7.62 x 39 Semi-Auto Rifle for Hunting and Bear Defense, is it adequate (cost, recoil)
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A AK-74 WILL KILL a bear on a charge. That's 5.45x39mm.......NOT 7.62x39mm as found in the AKM or AK-47.
Hell a 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester) killed a man 1,367 yards away.
A charging bear inside 300 yards will be a greasy stain on the mattress........
No one ever said you can't kill a Grizzly-sized bear with a 7.62x39. Everyone (including me) is simply telling the OP that it would be wise to choose a more powerful cartridge that would be able to kill one faster. Also, he may have difficulty locating a professional guide willing to take him into the bush with such a weapon, but there are probably lots of places you can hunt without a guide. Just make sure you fill out all the out-of-state paperwork and follow all laws.
That said, free internet forum advice is worth exactly what you pay for it. So by all means, take a 10-round semi-auto 7.62x39 weapon and go on a bear hunt.
Off topic, I find it fascinating that in this thread you insist an intermediate-power cartridge like a 7.62x39 is perfectly adequate for safely hunting the most powerful omnivores on earth, but in a different thread you insist that a 9mm is too weak and only a .45ACP is adequate for defending against two-legged critters. You have a strange fascination with Vietnam-era military-issue cartridges (and YouTube clips).
No one ever said you can't kill a Grizzly-sized bear with a 7.62x39. Everyone (including me) is simply telling the OP that it would be wise to choose a more powerful cartridge that would be able to kill one faster. Also, he may have difficulty locating a professional guide willing to take him into the bush with such a weapon, but there are probably lots of places you can hunt without a guide. Just make sure you fill out all the out-of-state paperwork and follow all laws.
As well as ensure life insurance premiums are paid up and legal documents for surviving loved ones are filed propperly.
Why are you trying to hunt a grizzly? For most people the goal is to eat the meat and obtain/sell the head/hide. That's why one or two shots of a high-power cartridge is recommended... a humane kill from maximum damage to vital organs, but minimal damage to the parts you want to keep. Dumping a 10-rd mag (one shot from a distance, then 9 more rapid-fire as it's charging to rip your head off) into an animal will probably kill it, but also does a lot of damage to both meat and hide.
If your goal is to just kill one to take picture with the carcass then leave it to rot...
You'll see and read how a .22 LR is more than qualified to fulfill self defense duty on humans, yet a 7.62x39mm won't kill a bear. I'll take a 9mm or .45 ACP and a 7.62x39mm any day, thanks.
Hmmm, strange analogy...
There is a big difference between encouraging people to carry the round they feel most comfortable, confident and competent shooting in a self defense situation against another human and self defense against a bear. It's not a valid comparison because the same logic does not apply from humans to bears. If you are not comfortable, confident or competent with an adequate bear cartridge, perhaps you're better off avoiding bear country altogether.
People shoot and stab back......bears don't. You're also talking about a round that in 123 grain FMJ form travels at 2,421 feet per second and hits with 1,607 FT/LBS energy.
"Pew" "Pew" "Pew" .22 LR won't even come close to that.
I'd feel a lot better shooting a man with a .22 than a kodiak with an ak-47. Mind you a .22 isn't my first choice, but I like my odds going against a charging human assailant with a .22 a lot more than a charging bear with a 7.62x39. If you feel otherwise it's of no consequence to me. You, me and generations to follow will be repeating this debate until the end of legalized gun ownership. I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with that.
You'll see and read how a .22 LR is more than qualified to fulfill self defense duty on humans, yet a 7.62x39mm won't kill a bear. I'll take a 9mm or .45 ACP and a 7.62x39mm any day, thanks.
Hmmm, strange analogy...
I don't believe a .22LR is "more than qualified" to fulfill self defense duty on humans. I have, however, said it is better than a cell phone call to 911, and much better than a finger and upraised thumb. I have also said a .22Mag, which is significantly more powerful than .22LR, is "adequate" if it's all the shooter can handle. But I wouldn't say even .22Mag was "more than qualified".
There's a huge difference between dispatching a trapped and non-moving animal with a contact head shot, and firing center-mass into a charging human or bear.
And again, no one here ever said a 7.62x39 wouldn't kill a bear. We were saying you'd want a weapon that killed the bear faster, and one that you didn't have to shoot so many times it destroys too much of the meat and hide.
Oh, and welcome back. You didn't stay away very long this time.
That holster looks like a Diamond D "Guides Choice." Am I correct? If so, how do you like it? I am thinking about getting one for my 629 Mountain Gun.
Sorry I did not see this earlier-
Yes- I do own a Diamond D holster for my Ruger Blackhawk .44mag and it is quite comfortable and very handy. It has a lot of adjustability so you can swap it from chest carry to side carry quite readily.
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