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I would say get whatever your wife is willing to or likes to shoot. Anything else would be a waste, since she'd likely not carry it. You can take a bear down with a 22lr, but it requires a well placed (lucky), shot. While I'm more accurate with a 1911 45ACP (probably due to longer barrel), I prefer my 9mm Beretta PX4 Storm F. Recoil is less, so your aim back on target is quicker. For the most part, I don't think most handguns are meant to kill bears. Your hope is that the noise of a shot will warn off the bear from attacking. If that fails, then hopefully 17 rounds will change the bear's outlook.
I'm not in Alaska, But Montana is overrun with Grizzly bears as well, so the subject does come up.
Personally, I always like to go out with someone that is packing a hand cannon, and while the bear is shoving it up their ##s I can get the hell out of there.
Handguns are not easy to precisely hit a target with, and then have that target charging you at 30+ MPH roaring and slobering and causing involuntary movements in your drawers, hitting anything would be pure S***house luck.
That is why shotguns are usually recommended as a better deal.
Add to that, you state your wife is 4'11", most handguns large enough to do any real good if they did hit the target are likely to hurt her pretty bad as well from the recoil, and she won't be able to accurately shoot it.
For someone that small, bear spray is the best choice, but the best advice of all is for her to be aware of her surroundings. Pay attention to wind direction, look for signs like tracks in the trail you are following. Avoiding the situation is the best way to come out in one piece.
If she doesn't like your 300 mag, why not try the 45-70? you can put reduced loads in it that still use 300+ grain bullets, but the reduced load recoil is about the same as a 30-30 or 308 and much more manageable.
Big thing, if she is walking the dogs, keep them on a leash. I know of several instances where a running dog met up with a bear and turned tail and ran back to their owners for protection with the bear in hot pursuit.
Use your head in bear country. It's the best weapon you have
Thanks MTsilvertip--my close calls were both up the north fork of the flathead with griz and the last bear I shot was south of Bozeman. We only have big browns here(coastal griz), no black bear. Always have the dog on a leash. Think we are going with a 44 mag. The point being don't want to shoot a bear but hoping the bang is a scare off tactic.
Go with the .44 mag. I've seen too many people get tired of lugging around a rifle or shotgun when it's only use is for self defense. When you're just going out for a short day hike they can quickly become a PITA. As for people not being able to hit a moving target with a .44, well that's just hog wash. Practice, practice, practice. And an adrenaline rush has an amazing affect on people. It allows them to do things that otherwise they would have been unable to do. Been charged by both brown and blacks and have yet to crap my pants.
Go with the .44 mag. I've seen too many people get tired of lugging around a rifle or shotgun when it's only use is for self defense. When you're just going out for a short day hike they can quickly become a PITA. As for people not being able to hit a moving target with a .44, well that's just hog wash. Practice, practice, practice. And an adrenaline rush has an amazing affect on people. It allows them to do things that otherwise they would have been unable to do. Been charged by both brown and blacks and have yet to crap my pants.
Thats why I suggested the .454 Casull. Practice with cheap and plentiful low power cowboy ammo and load up ++P Casull rounds for protection.
Anyone can handle and enjoy shooting .45 cowboy ammo.. Enjoy shooting=confident shooter
While a .454 Casull would be a great caliber, shooting it for practice would certainly intimidate most people, not only because of the blast a short barrel would produce, but because of the $2.00 every round you fire with it going out the barrel.
A .357 magnum revolver would be nice, loaded with hard cast ammo. But it still could produce enough recoil and blast to scare some people. For that reason alone, I would let the lady handle a double-action .45 Auto 1911 of her choice. The ammo for it would have to be loaded with hard cast bullets, of course. I would also buy some 10-round magazines for it (10 in the magazine, 1 in the chamber)
Pistols are a lot easier to shoot since the recoil is greatly tamed by the pistol itself, and all she has to do is to pull the trigger as fast as she can. The reason for a double-action pistol is that she would not have to fumble with the slide to load the chamber (just pull the trigger if a round is in the chamber already), and also because a single-action pistol has to be handled a little more carefully with a round in the chamber, since it would also have to be carried cocked, and the safety ON.
You can shoot real low power cowboy ammo (.44 long colt) out of it to get acclimated to the handgun. Then load it up with some ++P ammo for bear.
My .454 Casull is a Ruger Super Redhawlk. I know you can get it in a smaller revolver too... But, if you do I would not have her shoot full loads. Even the larger size super redhawk is punishing. Nasty sharp kick.
Another serious option to consider is pepper spray... Likely stop a bear better than a bullet anyway.
^ I had the same gun, in a 1.5 snub. That thing kicked like a freakin' mule, but the whole intention (ostensibly, at least) was to stop a bear in its tracks.
I would say get whatever your wife is willing to or likes to shoot. Anything else would be a waste, since she'd likely not carry it. You can take a bear down with a 22lr, but it requires a well placed (lucky), shot. While I'm more accurate with a 1911 45ACP (probably due to longer barrel), I prefer my 9mm Beretta PX4 Storm F. Recoil is less, so your aim back on target is quicker. For the most part, I don't think most handguns are meant to kill bears. Your hope is that the noise of a shot will warn off the bear from attacking. If that fails, then hopefully 17 rounds will change the bear's outlook.
I can't advise on what caliber stops a bear the best - so all I can add are my own thoughts on what I will do for my wife and eventually my son and daughter when they get old enough.
I second this idea... Right now she doesn't want to carry a long gun, why get her a pistol that she won't use or want to carry either?
Bear Spray + whatever she'll shoot, which is hopefully something at least in the 9mm/.357 range in an semi-auto pistol. And any name brand gun that fits her. Are there gun ranges around you that let you rent guns? And of course after you find something that fits well, you can make it work even better by going to a gunsmith and getting some more tweaks. (If needed)
I always thought the best defense was the heavily armed husband that hikes with their wife?
These threads always bring out my own questions on what I should carry for bear defense too. I don't mind shooting .45 or .50 semi-autos but they are bigger, heavier, typically carry less rounds in the mag than 9mm/.40. Even practice rounds get expensive too. I even bought a compact 9mm, because I my full size sig was just too hard to carry concealed.
And I agree with practice, practice, practice as well. Especially if you get a gun with a safety. Nothing adds to the pucker factor like making that decision to fire and then only hearing a "click". Make that muscle memory stick. Practice jamming drills and disassembly/reassembly too. That way if she has an issue out in the field, chances are she can fix it herself.
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