Best 9mm ammo to take down a bear

[kayaker]

"firearms are prohibited in national parks like Glacier and Denali, popular with hikers and also with bears."

This statement is either outdated or just wrong. In National parks State gun laws apply. I was in Glacier N.P.in 2011. Open carry of handguns is allowed. When I was there I would guess that on the trails about 70% of hikers had bear spay, I only saw 2 other people besides myself packing a handgun.

[Socalman]

+1...heck +3 for bear spray. I have never had to defend against a bear but I would want more than my 9mm! California brown/black bears are not going to bother you unless you get between momma and her cubs. A grizzly certainly is not going to be bothered much by a few pops from a 9! Chances are you will not have more than a few seconds to know about the grizzly attack.

Load you 9 with SDHP for 2 legged varmints and hope you do not need it.

[flatbedtruckin]

Hydra-shok.. I would hope the goal is to deter the bears interest in you, if it becomes aggressive... Alaska bear spray is the best.. As far as live rounds go, hydra shok good penetration and expansion

..

[smak28]

I would take buffalo bore ammo but make sure your firearm can handle the abuse from the ammo. This ammo is not for the weak...

[Michael_Js]

+1...heck +3 for bear spray. I have never had to defend against a bear but I would want more than my 9mm! California brown/black bears are not going to bother you unless you get between momma and her cubs. A grizzly certainly is not going to be bothered much by a few pops from a 9! Chances are you will not have more than a few seconds to know about the grizzly attack.

Load you 9 with SDHP for 2 legged varmints and hope you do not need it.

We had this happen to us in Yosemite - we got between a momma and her cubs! Well, actually, the cubs came over to us! I'm glad we had a 70mm with us!!

Oh, 70mm camera lens

We backed up, fairly slowly while Mom stood on her rear legs and growled at us!

[CaliforniaSon]

9mm barely kills some people - just a thought. I swear by mine, but if it's a 'just incase' your .357 can't weigh -that- much more.

However, if you absolutely insist on the 9mm - find a good friend who is willing to give or sell you a hand full of Black Talons. Excellent penetration and power transfer. Do the top few of that and the rest some high quality 124gr or 147gr FMJ should do it.

[bruss01]

To the OP -

I read your original post and I've come to the conclusion that you were serious in asking and I will make an attempt at giving you a serious answer.

I go backpacking in the Sierra mountains occasionally, and hiking/camping in the backwoods as well, and yes there are known to be bears and big cats in them thar hills. I have done a 23 mile trek through Yosemite, and multiple double digit hikes in the El Dorado Wilderness. On these hikes I am typically between 6k and 10k feet altitude. I usually carry a 50-60 lb pack. In addition to these backpack hikes I do a good bit of car camping in fairly remote areas.

I have handguns in every common caliber from .22 lr, through the auto-pistol calibers, and revolvers chambered in the magnum rounds. For the record, we are allowed only 3 handguns on our CCW here, which must be identified on the permit by serial number. Two of mine are .40 S&W.

The other is a .44 magnum Ruger Redhawk.

I use this gun for camping and backwoods hiking. It is on my permit because I don't always like to advertise that I am armed, and sometimes I will tuck the gun in my pack instead of hang it off my belt. Yes, it is a hefty chunk of steel. But is is meant to be comforting, rather than comfortable.

Large carnivorous game with the capacity to shred and devour human beings do not stop what they are doing because someone made a noise in their general direction. Nor because they felt a mosquito bite on their shoulder, chest, or head. They STOP when the blood supply to the brain gives out, or the brain is destroyed. Small, light semi-auto handguns are incapable of delivering that reliably on large game with dense hides and thick bodies.

The reason I carry a .44 magnum revolver on the trail is because I can't justify the weight of a rifle on a backpack trip - .308 would be my preference there but at the very least a .44 mag levergun. Whenever I am car camping in the boonies I always have a rifle of a major caliber ready for instant action.

If that 9mm is your only handgun (especially a short-barreled compact) and you want to carry it on the trail, I think that's a good idea, because you may not be the only people out there in the woods and you can't always count on the other people to be nice. But I would not use that pistol on large game unless you are either in a tree or underneath them and it is a last ditch effort relying more on luck than on effective equipment. Stories about polar bears aside (really? that was one extremely lucky and unlikely miracle shot) a 9mm is not a round suitable for addressing large mammals in a killing frenzy. As the other posters have advised, bear spray is likely to be a better deterrent.

Also, keep in mind if you are coming in from out of state, you cannot bring magazines with 10+ capacity - that is a felony charge here.

If neither you nor your friend have a magnum caliber revolver (.357 bear minimum - pardon the pun- but a .41 mag or .44 mag is preferable if possible) or a 10mm handgun, then you may want to consider acquiring one.

Using a 9mm of any kind on large, charging carnivores is a bad policy for several reasons. It is unlikely to be effective. It may only antagonize them further. It delays you taking other action which might actually have been effective.

Bear spray and magnum caliber revolvers for wildlife. 9mm for humans. And that is a serious answer to your question. A bear or cougar attack, even if not fatal, can leave you maimed, paralyzed or disfigured for life. There is usually no cell phone service to get an emergency airlift to the hospital, and it will likely be hours at best before you can receive emergency medical treatment. Shock (often fatal) can set in within about an hour. Animal attacks are not something to mess around with, using marginal measures.

[sdkevin]

Someone kill this thread....

Use a busted brick, part of a fencepost, anything

[noplay6978]

To be fair the bears in Yosemite are pretty used to tourist. I know the laws have changed but I didn't think you could bring a firearm into the park. There is a thread around here somewhere addressing this.To the OP why not call F&G or the forestry service and ask their opinions. Betting the answers you get have already been posted in this thread.

When I did bring my 357 it was in Emigrant Basin Wilderness Area.

[uhlan1]

You do know we don't have Grizzlies, right? Not that I'd recommend a 9mm for one of those. Heavens no. That would just mildly irritate one. Mountain lion and black bear attack are extreeeemely rare. You are in far more danger driving into Watsonville for a 12-pack than you are in the Sierras.
But if you insist on carrying a security blanket at least carry one that actually offers a semblance of security, like a G20, minimum.
I'd also be in greater fear of an LEO packing one around where you aren't supposed to. Guess you could stash it in your pack and ask Mr. Puma to give you a minute while you dig it out.
If you're married, just invite the mother-in-law. Could solve any potential problem with wildlife as long as you can out run her and save you years of suffering as a bonus.
Win-Win!

[milw50717]

This thread has outlived its usefulness.

[Divernhunter]

Maybe the OP went hiking and was eaten by a bear. Did anyone find a 9mm by the trail that was empty and locked open?

[desertexplore]

Lots of butt hurtness in this thread.

[knucklehead0202]

use whatever ammo you can kill yourself with on the first shot. the bear will lose interest once you're not moving anymore....this thread should've been dead like 2 pages ago, or 3 perhaps.

[Sunday]

If a hiker were to stumble onto a mamma bear with her cubs, a feeding bear, etc., the attack would be quick and fierce. Animals are very fast, and unless you are skilled at hunting bears with a handgun at close range, there isn't much chance that your gun could save your life.

On the other hand, one could bump into inquisitive bears, scavenger bears, bears who have become used to stealing from humans, or just plain overly aggressive bears. In this case, a handgun might be practical as a bear deterrent. A 9mm bullet probably wouldn't kill a bear, but it would definitely hurt a bear and make him/her think twice about this encounter with a person.

I would personally stick with your regular self defense rounds. Since your ultimate goal wouldn't be to kill the bear (impractical idea) but instead to hurt it. An expanding bullet would really tear up the fat and make your bear hurt. Plus, you will have ideal rounds in case you bump into a mountain psycho.

Making a bear injured is bad bad advice. Bears don't get mad they usually get even.