Hey, If you need to defend yourself from a grizzly, would you rather have a large caliber rifle. say a 30.06 or 300.mag. Or a 3 inch magnum 12 gauge.?

rocky10 wrote:

Hey, If you need to defend yourself from a grizzly, would you rather have a large caliber rifle. say a 30.06 or 300.mag. Or a 3 inch magnum 12 gauge.?

Welcome to the site rocky10!

Defend against a grizzly... hmmm what are you doing that you might run across one? If I were out say, fly fishing in alaska I think I'd want a 12GA Semi-auto with slugs or 00 Buck. If I were deer hunting I wouldnt want to carry 2 guns so would opt for either the 30-06 or 300 mag.


-DallanC

Welcome to the HuntingNut Rocky. I would agree with Dallan. But if it were just for self defence the slug gun would get the nod

.

Joe

Benelli Super black eagle with 3.5" mag 000 buck shot or slugs.

Welcome to the site

I'd rather have a sidearm, nothing less than 44 Magnum with 330 grain WFN ammo and i myself would prefer a 475 Linebaugh, 480 Ruger, or something in the .50 caliber.
Self defense is just that, self defence, which usually means 50 feet and less. I doubt you would have the time to pull a rifle or shotgun before your time was up

But, like Dallan says, if you were fly fishing in alaska, or seen the bear first without the element of surprise, then for sure a shotgun is your best bet. And speaking about fishing in alaska, an old friend of mine did, and his guide handed him a shotgun after he explained again why a cork, non click drag reel must be used, (bears associated the click with fish over the years). But in that shot gun were 2 hand loaded 3" shells filled with rock salt, 1 000buck shell, and 2-3" slugs.

Slug gun would be my choice, or a Ruger "Alaskan" in .454. The main thing is to remember 1. Center of chest halfway up or base of neck.(same area) Either one will get a kill if they are put in that area, but you may still get roughed up. Two hunters emptied their 375 H & H's at one charging grizzly. The bear died but only after killing both hunters. When the bear was opened up........................only one round had hit the vitals, the rest just made him madder. Aim right, hit where you aim.

Walt
_____________________________
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Also i failed to mention in addition to not having enough time.....And if you were using a shotgun/rifle i'd suggest filing the front sight off so it won't hurt as bad.

OK, I'll bite. I would have a large bore rifle. Large being anything over 30 caliber. .338.366.358.375. Then I would be at the ready with the gun in my hand, or slung on my shoulder.

I agree that an attach will make it's self known very quickly and offer almost no time. Most people do not have the time or take to time to get proficient with a handgun, and then they must get proficient with a large caliber handgun in an emergancy situation. And the add respond to danger with a holstered weapon. Aiming and squeezing in quick sucession. In my opinion is is almost futile to expect someone to do that unless they practice, practice, practice.

A long gun does offer the advantage of a more natural point of aim. They typically have more power, in as much, large projectiles at high speed. I suspect I would not want a telescopic sight but a reciever sight and front blade.

The question is in what situation do you expect to meet up with the bear? If you are deer hunting already then a large caliber rifle would fill the bill. If you are fishing in the vicinity of large bears, how restictive will you be in respect, size, weight and power of the gun you choose and the activity at hand.

The answer is compromise. If you want all the mobility and freedom you will need a special gun. If you want full out power get a bigger rifle. As far as hitting the target I agree you had better be able to hit where you want and when you want. Otherwise take down the "blinds" because it curtians.

There you see I've muddied the waters and didn't answer the question.

longwalker

And also in being proficient, i (and knowing what it's like to be in a bears rage) would also like to express the "necessity" of the ability to shoot one handed. Don't think for a minute that a bear will stop and let you take steady aim, you will be running and shooting, praying to God you hit him and he stops! If you aren't proficient or strong enough to handle it, chances are that you should not be going un-guided.


10

515034s10ring wrote:

If you aren't proficient or strong enough to handle it, chances are that you should not be going un-guided.

Well now if we are talking going guided, you only need a tiny .22 pistol for your bear protection. Cuz when the bear charges you whip it out and shoot your guide in the leg before sprinting to safety. This is also a good reason why you should choose guides that weigh 200lbs or more... they take longer to eat giving you that much more of a head start




-DallanC

DallanC wrote:

Well now if we are talking going guided, you only need a tiny .22 pistol for your bear protection. Cuz when the bear charges you whip it out and shoot your guide in the leg before sprinting to safety. This is also a good reason why you should choose guides that weigh 200lbs or more... they take longer to eat giving you that much more of a head start -DallanC

Thats the best answer yet

No one is going to beat that comment Dallan, but I think I would still like a little more insurance that the guide would be laying on the ground, like a 38 anyway. Adrenaline is an amazing drug and he might not even know he was shot using a 22. I'm old and slow so I'd have to make sure he was slower.

grizzlies arent that hard to kill

you just have to be better than the bear



sometimes you kill the bear and sometimes the bear will kill you.

Spacedone wrote:

grizzlies arent that hard to kill you just have to be better than the bear sometimes you kill the bear and sometimes the bear will kill you.

Hell, with these kind of odds why not bathe in jelly donuts while your at it