Could you imagine being hit with a 400 grain bullet pushing 900 fps This old timer knows how to shoot. I've shot my Cousins 30-30 revolver, it wasn't that ungodly to shoot.

Sure. Why not.

Maybe not so much this one. On second thought, okay. Fine.

You win....... That could detach your retina. I have a SW 642 air weight, shooting .38 +P is a bitch after the first 25 rounds. I finally started to use a golf glove which made me want to practice more often. I cringe when I hear People say that 642 is good for a Woman to own because it only weighs 16 oz's, even gun store jockey's. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Cool gun but does not cause much trauma unless it hits bone. If it hits bone it will shatter the bone and then some but if it does not hit bone it's merely a large caliber hole puncher. You need velocity to cause a traumatic wound channel. High velocity makes hamburger, big bullet going slow punches holes.

400+ grain bullet going 900 fps is crazy fast Rich, from a revolver. Heck,an average .45acp .230 grain bullet is around 900 fps. Would you be willing to get gut shot to prove your point? Still would like a 12 ga slug for a Griz, I believe those slugs are from .75 to .69 caliber. Try to avoid their skulls,I've heard of bullets ricocheting off their thick skulls.

Was reading AK Fish and Wildife's mag a long time ago and they took up the question of what hand-held weapon would provide guaranteed survival from a Grizzly charge. They limited to self defense, close range (you were really in danger and not just scared), and when you hit it most anywhere it stopped.

Their conclusion is that such a weapon did not exist. The kicker was the guarantee of stoppage. Maybe we know more now but it was food for thought especially for my friends who worked streams up there.

Had a weightlifting pard from decades ago that had a custom 45-70 wheel gun. When I inquired as to its purpose, he declared, "Home defense." We both laughed and he said that he'd likely not have to shoot a bad guy but just point the business end's big black hole at them to quell any bad intent.

Field carry for bears is another deal entirely. As with most priorities in such matters, the skill/temperament of the one getting charged by a bear with bad intent holds a high place. As does bullet selection rather than pistol case volume.

Read a thread on another forum about big bears and sidearms in AK. Like hereabouts, the opinions were all over the place by those that had never been of personal interest to a big bear. Then an elderly AK guide posted pics and a story that knocked the posers out of contention. He had fishing/hunting clients safely interacting with ursus for decades, until one day he's closely following a husband/wife down a trail through riverside dog hair when he hears a freight train crashing through the adjacent brush. His clients were schooled to drop to avoid the line of fire and the old boy pulled a Glock 17 from his holster and got a few hasty rounds off as it veered its charge just inches in front of the couple. The group backed out to the sounds of some brief thrashing and chilling sounds just a few feet away in the brush. Local game officer arrived and they returned to the scene. The autopsy showed that the man's aim was true and all of the 147 gr. Buffalo Bore Hard Cast bullets dug deep and struck vital plumbing....

Gun control is truly being able to hit where you intend to. I have read of folks successfully protecting themselves with a .22LR. Lack of a functioning brain stopped the bear. Unlike politicians. I agree that in situations with any dangerous wildlife the human needs really have his wits about him, or her.

I may be one of the few people on this board that has had an actual confrontation with an aggressive bear (a big boar Blackie that just wouldn't listen). I had no weapon or spray on me. What I did have was speed and smarts. Lots and lots of speed and smarts. The person that said you should never run from a bear, has never seen me run full speed off of a tall cliff to make my escape. I was a bit worse for wear from the fall and sudden stop, but at least my face remains beautiful to this very day.

Twas' in my younger days. Now I just carry, shoot first and ask questions later. I'm getting too old for any monkey business.

Or, maybe not.

Moose are by far more dangerous than bears,and have killed WAY more People. I was fishing the Situk River in Yak,my bud was up stream about 100 yards. He started pointing at me and I thought it was just another curious Griz, I turned around and there is a giant Moose around 7' tall. I was lucky he was just heading to the river to get a drink. This damn thing dwarfed me.

Too many encounters to list in the same area with bears. I worked for AA at the time, my fishing buddy and I would fly up their on our days off. My friend knew a guy who owned a lodge there. We just had to bring him a few fifths of Whiskey for a place to stay a crappy van with about half of the floor left. And a 13" .44 mag. We pulled Silvers out of that river in the 22 -24 pound range. The largest strain of Silvers in the World if I'm not mistaking. We always checked the flights to make sure we were in first class, costing us around 25 dollars.

I said bear, not beard.

Moose vid for SD

That was crazy....moving that fast in deep snow. A lot more People have been killed by Moose than Bear, not even close.

Had a face-to-face with Mr. Horribilis on one of the "up north" rivers some years back. His charge stopped about 20 feet short, likely due to the intimidating Sage 8 wt. he detected up close with his beady eyes. He told me what he had to say, I thanked the grandfather in the fur coat for his message and we both lived to tell about it.

That brief exchange put into stark contrast life's events that strike fear in the hearts & minds of most folks. If it can't kill me and leave chunks of my remains in its stool, it doesn't carry much sway in the grand scheme. Have subsequently slayed some Goliaths as a result. I remain thankful to both the messenger and the message....

Nick the backyard deer hunter cracks me up.

I crack myself up too. I just re-read how poorly I said my even more poorly formed thoughts and it wasn't the bestest of executions. F' it. Personal awareness is overrated.

Nick, never deviate on the dark side, and hold no prisoners.

I heard Rich G got into a hard fought wrestling match with Bigfoot. He just couldn't get to his gun quick enough and before you know it it he was on his back with that big furry creature pounding the crap out of him. Fortunately he was saved by men from outer space. Thank God for UFOs and the brave creatures that pilot them.

+1 to Stam. He's my bear killing hero. BEST BEAR STORY EVER!!!!!!!!

+1 to Driftin' - pretty sure I fished that spot. I think I even stepped over a pile of your poop. It's now a monument up there.

-1 to NickD - as we know that was an attempted rape by a ManBearPig. No one really knows who was luckier that day.

-1 to Reef. He's so god damn big and mean looking that I'm sure the poor bear needs therapy now.

Me - I came nose-to-nose to a blackie up on the same river as Driftin'. Was as the campground in a dense trail. We both came around our bends and ended up face to fvcking face. I sh!t myself and ran the fvck as fast I could the other way. The bear also sh!t itself and also ran the fvck as fast as it could the other way.

I consider that a tie.