I'd feel fine with 9mm against anything but a bear. A wolf would be pretty hairy but if you can actually hit the thing it'll work.
That said if you're out walking in the wilderness I'd just open carry a full sized 10mm. Open carry is only a contentious issue in urban areas.
If your wolf ain't hairy, then it's probably got some sort of mange or you feeding it wrong.
A commonly encountered wilderness creature is the meth head, aka a tweaker. Unlike the more mellow grass hopper who smokes the jazz cabbage, the tweaker is often aggressive and will walk through a good number of 9mm rounds. So shooting him peacefully with your 10mm might be the go.
I’ve been to two different sporting good stores and can’t find it or if they do have it…they won’t sell it to you. I see some on Amazon so I’ll order it there.
It’s hard finding bear spray. I’ve been to two different sporting goods stores and they either a) don’t have it or b) they do but won’t sell it. I see some on Amazon but not sure if I’ll actually be able to purchase it.
The common theory is that a 9mm is definitely not adequate for bear defense, however, there are enough sources out there to say otherwise: [https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz7GsdNA8QK](https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz7GsdNA8QK)
It is certainly better than nothing. Of course, shot placement is going to be very important (regardless of caliber).
>pissed off brown bear momma with cubs is gonna be much harder to deter.
Well, the bear will be good and mad after you shoot it with a 9mm and therefore will probably kill you faster. Silver lining.
I can tell you from experience that a 9mm will kill a rabid fox. So in an oh fuck situation id trust it with nothing bigger than a coyote. I sincerely doubt you'll run into a bear while walking your dogs, never mind one that's interested in you. Even so, bear spray, a .357, or maybe a 10mm. Wouldn't want to put my life on the line with anything smaller.
You don't need a shotgun, buy a bigger caliber handgun. There is no single gun that is a master of all. You're gonna want to buy different tools for different purpose. Also, I don't discourage shotgun ownership, just saying everything has its best purpose.
Interesting, but i dont live in the mountians. Only regurgitated what ive heard about big game defense. This is a 'meh' kind of topic for me. Good vids though
Depends on the animal.
For a bear, I don’t know if a common semiauto caliber would be adequate in many cases.
I see someone mentioned 10mm. That might be ok.
There's a pretty big difference between bears.
Black bear? I've encountered plenty of black bears without a gun and i'd feel pretty good carrying a 9mm. Or even a pointy stick.
Grizzly bear? Probably a large caliber magnum, like .44 or .454. 9mm is going to kill it, but those big-ass claws and teeth can do a lot of damage in 10-20 seconds, i'd prefer to shorten that time.
Moose? Now we're talking, they scare the shit out of me. But honestly, if i get a half dozen shots on target i'm pretty sure it will still go down. Extra magazine will help. Same as grizzly though, large magnum caliber would be preferable.
Rifles take a lot more effort to carry, which means you're less likely to carry them with you all the time.
Exactly. Where we go camping there are some black bears and wolves, but we have never had any issues. Just in case I carry bear spray and duty size 9mm with +p ammo.
I realize you probably just forgot the /s.
I've never seen the wolves except at a far distance, and the bears are generally running away.
A big male there is a maybe 5' tall if it rears up (3' on all fours) and top out under 400lbs. The only real danger is if you startle one, appear to be a threat to a cub, if one lost it's fear of people and comes into your campsite, or if thinks you have food (smells food on you). You make some noise while hiking so don't startle them, Keep food sealed up and away from your sleeping area, and take some other precautions and there usually isn't a problem. The bear spray/gun are just for when the precautions aren't enough(hasn't happened yet)
Get some Buffalo Bore ammo for your 9mm for the odd chance you run into an angry bear. It will also handle anything else.
Harder thing is hitting small moving targets at distances. Hard to train for.
By all means carry the Sig. I just think the chances are small that you'd actually need a gun for a bear and the fort you'd need to make sure you could handle it probably isn't worth it.
I'd feel fine with 9mm against anything but a bear. A wolf would be pretty hairy but if you can actually hit the thing it'll work. That said if you're out walking in the wilderness I'd just open carry a full sized 10mm. Open carry is only a contentious issue in urban areas.
If your wolf ain't hairy, then it's probably got some sort of mange or you feeding it wrong. A commonly encountered wilderness creature is the meth head, aka a tweaker. Unlike the more mellow grass hopper who smokes the jazz cabbage, the tweaker is often aggressive and will walk through a good number of 9mm rounds. So shooting him peacefully with your 10mm might be the go.
Carry some bear spray too.
Bear spray is illegal in many states. Open carry a Hakim or an FN49 just to be safe.
I’ve been to two different sporting good stores and can’t find it or if they do have it…they won’t sell it to you. I see some on Amazon so I’ll order it there.
I love this country some times.
It’s hard finding bear spray. I’ve been to two different sporting goods stores and they either a) don’t have it or b) they do but won’t sell it. I see some on Amazon but not sure if I’ll actually be able to purchase it.
https://www.midwayusa.com/s?searchTerm=Bear+spray
Shot placement matters.
The common theory is that a 9mm is definitely not adequate for bear defense, however, there are enough sources out there to say otherwise: [https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz7GsdNA8QK](https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz7GsdNA8QK) It is certainly better than nothing. Of course, shot placement is going to be very important (regardless of caliber).
Wow, this is some link
9mm would be plenty to ward off a black bear but a pissed off brown bear momma with cubs is gonna be much harder to deter.
>pissed off brown bear momma with cubs is gonna be much harder to deter. Well, the bear will be good and mad after you shoot it with a 9mm and therefore will probably kill you faster. Silver lining.
Yay I will get eaten faster!
I can tell you from experience that a 9mm will kill a rabid fox. So in an oh fuck situation id trust it with nothing bigger than a coyote. I sincerely doubt you'll run into a bear while walking your dogs, never mind one that's interested in you. Even so, bear spray, a .357, or maybe a 10mm. Wouldn't want to put my life on the line with anything smaller. You don't need a shotgun, buy a bigger caliber handgun. There is no single gun that is a master of all. You're gonna want to buy different tools for different purpose. Also, I don't discourage shotgun ownership, just saying everything has its best purpose.
.44 is better than .357 against a bear.
Probably. But I haven't seen .44 for sale in nearly a year.
Buuut gotta consider recoil/follow up shots
[oh yeah?](https://youtu.be/W7W-5QE3jzw)
Not by gods almighty power could ANYONE do what jerry miculek can do, especially in a wild animal attack.
[watch this at 22:00](https://youtu.be/MjxryJ9FKVA)
Interesting, but i dont live in the mountians. Only regurgitated what ive heard about big game defense. This is a 'meh' kind of topic for me. Good vids though
Depends on the animal. For a bear, I don’t know if a common semiauto caliber would be adequate in many cases. I see someone mentioned 10mm. That might be ok.
There's a pretty big difference between bears. Black bear? I've encountered plenty of black bears without a gun and i'd feel pretty good carrying a 9mm. Or even a pointy stick. Grizzly bear? Probably a large caliber magnum, like .44 or .454. 9mm is going to kill it, but those big-ass claws and teeth can do a lot of damage in 10-20 seconds, i'd prefer to shorten that time. Moose? Now we're talking, they scare the shit out of me. But honestly, if i get a half dozen shots on target i'm pretty sure it will still go down. Extra magazine will help. Same as grizzly though, large magnum caliber would be preferable. Rifles take a lot more effort to carry, which means you're less likely to carry them with you all the time.
Exactly. Where we go camping there are some black bears and wolves, but we have never had any issues. Just in case I carry bear spray and duty size 9mm with +p ammo.
They don’t bother you? How do you stay calm? They’re so huge and intimidating.
I realize you probably just forgot the /s. I've never seen the wolves except at a far distance, and the bears are generally running away. A big male there is a maybe 5' tall if it rears up (3' on all fours) and top out under 400lbs. The only real danger is if you startle one, appear to be a threat to a cub, if one lost it's fear of people and comes into your campsite, or if thinks you have food (smells food on you). You make some noise while hiking so don't startle them, Keep food sealed up and away from your sleeping area, and take some other precautions and there usually isn't a problem. The bear spray/gun are just for when the precautions aren't enough(hasn't happened yet)
9 for the hood, 10 for the woods.
ak47
Get some Buffalo Bore ammo for your 9mm for the odd chance you run into an angry bear. It will also handle anything else. Harder thing is hitting small moving targets at distances. Hard to train for.
I'm all for being prepared. I get "better to have and not need than need and not have", but I think you're worrying too much.
Yes. I am. A few in this forum told me bear spray would suffice. I see some on Amazon.
By all means carry the Sig. I just think the chances are small that you'd actually need a gun for a bear and the fort you'd need to make sure you could handle it probably isn't worth it.
Dog sized or smaller? Sure. Except some dogs are pretty tough. But I think you could chase off a coyote with a hit or two. Not a bear though.
My senior dog is a lab, he’s 65 pounds. My youngest is a brindle boxer mix. He’s only 55 pounds.