[andy]

For one thing, more people die of insect stings and bites than from bear attacks. For another, attacks by MEN are far more likely, and far more deadly. For another, most places, you have to ccw the pistol, or have legal trouble. For another, no, the .44, nor the 454, stop bear charges reliably, if at ALL, with body hits. The 454 at best matches the 30-30, and nobody considers the 30-30 to be a bear stopper, even tho it can hit twice as fast with repeat tries as can the 454 revolver. The .44 pistol doesn't even approach the 20 ga slug when it comes to effectiveness, and nobody considers the 20 ga to be even a decent deer load.

yes, the .44 will KILL a bear with a chest hit (eventually) but it will be cold comfort to you to have him drop dead, 10 seconds after he rips your head off.

 

[mrostov]

Actually, one of the better 'ambushed by a bear' guns would be a CAR-15, with a 30 round mag loaded with milspec M193 ammo. A 5.56mm or 5.45mm AK would work great also. At pistol ranges this would be far better than a .44mag revolver. One solid hit to the head will shatter the bear's skull.

But, the pistol you can keep on you at all times. In day to day business you often don't have the luxury of carrying a rifle, especially since bear attacks are kind of rare. But if one does happen, a pistol is better than nothing.

Myself, instead of a .44mag revolver, I'd rather have a hi-capacity .357Sig Glock and a couple of extra mags. The 1st or the 2nd round may or may not stop him, but I bet that at least by the 14th round he'll know that he's been in a fight.

 

[Magnum88C]

Funny, the real professionals that have to share the woods with real bears consider the .44 to be a minimum, .454, .475 are better. And they use hardcast loads, expanding loads don't get it done. There's too much blubber and muscle to go through that will expand and stop a bullet designed for lighter game.

As for Rifles they prefer .338 on up, with the short .45-70 and .458 rifles being preferred.

But you just keep making up your numbers and not understanding how projectiles behave in flesh. . .

 

[mrostov]

I think a lot of it would depend upon the type of bear and the range. There was a charging grizzly killed recently in Montana with a single shot H&R Topper .410 shotgun. They found the wad in the bear's nose the shot was so close. One of the largest grizzlies ever taken was shot with a .22long solid tip fired out of a Sear's mail order single shot rifle.

There are some people now that recommend to backpackers and the like that if a bear sticks it's face into your tent, one of the best guns to have might well be something like a high capacity 9mm with 15 or more shots, and then you just unload into the bears face with it's nose as the central aiming point. A bullet that entered the nose area of a grizzly straight on is probably headed straight for the brain.

 

[andy]

so how long would it take for you to get off 14 good shots at the head,hmm? 3-4 seconds. since you have ZERO realistic hope of hitting the bear's brain, him charging, beyond 10m, and since he's hitting 45 fps, you wont get off more than 2-3 shots, tops, IF you had the gun out and ON him when he was charging. You'll either get LUCKY with the first 1-2 shots, or you will be grappling with him, HOPING to get the muzzle up against his under chin, neck, ear, temple, or eyeball, for 1-2 MORE tries at his brain. After the first 1-2 seconds of a charge, only LUCK is going to save you,if all you have is a pistol.

 

[Garand]

So tell us about your escape from prison then!

 

[mrostov]

JD, you're missing the point. Sometimes all you have is a pistol. That's just the way it is.

 

[Hard Rock]

Having killed a number of bear with a .44 magnum, I can tell you that you are FOS Gunkid. But then again, it's all about shot placement... something you know nothing about.

Mike

 

[SatCong]

It's that "flinching" thing, you know...
SatCong