good bear gun? both handgun and rifle?

entirely depends on if you are hunting to kill or just defending against attack, If you are going to the woods to kill ,60 cal big game long rifel, close quarters 60 cal desert eagle ,, BUT if you are trying to defend against attack MACE in a high pressure dilivery system is the best protection , when i was in alaska a few yrs ago salmon fishing my guide had a device that hooked to his belt , it was a cannister that dilivered a shot ut to 100 ft with very little drop , and he said 1 tag in the eyes ,, and when they rurn 1 tag in the poop hole ,, and u have a bear that will get his G2G on right now ,,,and the bear will tell his friends ,,

Q: Good bear guns (both handgun & rifle for defense from Grizzly bears)?

A: Handgun: Nothing smaller than a .454 Casull.

A: Rifle: Nothing smaller than a .30-06 Springfield with a .338 Winchester actually being a better first choice.

A: Shotgun: At least a 12 gauge pump or auto but I wouldn't load buck shot. I'd load premium slugs in it.

The above if I were in Grizzly country and the threat of a confrontation was likely. Otherwise one could make do with lesser calibers like the .308 for rifle and a .44 Magnum revolver.

In any case for bear I would definitely load slugs in any shotgun rather than ball. The slug will punch a bigger hole more authoritatively each time. My experience with even '0-0' buckshot is that it works slower on thick skinned animals than it does on say gobblers.

H

You really don't want to hunt bear (at least not the really bigs) with a handgun. A handgun is a backup and could be as small as a .357 Mag. or as big as a .50 AE. Many carry the .44 Mag. or even the newer .10mm Glock (hunter). Grizzlys have been killed with a the old .45 Long Colt as a weapon of opportunity (emptied on the maurading bear). Rifle: Black bear have been killed with the old .30-30 Winchester, but the .308 Winchester is a better choice as is the old tried n true .30-06. An even better choice is anything .338 n above. Shotgun: Again, they've (Black bears) have been killed with 16 gauge with slugs, but a much better choice is a 12 gauge or even a big caliber rifle. With bear you want the heaviest bullet your gun will shoot and remember, they'll take multiple body hits. One of the biggest Grizzly took over a hundred hits from rifles n revolvers over a twenty year span and was finally downed with a single .30-40 Krag close range shot between the years as he walked up to the hunter with 'murderous' intent. Best. H

the classic alaskan cartridge for a rifle is the 338 winmag. It is classic 'do anything' especially moose and grizz, that's what I would choose if I was hunting griz

now, if I was just packing a rifle for other purposes, and maybe use it in a grizzly emergency, a 30-06 is plenty good for that, or if you don't want to tote a rifle all day (and most people don't) a 44 magnum handgun with a 6" barrel would be my choice, firing as heavy of a bullet as I could find. Some folks would go up a power level to 454 or something, but no handgun is going to work great vs a grizz.

Now, if you said, "there is a wounded and angry mankiller grizzly over there, you need to go into the brush and finish it off before it tangles with some young kids who are going to be hiking around here in a few days, what caliber rifle do you want" I'd tell you 416 rigby!

As others have said, magnum handguns are for a last resort.

Big bears require big guns despite that fact there are many Tlingit Native Americans here that just use a 30-06 with an 180 gr or 220 gr bullet. The .338 magnum rifle is a standard here in Alaska.

Shotguns with slugs work but sabot slugs will only work in riffled slug barrels as smooth bore shotgun barrels do not impart spin to a sabot slug and it could hit sideways and not penetrate well.

Buck shot is only good point blank on big bears and personally I would not risk my life on it.

As for the person from Juneau who said all those who know bears in Alaska and those who have has encounters with bears use buckshot well they are wrong. Just pick up the phone and call any Alaskan big game guide or our Fish & Game department and ask them about buck shot, they will advise against it. A couple of years ago a woman in Hoonah was attacked by a brownie and her hubby shot it with an 30-06, it ran off never to be found.

Glacierwolf and beedsarefunak are right, these bears are BIG and mean and require big guns. I still have a long scar on my right leg from a Alaskan brown bear that was shot 4 times with a .338 Norma magnum rifle and 5 times with a .44 magnum back in the 70’s.

One of these days, I'm going to Alaska to do some hunting and fishing.

When I go, I will take with me a Marlin M-1895 Guide Gun in .45-70 Gov't and a Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Remmag.

Why?

Because a .45-70 loaded with Garrett 540 grain Hammerheads will stop anything on the face of the earth. And the Guide Gun is short and handy enough I can make a bandoleer holster to sling on my back and allow me to draw it over my shoulder. That way, even when knee deep in a salmon stream, I'll have my bear rifle handy and out of the water.

I pick the .44 RemMag over the .454 Casull or larger cartridge for one simple reason. I know my limits. I can shoot a .44 Blackhawk about as fast as most folks can shoot a DA revolver and I can hit what I'm shooting at. The larger calibers, especially things like the .475 Linebaugh just kick too much for me to shoot without developing a world class flinch. Better to carry a powerful revolver that I know I can shoot well and fast rather than a more powerful revolver that I'd probably have to stick in a bear's mouth to ensure a hit.

Ammo?

For the .45-70, I'd most likely carry a selection of ammo for different uses. I'd have some light loads, maybe even round ball loads for taking grouse or porcupine for the pot, some 405 gr. hardcast Fp bullets at around 1700 fps for deer or caribou, and some Garrett 540 gr. Hammerheads for bear, and reassurance while fishing or sleeping in a tent.

For the handgun, I'd have some .44 SPL 240 gr SWC's for small game and anti-personnel use, and some 240 gr SWC's over a real big dose of Unique for Bear Repellant.

Doc

For rifle, I'd go with a lever action Marlin Guide Gun in .45/70. I'd load hard cast bullets that will penetrate through bone. And I'd opt for fast open sights like a ghost ring.

For a hand gun, you certainly want a heavy, long barreled revolver in .44 Magnum or bigger. The problem is this is a gun that will be tough to control and shoot accurately even when you don't have a bear charging you. Most people would better off with the lever action.

A 12ga shotgun with slugs would also be another option.

I really, really wish people in this hunting forum would only answer questions they have personal experience in.

I am an Alaskan certified hunter safety instructor. I lived for many year on Kodiak Island and ran a trap line there. In Sitka my hunting buddy and I took the largest brown bear fish and game had seen in 10 years.

People carry allot of different rifles for bear protection. However, people who are actively going out to engage bears will carry a 338 Win Mag or something heavier - never lighter.

Pistols are never a good solution for a brown bear. A typical 44mag fired from a Ruger Redhawk with 7.5" barrel will be lucky to penetrate the heavy hair, hide and fat layer - it will almost never get past the muscle tissue - for brown bears it will never get into the bones and vital organs needed to stop healthy brown bear. A small young bear, or small sick bear maybe - but it's a very scary maybe.

Pistols like the 454 Casul, 480 Ruger and 500 S&W that are 5x more powerful than a 44mag are better to carry - however - even with kind of power in your hands, shooting is going to be a last resort. The brown bears skull is heavy enough to deflect all pistol bullets. Even a shot into the heart - the bear has enough oxygen and energy in the muscle tissues to continue doing what ever it wants for up to 2 minutes - running, jumping or attacking. To stop a brown bear - you need to break bones - a pistol is not the proper firearm for this.

Nearly all rifles heavy enough to adaquatly stop a brown bear are a problem to keep handy. They end up being put down, set aside and end up being in the wrong place when you need it most. That is why you will frequently see people using 12ga pump shotguns with sabot slugs for protection. The 12ga offers the right amount of firepower in close and is much lighter, smaller, and easy to carry than a full sized magnum rifle.

Bottom line - a pistol is better than nothing - but - do not put your faith in any pistol while in grizzly country. I have seen brown bears shot correctly with 300 Win Mag up to 5 times and the bear has stood up after each shot - that is why the larger magnum calibers are popular ...... and when you consider a 300 Win mag has issues stoping an average sized brown bear - you can understand why pistol are so inadaquate.

The guys who go after those bears will carry a sawed off shotgun. You can get a riot gun without a stock if you need it short. The pump guns will carry probably 5 or 6 rounds. I put in three double 00 rounds followed by three shotgun slugs - and that's what I carry. Set it up so the slugs come first for distance - and 00 shot for close up.

Fortunately never had to use it - it's said that the bears can come so fast sometimes you can't get the gun to your shoulder before they're on you.

As handguns go, the .44 is probably the one to use for our grizzly friends. Let's hope you'll never find out!

At the moment, I am in Juneau, Alaska teaching a class to a taxidermist who lives and hunts the biggest bears on planet earth in the general area. A mile away is the biggest gun shop in the city. Experienced bear hunters and survivors of bear encounters abound throughout the Juneau/Douglas Island area, and advice is freely offered. It should be well heeded. (The mark of a truly wise man is someone who learns from someone Else's mistakes instead of his own!) The gun shop owner says, "Twelve Gage loaded with 00 Buck all the way....five shots. Four for the bear and the last one for yourself." He does not recommend slugs because if and when you NEED to use the defense, you do not have time to accurately place ONE shot and you may not get a second. 00 Buck is the best reply to a charge. Those who actually go in pursuit of the big bruins use the most massive and effective bullet they are capable of withstanding....hoping to get a clean and clear killing shot on the first try before a good hunt goes bad. More often than not, they shoot until the bear quits moving. But far and away, the "Number One" defense against the bears by proven research is the bear sprays. 97-98% effective. Then all you have to worry about is being one of the 3%. Good luck!

best handgun? S&W 500 (but there are other choices)

Best long gun? a 12 gauge pump shotgun with 18 to 20" barrel loaded with slugs, great for bears out to 100 yards.

Best rifle for big bears? 375 H&H (but again, there are other choices.)

As for ammo choice? in handgun a jacketed soft point. in rifle again, a jacketed soft point (has various names like spitzer etc) and for shotgun, it is a pure 1 oz lead slug.

These are just my opinion based on my experiences.

Hope this helped.