would the Russian M44 be a good gun for BEARS?

[BJames]

The M44 is terrible for bears, their claws get stuck in the trigger guard and with no opposable thumbs, the stripper clips are murder for them so they have to single load. You try single loading a Mosin with three inch claws, not so easy! Anyone knows that bears prefer AKs, the mags are easy to load, the AK is easy to charge and they are reliable as hell, even when covered in honey or grubs.

Bravo!

[CALI-gula]

Barely accurate enough to hit a bear at close range

Don't you mean bearly accurate?

.

[MajorSideburns]

Yes, 7x62x54R is ballistically equivalent to 30-06. Just use a good proven bullet type, one of the heavier grain 180 loads. I'm sure FMJ surplus will work and penetrate but it's not ideal. I would be more concerned about fumbling with the famous mosin "sticky bolt". It would probably be quite a tragedy to have your old commie rifle seize up right when you need a second shot. The caliber should be fine for smaller animals. It's probably not ideal for hunting the largest grizzlies but it sure is a lot better than a handgun. Most grizzly hunters are using some type of 30 cal magnum like 338. Most guides in the bush carry something like that or a 45-70 or 12g with magnum slugs. But hey, with your mosin you have a bayonet if you decide to engage in hand to hand combat and give the bear a sporting chance

[Che762x39]

[musketjon]

also the compact size of the M44 makes it an excellent brush gun, since bears are known to get very close before they attack, a short handy rifle would be better in heavy brush areas where a long barrel might get in the way or slow you down in a self defense encounter.

The Russian M44 is kind of like a jungle carbine

Yah but with the 91/30 and attached bayonet you could just reach out and touch him over on the next ridge line before he had a chance to attack you.
Jon

[hambam105]

Mosins are better than nothing.

But don't attacked with an extra $500 bucks in your pocket because you went cheap and didn't get a Mauser type action rifle in a larger caliber. Yah see, The Giz doesn't give you the chance for a walk-thru or reshoot.

[ElvenSoul]

Bro SKS!

[hollowpoint67]

Alright this was good.

M44 is a GREAT gun for bears. The muzzle flash alone is usually sufficient to ward off a bear attack.

Be sure to selet to right ammo. Brown Bear is specially designed to defeat the sloping armor of a grizzlies skull



Silver Bear ammo is good for aging bears
Golden Bear cartridge is good for bears here in CA

I hear 7.62x39 is good for Wolfs

[Sutcliffe]

It's a gun so............

Better than nothing. It is powerful enough to hunt smaller, less aggressive bears. Using it as bear protection in grizzly habitat would not be something I'd want to stake my life on.

[furyous68]

If you're trying to avoid semi-auto's, I would go with a lever action in 45-70 or .44 mag w/ a sidearm in .45ACP as backup. You can reload the lever action without ever taking your eyes off the sights.

[armenjs802]

I would much prefer SVT40!

[pitfighter]

The M44 is terrible for bears, their claws get stuck in the trigger guard and with no opposable thumbs, the stripper clips are murder for them so they have to single load. You try single loading a Mosin with three inch claws, not so easy! Anyone knows that bears prefer AKs, the mags are easy to load, the AK is easy to charge and they are reliable as hell, even when covered in honey or grubs.

Thanks Capybara, this made me laugh.

[ElDub1950]

Skip 1 trip to Griz country and buy a decent rifle. Since there are no Grizzlies anywhere close to CA, the cost of 1 trip should be plenty.