I asked a similar question on the Alaska site but wanted to get the opinion from those who frequent the handgun sitje.

I want to run a scenario past you.

You're in Alaska on a guided hunt. You have a Grizzly tag in your pocket and it is the intended game. The weather is pleasant, mild breeze in your face. Your relaxed, sitting next to your guide who has his 40+ caliber bear medicine with open sights. Your both chatting quietly, glassing for bear. Sitting in your lap is your favorite bear rifle. It's sighted in perfectly with a good strong load for Grizzly.

Mine is my CZ550 American 9.3x62 pushing a Nosler 286 gr Partition to 2490 fps from the 23.6" barrel. Also, in my Mernickle Field Carry 1 holster is my ss 4-5/8" Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Long Colt loaded with 335 gr Cast Performance WFNGC cast bullets running 1100 fps. Sight in is a 2" MPR; 78 yd zero, 2" high @ 43 yds, 2" low @ 92 yds.

A bear, unexpectantly steps out from some bushes directly to your 10 or 2 o'clock position about 100 yds distance. I'm not talking about Brown bear, but tundra Grizzly where they get upto 9', about 600 lbs. His intended path will bring him directly in front of you anywhere from 25 to 50 yds, broadside, undisturbed, looking downhill, away from you. In other words conditions are "perfect".

Do you

A) Pick up the rifle and shoot?

B) Pull the 45 Long Colt and shoot?


This is the exact scenario I hope I face this September above Nome.

hmmm... RIFLE!

My .500 JRH.......oops, that wasn't an option.....

Why would you choose the handgun? Just so you could say you killed it with a handgun? I would choose the rifle.
Peter.

When you have both nearby, the ONLY reason to use a handgun is to get to your rifle.

If a bear jumped out at me, I would reach for the 12 gage.

John Davies
Spokane WA

Being a handgun hunter, I would say use my handgun. But with the choice of handgun you chose, and knowing my guide had a sufficient rifle as back up. I would go with the 45 Colt loaded with 335 gr Cast Performance WFNGC cast bullets running 1100 fps. But then again, I would have a bigger handgun in that case also.

Peter, and yes I would want to say I did it with a handgun.

Yup, I would go with one of my handguns. Is that 12 gauge loaded with slugs? If it's loaded with buck shot, I damn well wouldn't want the shotgun. These big handguns loaded properly will punch through damn near anything. Especially in a close encounter, I'd rather have a handgun. Just my preference. Some of us use handguns as primary hunting weapons......... In the scenario described, I see no reason not to use the handgun as it will work well -- as will the rifle. Again, it's just a preference.

Either weapon is up to the task as long as the shooter is. I am not a fan of a shotgun for bear unless it is loaded with a Dixie Terminator slug of thier Tri-Ball load and that stuff is devestating

There is a big difference between 25 and 92 yards when using an open sighted handgun, at least for me. I would probably use the firearm that I considered my primary weapon for the hunt. If I set out to use my .45(I've got a 4 5/8" .45 Blackhawk too and I love it. It is usually carried for defense of wild animals or when working with cattle. I love it!) then I would use it if I possibly could but the 9.3x62, especially with a good scope with the load you described, is a much more versatile bear gun. Though ther are much more powerful handgun cartridges out there, I am of the opinion that the .45 LC can take anything with the load you described if you do your part, though it is maybe a bit marginal (like the .44 Mag) for the BIGGEST game. History indicates that it should work GREAT on bears up to 600 pounds or so.

If it were me I would use the 9.3 for a primary hunting weapon and hold the .45 in reserve just in case of a jam or a PERFECT shot at less than 30 yards. Any shot longer than 25 or 30 yards would make it a no brainer for me, but then again, that's just me. GOOD LUCK!

quote:

Originally posted by jwp475:
Either weapon is up to the task as long as the shooter is. I am not a fan of a shotgun for bear unless it is loaded with a Dixie Terminator slug of thier Tri-Ball load and that stuff is devestating

I second that on the Dixie Terminator! They are AWESOME! They will ABSOLUTELY DESTROY anything they can penetrate. I put two of them through a hog and it looked like two baseballs went through him (only one was needed)! I also shot a dying cow with the same result....like a baseball that passed through both shoulders. Anyone who says that the 12 gauge slug isn't effective on big game hasn't tried these. The only game animals I would be leery of using the Terminator on is rhino, hippo, and ele only because of penetration. It does penetrate better than other slugs though, including the Brenneke slugs that are so popular for bear defense.

Did I mention that they are awesome. AWESOME!!!

My apologies for getting off the topic at hand.

Plenty time to pick up the rifle. Rifle with out a dought.

The .45 Colt load described should be really effective and it should have little trouble exiting the bear.

rifle no doubt. as far as the shotgun goes the C.O's in this area use them and they kill more bears (both grizzly and black) in a year than all the members in this forum combined

quote:

Originally posted by claude:
rifle no doubt. as far as the shotgun goes the C.O's in this area use them and they kill more bears (both grizzly and black) in a year than all the members in this forum combined

With slugs or buckshot? I have heard and read that buckshot is very unreliable from a penetration standpoint and have seen it not penetrate well on hogs.

The rifle. If you're carrying a pistol while rifle hunting the pistol is for emergencies. If you're handgun hunting leave the rifle home. $0.02

I asked a friend who's a C.O. they use both usually their first load is 00 just in case he has to turn a sudden charge then the rest are slugs but i imagine others do it different

quote:

Originally posted by nordrseta:
The rifle. If you're carrying a pistol while rifle hunting the pistol is for emergencies. If you're handgun hunting leave the rifle home. $0.02

If I pay $15,000 plus for a brown bear hunt, I will take both a handgun and a rifle. If I can get a close shot, I will use my handgun, if no shots present themselves, and only a longer range shot is available, I will use my rifle.

under those circumstances id use my handgun.

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:

quote:

Originally posted by claude:
rifle no doubt. as far as the shotgun goes the C.O's in this area use them and they kill more bears (both grizzly and black) in a year than all the members in this forum combined

With slugs or buckshot? I have heard and read that buckshot is very unreliable from a penetration standpoint and have seen it not penetrate well on hogs.

lol we have lost plenty of pigs with buckshot at all ranges. it is a good deterrent but as far as making a kill shot it is unreliable.

quote:

Grizzly, rifle or handgun; quick, 5 seconds to choose!

I'll take the Grizzly, thank you.

I want to use my handgun also. It does make me wonder if I would really care once it was all over. I believe I would be just as happy just having the bear.

I am going bear hunting this spring and will bring a handgun and would like to use it if the shot presents itself.

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As for your question in 5 seconds I would use the rifle. No the handgun. no the rifle. no the handgun.

I do think though that I should just take the bear with the rifle and save the pistol for black bears other big game.

My 454 casull with 340's at 1350 is what I will be taking. It is very heavy but I have carried that gun through this same area for days on end. I thought about taking my 41 mag which is much lighter but a 293 at 1050 is borderline at best in my mind. Although I have shot these at 1275 through a mooses skull.

I expect to be more likely to have a shot at an 8' bear but I have seen the largest bear of my life here also. I would have no problem shooting an 8' bear with either pistol. But an 8' bear might weigh half of what a 10' bear does.

I also think about combining my thoughts and taking my 500 S&W Handi rifle. If I get proficient to 200 yards then I may take it.

Rifle...I won't go into what I think about shooting dangerous game with no backup with pistols.

Thanks Ray, I appreciate your restraint in this instance.

Given this is the Handgun Hunting forum, there should be no surprise that the majority would opt for a handgun with which to do the deed.

Regardless of one's personal opinion, too many head of dangerous game have been taken with far too many calibers from handguns for it to be a fluke. Besides, plenty of people going after dangerous game with rifles have been mauled or killed, so it works both ways.