9mm vs. Black Bear...what would you choose?

[corcoraj2002]

Also, don't shoot him in the head. They have thick skulls. better aiming for a vital and hoping for the best. The bear repellent spray is a better option but, if legal, I would still carry the 9mm for other protection

[92greenyj]

i just remembered seeing an episode of I shouldn't Be Alive where a guy was hunting in Montana and got attacked by a bear. Narator said he had a rifle but the show had him toting a shotgun. Anyway the guy managed to get 2 rounds into the bear from his rifle before it was on him and mauling him. Dude got totally jacked up and somehow managed to grab his rifle for one last shot through the bears skull at point blank as it was chewing on his leg.

If it took 3 shots from a high powered hunting rifle to drop it, your only prayer with a 9MM is straight thru its eye sockets and hope to high hell the bullet goes thru and into its brain

[morfeeis]

Didn't I read something about no firearms in national parks?

yes, but i think he's going to a national forest and that's a different thing, you can Open carry all day out there.

[JTROKS]

You won't need a gun for black bears unless you got caught sleeping or the bear is rabid out of his mind. FMJ will be the choice and make them heavy. If you can get 147 grain (NOT subsonic) the better. If not 125 grain fmj will have to do. Aim for the nose if he charges.

BTW, if that all fails I hope there are tall trees and I suggest getting up there and wait for him to climb to you. Then you got him where you want him he won't be bouncing around and will be an easy head shot.

[Echidin]

^^^This

My father remembers when he was a kid there was a man with a pet black bear (and not a large one at that) who put a muzzle on it and had it de-clawed. You could pay $25 to wrestle the bear and if you could pin it for 10 seconds he'd give you $100. That guy never ended up paying anyone $100.

The bear would just sit there while huge guys (and I'm talking MMA/body builder tough-guys) would grab it and try to throw it around. In the rare instance that they would knock it over, the bear simply reached out with it's arms and pushed the guy slowly to the ground and had him beat within seconds. The bear almost seemed like it was bored doing so and it was very slow-motion. That gave him a healthy respect for how strong even the smallest bears are.

Now as to the other stuff, I've run into black bears while hiking and motorcycle riding countless times; in many cases coming within 5 feet of them as I rounded a tree or large rock. In every case, the bear was more scared of me than I was of it and took off like a bat out of hell. Take a 9mm with FMJ if you must but don't plan on using it unless the crap really hits the fan and you have no choice.

Where did this happen? My uncle told me that he once paid to wrestle a black bear when he was in his prime (he is a former body builder) and quickly learned he was going to be fighting a losing battle.. I don't know any details on the size or weight of the bear, but although my uncle is by no means a small guy I'm not surprised he wasn't able to pin the bear. I do applaud him for being up to the challenge though.

[Cutest]

Bring tapatio for his corpse

[Echidin]

Didn't I read something about no firearms in national parks?

The National Parks Service website still says anyone legally able to own a firearm is able to possess a firearm in parks like Redwood, Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings National Park.

http://www.nps.gov/seki/parkmgmt/lawsandpolicies.htm

Also, to the person who suggested playing dead, I can't see who you are and I'm using my phone at the moment, playing dead works for brown bears, but not so much for black bears.

[Tarn_Helm]

oversimplified

someone educate me why FMJ is the ammo of choice and not JHP?

more mass= more inertia = more penetration

[Quickdraw Mcgraw]

I know you asked for the best 9MM choice, but seriously just buy a can of bear mace.

FOR ABOUT $30!!

+100000000000 /thread!

[TwoAsoapbox]

First of all Id worry more about a mountain lion than a black bear. Second I would get some pepper spray designed for deterring animals (bear spray). Take the 9mm to defend yourself from two legged critters and have the spray for animals. My $0.02.

[mif_slim]

someone educate me why FMJ is the ammo of choice and not JHP?

Bears have thick skin/muscle/bones. FMJ has better penetration than JHP. You don't need expansion against a bear, you need penetration to reach the vitals.

A bears fur, hide, and muscle are very thick. 9mm is a very underpowered cartridge to inflict series damage to such a large thick skinned animal. It is very possible that with a HP 9mm round it may be stopped in the skin of the animal. You want the most penetration going for you in an attempt to do internal damage which is was will kill an animal. FMJ provides the more penetration.

Also, keep in mind that Bears have a very thick skull. But in the extremely unlikely event of a bear attack, I doubt the OP will have the time to pick his shots. Fight or Flight is probably going to end up producing Spray & Pray.

Obviously you guys dont hunt...
Have you seen the hide of a black bear before? Their as almost as thin as a deer hide! We got one last year close to 400lbs, its thickest skin was the ***** and it was only at half inch with fur+hide+fat before mucles. The rib cage are where most likly you'll be shooting to hit vitals are less then 1/2" thick including fur+hide+fat+mucles. If a 9mm cant penetrate a 1/2" target then yes I would rule it out, but from FBI testings they show some 18" penetration. Thats plenty for what the OP is asking for.

Now, to the actualy question. FMJ or HP? Your answer, Bear Spray. The amount you spend on one case of +P ammo for 9mm will buy you 1 bear spray. Besides, its the most effective against any bear anyways.

[IrishPirate]

it's awesome how many city folk think they know what they are talking about.

I grew up in Yosemite and have been all over the Sierras. Anyone who says bears aren't a problem is either lying through their teeth, or is completely ignorant. If you think Black bears wont harm you unless you provoke them you're wrong. Black bears have been known to attack humans for completely unknown reasons. If they get scared, they know they can take you and they'll attack if they think it's better than running away. All animals have the fight or flight response and not everything will be scared off by bells, whistles, and other loud noises. By no means am i saying to be quiet while hiking, just know that it's not 100% sure way to keep animals at bay...

9mm is obviously not the BEST choice, but it's better than nothing. Just know, there have been hunters that died after unloading a hunting rifle into an attacking black bear. The bear died too, but that's really just a consolation prize seeing as you'd be dead too. Being heads up and looking for signs of bears in your area is THE BEST defense against being attacked. Look for bear crap, bear tracks, trees with bark rubbed down in one area where they were scratching their backs (the ground will be kinda torn up under it too from lots of usage...bears prefer to use the same trees), and other signs that a bear might be in the area. If so, think about taking a different route or trying to make more noise to increase your chances of not running into one.

also, be weary of mountain lions. Black bears and mountain lions inhabit the same areas and mountian lions are MUCH harder to "avoid". If you come across one, it's going to pretty much decide your fate since you likely wont see it coming. They also aren't detered by loud noises as easily as everyone thinks. I have personal experience with that, and believe me, just the sight of one in the wild will damn near knock you on your *****!!!!

Definitely get the hottest load FMJ you can find to ensure penetration to vitals. both the bears and lions have thick coats and muscles you'll need to get through, and there have been cases where both bears and lions were found with hollow points embedded in their hides.

remember, coyotes, foxes, snakes, and other animals are out there too. 9mm should be enough for these too, but you have to hit what you're aiming at and these can all be very fast, very hard targets to hit.

the woods aren't a place to f*** around.....if you screw up, you can die. Make sure you take plenty of common sense with you and you should have a fun, safe time.

[meaty-btz]

9 mm NATO

[Brandon04GT]

Taze the matha fackaaa

[ldivinag]

and people thought i was nuts for buying a 2.75" barreled S&W 500...