extinction in many areas! The Settler's survival was about what they could produce during the warm season and they didn't need competition from the wildlife endangering their winter food supply - or being a danger to themselves! Something most game and fish commissions either don't understand or they just don't give a manure!

 

[m-g willy]

Seeing you are limited to blackpowder guns only,,I would go with the bear spray,,,I don’t care for the pepper spray seeing you don’t always know which the wind will be blowing when mr. bear decides to come after you,,,You might end up spraying into the wind and the only thing you would accomplish is seasoning yourself amd giving the bear a spicy meal.,,,,My chosen flavor would be a sxs 12 gauge with one barrel loaded with a .72 cal. ball, and the other barrel with a good dose of 000 buckshot for the spray part.

 

[Dale Lilly]

Is it me or is the math a little off here? 126 million people are involved in outdoor activities each year so in 21 years it seems like substantially more than 618 million would be involved over a period of 21 years. Did I miss something?

You are right. There are substantially more than the 618 million I reported. [more like a couple of billion .. wow not much off was I?] Sorry. I got myself messed up somehow. However that makes the odds against bear death even more miniscule. I apologize. for getting careless. Dale

 

[Elkhorse]

Statistics look promising

 

[leadhoarder]

Make sure you wear some bells so they can know it is you when they find the bells covered in bear scat.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Its the pepper spray that is effective and a large dark coat that you can open up so that to the bear you appear to be much bigger that it is. Most bears if not overly startled will simply back away from some other critter that is as big or bigger than it is.

 

[Woody Morgan]

This is all assuming that no cubs are involved. If they are, it all goes out the window cuz ain't nothing more aggressive than a Mama Bear...four OR two-legged. Either one will leave you scarred for life if you're lucky.

wm

 

[Crypt0manic]

When I arrived in Alaska back in 1981, the first thing I went looking to purchase was a .44 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk single-action revolver, so I could "Protect myself from grizzly bear attacks".

All five of the men working in the 5 different gun stores that I visited, told me the exact same thing.

WhIch was to ditch the idea of a .44 Magnum revolver, and instead purchase a 12 gauge pump shotgun, remove the 3-shot plug, and load it up with 5 rifled slugs in the magazine tube, plus one in the chamber.

Plus, if I was not hunting & trying to be quiet, tie a tin can on the back of my pack with half a dozen small pebbles in it to rattle around to make a racket to let any grizzly bears in my vicinity know that a human was in their territory.

And, whatever I did, if confronted with an angry bear to try and cripple it by breaking its shoulders first so that it would loose mobility, and thus the ability to easily attack me, before trying to kill it.

They all told me that trying to make an instantaneous kill shot on a fast moving, incredibly powerful, apex predator like a mature grizzly bear was a task for only the most experienced of hunters. Those men that were absolutely confident in their ability to stay cool, and to place a bullet exactly where it needed to go in order to stop a 600-1000 pound bear moving upwards of 35 miles per hour right in its tracks.

They further informed me, no disrespect intended, but plenty of disrespect delivered nonetheless, that the vast majority of hunters from the Lower 48 states that showed up in one of their gun shops looking to buy a .44 Magnum revolver for self protection from grizzly bears; was simply kidding himself about his ability to shoot a hard recoiling revolver accurately enough to kill a grizzly bear with a handgun.

After being insulted by the employee/owner of that first gun shop, I left in a huff, mumbling to myself that the guy didn't know how good of a handgun shot I was. And, truth be told, at that time I was probably a better shot with a handgun then the average American hunter. I then proceeded to visit a further succession of different gun shops, only to be told essentially the same thing, just with slightly different language being used to make their point.

It finally sank in that they were, to a man, trying to look out for a greenhorn that knew little about grizzly bears. They were trying to keep me from committing suicide by bear. I never did purchase a Ruger Blackhawk .44 Magnum revolver.

Another case of GOD looking out for fools and children. Because, as good of a handgun shot that I was at that time, I know now that I was no where good enough to shoot an angry, fast moving grizzly bear through its nose in order for a bullet to penetrate into the brain pan.

Interesting! Thanks! Helps to get a grip what you dealing with!

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Statistics look promising

As the old saw goes, there is a lie, a damned lie and then a statistic.

 

[Grumpa]

"Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska"

This is a study of 146 incidents involving the use of bear spray in Alaska between 1985 and 2006. It is available online (sorry, I'm not good at links).

There were 146 incidents, involving Brown, Black and Polar bears (2). The spray was effective in 92% of the Brown bear incidents, 90% of the Black, and both Polar bear incidents.

98% of people using spray were uninjured. All injuries were inflicted by Brown bears, and were considered "relatively minor" - that is to say no hospitalization required. (I don't know that I would consider deep claw wounds " minor".)

There are other studies yielding similar results. The sprays work. In no case did wind inhibit the effectiveness of the spray...although some users suffered discomfort if they were downwind when they used it.

One caveat: the spray does work as an attractant to other bears - it smells like food! And some bears that were sprayed and fled, returned later, and had to be sprayed again.
For the same reason, don't spray it on your tent, or clothing, it is not a repellent, and will attract bears. If you have to spray a bear, get out of the area now.

There was a guy several years ago who did a study showing the effectiveness of guns, including handguns. I can't find it right now. But, quite a few shooters got mauled, and may have been killed, even though the bear also died.

I won't give up my gun, but the spray is also a viable option, one I would prefer to use if given the choice. Oh! Many of the bears charge within 1 meter before turning off and fleeing.

All in all, not a desirable situation to be in, rather, one to be a avoided. Make noise, be alert, be prepared.

Richard/Grumpa

 

[Grumpa]

I talked with a guy who wanted nothing to do with spray. He had been hiking with friends, and went into the bush to relieve himself. When he came out, everyone was either lying on the ground, or running around frantically wiping at their eyes and coughing. Someone had accidentally triggered the spray. He walked into the mist before he realized what happened, and went down! That was the end of the hike for everyone.

But when I was leaving Alaska, I gave my spray to a Ranger at Denali. He was happy to get it: "We use it all the time!"

Richard/Grumpa

 

[laufer]

RNA with ball or conical or Kaido hard cast conical (I use his old 220grain flat head, worked great on 100lbs/ 50kg Russian pigs from my RNA with 30gr Pyrodex) will generally not be enough to stop a charging brown bear. Carry a pack of pepper (from your food store, 1kg box will be enough for a few nights) and spread it in a wide circle around your camping site. No food near your tent/ bedding area. Dog is a great bear deterrent, along with a few shots in the air and a lot of yelling, if they pass the pepper circle, and that should (hopefully) do the job of saving your from bears.