I live in g-bear country i bow hunt and bear hunt i believe you are seriously undergunned with a 357 a 44 is marginal i own both when i bow hunt i pack a 45-70 guide gun but if i had to chose i would take a 44
Quote: I doubt you'd have any problem with black bear . Many states prohibit carrying any firearm when bow hunting !
It's legal in WI as long as it is exposed (no concealed carry). BBs aren't much of problem, but I'll be hunting in a fairly remote area with a healthy bear population so I'm going to take something along even though I fully expect to never need it.
BBs get mighty big in the area as well. A huge bowkill was taken some years ago in immediately adjacent land (it's in pope and young). I should talk to the guy again - 652lbs stick in my head for some reason. Anyway...
Phil Shoemaker reccomends a .357 for Brown bear. I would chose a 45, but that is just personal preference. I would feel more than adequately armed with a .357 against a black bear.
David
Posts: 355 | Location: Baton Rouge, LA | Registered: 07 August 2003
I have to agree with claude. I have read too many reports over the years where .357 bullets flattened on bear skulls without penetrating. If you go to a hard cast they will penetrate but the diameter is too small if you don't destroy the brain or miss a vital spot. The .357 is marginal for deer and should not be used on them past 50 yds. Energy means nothing when it comes to killing power, penetration and the size of the hole is more important. Get a .44 or .45 and load heavy hard cast boolits like the LBT's. I had a report of a survey done with expert hangun hunters where the .357 only had a 50% recovery rate and the .44 was 100% on deer. I don't think I would feel safe with that pipsqueek gun. Yeah, I will get a lot of feedback about this with guys saying how great the .357 is. I can also kill a deer with the .22 and a well placed shot, but would you take a .22 deer or bear hunting? Eskimos kill polar bears with .22's, I never heard of one using a .357! We have too many guys that push the envelope hunting deer. .45 acp's, .40 S&W's, 9mm's, what next, blowguns? What is there to prove using smaller and smaller guns to hunt with? I can only figure they are afraid of the big bores. The .44 320 gr. LBT will penetrate the skull and most of the rest of the body on a black bear, maybe the entire body. Maximum disruption of the vitals.
Quote: A 357 with a hard cast bullet having a big metplat is an adequate cartridge for deer and black bear, and a 357 is much easier to carry than a 44.
Amen to that The 357 in a good gun driven fast with a good bullet is a wonderful tool. I personally recommend to my 357mag customers the .357 Magnum 200gr Hard-Cast Flat Point doing 1200fps at the muzzle. This bullet has a very wide meplat, and in my personal experience cuts a nice deep hole, and is hard enough to penetrate the shoulders of an eastern whitetail deer.
Our eastern black bear are nothing like those brownies and grizz out west and up north. For those monsters, I'd carry the biggest thing I could comfortably and accurately shoot.
Posts: 830 | Location: Virginia, USA | Registered: 08 March 2002
I doubt you'd have any problem with black bear . Many states prohibit carrying any firearm when bow hunting !And if you shot one you would have to prove it had attacked you.While a well placed shot would do the job with a 357, a 44mag would work much better.
How does a GP-100 loaded with 170-180 gr bullets seems as a sidearm for bowhunting (deer) in black bear country?
Any encounter (unlikely as it may be) would be at close range. 44 mag power seems a bit beside the point because the only fight stopper would be a head or spine shot in such close quarters. Anyway, your thoughts and/or experiences?
What most of you that say the .357 is good have in common is that you are talking about hunting one, not facing a charge. Two different things altogether. Shoot one from a stand and you will most likely kill it. To stop a charge at close range takes more then that pipsqueak.
If I may pick your brain a bit further... It seems to me that the only thing that will stop a charge at close range with a BB is a spine or head hit. Blowing a 44 caliber hole in his lungs isn't going to do much (I've had even calm deer go an amazingly long way after such a hit with a 44). Seems like a round with good penetration and good control would be a good compromise. Anyway, I'm not sold on the 357 just yet...
I'm toying with the idea of going with a 45 colt redhawk with a 5.5" barrel. Heavier and bulkier though... hmmmm
The 357 in a good gun driven fast with a good bullet is a wonderful tool. I personally recommend to my 357mag customers the .357 Magnum 200gr Hard-Cast Flat Point doing 1200fps at the muzzle. This bullet has a very wide meplat, and in my personal experience cuts a nice deep hole, and is hard enough to penetrate the shoulders of an eastern whitetail deer.
