Handguns 98%n effective


Full article at the link

https://www.ammoland.com/2022/...-cases-98-effective/

I have been researching the effectiveness of pistols when they are fired as a defense against bears for several years. The research started as an attempt to find cases where pistols were ineffective.

In October of 2016, a poster on freerepublic.com claimed (post 28 at the link) that there were numerous failures when people attempted to use pistols as a defensive tool against bears. The author knew there were several cases where the use of a pistol resulted in an effective defense.

Because access to handguns, bear spray, knives, rifles, and shotguns all involve similar problems, only cases where a handgun was actually fired are considered. None of these systems do any good if they cannot be accessed in time to be used to stop an attack.

Months, then years of searching the Internet, books, and official sources for documented cases of failure found three documented failures and over a hundred documented cases of success (there were 10 cases where combinations of pistols and other potentially lethal items were used).

No experience with bears, but I have heard of folks killing animals and not reporting it.

Then again, a guy I know took two grizzly bear in central Alaska this year. He was hunting bear with a muzzle loader. Could there be a difference between a hunter and a non hunter?

quote:

No experience with bears, but I have heard of folks killing animals and not reporting it.

Some states do not have mandatory reporting laws

In a WY case about 2018, A FL bow hunter with Jackson, WY guide ecountered a sow grizzly and cub at an elk kill site. Grizzly and 2-yr old cub were involved.
Guide was killed and hunter mauled. Single Glock pistol was present -no apparent success against bear. Guide left wife and two kids.

WYF&W officers charged next day at site. Bear and cub shot and killed.

That's what made me trade in my 243 for a large caliber 270 Win Rifle in 1968 . Shot an elk with my 243 went back for the 2nd quarter and found it "occupied" I just left it with them. 270 Win was the minimum caliber my outfitter would let me be an apprentice guide with as well. I thought it was a canon back then.

quote:

Originally posted by 450 Fuller:
In a WY case about 2018, A FL bow hunter with Jackson, WY guide ecountered a sow grizzly and cub at an elk kill site. Grizzly and 2-yr old cub were involved.
Guide was killed and hunter mauled. Single Glock pistol was present -no apparent success against bear. Guide left wife and two kids.

WYF&W officers charged next day at site. Bear and cub shot and killed.

From what I recall, at the time of the charge the glock was in a pack despite having just located an elk that was killed at last light the night before, giving plenty of time to be discovered by predators/scavengers. The guide got mauled, the client retrieved the pistol and tossed it in the direction of the guide before fleeing himself and leaving the guide to his death, and the guide's body was found the next day. While that was obviously a complete and total failure, I don't think it was the firearm that failed, as no one even attempted to fire it.

Full story of Wyoming bear attack.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/...ne-pistol-separated/


The pistol had a empty chamber was not fired.

Thus not a failure. No different then a can of bear spray that was not used.

Unlike Smith and Herrero who counted any time a firearm was around used or not as a failure.

Where as with spray as long as it was there used or not and the bear left it was counted as a save.

Mr. Weingarten's research requires the firearm to have been fired to be counted.