How Big a gun do you need to take down a angry Grizzly?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I know the guys recommending a 30-30 or a .357 as the optimal caliber to stop an angry grizzly bear aren't hunting guides and aren't going to get someone killed, so it's not important.

Yes, there are certainly people here who know what they're talking about, I learn a lot from them. But none of them are talking about .357s against angry grizzlies.
 
Understood, myself am not an expert, but I know perhaps more then others. Still standing by my well placed shot idea, It's very simple if you are a half decent shot. Stay calm, breath, aim, shoot.
 
my 44 mag would do it. i think mabye a 22 real close could go through its skull and bounce around in there mabye. but my kids think i can kill one with a buck knife.
 
smasheroffaces said:
my 44 mag would do it. i think mabye a 22 real close could go through its skull and bounce around in there mabye. but my kids think i can kill one with a buck knife.
Click to expand...

you cant get a .22 through that skull..

but yeah, a .44 would do it.

A 454 would do it,

A .50 would do it.

staying away from claw marks and bear cubs would also do it..
 
I think a .300 mag would do it. But I'd go a little bigger.
 
younggunz said:
you cant get a .22 through that skull..

but yeah, a .44 would do it.

A 454 would do it,

A .50 would do it.

staying away from claw marks and bear cubs would also do it..
Click to expand...

.22 Magnum or .22 Hornet. Look them up, they are very nice guns.
 
younggunz, .22 Mag or a .22 Hornet, both great guns, look them up.
 
Coldindian said:
.22 Magnum or .22 Hornet. Look them up, they are very nice guns.
Click to expand...

I've shot them all man..

22 wmr, 17 hmr, 22 hornet..

they do not have the mass to stop a bear at close range...period..\\


22 wmr is a bitch version of the 556

and the 556 is a bullshit round...
 
All opinion. If you know where to hit the bear and you stay calm you will sirvive.
 
It's not really how big of a gun you need, ALOT of different calibers would do it with proper shot placement (Which is absolutely key on everything from killing bears to killing humans).

The question is what round would you want to use to kill a bear?

I'd go with a 7mm Mag myself. Why? Because I am a very solid shot with mine, and it's large enough caliber to kill any animal in North America.

If you are off hiking and all you have is your pistol (you should be carrying it everywhere), then that is the gun you will put in the fight against any angry Grizzly. If there is no way to avoid it (ie: you can't get away from it without firing your weapon), then you should shoot the mofo in the heart and brains and reload and shoot it more. Move and get off the x and away from the threat. This is why you should carry extra mags with you and also a reason why you should seek professional training from a solid instructor.

Like Younggunz said though, what about just trying to avoid going in area's where grizzly's are likely to be? The whole avoiding stupid places thing. Anytime you are off in the woods and see a large bear cubs or a bear claw, it's probably time to get the fuck out of the area (unless you are hunting bear). In my opinion.
 
Coldindian said:
Understood, myself am not an expert, but I know perhaps more then others. Still standing by my well placed shot idea, It's very simple if you are a half decent shot. Stay calm, breath, aim, shoot.
Click to expand...

Of course shot placement is key, no matter what the cartridge. A lot of different calibers/bullet combinations will suffice, but if I had my choice of any of them (assuming a single-shot knockdown is the goal, and disregarding recoil/controllability for the sake of argument) it'd be something like a .460 Weatherby with 500 gr. softpoints. If I could carry a .50 BMG, all the better.

This is not to say I wouldn't carry a .454 Casull or other high-powered handgun with the right loads if I was competent with it. But starting from a clean slate, I'd go with a heavy rifle caliber myself.
 
No less that a 44mag for a handgun. The Smith and Wesson 500 magnum was made to kill large and dangerous animals. I saw a comercial where it was advertised as Grizzly bear defence. This handgun has also been used to kill Elephants. The recoil isnt that bad even on the short barreled version.

For a rifle no less than a 30.06.
 
Im wondering how close that grizzley would get to me if I started hitten him at 15 yards with my 9mm? Ive got 15 bullets in the clip and if I hit him good I would be suprised if he had much fight left in him once he got to me all filled up with 15 rds. Of course, Id then proceed to fedor his ass if I couldnt get the second clip in.

Id be going with straight up fmj 115 grain. If that sucker managed to sneak up on me id definetely want the 45 auto.

My dad nailed his first black or brown bear last year, he hit it with a 30-30 from a tree stand up in NE washington. That sucker did take off though, and I think it made it 40-50 yards fer he dropped dead. He got him through the right shoulder missed the heart but went through the lung and out the front. So shot placement would be vital.
 
jerrylundergard said:
Im wondering how close that grizzley would get to me if I started hitten him at 15 yards with my 9mm? Ive got 15 bullets in the clip and if I hit him good I would be suprised if he had much fight left in him once he got to me all filled up with 15 rds. Of course, Id then proceed to fedor his ass if I couldnt get the second clip in.

Id be going with straight up fmj 115 grain. If that sucker managed to sneak up on me id definetely want the 45 auto...
Click to expand...

OK, I'm done in here.
 
It's not about caliber at all. It's about shot placement. You could have the biggest gun in the world but if you don't hit the vitals its not going down.

When I was in Alaska hunting grizzly,my guide carried a Mossberg 590 Mariner (cause of the moisture) 12 gauge with 3" Slugs for up close.

I took a pretty pissed off bear with my custom 30-06 with 250 grain shells pushing 2300 feet per second. My back up was Buffalo Bore loads in a 44 Magnum.

Bear went down with one shot from the 30-06.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,058
Messages
55,464,143
Members
174,785
Latest member
JoyceOuthw

Share this page

Back
Top