Bears: pistol beats rifle

[model 70]

went hunting this weekend for black bear. hauled that .270 all over and realized a few things....

my deer rifle is a pain in the butt to haul in and out of canyons.

my scoped deer rifle is a poor choice for extremely low light shooting.

rain drops on scope lenses make it hard to shoot:D

any rifle sucks when it doesn't leave both hands free and hangs up on brush when it's slung to your back.

for these reasons i'm looking for a pistol for this type of hunting. i think it will be much better with a pistol straped to my hip when climbing or leading dogs out of the bottom of a canyon.

so...what are some of my options?

[model 70]

oops, just realized this would be better in the handgun forum. sorry.

[Rocky Raab]

OK, I moved it.

For black bear, any good revolver in a caliber that starts with "4" will be fine.

One might even make a case for the .357 Maggie with heavy-bullet handloads. But such a gun would be a bit on the light side for black bear - especially when so many other choices are better.

Even a small black bear is faster and stronger than we are. Bigger fingernails, too. I'd want a revolver with enough "oomph" to take the steam out of a sudden rush. The one in my safe that meets that criteria is a Blackhawk 45 Colt. I'd push a hard 255 SWC with a full case of 4227, or a stoutish charge of 296/110 or LilGun. Plenty gun.

Oh, and I think I'd carry it in a snug chest holster or a high-ride crossdraw rig. Either one is MUCH easier to get to under a jacket, and also less likely to flop around and bang on stuff in the heavy cover.

[model 70]

i don't handload remember. any others? thanks for moving it btw.

[Rocky Raab]

There are several suppliers of heavy-duty loads in 45 Colt: Core-Bon, Buffalo Bore and others pop to mind.

Almost everybody makes suitable 44 Mag loads, and if you really like punishment, there's always the 454 Casull, 480 Ruger or even (God forbid) the 500 S&W. NONE of them is wimpy.

Nor would I think twice if I had a 10mm Auto in my holster, for that matter.

Just stay away from hollowpoints in any round you choose - they don't penetrate as well as softpoints or hard-cast lead, and bears need penetration to reach the vitals.

[model 70]

thanks for the info. what would be a better choice, the .44 rem mag or the .45colt? in either i would probably try something from buffalo bore.

[Rocky Raab]

You'll find drum-thumpers for both (and I own several 45 Colts but no 44 Mags) but in reality it's a coin toss.

There's a lot more mild ammo available for daily use of the 45, and more full-bore ammo on shelves for the 44. But there are loads at both ends for both.

Effect on critters is exactly the same: a big red pool and quick assumption of room temperature. With a wrist "owie" at the other end.

[model 70]

thanks rocky. it's sort of funny. one of the guys asked me if i could shoot it up in this snag with a pistol. i wasn't sure of myself with a big wheel gun. turns out the pistol he was offering was a odel 1911 in .45acp.:confused:

[kt]

handguns,
every year that i decide to hunt bear i can count on the same group of 6 guys pushing the same cover and position myself around them, a swell bunch of guys, all of which carry revolvers except one. all except for one are 44mags the other i believe is .308 on a sling. now i dont know if they ever get shooting out there but man they are hardcore and all shooting open sights in the close quarter mountain laurel country up here, something you may not want if you are really looking to reach out there, if i was suiting a revolver for serious bear i do believe it would be chambered for the Casull
kt

[HANDGUNNER]

I have some advice on this. I have owned several hunting pistols and I didn't like the groups I was getting with the 44s I owned. I ended up swapping up a couple of times, going from S&W to Ruger, to a monster Taurus. They were all fine guns. I was getting ready for a guided bear hunt in the North Country. I lost money on practise ammo and trading in guns, but the one I ended up with shot better than the others. Long story short, the first night of the hunt a bruin comes in with two minutes of hunting time left. I can barely see my sights cause it got dark in the heavy cover. I take a shot and miss, shooting down from the tree stand and high, just over the bear's back. I didn't see another bear the whole week and went home empty handed and with an empty check book. I forgot about shooting down from a stand and the effects, (you gotta aim a little low.) The locals all told me I needed a red dot sight or a scope, (don't have to shoot low with either.) They all highly recommended the red dot type system. I probably could have outfitted one of the pistols I traded in with a good red dot for under $150 and shot better groups and saved a ton of money on trading in and wasted boxes of ammo. I would have probably stayed with my old 5.5 inch Ruger Blackhawk. So my opinion is buy a used blackhawk in .44 or .45 Colt (they are cheap around here, starting at $245.00 in decent shape,) and spend the money you save on a good red dot system. Just my 2 cents.

[HPBTMTCH]

Handgunner, you will be very disappointed with a dot scope, or any pistol scope in low light for that matter. The red dots even more, they WILL NOT see in the dark, period. The only dot sight that sees as good as your eyes are the sight glass models. The ones that just have a glass, not a scope tube to look through. The bushnell holosight, c-more, and dr. optic to name a few. You could also invest in some tritium night sights if rain is going to be a problem.

[HANDGUNNER]

I had a good look at the target, the bear was in a small clearing. But I was hidden away, high up, in the limbs and didn't have a good sight picture because of my lighting. I think a red dot or green cross would've helped. I just don't know how good they are. I'm starting the firearms deer hunt tomorrow with my iron sights still on. I'm disappointed in my groups at anything over 50yds. I've read and seen guys who hunt with revolvers up to 100 yrds. I don't know how they do it. I wouldn't trust a shot over 50 yrds. I'm bragging now, but I'm a good shot with handguns, I've won a few trophys and what not. But handgun hunting is different then competitions. I may need some glass to bring my groups in at longer ranges.