357 Mag As A Bear Stopper?

[sleslie]

A good friend of mine just bought a 357 Magnum Winchester lever action rifle and plans on carrying it on his saddle just in case he gets in any trouble with bears or cats when he is riding his horse out west. It seems to me like maybe not the best choice in calibre if he has to defend his life against a charging grizzly. I was thinking maybe something with a substantial amount more stopping power like a 450 Marlin, or even a shotgun with slugs, but he seems confident that little 357 will do the job. What do you guys think? Of course this is gonna be an absolute last resort as we don't plan on going out playing with any bears.

[RUM]

It's been done, but no doubt there are better calibers for that type of business.

[Scott N]

Just my opinion, but I think the 357 would be a poor choice if your friend plans on using it as a "stopper" for bears. No doubt it is capable of killing a bear, but stopping a charging grizzly with authority is a different story.

[Win94]

.45-70 loaded with 405 grain hard casts at 1900fps. Thats the ticket for a saddle bear gun.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Win94/DSCF2566.jpg

[duffy4]

A .357 mag. in a short barrel da revolver would be handy for sticking in a bears ear and stopping it. But if I was going to bother with the length and weight of a rifle I would choose a cartridge with a little more power. Maybe a shotgun and slugs.

Robin in Rocky

[Win94]

The only thing i don't like about a shotty is when you slide it in a scabbard the action always opens cause the forestock gets pumped. A lever is definitley the way to go.

[SakoAlberta]

An old bear country joke:


"If you want to try stopping a G Bear with a .357 Mag, make sure you save the last cartridge for yourself." ;)

[sleslie]

Thats pretty funny Sako, i'll tell him that joke next time i see him. Thanks

[SakoAlberta]

Yes, an old one but pretty funny. Hopefully, its never an issue-then it would cease to be funny.

To be more serious, I remember reading an article in OL where a guy had an overgrown black bear turn on his dogs when they had him at bay. The client was way behind and, therefore, wasn't there to shoot. The guide just had a .22 lr six shooter. He ran in and shot the bear in the head, killing it. If a .22 can do that, I'm sure the .357 might kill a bear too. I just wouldn't want to depend on it in a tricky situation. (We must also remember the former world record grizz was shot with a .22 lr)

[Unregistered user]

180gr solids sure would hurt and having 10 in the mag wouldn't suck.

[roger]

jmho,
ive never been close to a situation that requires the use of these tactics, and hopefully never will but i would still lean towards the 18" rem870 with a pistol grip.
i just bought a 300wsm in a ruger frontier, 16" bbl with a 2.75 loopy, it barks and rocks your world, plus it can still hump lead out to 200 if need be
your 357 is still better than nothing at all.
that or pepper spray

[Big Buff]

Hey Guys

Interesting topic!! Now I have never had any experience with a Griz or any other bear for that matter (except my Mother-In –Law) but I think the question of stopping power and how to get an animal to stop (dead) before it reach you is a valid one.

I think there are two issues here, the first is the placement of your shot, and then the second is the caliber issue and how much energy you can transfer to the charging animal. The time when I still working as a feedlot manager I had to put down many cows for many reasons and for this I always used my Musgrave .22 LR. The one day , as I stepped into the pen to put down a 500 kg. Brahman Cow, she had cancer in her eyes, she charged me immediately. Luckily I was calm and the .22 shot straight and she dropped 5yards from me when the little bullet entered her brain. If I missed the brain, even with a .458, I would have been in trouble.

I would not be comfortable in a bush situation with a .22lr, there you will not have time and would almost certainly not be calm, so the chances that you will miss your target(brain) is good, so for that I would choose the biggest option available. I say this because the chance of missing your target (brain or heart) is good and with a bigger caliber you can do some other damage, like stun the animal or break a major bone that will hopefully either stop the animal or get it to change its mind.

Here is a video of a guy who brained a lion in full charge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_yTNo36YOs

And here is a video of what happens if you cant shoot straight (What the guy are saying at the end is “Bring more ammo, bring me more ammo!!!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohvxdbtHALA

[catnthehat]

An old bear country joke:


"If you want to try stopping a G Bear with a .357 Mag, make sure you save the last cartridge for yourself." ;)
And knock the sights off it, keeping it well greased - that way it doesn't hurt so much when you pull it out of where the bear put it!!:lol:
I've killed blacks with everything from .22's to 12 guage, and I MUCH prefer the big stuff if I have it....

Cat

[packhuntr]

At least he isnt of the brain wave that a 357 in a handgun is the answer. You aint gonna stop SH*T in a high speed high stress situation with one of those, at least i couldnt. A rifle is a whole different ball game.

keep a strain on er.

[Grizzly Adams]

I'm one of those guys that subscribes to the "save the last round for yourself" theories, but I was thumbing through some old National Geographic issues a fewweeks ago and came across a story about some Norwegian ? expedition that was walking to the North Pole. it showed photographs of having to kill an agressive polar bear with a .357. Looked like about a 4" barrell and took two shots.
Grizz

[christensen]

An old bear country joke:


"If you want to try stopping a G Bear with a .357 Mag, make sure you save the last cartridge for yourself." ;):lol: :lol: I am going to have to remember that one.

[SakoAlberta]

:lol: :lol: I am going to have to remember that one.


Glad you guys found it funny. Its an old one that was around when I used to spend a lot of time in G Bear country. The other was when a 'rookie' would ask how to tell a G Bear from a B bear, we would tell him that if you climb a tree to get away and the bear follows you up to get you, its a black, if it pushes/shakes the tree to get you, its a grizz. Used to make them a little nervous. ;)

[duffy4]

I read an interesting piece in a gun mag. once about bear "DEFENCE" (not a hunting situation) handguns. The fellow reasoned that a last chance defence gun would have to be with you at all times and easy to get to (not in a scabard on your horse or leaning up against a tree 50 yards away) Would only need enough power to punch a hole or more in a bears skull and would have to useable with one hand (left or right) at spitting distance or less.

A double action revolver in .357 mag. about fits the bill. There was pics circulating awhile back of a Conservation officer on the top of a bear culvert trap in the back of a truck. The Griz came out and turned on the truck, trap and man. the whole works ended up on the ground and the CO emptied his service revolver into the griz and killed it. If he would have been depending on a rifle and not a revolver he would not of had the rifle up there with him or kept posession of it in the fall.

Have a good one and stay clear of them bears.

Robin

[LongDraw]

X2 on the 45-70

[nekred]

The only thing i don't like about a shotty is when you slide it in a scabbard the action always opens cause the forestock gets pumped. A lever is definitley the way to go.

Cure for this... leave it cocked on an empty chamber.... locks the slide...

When bear comes dry fire once and pump.... also keeps it safer.

One fellow I worked with got a bit of a scare as he was walking and lide worked down then up again and then he fell and gun went off almost taking his buns off!....

357 in my mind is absolute minimum in my for a handgun, rifle has a bit more oomph.... Howver there would be no arguments abut self defence!...

[nekred]

Glad you guys found it funny. Its an old one that was around when I used to spend a lot of time in G Bear country. The other was when a 'rookie' would ask how to tell a G Bear from a B bear, we would tell him that if you climb a tree to get away and the bear follows you up to get you, its a black, if it pushes/shakes the tree to get you, its a grizz. Used to make them a little nervous.

B bear poop has squirrel fur and berries
G bear poop has bells and smells like pepper

B bears climb the tree
G bear pushes it down

Once I got caught up a big Poplar tree with a G bear below... he pushed and shook the tree for about a 1/2 hour..... then he left and got another bear....... they both shook and pushed the tree....

the forst bear went away agan and come back...


....


...

wait fr it...



,...




with a beaver!...

Used to tell that one to american clients and get them really going ith a few true b'ar stories and then tell that one.



One murkin fella, after I told the story, looked at me with eyeballs the size of doorknobs and said.................WOW! them bears is smarter than I ever thought....