Woods/trail pistol?

[rusty ol ranger]

I still haven't moved much further in reading this, but...

It sounds like you are concerned about camping and having one come into your tent. That's got a lot to do with your preparations. That happens because people carry food and other smell good stuff into the tent. Keep food out of and away from the tent. Keep food to a centralized cooking area. When finished with eating clean up and secure food stuffs. A cooler with a tight and securable lid so smells won't be escaping. Hard storage boxes that seal up tight and can be secured. Bear bags. Don't keep trash and waste food in the site, carry it to a secured disposal area if available.

I'm not going to go so far as to say that there is ever a good encounter with a bear, but there are a lot of things that can be done to help ensure that you never have a bad encounter with a bear, especially a black bear.

All good suggestions.

Yes coming in the tent (or hammock is usually what im sleeping in) or running up on one while i wander off to take a piss or something.

I sleep so heavy chances are i wouldnt notice it even at camp unless i became the things slim jim.

Ive always spent alot of time in the woods and stuff and honestly used to never carry anything till i got my CPL a few years ago. Ive done alot of research and i think im way to worried about the chances of a nasty run in with one...hell i read one story where a man beat a 250lb black bear to death with a tree limb after it attacked his kid.

I also read that you are 167x more likely to be killed by a human then a bear lol.

So yes, a run in with a coyote or possibly even a cougar (supposdly they are around up there too) is much, much more likely then a bear.

So in short, im probably worrying way to much. My buddy carries a 9mm and feels fine with it, granted hes got 15 rounds but i doubt youd get that many off if you got attacked anyways.

Last time we camped up there we actually stopped and cooked our food then rode another mile or 2 to set up camp.

 

[bilbo]

I love guns and would never discourage any excuse to acquire another, but I always heard bear spray was a better option than carrying a pistol. A friend of mine lives in MT and spends a lot of time hunting and hiking in places where a big Grizz isn't out of the question. He said bears are incredibly quick and agile despite not looking like they would be, and for most people (me for sure) it's unlikely they'll be able to draw, target, and shoot in time. Unless you make it a good shot the bear will continue to charge. He says bear spray requires less precision and is quite effective.

I grew up and camped a lot in areas where there were a lot of black bears. For what it's worth, I've never had an encounter with a bear in the wild. I'm sure I've come close and never even knew.

 

[superj]

i don't think we have bears but we have coyotes, pigs, javelina, bigger cats, and some snakes. for animals this size, i would rather have more shots than one powerful one, especially since pigs and javelina run in packs.

i normally carry a sar arms b6p 9mm if i think i will be somewhere that i will run into pigs or javelina. any other time, i have a small 22lr american arms revolver or a small baretta 25 auto which are carried out of sight to not attract attention from other people out in the areas too.

 

[Blmpkn]

I love guns and would never discourage any excuse to acquire another, but I always heard bear spray was a better option than carrying a pistol. A friend of mine lives in MT and spends a lot of time hunting and hiking in places where a big Grizz isn't out of the question. He said bears are incredibly quick and agile despite not looking like they would be, and for most people (me for sure) it's unlikely they'll be able to draw, target, and shoot in time. Unless you make it a good shot the bear will continue to charge. He says bear spray requires less precision and is quite effective.

I grew up and camped a lot in areas where there were a lot of black bears. For what it's worth, I've never had an encounter with a bear in the wild. I'm sure I've come close and never even knew.

I find it hard to believe a pistol in a good holster would take longer to draw and aquire a target with than a can of bear mace.

What's the range on a can of bear mace anyways? And how strong of a headwind will cause you just to blind yourself rather than the bear? Fluids are relatively easily blown back into your face by the wind... 357 rounds are not.

 

[James Morse]

.357 S&W M27 8.5" barrel w/ jacketed hollow points
Can still shoot .38's and wadcutters
I won a pistol shoot with the wads in that pistol, won a Ruger .22 auto circa 1989
Or can go shorter barrels on the M27, I liked the balance of the long barrel, you might not, especially if carrying a lot.
To me, revolver very dependable; auto, not totally dependable as to jams, it can happen, and you don't like them anyway.
Carry a couple speed loaders with the revolver.
my 2 cents

 

[Shran]

Coyotes won't bother people much. They might carry off a toddler wandering alone by itself but really they are the least of my worries. Usually the only time I've seen them is after they've seen me and are running away.

Rez dogs on the other hand... they are hungry and mean and they hunt in packs.

The Desert Eagle in .50AE suggestion is funny, I shot one of those, they are HUGE and really heavy. And expensive... I'd hate to drop one of those in the creek. Keep that in mind too, I'd much rather carry a $100 Hi-Point and lose it in the mud than a nice $700+ revolver or a $1500 Desert Eagle........

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Mythbusters had a knife against pistol at 20 yards...
Iirc,
Pistol didn't win

 

[bilbo]

I find it hard to believe a pistol in a good holster would take longer to draw and aquire a target with than a can of bear mace.

What's the range on a can of bear mace anyways? And how strong of a headwind will cause you just to blind yourself rather than the bear? Fluids are relatively easily blown back into your face by the wind... 357 rounds are not.

Probably zero difference in draw time, but the spray will cover more area than a bullet so shot placement doesn't need to be as precise. I've no idea on headwind; I guess having it blow back in your face would be a possibility. I looked up bear spray at REI and the first result says 32ft. range and 7 seconds of spray. I've no investment in bear defense options, just passing on something told to me by someone else whose chance of an encounter would be higher than average.

 

[Roert42]

To me, revolver very dependable; auto, not totally dependable as to jams, it can happen, and you don't like them anyway.

I find that semi autos are about as reliable as the operator. Most jams/stovepipes are due to the operator being too limp wristed for the caliber being shot.



I think it depends more on having the correct gun for the situation. A gun with tighter clearances and tolerances like a competition pistol is not going to run well dirty. revolver or pistol. You leave it under the seat in the truck or drop it un the mud and you'll have all the moving parts filled up with crap.

A crappy mil spec 1911 has such loose clearances/ tolerances that it rattles like a baby's toy. That will have no issue even when dirty.

 

[Shran]

I was told by a self defense instructor that anyone who wants to carry pepper spray should try it out before actually carrying it.... there is a very high probability that some will blow back on you. If you know what that's like and are prepared for it if you actually have to use it, that's the best case scenario... it would be a big suck if you sprayed a bear and then got mauled anyway because you were busy screaming about the pepper spray that got in your own eyes.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I do carry speedloaders and i can actually reload my revolver with one in just slightly longer then it takea my buddy to jam a new clip in his 9.

I prefer revolvers for simplicity and reliabilty mostly...espicially in dust, moisture, and whatever else, and a revolver you can jam right up next to whatever needs shooting and yank the trigger...

Plus im just more comfortable with them overall anyways, and least importantly but still on the page is they just look cooler, and we all know the cooler a gun looks...the more often you shoot it

 

[bilbo]

Apparently someone's watching me. I just got an email from Sportsman's Warehouse about the best bear defense handguns and bear deterrents.

 

[sgtsandman]

I find it hard to believe a pistol in a good holster would take longer to draw and aquire a target with than a can of bear mace.

What's the range on a can of bear mace anyways? And how strong of a headwind will cause you just to blind yourself rather than the bear? Fluids are relatively easily blown back into your face by the wind... 357 rounds are not.

Like with people, bear spray doesn’t always work. I’ve seen videos of people spraying bears with bear spray and it didn’t even phase them.

Then there is the wind direction thing where it can blow back at you.

 

[Markos]

I find it hard to believe a pistol in a good holster would take longer to draw and aquire a target with than a can of bear mace.

What's the range on a can of bear mace anyways? And how strong of a headwind will cause you just to blind yourself rather than the bear? Fluids are relatively easily blown back into your face by the wind... 357 rounds are not.

I think my can of bear spray says 25-30 ft. Not like I've ever had misfortune of using it though(I carry both my .357 and spray, just incase I guess, but if I were charged by a bear out of nowhere I'd definitely draw the handgun faster).

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I think my can of bear spray says 25-30 ft. Not like I've ever had misfortune of using it though(I carry both my .357 and spray, just incase I guess, but if I were charged by a bear out of nowhere I'd definitely draw the handgun faster).

I read standard practice with bear spray is to spray while youre drawing the gun lol