What cartridge for hiking in Grizzly country?

[pete2]

None of the above, .458 Winmag.

[Coloradohtr]

I have lived in and hunted in Colorado all my life and have never seen a Grizzly. I think the last Grizzly in Colorado was killed in 1983 I read somewhere. That being said, they are in Montanna, Idaho and Wyoming. I don't think I'd be surprised if a few have ever wondered down here. There are wolves in Colorado and the CPW will deny that but I've seen them while elk hunting every year for the last 3 years. They made their way here why couldn't a Grizzly? Although I would think someone would have spotted them and posted it online some where.

There is a ton of Black Bears. Came within 10 feet of a large Black Bear two years ago while doing security in Boulder. He was in a trash can eating salmon and prime rib and didn't like me yelling and banging a pot and pan together to get him to leave so he jumped out of the trash can and stood on his hind legs and growled at me. He seemed to know what a gun was because as he did that I drew my 1911 and he ran away pretty quick. I know my 1911 with 220gr +p hollow points wouldn't have taken him down but it was better than nothing and was all I had while on duty.

I go archery elk hunting every year and I carry a Smith and Wesson 629 4" Mountian Gun in .44mag in an Alaskan guide chest holster loaded with 305gr Buffalo Bore hard lead cast bullets. I really like that set up. It's not heavy and the recoil isn't that bad. A .44mag probably isn't needed here in Colorado but if you have one already why not use it? A good solid. 357 mag or a 10mm auto like a Glock 20 would be good choices too.

During rifle season my go to rifle for everything is a .375 H&H mag so I'm not to worried there haha.

[Risasi]

A. Since it's Colorado and I have been known to wander around there, Utah, and the Arizona deserts and mesas in cougar, bear and Yeti country I'll stick to my default; 4" .357 magnum and pepper spray. I prefer a hard cast Keith bullet clocking at least 1150-1200 fps. I shoot it well...better than the bigger stuff under duress and with good speed. I want shot placement over caliber, within reason.
I'm still alive and I've run into blackies on two occasions. Never had to even clear leather. The second one I smelled him before I saw him. I just went around since he didn't want to come out of the shadows and let me pass on the trail when I was trying to get off of a glacial bed.
And then one other night...something else, on the desert floor in the Rez interior somewhere southeast of Kayenta. That was a spooky night in a tent. Something really BIG out there that night. Brace of revolvers...and 1911 as backup. The next morning I went looking for tracks right where I'd heard the commotion and couldn't find a thing. I packed up that morning and headed out. Anyway, enough about that...

B. I don't visit griz/brown bear country. If I ever do decide to I'll take;
- pepper spray
- same 357 Magnum
- either 12 gauge with brenneke or dixie slugs, or Marlin 1895 in 45-70.

[Pathfinder45]

I hike with a Vaquero in 45 Colt. Although I have had several close encounters with Black Bears, I've never had to shoot one. I have never carried bear-spray either. But I like having the 45 with me anyway, in case of an actual need,.....for whatever could possibly happen. I think it's part of self reliance. Like the Boy Scout Motto: "Be prepared." Prepared for what? Well, for whatever..... I've also carried a fishing rod that it turns out sometimes didn't catch fish because the fish weren't biting. I will still bring the fishing rod next time anyway. And the 45.

[briandg]

I read so much about slugs for bear, and there is no doubt that a twelve gauge slug can take down even a grizzly under the proper conditions. The thing is almost as powerful as a .45-70. 400 grains vs 612 grains, wider bullet, and velocities that are comparable.

i always wonder if 00 shot is a good choice for a charging bear. maybe so.

[Sequins]

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone. I am optimistic I won't encounter any bear, and that any I do encounter aren't interested in me, but I prefer my aim to a chemical cocktail. I had considered a 10mm previously but will give it additional thought. My other option appears to be a nice .44 magnum. I might purchase a chest rig and the 4.2 or 5.5" redhawk for this purpose. Glock 20 or a nice Ruger seem like my best options.

As for gun vs. spray and all the disrespectful comments aimed towards me, it is my belief a chemical spray will apply to a bear similarly to how a chemical spray will apply to a man. OC spray is to men what bear spray is to bears: Inconsistent and easily overcome by a determined actor. I'm more confident in the 1-3 shots I can fire than I am in putting out a cloud and hoping for the best. If I'm encountering a charging bear it's already likely that the bear is rabid or otherwise altered to be unafraid of humans and immune to spray.

My guide advised me that bears, potentially including grizzly, exist in Colorado. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[Charlie98]

My camp gun when I go to Colorado is usually a 5.5" .45 Colt Vaquero with 260grn SP Ruger-only load. Having said that, any .40+ 4" Magnum should be a reasonable choice.

[brian33x51]

Do what the alaskans do...I vote a glock 40 with heavy 10mm loads. And I've never seen a grizzly on my backpacking trips, not even any other type bears either (southwest colorado). I actually bought a glock 20 for that purpose but just ended up leaving it at home after the first couple of trips. I have seen plenty of bears along the front range.

[Erno86]

The negative about semi auto pistols for bears...is that if you press the muzzle against an attacking bear's hide or mouth, the possible tendency is to have the slide slightly retract; which would put the pistol into a failure to fire mode.

[RC20]

Bear Spray - play dead - proven to work and work well on Grizzly

Do not do that with Black Bear.

Keep in mind, your time to use anything is finite,

There is some evidence that quantity is better than size.

While neither was justified, I know of two (AK Grizzly but not Kodiak Brown) that were taken down by 9mm high capacity.

Another one was taken down by the Ruskie 5.45(?)

[sgms]

If only packing a handgun in bear country its bear spray backed by full sized .44 mag., personal preference is a 45-70 lever rifle backing up the bear spray. In bear country I don't mind the weight so prefer the rifle when hiking but when fishing its the .44 mag.. The bear encounters I've had, so far, while fishing were simple, I tossed the bear the fish and back away slowly. Doing that I haven't had to spray or shoot. So far no close up hiking bear encounters, I make noise so the bears know we're near, have seen a few a distance but not close doing that.

[22-rimfire]

Personally, I would carry a 4" 41 mag revolver in Colorado. I wouldn't suggest you buy anything special unless you just want to buy something anyway. Much depends on where I would be going specifically. More than likely, 357 mag is sufficient for this adventure. Other considerations... mode of travel; horses, ATV's, on foot...

[stevelyn]

I carry a .45 Colt Redhawk, but I also handload and have a reasonably reliable supply of high-performance .45 Colt factory ammo available when I'm on the road system.

If you don't reload, a .44 is probably a better idea since .45 Colt factory ammo can be difficult to locate at times.

[Ruger45LC]

Tough call, but for me (in addition to bear spray), I'd pack either a 4.2" Redhawk 44 Mag or a 5" Super Redhawk Toklat 454.

[ChiefTJS]

Last time (only time) I saw a grizzly bear in the wild I had a Single Six. Worked just fine, he looked at me for a bit and wandered off. That being my only experience with a grizzly bear I have no choice but to say the Single Six is 100 percent effective as bear defense.


(Edit to Add). I did not shoot the bear, I was merely carrying the Single-Six. I would have to assume that had I shot the bear it would have made him angry.

[arquebus357]

When I hike in grizzly country I carry a Stun Gun. I like getting up-close and personal with beers.

[wild cat mccane]

Truth be told, you've got lots of avid hikers on here and so far one person has told a rather far fetched yarn about meeting a bear.

If you want to buy a fun gun, no one is stopping you and you're obviously at an enabling site to do so If you don't want bear spray, fine. If you want to claim bear spray is ineffective, you're wrong.

[Fjblair]

You have a person that serves as a guide for hiking? If that is the case he/she would know that rabid bears are very rare.

Carry a gun or bear spray of you want, but don't overthink the perceived danger, and just enjoy the hike.

[Fjblair]

delete

[arquebus357]

Remember.... Bears are NOT people in bear costumes.

[Pathfinder45]

I have never had a Grizzly Bear encounter. Change that to Black Bear, then I have had more encounters than I can clearly remember since 1973. But there were three face-to-face trail encounters that were quite memorable at very close range. I still didn't shoot them and I didn't get attacked. In each case, at the very instant that the bear became aware of me, it changed course and ran away at astonishing speed.

[moosemike]

As has been stated there is no Grizzly country in CO. But in Grizzly country I would want a 10mm loaded with Buffalo Bore.

[Wyosmith]

I do hike in Grizzley country all the time and I have not yet had a problem, but I am not foolish enough to let my guard down.

I usually carry a 6" Freedom Arms 454 Casull loaded with 370 grain LBT bullets, and sometime I carry a 44 mag loaded with 320 gr LBT bullets.

But shooting a handgun that kicks less is more practical if you can't hit a target in a hurry with a 44 or 454. Carrying something you shoot VERY well is better then a more powerful gun you can't shoot well.

Marksmanship is more important then power. Not that power is unimportant, but less so then marksmanship.

[4V50 Gary]

I consider 44 Mag minimum. .454 Casull is better, but it hurts me and I'll take something I can handle over something that is difficult to manage (for me).

[CalmerThanYou]

^^Nuke