I'm looking for a gun to take into the mountains with me, mainly as a precaution against a bear attack. Something with a lot of takedown power, but still lightweight enough to take hiking. Hopefully something my wife can shoot without breaking a wrist.

What do you say, oh great collective wisdom??

 

Can't have it both ways. Whatever you pick make sure you wife practices with it. Show her the proper way to hold it. If she is real little she may say it hurts but the recoil will not be enough to "break" anything.

If you are actually in a bear attack situation you have to have stopping power and a handgun will not be enough. The bear may eventually die but not before it hurts you, and it will be pissed off.

I carry a Mossberg 500A with 18" barrel and pistol grip. Very light and easy to manage at 28" overall. I load with first 3 three shots being 00 buck and the last two with slugs. The reasoning is if a bear is charging you have more a chance to hit with the shot pattern. If you have missed the first three shots he will be on top of you then you need the most amount of damage.

Plus you can buy a short barreled shot gun for less than you can the size handgun any would suggest.

Oh, yea. you know what they say "if you buy a handgun for bear make sure you file off the sights, it'll hurt less when he shoves it up your a$$."

 

I will let you know pepper spray will be a much better defense than a defender shotgun with slugs in a bear attack or defense. I have encountered several Grizzly & Black Bears in my line of work and Pepper Spray or bear bangers have gotten me out of the situations. From experience Pepper Spray will stop a Grizzly Bear hard in it's tracks at a full charge!!!


I think the guns have it's place and I am avid big game hunter.... but IMHO guns are not a very good defense for grizzly or black bear encounters.

 

Would have to reccomend the old 44 Magnum 4" revolver.

For lighter weight, you can get one from Smith & Wesson in their "airlight" model ( I forget the model #).

My buddy had been involved in a grizzly bear attack a few years back & he was armed with a 44 Mag.

He was able to pull off a "double tap" defensive shooting tactic (2 shots to the chest area & 1 shot to the head) and thankfully, it worked for him!!!

He said the first 2 body shots made the bear stumble a bit & the last head shot dropped the bear like a sack of rocks!

This all took place within about 7-10 yards & about 5 seconds.

44 Mag. I think would be a good choice also because the ammo is very popular & not too hard to find in a pinch. Recoil is not so bad either.

However, practice with it is a MUST!!!

 

That's a tall order. Bears have lots of FAT. A shotgun might not stop one. I don't know about you, but I don't wanna risk my life or my wife's on a might. The Winchester model 94-AE with an 18" barrel chambered in .444 Marlin will "knock down anything that walks on Earth", according to Winchester. That said, it will probably knock your wife down too. They are NOT tame in the least, but as a brush gun that you can readily swing around for a good shot, they are unmatched. Get one and teach your wife to shoot it. Only one problem. They don't make them anymore and IF you can find one, they ain't cheap. They went from like 329 to 2500 bucks overnight. I have one though. Best gun I have. Even I don't like shootin it more than like three times, cause after that, I don't want no more. LOL I don't think you're gonna get it both ways.....have somethin that WILL take down a bear AND your wife can shoot comfortably. You can however, get something that WILL bust a bear with ONE shot. THAT'S what I would want. I'd rather treat a bruise from a strong rifle than injuries from a bear attack.

 

Although I've never encountered a Grizzly in the wilds, let alone have one attck me, from what I've read, I'd have to agree that pepper spray would be a very good deterrent. At least for long enough to get away. I would not rely on pepper spray alone, but would also have a firearm. As far as handguns I'd have to go with a .44 or bigger, but then again, your wife might have a hard time shooting it. A good compact rifle might be in order, much like a lever action brushgun in 45-70 cal.

 

Gentlemen, we, meaning the guy from Montana and me from Wyoming... Bear spray is a given. No one wants to take out a bear if they do not have to. The fact of me actually living by one of the only populations of grizzly in the lower 48 and spending a lot of time in Alaska, bear spray is always available and a given.

Sad to hear about the Marlin .444 it was always on my list of guns to get. I have not looked it up in the last few years, just assumed it would always be with us.

Please continue with the suggestions, just had to clarify he was asking for the final back-up plan tool.

You know "they" say to use bear spray and wear bells to let the bear know you are coming. Having both brown and black bear here by the house it is really easy to tell the difference in the skat.....the grizzly is the pile that smells like bear spray and has bells in it.

 

I say Smith & Wesson .460 Magnum. That would do the trick.

 

That was the Winchester chambered in the Marlin ROUND. Winchester is gone. They still make the Marlin and it's still available in the .444 round. I have a Marlin 1894S in .44 magnum, so I know what you're talkin about. That's a fine gun.

 

Bear spray is not always a given in bear country....some people don't pack a damn thing but wear a bear bell..."Lunch Bell" or bring a dog thinking it will save them.

Bear bells just attract the bears as they are a very curious animal.

You don't need NO back up plan with bear spray....I have used bear spray in about 30 encounters with Grizzly & Black bear (all within 25 ft) in my 18 years of forestry and each encounter I sprayed the bear and I walked away and the bear retreated or did not want anything to do with me!!!

If you want a back-up plan get a Korelian Bear Dog....these dogs are just plan nasty dogs to Bears....they put on a chase & hurt till that bear takes off or climbs a tree. Co-worker has a Korelian Bear dog....just plan nasty and mean when it sees a bear!!!!