. I havent tried it, but maybe a cut down .454 case to .45 Colt length would help with that. Dogs' and bobcats' toes are shaped like an oval. Its certainly not the lightest sidearm weighing in at just over 3 pounds, fully loaded in its holster but when Im forced to enter bear country, I have absolutely no worries. black bears Until just a few few years ago, the largest bear ever killed was by a young girl in Alaska. I have been carrying my 1911 or my Taurus PT-92 for years and know what each round can do as a former US Army medic. Now I know, what to expect and what to carry. Been involved in 2 grizz encounters. She hid, and downed it with one behind the ear at very close range, and followed up with five more (all the bullets she had) to make sure. while you are on the road system you are in cell phone communications 90% of the time. Having to cock it every time I shoot. At the range, 3 or 4 factory rounds and Ive had enough. Almost no one practices with bear spray and almost no one can get their can to bear (pun intended) and spray within 4-5 seconds. What would be the minimum barrel length for any bear spanker? I got a buddy who is a duputy with Harris County (Tx) Sherrifs office. Bear is a bear, you underestimate them at your own peril. With a double-action police type service revolver I can unload all six spent shell casings into the palm of my hand and thus On average, a mountain lion killed one deer a week. Which one are you going to use first? +P Semi-Wadcutter HP Ammo [38G] - $20.95 Or if you are really recoil sensitive these would work pretty well, non-plus p and low velocity. The Mountain Lion will return to feed on the prey for up to 10 days. Even had to qualify with it if you carried it as part of your job duties. Underwood now has a 230grain all copper extreme hunter load at 1700fps. coastal brown bear looks like at a distance of 50-75 feet! 9 shot can shred the head of a rattlesnake up close. closer than 35 feet heading in your direction should be engaged? Any bear is a big, tough critter and to stop them you will need to penetrate and break stuff like big bones or skulls. Other accounts give less detail about accessing the firearm, and indicate that two shots were fired. Definitely not in the same category as a Mounain lion. As an Army veteran, I had no problem with my shot placement just my faith in loads. Great point with the Redhawk recommendation! But in advanced Industrialized Countries your a dying bread of cat. Listed were all the big names but one very powerful handgun was not mentioned. Mountain lions have been terrorizing livestock in Lake County over the past weeks, and this was not the first instance to be reported to authorities. What I really love I the light weight of the Blackhawk, its great in a shoulder rig. Now that is change of Biblical proportions. One must realize that with the adrendeline flowing, a moving target and possibly poor light conditions it is not easy to hit well with a hand gun no matter how good you are at the range! What part of the state? The Complicated Truth About Mountain Lion Encroachment. He didnt know what kind of weapon was used. Full power 10mm anyone? I often have to carry elk quarters out in the Bitteroot mountans, which is heavy populated with wolves, grizzly, black bear, and moose, all of which I have had numerous too close for comfort encounters where Ive had to draw down. The first dozen rounds I shot were without gloves and I got a severe cut on my support hand thumb! Ill take the capacity of an auto loader in 45 Super, 10mm or Rowland any day. 44 mag power in a high cap auto loader. Between airlines, public transportation, hotels, ferryboats, etc. Once at night on a fishing trip in the beartooths we had a grizzly fooling around out side the tent, Out I went with my trusty .475 in one hand and a flashlight in the other. My resulting theory is that if you see the bear/cougar, draw your gun and do your best to avoid the encounter. I would wantShortFast out of the holster.and powerful. Im not against revolvers. A grizzly bear is a formidable foe, having no issue whatsoever proving its dominance over human beings. Theyll put down vermin, but small may not put down dangerous game. One would shoot the bear with a 22 rimfire: often a single shot, while his partner would harpoon the bruin to prevent it sinking. I carried a 454 casull in Alaska heavy l now carry a glock 20 10mm 15 rounds even if I dont stop the bear shooting all the way to the end just makes me fell better. Bear spray is actually bear fogger and comes out in a finely atomized mist with absolutely no chance of moving against even the faintest of breezes. concealed carry and for the outdoors: hiking, fishing, camping, bird watching, gathering Anyway, Ive had my share of sleepless nights in a tent in Alaska and try to heed to basics keep food well away from camp, cook away from camp, dont camp on trails, avoid cubs like the plague, if approached give ground, etc. We were given dominance over the animals, and we all got here at the same time. Phil, I cant locate that corner; theres a ******bear down there! Now, as surveyors, we carry machetes to cut the brush in between our survey stations, and we are rather proficient with them. Handloads push a 300-grain to just over 1,000 fps, so it just cracks the code. Lmaoand excellent thought below about the 454 brass trimmed down. Thousands of empty Ancient Churches that have been converted into libraries and or apartment buildings are testament to that. Couple Im friends with have a vacation home in NW Montana(we all live in So. I have had to kill a couple Grizzlies, and have had numerous Mexican stand offs, over moose or caribou kills. tell me want have you really killed lately. Equipped with piano wire springs, the wisely designed transfer bar and adjustable sights, I am very confident with this pistol in hand. Being aware that sounds and smell plays a role in a bears survival by detecting prey, keep food or harvested deer meat or other game tightly contained as it would be analogous to swimming in blood filled water with man-eating sharks. Too many horses, the federal government says, are crowding the scraps of . Long story short, Phil was forced to put the grizzly down. In that vein, and considering the real vs. imaginary threat posed by bears, a familiar 9mm loaded with non-expanding bullets is a lot better than a heavy .44 or .500 you left at home or are not completely proficient with. From one Phil to another, sage advice. Put three or four gun writers in the same room, and youll usually get four different answers, but I think youre seeing a common thread here. Ruger alaskan, or Taurus Raging Bull in 5 or 6.5 ported, .480 ruger with 400g hardcast pushing 1100fps or more. Hell no! The bullet entered at the last rib on the right side and ripped through diagonally and lodged in the base of the neck on the left side. For what its worth, my 357 handloads meet the 700 ft-lbs mark too, with a 185gr hardcast doing 1350, though Im not as fast on target with it. Self-Defense, A powerful handgun with a tough, deep penetrating bullet is the key. How many miles can a mountain lion travel? There is a term for that. A study done by US Fish and Wildlife produced the following results. My gun will push the strong 300-grain hollowpoints to just under 1,200 fps, and thats a formula that can end a confrontation. In Africa the wholesale slaughter of wild game was done to make room for agriculture and the safety of the farmers many of whom blasted off their feet the entire big game population for miles around. Jim Farmer Its got the velocity, but wonder if it would have the penetration? They are considered important in maintaining ecosystems and controlling other animal populations such as deer, its preferred prey. The Blackhawk is tough as nails, and while it may not have the prestige of a Colt Single Action Army, it is utterly dependable. If I had not shot the hog with a .44 Magnum I think it would have ended very badly. A Utah friend of mine called to ask about using a .38 Special with a 4" barrel as a trail gun and a defensive gun in the mountains of his home state. COPYRIGHT 2021, THETRUTHABOUTGUNS.COM. DRT. Penetration tests have shown that load to penetrate almost exactly the same distance as a standard hardcast 44 Magnum load. OMG! Loaded with a hard cast 250 gr bullet at about 1050. It is likely this mountain lion killed the lambs as they are readily available. The 357-magnum case is just a bigger capacity shell able to provide much better performance. There is no doubt that bigger and more powerful handguns are preferable for hunting but self protection at close range differs greatly from hunting as it requires quick, often multiple hits, from close range while under extreme stress. Its not the bear in the fight, its the fight in the bear. Sounds like you have everything covered. They only penetrated a 1/4 of an inch, while the .357 round went through the skull and ended up about nine inches deep in the neck. Shot 3 whitetail doe in the noodle with that rifle, and it wasn,t graphic. The bfr is very easy shooting postal and extremely accurate. Im paraphrasing a bit here, but I once read an article by Bill Jordan about a new Weatherby rifle he was about to take on safari to Africa. Its very light and handy to carry. This attack from 2008 shows the utility of a handgun for defense against predators in the wild. I would recomend holding off until the bear is so close that he would be hard to miss and then not shooting any higher than nostril level. Im a pistol guy now, and except for my Ruger Super Red Hawk, I seldom shoot revolvers. I want POWER ! The shop will have something to shoot almost every time regardless of where you are. It was the first handgun I ever purchased.. lever action 44 mag) . By Anders Anglesey On 11/3/21 at 11:39 AM EDT. Its lack of weight had me cringing at first, expecting some wrist-wrenching recoil, but I was pleasantly surprised with the manageability of the K6s. Just as with dangerous game rifles, using a cartridge that is too big to allow for proper shot placement isnt a wise idea; shot placement is everything. the vast majority of industry gun writers are basically shilling new gear and tend to exist in a repetitive echo chamber with little or no practical experience. He shot it twice point blank with his 9mm and the hog just shook its head and continued to walk around. The young boy said he could not feel the teeth because they were dull, but Paul did feel the scratches from the big paw. I would rather have a .44 mag with a 6 barrel or the 454 Casull but it was a practical upgrade and is light enough with 5 rounds to carry on long hikes. You can keep the Roland! While hunting is one of my favorite pastimes, fishing and hiking are a wonderful means of spending time with friends and family and living in close proximity to both the Catskill and Adirondack mountains, there is ample opportunity for both of those activities. I dont recall if it ran on Discovery, National Geographic or The History Channel. They did better than most 9mm and only slightly less than a 357. State officials have issued a permit allowing a rancher to kill P-45, a mountain lion believed to be responsible for the recent killings of livestock near Malibu, Calif. (National Park Service via AP) They have been conditioned to hear a gun and equate it to a free meal. Roughly the same size as my 8 S & W 44 mag, but a lot more fire power. Lighter, cheaper, and much better statistics than any conceivable 38spl load. The one time I did push these cases was to experiment with that claim, and after 5 heavy loadings, the primer pockets were very loose, but no sign of any case separation. I would want a 45 cal or at least a 9mm double action semi-auto with a chambered cartridge every time. Disease is a greater concern when lions are genetically isolated as in the Santa Ana Mountains, and could potentially contribute to future decline in that population. After I put it down with my .357 magnum, we found both 9mm rounds stuck in the skull. Sure, semi-automatics have their place. Seriously funny ! You should also use common sense when traversing through these areas by avoiding mannerisms that could be interpreted by a bear that youre easy prey. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 hes ON TOP OF YOU CHOMPING ON YOUR SPINE and THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD ! National Park Service, via AP, FILE. In my tests with 300 gr. I was hunting in Alaska well before most of your parents even drew a breath. Big hand guns buck like a mule, and even though adrenaline is flowing, that big gun will jump and you will have to push hard for that second shot, The .460 Roland doesnt rise as much as the .45 Colt. I do not shoot rabid animals in the head for fear of spreading the rabies virus from the brain, I do not know if this is true or not but thats what Ive been told. For more information about Hornady ammunition, click here. Size. He saw a seasoned Ranger carry the same rigging and said that was good enough for Him. There are no stopping calibers; only stopping shots. I carefully googled this story using the locationImpossible to find any story that confirms that what you said id true. Some dogs work together well enough to make a cat figure it's best to run but rarely will a pack of dogs be able to kill a cougar. I have a buddy who guided a hunter with a .50 AE to a brown in the late eighties when it came out and it was a disaster. So, perhaps .45 colt is NOT the best choice for a bear. Loaded with good ammunition, either of these Smith & Wesson .44 Magnums will make excellent bear medicine. Little meat damage and with a WC or Semi WC will certainly do the job. a lot of hunting forums ive read recommend at least .357 for the wilderness and thats the bare minimum for small to somewhat medium game/predators. If you carry anything less than a S&W 500 Magnum 4 inch for self protection in this state while in the outdoors you are playing with fire. A mountain lion was killed in the Santa Monica Mountains, becoming the first killed under the state's depredation law, a National . 1. Considering all the crap I have received from all the internet commandos and bear experts for foolishly using only a 9mm I am glad I was not carrying my Tokarev! Native to the Americas, the puma, also called the mountain lion, cougar, catamount or panther, often shares its habitat with several other top predators, such as wolves, bears, coyotes and jaguars. By Mary Forgione. 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