Bears: best shot

[Spirit 1]

I think you've missed all of the helpful advice you've been given. Sure, if you only have a 9mm available there have been a number of posts outlining where to shoot but if your life is really at risk as you are inferring, get the bear spray or a larger caliber weapon. Odds are much greater that if you keep the 9mm, you'll end up being bear poo.

No, sir, and I take that as an insult too! A person would have to be a mumbling, stumbling chin dribbling idiot to not be able to understand what people were staying in their posts.

What's missed is that I already covered the fact that 9mm is not the best choice IN MY FIRST POST! Already explained! Then repeated! But... ? ? ?

So what's so blasted cool about going out of one's way to insult a fellow member of Calguns forum? Yes, people may have advice, great, give it! But that's no excuse for scathing insults, no excuse at all.

[Jasonaspears]

Any chance that maybe you're taking this a bit too personally? I haven't read any scathing insults to you...just suggestions. Now go find a charging bear and let us know what it really takes to stop him with your 9mm...I want to know.

[JeremyS]

Bear sprays under $30:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=605484

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=413150

[chim-chim7]

9mm is not the best choice, that being said all I have is this darn Ruger 9. How do I stop a large bear with it........answer you don't. You run your arse off. In a high stress event trying to shoot a fast moving target with critical shot placement is not easy. Even professionals that constantly train for this have trouble. You see a Bear you slowly walk backwards, don't look it in the eyes. If it advances you run your arse off. Save the gun for a last ditch effort if he catches you. Then you can unload on him point blank and hit your marks. Run your arse off!

[ALSystems]

I'd go for bear spray like the others have suggested.

As far as the 9mm handgun, I don't think even if I hit a charging bear with a full magazine of 9mm bullets would stop it in time. Though I might get lucky.

Maybe a bigger hoster to carry a more effective firearm would work.

Maybe it's easier to just shoot your buddy in the leg to offer as bear bait.

[redcliff]

Aim for the eye or nose of a charging bear????????????
You must be joking, right?
Get the damn bear spray and be done with it.
At least with that you'll stand a chance for survival.
Hitting a 2 inch target at 25 yards is hard enough when it's on paper in a range and not moving. Put that 2 inch target on a charging, bears head running at you at 35 miles an hour w/teeth chomping, your hearts beating outa your chest and your about to Sh_ _ your pants? Forget it! Try that...and your gonna die...

I was responding to the OP's question of where to aim with a handgun, not the use of bear spray. My advice was to aim for the nose (not the eye). Facepalm all you'd like but where would you aim if that was your only choice of a defense weapon?

[supersonic]

Hi all, wondering about the best shot on a bear with a handgun. Bears are around here and many times it's impossible to carry a long gun, or I don't happen to have one with me.

Knowing bears are real fast movers and lots of fat, flesh & fur, where's best to place the shot with a pistol? I've heard that deep center in the chest is about the only hope for any kind of quick stop, hoping to hit the heart.

Most often carrying a 9mm and thinking FMJ might be best for penetration. Yes, I'm fully aware that 9mm is far from being a good choice for bear. I know head shots are pretty much hopeless because of the thick skull.

What I'm asking is when one doesn't have the choice, has only 9mm, where to shoot that critter? Assuming him charging....?

Thanks!

Actually, since I doubt anyone has mentioned this yet, there IS a spot you could (theoretically) hit that would stop ANY bear with that 9mm. But the question will remain: who on Earth is a good enough shot? Because a 115-147 grain bullet going 1100fps+ right in the balls is going to render any male species helpless (if not speechless!)......oh, wait: what if it is a female that is charging us? DOH!

[truep]

There are documented cases of a bear being shot dead with one shot from a Ruger Alaskan at close range.

[Spirit 1]

9mm is not the best choice, that being said all I have is this darn Ruger 9. How do I stop a large bear with it........answer you don't. You run your arse off. In a high stress event trying to shoot a fast moving target with critical shot placement is not easy. Even professionals that constantly train for this have trouble. You see a Bear you slowly walk backwards, don't look it in the eyes. If it advances you run your arse off. Save the gun for a last ditch effort if he catches you. Then you can unload on him point blank and hit your marks. Run your arse off!

Disabled: cannot run, and wouldn't anyway.

Bears charge at hi speed, some say up to 60MPH or faster! Humans run about 17-20+ mph max. A neighbor couple driving in their car clocked a bear running up the road ahead to get away from the car. They clocked it at 50+ MPH, and it ran for about 1/8-1/4 mile. Finally threw itself up against a bank on roadside face first, as if to climb, but couldn't. They drove on by.

When charged it's better to back away fairly quickly, but not pose a threat or run. If you turn & run the bear will likely pursue & take you down from behind. Better to change direction of walking to angle away from bear at 90*. No threat to him at all, but he sees you leaving, problem often solved.

From many reports, anything you can do to make yourself look larger may help, jumping up on a rock or stump, spreading out your coat and arms etc. Bears in their social life use this bluff showing of size this same way to scare off other bears, part of their habits. I've done it and it worked so far. So far....

If the bear isn't close it usually helps to throw stuff like rocks or big sticks and shout, make a ruckus. They usually leave, slowly. Blacks aren't normally all that aggressive.

None of that applies to Grizzlies, but they're virtually extinct in Cali by most reports. Here it's smallish black bears. Many will hunt them with .357 mags.

The last one that tried to climb in my window about 3 feet away from the porterhouse steak I was eating measured 7 1/2' to 8' tall on his haunches, with head roughly 18" wide [including all the fur of course.] So probably a few hundred lbs.

Do yourself a favor and don't ever try to outrun a bear. Watch the videos on that bear spray link I posted. Fascinating & very, very scary!

[Spirit 1]

Bear sprays under $30:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=605484

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=413150

Thank you, Jeremy!

I usually have a couple of full cans of Berryman's carb spray cleaner at my worbench out doors, a couple of feet away. If you've ever gotten even one drop of that in your eye you'll know it's probably an excellent bear spray, and shoots at least 6' or so.

They have an incredibly keen sense of smell, meaning their sensitive olfactory is much more easily offended by such sprays.

[7x57]

There are documented cases of a bear being shot dead with one shot from a Ruger Alaskan at close range.

There is a documented case of a charging mamma grizzly being shot dead with one shot from a .410 loaded with birdshot. Still, I don't recommend carrying .410 birdshot loads for bear protection.

7x57

[Spirit 1]

I was responding to the OP's question of where to aim with a handgun, not the use of bear spray. My advice was to aim for the nose (not the eye). Facepalm all you'd like but where would you aim if that was your only choice of a defense weapon?

Excellent, thanks!

Many seem to forget that while 9mm is not the greatest powerhouse, there were continuous complaints about it some years back. Many 'authorities' said it was a poor choice for protection because of a common problem of OVER-PENETRATION! That is, in FMJ it just kept going & going! They complained that too often it was a GST&T, or 'gun shot through & through' and the spent round exited target & kept going, possibly injuring others.

Even black bears have several, like 6-10 inches of fat, plus a heavy fur coat. This causes hollow points to jam up with fat & fur and quickly slow down, never entering any vitals. An FMJ'd 9mm with some powder behind it will penetrate much deeper, I think moreso in a heavier grain bullet. Mine can handle very hot handloads. 125-147 FMJ 9mm +P+ penetrates well. 20 rounds helps too, if I can reload.

[Spirit 1]

Actually, since I doubt anyone has mentioned this yet, there IS a spot you could (theoretically) hit that would stop ANY bear with that 9mm. But the question will remain: who on Earth is a good enough shot? Because a 115-147 grain bullet going 1100fps+ right in the balls is going to render any male species helpless (if not speechless!)......oh, wait: what if it is a female that is charging us? DOH!

Haah! Grizzlies commonly rear up on their haunches & manwalk to scare you off, blacks not nearly so often. But if one did: there's your shot at the huevos! Probably even discourage a female I'd think, ouch.....

[Danhood]

Disabled: cannot run, and wouldn't anyway.

Bears charge at hi speed, some say up to 60MPH or faster! Humans run about 17-20+ mph max. A neighbor couple driving in their car clocked a bear running up the road ahead to get away from the car. They clocked it at 50+ MPH, and it ran for about 1/8-1/4 mile. Finally threw itself up against a bank on roadside face first, as if to climb, but couldn't. They drove on by.

When charged it's better to back away fairly quickly, but not pose a threat or run. If you turn & run the bear will likely pursue & take you down from behind. Better to change direction of walking to angle away from bear at 90*. No threat to him at all, but he sees you leaving, problem often solved.

From many reports, anything you can do to make yourself look larger may help, jumping up on a rock or stump, spreading out your coat and arms etc. Bears in their social life use this bluff showing of size this same way to scare off other bears, part of their habits. I've done it and it worked so far. So far....

If the bear isn't close it usually helps to throw stuff like rocks or big sticks and shout, make a ruckus. They usually leave, slowly. Blacks aren't normally all that aggressive.

None of that applies to Grizzlies, but they're virtually extinct in Cali by most reports. Here it's smallish black bears. Many will hunt them with .357 mags.

The last one that tried to climb in my window about 3 feet away from the porterhouse steak I was eating measured 7 1/2' to 8' tall on his haunches, with head roughly 18" wide [including all the fur of course.] So probably a few hundred lbs.

Do yourself a favor and don't ever try to outrun a bear. Watch the videos on that bear spray link I posted. Fascinating & very, very scary!

I'm not sure where your drawing your info from but bears can not run at 60 mph. The fastest land animal is the cheetah and the fastest speed recorded of them is around 70mph. Ever seen a Cheetah those things are built for speed. Bears are not.
From the bear fact website;
Running Speed: Lean bears can exceed 30 mph. Can run uphill, downhill, or on level ground. Fat bears in winter coats overheat and tire quickly.

http://www.bear.org/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=168&Itemid=38

Also California Grizzles are not "virtually extinct" they are extinct and have been for almost 90 years.
The grizzly bear appears on the flag of California, though they are extinct in the state, the last one having been shot in 1922

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear

Get some bear spray and you will be fine.

[supersonic]

Why are people so freaked out about black bears in California?

DFG has recorded 12 (twelve!!!) bear attacks since 1980.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/be...incidents.html

And zero deaths from these attacks. (I particularly liked the one attack in '93 when the black bear merely bit some guy in his booty).