Is .44 Magnum Big Enough for Brown Bear?

[Alaska444]

The telling data goes against recommending a .44 magnum for bear defense and in general, I am in agreement with that recommendation. However, many go so far as to completely denigrate the ability of a .44 magnum as a last ditch defense weapon even against large brown bear. Here is a story with pictures of a bear on man attack where man one from one shot of a .44 magnum.

I pick up my Ruger SRH .44 magnum 7.5 inch in a week. I do have two ligitimate bear guns in rifles, but this will be my daily woods carry.

http://thegreatwhitehunter.wordpress...g-bear-attack/

[Skans]

Read the story. That guy got lucky. After looking at the size of that bear, I've concluded that I can't think of any handgun round that I'd feel "safe" with. If I ever venture into the woods in Alaska, I think I'll just keep my rifle strapped to me at all times.

[Alaska444]

No doubt the rifle is the better choice, but in my mind it boils down to shot placement and penetration, both of which in some people's hands, the .44 magnum can do the job. This man did indeed get "lucky" just as Greg Brush with his .454 Casull did about a year ago in Soldotna Alaska.

http://thegreatwhitehunter.wordpress...o-change-diet/

Yes, luck is involved even when a person has a high powered rifle in their hands. Yes, a rifle does improve shot placement and penetration, but stopping a charging bear with a rifle is no less luck dependent than with a .44 magnum.
My point is that the .44 magnum is adequate for the job, and yes, getting luck on your side helps as well. Both of these men have a little 3 pound piece of metal to thank for saving their lives.

No one will argue it is the "best" bear defense, but it is certainly is a bear defense with real effect.

[Rifleman1776]

This question of handgun vs. big bad brown bear comes up several times a week. I have read, at length, stories of griz encounters. The answer is a big "NO". Your .44 mag. is a trifling annoyance against a determined griz. Don't trust your life based on a few lucky survivors experiences.

[mavracer]

[opinion] if you can remain calm and place a round in it's brain you can stop one with a heavily loaded hard cast 357 mag [opinion]
I've seen too many animals run off and die over 100 yards away with their lungs and heart destroyed to think anything but a head shot is going allow you to outlive Mr bear

[Alaska444]

Once again, my point of placing this post was not to establish an optimal hand gun bear defense weapon, only to counter the extremely negative attitude towards large bore hand guns as a whole lot better than nothing attitude some folks oppose. Here is an example of a "lucky" park ranger that killed a large grizzly with the lowly .357 as suggested above. Up close and personal, a handgun is a life saver. Is it necessarily what we would call a bear stopper, well dead is dead.

http://www.carnivoraforum.com/index....ay&thread=2724

[sirsloop]

Obviously .44 mag IS enough, as long as you can hit the vitals before the bear rips your guts out

[Chief Engineer]

Only in a life or death situation. His life, your death.

[Stevie-Ray]

I carry a sidearm for defense against blackies, but against browns, Grizzlies, Kodiaks? I've always said out of my own firearms, I'd want my FAL first, and that's only if I HAD to.

[youngunz4life]

thank you for the story&pictures alaska444(post #6). that camera might've been the only reason his neck wasn't ripped out. I do sometimes wonder how much 'stronger' the 44 is than the 357(if that's the right word).

[sirsloop]

I wonder how 3" mag 12 Gauge slugs would work

[Brian Pfleuger]

I'd rather have a big can of pepper spray than ANY firearm.

Well, unless it was a minigun.

[mavracer]

If you don't put that 12 guage slug in it's. CNS it'll still have time to slap your head into the next county before he dies.

[Alaska444]

My first line of bear defense in grizzly country is my Marlin .444. Perhaps not the hottest bear gun, but over 3000 ft-pds of muzzle energy and quite controllable recoil since I am getting too old for all of that shoulder jolting. Bear pepper spray is a very valid defense as well. The only trouble is the Marlin .444 rifle is not always the most readily available weapon to carry. For that reason, hand guns are the logical choice to have at all times for woods carry for a practical application.

The bottom line is that any firearm used for an instant stop must hit the bears CNS. A double lung, heart shot will not give an instant stop, the bear still has time to do you a great deal of damage. Once again it comes down to shot placement no matter what the weapon. For this reason and the small target the CNS is in a fast moving animal, bear pepper spray has very reliable data, but I will not trust it alone. Combining a large bore handgun and bear pepper spray gives the optimal access to lethal and non-lethal bear defense allowing you to be hands free whereas a rifle does not afford that accessabilty and carrying ease.

It is a trade off on carrying ease and stopping power. Having more than one in a group armed and carrying pepper spray is a very good strategy. The choice of arms depends on the activity anticipated. It is simply a fact that you cannot keep a rifle over your shoulder doing all of the chores folks do in bear country, but you can keep a .44 magnum tucked away nicely. The first story is a demonstration of this very fact where the .338 was left at the camp while packing out the moose. In reality, doing otherwise would be quite difficult.

So, in a perfect world, you can bring your 416 Rigby with you at all times, or you can make a calculated risk and take a handgun when the 416 Rigby is going to preclude your planned activity. The .44 magnum is a very viable option to give you a measure, perhaps not full measure, but nevertheless a reliable measure of protection which is by far better than only pepper spray or playing dead. I believe my purchase of the Ruger SRH is a prudent purchase.

[mavracer]

practicing situational awareness and avoiding the confrontation all together is the best option, but sans that when the feces contacts the rotary ocilater a big bore revolver and a cool head and maybe a little luck might get you out alive.
The SRH is a little big for my taste I'd prefer my 4" Redhawk but thats just me.

[aaalaska]

It's been said a handgun should be used to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have laid down to start with. And I agree with that, but until you've gutted a caribou / moose etc with a rifle / shotgun in one hand, or fought a salmon in hip deep water with a rifle /shotgun in your hand, don't tell me you would keep one on you,and if you do keep it, I'll bet it is in a position that you would find embarrassing if you needed it RIGHT NOW. Given all that I carry a Redwawk 44 loaded with 300 gr hard cast. Do I think it's enough He!! no ,but it sure beats the poo out of a sharp stick, even better than my fillet knife, or my skinner.I have never needed the handgun for brown bear and hope I never do,as for bear spray one of us usually has it, but we have noticed when bears do show up they are so inconsiderate ,the wind is usually blowing to us from them, not ideal for bear spray, and anyone that's been here can tell you the wind can blow.
While I've never had to shoot one ,some of a group I was hunting with had to put one down several years ago, a sow with cub in a alder thicket, the guy in the front had a 300 win mag with 220 gr bullets, his first shot from the hip knocked the bear down inside 20 ft of where he was standing, she was hit in the chest ,and when we skinned her we realized the hit probably would not have been fatal. his other shots missed we found them in different alders,the second guy in line had to take several steps to the side to find an opening ,and when he saw she was hit finished it with his 30/06. My point here is even though she was far from dead the hit was enough to turn her, so even a serious bear might well change it's mind if hit hard.With that in mind and the fact that like everyone else I know ,I sit the rifle down from time to time, I will continue to carry a handgun and pray I never need it.
Alex

[dsa1115]

Most guides carry bear spray. I'd also consider a .44 magnum loaded with hard cast bullets a good choice as a backup to a long arm. With brown bear in Alaska, best to consider a 12 gauge with slugs or a 45-70 rifle as your main defensive gun. Black bear is one thing, brown bears are quite another.

[Alaska444]

practicing situational awareness and avoiding the confrontation all together is the best option, but sans that when the feces contacts the rotary ocilater a big bore revolver and a cool head and maybe a little luck might get you out alive.
The SRH is a little big for my taste I'd prefer my 4" Redhawk but thats just me.

Try finding that in Kommiefornia!! I looked for nearly six months for the 4 or 5.5 inch Redhawk and then settled on the SRH 7.5 when I couldn't find one. Beggers can't be choosy in this state.

[mbb300]

a shotgun with slugs or sabots (if your choke will allow it) is by far the best, but unless your paranoid or will be very close to a boat or vehicle you will probably not have immediate access to it. I have heard reports of rubber shot being effective at preventing negative human bear interactions before they start. ie problem bear keeps sniffing around camp and you teach him a lesson. not sure about legality there as its not something i do. bear spray is iffy in that you can unintentionally fog yourself and bystanders so be wind aware. it is also very dangerous in small planes where if it accidentally go off in the cabin you and everyone is in big trouble. ziplock it and put it in the float if you can. additionally the only time i used it it was at ten feet and the brown bear was dead down wind, while the bear went away it was back in ten minutes so we left the area. i feel that handguns are a viable option but not in the quick draw scenario, with you drawing as a bear charges, that most people imagine but rather to dispatch a bear that is on top of someone at minimal distance with particular and crucial attention being paid to putting your shots into the bears skull and not your companion. also be aware of how relatively unpowerful most big bore handguns are as compared to a rifle you would select to harvest a bear under favorable circumstances.

More important than any of this is to not cook where you camp. keep food in bear resistant containers and clean up your trash. if possible cook in a tidal area where the tide will reduce cooking smell somewhat when they flood the area. there are also portable bear fences that never seem to go back into the bag they came from but are most definitely effective even at very low voltage. make human noise as you go though beary areas and dont wear those bear bells or use whistles as they mean nothing to a bear, your voice is much more effective and will not infuriate your companions. also unless you feel like you will die if you do not never fire infront or over a bear to scare it as it will learn to disregard gunfire. if you need to use your weapon to deter a bear be sure and use it for what its intended for. that got a little longer than intended but it should be reasonably thorough.

[mavracer]

Try finding that in Kommiefornia!! I looked for nearly six months for the 4 or 5.5 inch Redhawk and then settled on the SRH 7.5 when I couldn't find one. Beggers can't be choosy in this state.

Sometines you just have to take matters into your own hands LOL.
http://rugerforum.net/projects/26879...t-project.html

[madmo44mag]

I know in a hunting scenario the 44mag can take bear but in a self defense situation I think it would be more luck than gun.

There are a lot of uncontrolled variables in a bear attack vs a bear hunt.

[gearhounds]

I'd say no, but better than nothing else in your hands. With a bear that size, and the range involved, there is no handgun on the planet I'd feel comfortable with. Short of a brain/spine shot, mr. griz might not realize he's dead until after you been chewed a good bit.

[PIGMAN]

Here is the only pistol suitable for dispatching big bears.

http://www.vincelewis.net/60magnum.html

[skydiver3346]

Well, the .44 mag revolver has been a pretty good choice for sidearm in big bear country over the years. If you have great bullet placement, it's probably adequate, etc.

However, nowadays things have really changed. If I had my choice of weapons for walking around Brown Bear/Grissly country, I would now choose this:
The new "carbine size" Big Horn Armory Armory (mod. 89) lever gun
in .500 S&W. It is an awesome little carry package and easyly carried over your shoulder. The .500 S&W will do the job much better than the .44 mag with all things being equal (shot placement, etc.). Plus with longer sight radius, should be more accurate as well. Check it out on You-Tube....

[BGutzman]

You could also go with 460 Rowland in a Springfield XD Tatical with Corbon Hunter 230 grain FPPN traveling at 1225 fps and hitting with roughly 757 ft lbs.

You end up with 13+1 rounds of heavy hitting deep penetration compared to 6 rounds.