which pistol

[dwalton]

I question how much experience most of the commits have? If you have dogs involved you do not want a gun that will shoot through the bear. I have know a lot of dogs being Hurt or killed with bullets going wild or going through a bear. A wounded bear takes a head or spin shoot to be sure he is down. No matter what the gun is it is shot placement. A 357 with hollow points works very well. I have killed many wounded bear with a 22 magnum and a few with a 22 pistol behind the ear at point blank range when a bear has a dog down. Very few black bear will get aggressive with people, even wounded. Most of the time when a bear seems to be charging he is wanting out of there and we are in the way. If he is not wounded he or she is just bluffing and it usually works. If you can stand your ground they will stop at 10 or 15 feet. It only takes one good shot to stop a bear sometimes it is best to wait for that shot. Dewey

[pegleg]

He stated he is following already wounded bears as a hobby. I have seen all sorts of things shot with a 22 mag. the truth is it isn't the safest thing to do. I hunted with a old timer that carried a 22 mag pistol for many years. He told me that you never needed more gun then that for a lion. one day we treed a lion that he shot and knocked out of the tree like a wrecking ball. it took us a another day to get back on his trail and get him treed. I just don't like taking chances as far as shooting through a animal my hounds back up when told I understand many people don't teach their dogs to do this but it is not hard. most hounds quickly learn to appreciate a warning before they get hit with muzzle blast.
I'm sure many head of big game animals have been taken with 22 LR. and I've seen a few along with a good deal of livestock. for me if one single time a person gets hurt because of not having enough gun to anchor a animal quickly that is too many.
A example of this is my cousin who had to shoot a black bear in his calf barn with a 22 revolver. it took him over thirty rounds to kill the bear, while even more damage was done. most of those shots would have been deadly if a larger gun had fired them. I can't fault his aim being in a barn at 4 am with bawling calves and a bear snapping and popping at him. we laughed at him but the truth is he handled it as well as could be expected of anyone. reloading that many times had to be nerve racking.

[dwalton]

One should use enough gun and not put them shelves in a spot. When in a spot being bold and getting in there to get the job done is the only way sometimes. The only thing we have to much of on this planet is people so if we lose one once in a while on well. I guided a bear hunter several times years ago that shot all his bear with a pistol. I feel there are very few people that are good enough with a pistol as a shot or as a hunter to know when or when not to shoot. He brought a 454, we treed a nice bear , he shot it several times, it came out and treed it again, he shot it again, I finished it on the ground. He said that they killed elephants with this load. It was a solid as hot as it could be loaded. I told him to dump out half of the powder and put in a hollow point and come back next year. He did with totally different effect. Use enough gun but be sure you know what you are doing. That makes all the difference sometimes. Dewey

[Jake Bell]

I question how much experience most of the commits have? If you have dogs involved you do not want a gun that will shoot through the bear. I have know a lot of dogs being Hurt or killed with bullets going wild or going through a bear. A wounded bear takes a head or spin shoot to be sure he is down. No matter what the gun is it is shot placement. A 357 with hollow points works very well. I have killed many wounded bear with a 22 magnum and a few with a 22 pistol behind the ear at point blank range when a bear has a dog down. Very few black bear will get aggressive with people, even wounded. Most of the time when a bear seems to be charging he is wanting out of there and we are in the way. If he is not wounded he or she is just bluffing and it usually works. If you can stand your ground they will stop at 10 or 15 feet. It only takes one good shot to stop a bear sometimes it is best to wait for that shot. Dewey

Couldnt have said it any better, seen a dog get killed with an 30 06 that went through a bayed up bear, seen bears get shot with 22's and everything in between, i carry my 444, doesnt seem to blow through all the time but sure whacks and even high shoulder shots arent a problem, its nice and short and im not sure about most fellas but when my dogs are caught on a wounded bear im right in there to finish the job as fast as possible, sometimes you have to wait for a good shot but hell how many long time bear hunters do you know that have been chewed up? like you said, black bears (wounded) that are caught are a bit more pre occupied with the dogs chewin on them then the hunter, i know when our dogs here a gun shot they pile on, and it can sometimes make for a rodeo

[fallriverwalker1]

come on guys the fellow asked about pistol;s not shot guns or big bore rifles last i looked a 30 - 06 was a rifle second note if your not really good with a pistol dont use it some of the worst wrecks i've seen was a guy who tried to shoot a bayed bear and misssed he could have used his riffle but he made a poor choice , jim www.fallriverwalker.com

[bob baldwin jr]

Jake Bell : I have NOT been Chewed on by a bear but I have been knocked down by 2 bears litterly trying to run over me . Both times I was standing where they wanted to be .Things happen pretty quick when they are bayed

[kordog]

a wounded bear is a totally different animal to deal with ,and anybody who would question that makes me wonder. this guy is asking for some sound advice ,and some want to send him in there with small calibers like there dealing with a chipmunk. a bear is fully capable of killing a man ,and that isnt jmo.also a wounded bear has suffered long enough so why not go in there with a caliber big enough to send a shockwave not just a pin prick.they wont even let us shoot deer here with a caliber less than 22 magnum,and that is still a piss poor choice in my opinion ,because it barely leaves a blood trail if any.

[Jake Bell]

my apologies for getting off topic, i guess winter is getting to us all! Some guys i know in the states seem to really like their ruger redkhawks in 44 mag. I wish we could carry pistols, would sure make them long walks out leadin hounds and draggin bears that much easier.

[Borderpond]

I have shot a lot of bears with a handgun.Almost all were bears that were wounded by clients hunting over my dogs.I have tried several different guns .I finally settled on a stainless Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag with a 5.5 inch barrel. I shot factory Speer Gold Dot 300 gr out of it. I think it works great.Its the best gun/bullet combo I ever saw.I am sure different brands would work as well. I like the 5.5 barrel because its easy to carry.If I am shooting its always within a few feet so I dont need a long sight plane. The 300gr bullets really did a number on a bayed up bear.

[duke7581]

thanks guys for advice i think im gonna go with the redhawk in 5.5 barrel but still looking at the S&W also it is alot lighter. Not sure how big of a diff the big high poweredloads make that is what my buddy is carrying and shooting while tracking bear and deer for people but luckily he hasnt had to use it. Yes a rifle would work better but a dog on a lead walking thru the thick bush is bad enough without having a rifle getting snagged all the time. Also which holsters are you guys using i was thinking of the shoulder type but not sure what to use. As for plinking i prob wont use it much im gonna get a 22 ruger for that. thanks for tips. Jim

[mpritchard]

Ruger Super Blackhawk, 44 mag, 7 and a half inch barrel, shoot the 320 grain hard cast bullets. They move out at about 1350 fps. It works!!

Oh, and mine is stainless!!

[plottbearhounds]

S&W 44 mag. mountain pistol. It has a short barrel, light weight and full of butt whipping power.