Best dual purpose firearm?

[Moonie]

tri-ball 12 guage loads come to mind, depending on the bear species.

[jmort]

Never a bad choice. OO Buckshot goes around 9" in wet news paper. Tri-Ball goes around 27" so that should put it all in perspective. Around 1000 grains of serious medicine. It will smoke.any animal on earth.

[scarry scarney]

Now I know Marvin provided some good reasoning, but I always heard for Bear country, bring a "friend" and a 22 revolver. When attacked by the bear, you shoot the "friend" in the knee cap and run.....

[Idaho Mule]

I always love these "bear fightin'" stories. JW

[35remington]

A gunfight with a bear means the bear has a gun too, guys. This thread was intended to be about as whimsical a topic as whimsical can get.

Unless the gun designer had bear ergonomics in mind like oversize trigger guards, grips that don't require opposable thumbs and stocks that fit bear anatomy, I'm guessing a bear trying to get in a gunfight (remember the first rule of a gunfight is HAVE A GUN) would actually lower his odds of prevailing over that of, say, just running you down and mauling you to death.

When they start marketing "Grizzly Bear Tactical Gear for the Plus Sized Warrior" then you better start to worry. If the bear tries to stick with shooting at me with human shaped guns and forgets about his fangs and claws I'm pretty sure I'll come out on top.

I hear they have bad eyesight so if said gunfight erupts I think I'll go with an M14 for the combination of power and capacity and keep my distance as the fight develops so I just stay an indistinct blur. Bears can't hit what bears can't see especially if bears can't fit their paws in those dinky little trigger guards.

[waarp8nt]

Per Melvin's authority and obvious lack of real world shooting skills, any recommendations on shots fired per bears killed?

[DCM]

12 or 20 GA multipurpose firearm.
Birds, deer, bear, small game, 2 legged vermin, 4 legged vermin ...

[sthwestvictoria]

Coming from Australia I believe the problem is with your crazed founding fathers who inserted the 2nd Amendment about the right to arm bears.

[BruceB]

I hear they have bad eyesight so if said gunfight erupts I think I'll go with an M14 for the combination of power and capacity and keep my distance as the fight develops so I just stay an indistinct blur.

Interesting, and co-incidental, that the choice should fall on the M14.

In the early '90s I managed a trophy caribou camp for two seasons, while on strike at my regular gold-mining job.

We had a continual problem with Barren-Ground grizzlies coming into camp after the caribou meat, and the defense fell to ME since everyone else was very busy indeed. This boiled-down to all-night guard duty, waiting for the bears to come in. No trouble staying awake!!!

I had a pair of TRW-built M14 rifles, so I set one up with a light and modified front sight for night shooting, and the other was left as-is for daylight work. On the "night rifle", the light was adjusted so that bullets struck in the middle of the beam at fifty yards. It worked very well with 180-grain Nosler Partition handloads, and the loads were extremely effective on the bears at that close range.

I surely do regret having to leave those M14s in Canada when I moved to the USA.

On the thread subject, I've had enough experience with RIFLES on bears of almost all types, to say that my bear gun will be a RIFLE. I have zero experience with a shotgun on big animals, and I'll just stick with things that I KNOW will work..... but that's just me.

[jonp]

Coming from Australia I believe the problem is with your crazed founding fathers who inserted the 2nd Amendment about the right to arm bears.

I always thought that was a little odd myself but then again back then most of North America was wilderness.

[wch]

There's no doubt in my mind that the 12 gauge pump action shotgun is the answer to the question.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup a 12 guage slug gun. It can shoot slugs buckshot, birdshot, rock salt, nuts and bolts ect

I know a lot of folks that carry a 12 gauge for bear protection, but exactly zero that uses buckshot. I do know of some that staggers between buck and slugs.
As far as most people hiking in Alaska not being armed, maybe guided tourists, whose guide is armed.
The reason folks carry a handgun (44 minimum) Is because people have a tendancy to not ALWAYS have a shotgun or rifle in their hands especially around camp. I do not do much hiking myself, but do tool around on atvs and am always armed, and most folks that I see are also.
All that said most folks could get by with a water gun 99.99% percent of the time, it is that instant that a watergun won't do that we read about several times a year.

[Beerd]

sometimes even when the print isn't so fine we fail to read it all.
..

[montana_charlie]

Coming from Australia I believe the problem is with your crazed founding fathers who inserted the 2nd Amendment about the right to arm bears.

I might be able to live with that but I can't bring myself to keep any.

CM

[Blacksmith]

Coming from Australia I believe the problem is with your crazed founding fathers who inserted the 2nd Amendment about the right to arm bears.

Actually you got that a little backwards it says "... the right to bare arms..." means we don't need sleeves.

[EDK]

I'll admit to offering hypothetical advice based on what others have brought up.

A handgun is a poor third to rifle or shotgun, BUT it is with you when the others are just out of reach.

Alaska conservation people allegedly take a dim view of killing a bear at anything beyond contact distance. 50 yards with a rifle means you've got a lot of explaining to do.

Lots of power, but not a lot of ammo in the tube of your shotgun. Kind of heavy and bulky to be with you at all times.

I like double action revolvers, in calibers that start with "4," and with a 4 or 5 inch barrel so it will be on my person at all times. Come to think of it, it isn't a bad idea after I finally get a CCW permit.

[osteodoc08]

Semi Auto- 10mm of your choosing

Revolver- 44Mag of your choosing, preferably DA. 45 Colt as an honorable mention but only at Ruger Only Loadings

Shotgun- 12 gauge of your choosing

Rifle- 338 Win Mag + of your choosing

Lever- 45/70 + of your choosing

[MBTcustom]

I have spent the better part of my life searching for the most effective and versatile firearms in the world. I build and customize hundreds of firearms for gentlemen who are searching for the same thing. As such I feel I have the benefit of much more than my own personal opinion.
All my experience points to just one rifle as being the most versatile, and carrying the most power of persuasion for any creature in the world that could cause harm to life or limb. That rifle is the M1A Scout and I own one. It is a tool designed for a purpose, and it fulfills that purpose almost too well.

For handguns, a 44 magnum with a 5" barrel or longer fits the bill perfectly. At this time, I am working to pay off a SS Ruger Redhawk, and I must say it fits the bill with the same style and rugged dependability that the M1A does.

Both firearms are backed by an impressive factory warranty. Both are nearly indestructible. Both are more accurate and powerful than is likely needed.
For me, these two are all I need, and if you are looking for recommendations, I heartily stamp my approval on these two firearms as being nearly the best in the world when the going gets rough.
Just my opinion.

[leebuilder]

12ga all the way, ammo is easily obtained and in a pinch bird shot can converted to an effective slug.
Any where in the world everyone understands cha, clang, smack. ( sound of a pumpaction being cycled manually)

[JSnover]

...not all folks starting out in our hobby have the luxury of guns for specific niches.

After decades of reading gun articles and internet inquires it seems that many new shooters have two primary concerns about their choice for a firearm. Gun fighting and bear defense.

With that in mind I would like the input from the membership on the best firearm to use in gun fight with a bear.

I'm with the 12ga folks, if I could only have one gun. It may not be the best for defense (against humans, I assume) or the best for bears but it does well enough for both and within 100 yards it will take care of anything else that needs to be shot.