Hunting bear with an Ak-47?

[cje1980]

I think I'd trade the AK in for a saiga .308. Same idea but a lot more power.

If all I had was an AK and a bear charging then I'd try to make it work. Not a situation I'd try to get myself in.

I do think that bolt action and single shots are poor choices for bear defense, I'd rather an ak with a couple 5 round magazines vs a lever action in .30-30 that holds 4.

And for bear I'd always use soft point if given a choice.

Csspecs, last I checked Lever Action rifles chambered for 30-30 have a magazine capacity of 6+1 in the barrel. That is 7 rounds. Some of you folks are really misinformed if you think you would get off more than a couple shots on a charging bear. In most cases there simply isn't time for even one well-placed shot. If you have the time to shoot a bear 10 times then you probably weren't in any danger and a game warden will have something to say about it. A bear can chase down a deer. You will not get off more than a couple of rounds on a bear coming at you at 30+ mph. You simply will not have that amount of time to empty AK magazines into a bear. You are better off getting off a couple of shots of ammo that will do the job. I will take a 170gr 30-30 round over a 123 gr AK round against a bear any day of the week. All those AK rounds won't do you an ounce of good if they won't penetrate deep into a bear reliably.

Just because the 7.62x39 has more energy than a 44 Magnum doesn't make it a better choice for bear protection. As I brought up earlier, the 7.62x39 shoots bullets with a completely inappropriate sectional density for large and dangerous game. The 44 Mag will make a bigger hole and has better sectional density than the AK round. The 7.62x39 is an anti-personnel round folks. It doesn't belong in the woods.

[ninjatoth]

its common sense,that many rounds from an ak would kill a grizzly.

[wyobohunter]

Sure, the AK bullets would eventually kill anything but...

1: If a brown/griz charges you from 50 yds at 30 mph you get a whopping 3.4 seconds to put your AK into battery, aim and fire...maybe one or two shots. How much do you practice panic shooting?

2: If your hits are good there is still a good chance that the bear will get to you before it dies because the 7.62x39mm is not designed for dangerous game.

Of course this whole thread is just for fun & all, but no person who is 1/2x smart actually carries a little assault gun in real bear country. I have nothing against the AK47, it's a fun plinker and would do very well in an insurgency. But in big bear country it isn't sufficient.

[Csspecs]

csspecs, last I checked Lever Action rifles chambered for 30-30 have a magazine capacity of 6+1 in the barrel. That is 7 rounds. Some of you folks are really misinformed if you think you would get off more than a couple shots on a charging bear. In most cases there simply isn't time for even one well-placed shot. If you have the time to shoot a bear 10 times then you probably weren't in any danger and a game warden will have something to say about it. A bear can chase down a deer. You will not get off more than a couple of rounds on a bear coming at you at 30+ mph. You simply will not have that amount of time to empty AK magazines into a bear. You are better off getting off a couple of shots of ammo that will do the job. I will take a 170gr 30-30 round over a 123 gr AK round against a bear any day of the week. All those AK rounds won't do you an ounce of good if they won't penetrate deep into a bear reliably.

Ok lever gun I played with did not 5 in the tube even, it may have been plugged from some reason. I was just under the impression that was the capacity.

I'll agree that most won't get more then a shot off or so with a bear charging. Sometimes the bear is not chasing you but rather a family member or friend. I know of a event like that where a hunter was being chased and his buddy was trying to shoot it before it got him, he fired 6 rounds from a bolt action before he hit it, having to reload once.

I do have a few boxes of 7.62x39 SP 154gr that I have for hunting, so they are out there.

And I clearly stated that I feel its a bad idea and should use .308 instead.

[GeauxTide]

123gr bullet at 2200fps is not what you want to stand between you and Eternity. Ruger 45LC with 275LBT at 1100 will make them sick.

[eaglesnester]

You try that up here in Canada and you may end up as Bear **** in the morning like Timothy Treadwell. The Bear up here are heavy muscled, dense tissue, very strong, with heavy bone , tough and did I say mean when you get em riled up. I would not recommend hunting with a AK47 up here, you are also limited to 3 rounds in your magazine. Now down in the lower 48 if all you are planing on hunting is cubs it just might work out for you and you just may get out of the woods alive.

[? ? ? ?]

ok i learned this quick. if you need to defend yourself from a griz tearing through your cabin walls, then i would want something no less powerful than a 45-70 government. griz are nothing to play with. if you dont hit that bear in the head then you, your kids, and your wife are dead, you will only get 1 maybe 2 shots off before you become a meal. use your head and trade me the ak-47 for one of my many 45-70's

[WeedWacker]

1: If a brown/griz charges you from 50 yds at 30 mph you get a whopping 3.4 seconds to put your AK into battery, aim and fire...maybe one or two shots. How much do you practice panic shooting?

When you have a bear charging from 50 yds, do you really have 3.4 seconds to shoot? At that distance, you need threat assessment, draw, aim, then fire. I bet it's less than 2, 1.5 at most. A holstered pistol takes longer than an AK-slung at your side. If a bear makes it to you and knocks you over, then a pistol is definitely better due to space limitations. At that range even a 9mm to the face would do the trick (but it better be the first shot). But again, the trick should be to not end up in that situation (hunting buddy lookout in bear territory, pack horses for meat, etc. etc.). You can come up with a hopeless scenario for anything as an argument against it.

IMHO if you think you can kill a bear with an AK (accuracy wise, and if you can prove it has penetration to get the job done) go ahead, it's your life not mine. I would much prefer to have a 12 ga in a bear confrontation backed up by a 12oz pepper spray can.

And as for the Bear Assault on the cabin

(NOTE: Not embedding image due to strong language, view at your own discretion)
Bear Cavalry

And in response to my above image:



Followed by

[eaglesnester]

Ok I will bite.

I DON"T ****EN THINK SO.

[James R. Burke]

First read Kraigwy and Cat9x posts again. They are 100% correct. I really dont need to say much more than that. If you are hunting bear I no doubt would use a .30 cal or bigger to begin with, then that would be based on what kind of bear, and your hunting tactics to do it correct. You know the old saying one shot. You dont even want to know my thoughts on a ak47.

[Tex S]

Starving Grizzly bears that break down cabin walls are usually wearing vests and kevlar helmets. They often lead the assault with a flash-bang gernade and then throw CS as well...

You have no chance in this scenario.

That is the funniest thing I've heard in a while!

What is a CS????

[harry44]

So I don't claim to know much about guns compared to ya'll but I've shot many rounds at very random things with my ak. some things I do know about the gun and the round:

-it fires 100 percent of the time
-I can empty a 30 rd. clip in under 5 seconds
-I generally hit my target at least a couple times in those 5 seconds
-it will peirce 3/8" steel (not iron... This i know)
-it will shoot through an 16 in electric pole
-I would not go out looking for a bear to shoot with an AK


that said... I think an AK would be just fine for bear defense, in a panic you could just pull the trigger like mad. IMO 3 or 4 hits out of 15 shots would be a whole lot better than 3 or 4 shots. when the average man's life is in danger, I don't think he'll stop to aim carefully.

but IMHO a saiga 308 or a M1A1 would be much better.


how about a M1 Garand? why not!

[Tucker 1371]

... if you're thinking about using a military style rifle then I think a .50 Beowulf AR would be a far better choice. Of course that may not be in budget. In that case an 870 loaded with slugs and/or 00 Buck would be great. Personally that's what I'd choose to begin with. That or a big 3" bbl revolver like a .454 Casull, .460 XVR, or .500 SW

The only AKs I would use for hunting are the 5.45x39 and .223 ones, for coyote, maybe deer. The 7.62x39 is great for things at 150yds or less that weigh in the neighborhood of 200lbs, anything bigger than that and you (IMHO) might as well be p*ssing in the wind

[kiwi56]

I am not knocking the 7.62x39 it is a great little cartridge for plinking and punching holes in paper but a bear round it certainly is not. You may be lucky enough to hit it a few times but if enraged that bear will be running on pure adrenalin and if you don't hit the vitals it will still most likely be on top of you in the blink of an eye.
I have even seen deer shot with a 30-06 get hit with an immediately fatal shot right in the boiler room travel 150yards and then drop stone dead on the spot believe me you don't want to risk that happening with a bear.
If your going into bear country take a bear cartridge with you.
My choice would probably be a lever action in either 444, 450 Alaskan or the the old reliable 45-70 with no scope just plane good old iron sights next on the list would be a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with slugs, preferably 3inch magnums.
With a semi auto all you need is one jam and your dead simple as that.
A few years ago I was talking to a south African friend when he asked what cartridge I was shooting, I replied that I was shooting a 30-06 Springfield and he told me "good caliber but don't shoot a Cape Buffalo with one, then he added all you will do is pi$$ it off. Same applies for bears

[davlandrum]

What is a CS????

CS is tear gas, like for riot control.

its common sense,that many rounds from an ak would kill a grizzly.

So if I shot you in the foot with enough rounds of .22, you would die? Or if you were wearing a second chance vest and I shot you in the chest with a .22, you would die.

Must have shot placement and penetration to kill something.

[Death from Afar]

HUnting bare? I normally wear hunting clothes.

[Spectre]

no person who is 1/2x smart actually carries a little assault gun in real bear country

An "assault gun" would be crew-served and self-propelled. Just so you know...And yes, it would be difficult for any person, smart or not, to carry one!

[Senator Vitaman]

I guess the question is whether you trust the AK-47 to stop a charging grizzly bear. I don't. Use a caliber designed for bears instead of people, and keep the AK for defense against criminals.

[Buzzcook]

Magical grizzlies are the new zombies. 20mm auto-canon is the new accepted minimum caliber for magical grizzlies. While there is some question about the mix of explosive to incendiary projectiles, I for one trust that everyone uses silver clad projectiles.


Unfortunately for posters to hunting and firearms forums, the major habitat for magic grizzlies is in threads just like this. So watch your back.

[onthejon55]

You can get PSP ammo made by Remington. That would be my first choice.

Since when was a 75 rnd drum not the best tool for the job?? More is always better!

[Spectre]

More is always better!

No, a cumbersome and malfunction-prone ammunition holder would not be better than a smaller-capacity reliable one. Especially when the matter will have been decided well before you hit the capacity of the standard 30-round magazine.

[Art Eatman]

Arrggghhhhh...

Enuf.