Lightweight trail pistol for bear country

LCR's are pretty light. A little heavier in the .357 and 9mm versions, but real light still. I have a G29, 20, and 9mm LCR. I'd probably just pack the G20 with one mag in it if it was me. Not that light, but no extra mags and 18 rounds should be enough.
 
Bear spray vs. light weight handgun. Bear spray = no recoil. Light weight big bore handgun. :eek: Of course, from a keyboard anyone can handle the recoil. :p

I have seen lot's of used .44 Magnum revolvers on dealers shelves that have only been fired 3 times. By that I mean 3 rounds. Before you spend a lot of money, see if there is a range near you that has rental pistols that your son can try. If it hurts to shoot it and he can't hit anything it won't be of much use.
 
Thats why you see 44's and 454's for sale with "nearly full box of ammo"! Not a fan of 44M, especially in a lightweight, there's no getting used to them. The only lightweights that shoot well are J frames in .38SP in my opinion. 45 Colt is another good bear option that's often overlooked without the beasty recoil of a 44.
 
I love my Glock 20, and carry it for Black bear. Great choice, knocks a big boar down hard. I've used the .357 mag and never had a problem. The Taurus ultralite .44 mag is excellent for the price, but recoil is very stout and a fast follow up is tough, the ported model is worse IMHO because the darn thing will blow your ear drums out, and anyone near you, and in low light the flash is blinding. With Black Bear your bullet choice will make a huge difference. In 10mm I stick with 180gr Hornady XTP or Buffalo Boar JSP, the Glock barrels are not intended for cast lead and very few .40 cal projectiles on the market are tough enough for 10mm velocities combined with heavy bone. In .357 I use 158gr hard cast gas checks in FP or RN or hot Buffalo Boar Bear loads. .44 Mag gives alot of good bullet selection, and in factory ammo as long as its designed for medium game your golden. Black Bears seem to drop dead fast if you shoot them before they get excited. If they are angry, frightened or wounded they become a different animal and you don't want your gun loaded with self defence ammo loaded with bullets designed for maximum expansion and energy transfer on humans, these will go to pieces on impact, or open so fast that needed penetration is lost. Hope this helps!
 
I don't know that (m)any LE departments use Glocks in 10mm or .45, but some dealers carry Glock trade-ins, so a used one might turn up in one of those calibers for a very reasonable price. In general, Glocks are so common that finding the right caliber/price on the used market shouldn't be horribly difficult. Other people have been correct in mentioning the matter of picking a holster, too. I use a Hill People Gear chest pack for concealed carry while hiking, but that was over $100. The IWB holsters I owned weren't cutting it for hiking, and I didn't want to open carry. If I had, it would have been a lot less expensive.
 
leghog said:
Have you actually compared the ballistics between the two cartridges?

.357 Mag --- http://www.ballistics101.com/357_magnum.php

10mm --- http://www.ballistics101.com/10mm.php
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Yeah.... They're pretty close when comparing the hot 10mm loads.... Right? Those tables show they can be pretty close with each other depending on ammo. Are you suggesting the 357 would be better? Either or, I think for bear both are on the low end of what you should have... I was only leaning towards a hot 10mm load because of the capacity benefit. But of course a wheel gun has inherent reliability on your side. But if the 10mm was a Glock I wouldn't worry about reliability either way.

I know my one buddy brings a .454.... Now that's big
 
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Converge said:
Yeah.... They're pretty close when comparing the hot 10mm loads.... Right? Those tables show they can be pretty close with each other depending on ammo. Are you suggesting the 357 would be better? Either or, I think for bear both are on the low end of what you should have... I was only leaning towards a hot 10mm load because of the capacity benefit. But of course a wheel gun has inherent reliability on your side. But if the 10mm was a Glock I wouldn't worry about reliability either way.

I know my wine buddy brings a .454.... Now that's big
Click to expand...

Black bear. You'll not need to kill it. Unless it's a sow with cubs nearby, shoot it and it'll be gone in a flash.
 
leghog said:
Black bear. You'll not need to kill it. Unless it's a sow with cubs nearby, shoot it and it'll be gone in a flash.
Click to expand...

True definitely a whole different game between black bears and grizzly from what everyone says
 
I have owned handguns for 60 years. Hunted, shot competition, hand-loaded darn near every common handgun caliber, including 0.500 Linebaugh. The earlier suggestion of the Model 29 Glock in 10mm is my suggestion also. He doesn't need a long barrel...he's NOT hunting; he's using it for protection, and that comes at a much shorter distance. If he does want a revolver, a good 4 5/8" barreled Ruger Blackhawk revolver in .45 Colt (NOT .45 Auto) is a great round. Loaded with commercial or handloads of 325gr hard-cast lead bullets at 1000 fps, your son will come home safe.
 
Rock Island Armory 1911-A1 .45 Auto, loaded some good +P ammo.
 
If it's an Auto go 10mm over 45 acp for sure.... Glock in 10mm is a great choice, I would not want to try to defend myself from any bear with a 45 if I could have had a 10mm!.... I think I read a story about a guy who took down a bear with his .45, took 7 hits and the thing was standing still unaware of the guy so he had time to aim well. I'd want the velocity of the 10mm, hydrostatic shock comes to mind when comparing it with .45. I don't know how grounded that argument is, but the .45 is slow... Certainly nice and heavy but certainly slow in comparison. Great to suppress but I don't think it would be great for possible bear defense.

However with that said you really have to be picky when it comes to ammo choice for 10mm. There can be a huge variance between commercial loads and those "real" 10mm stout loads. Go for the big time. Lots of 10mm out there barely go beyond a .40 cal in velocity and force. That's good for target practice but pack the stout stuff for business.
 
The .45 colt is indeed a fine round. If you match the right gun to the right load it can match or outperform the .44mag. Shooting 45 colt does require a bit if knowledge from the shooter though. Shoot one of the "ruger only" pressure rounds out of the wrong gun, even the wrong ruger, and you will have problems. Sonnydaze's combo of ruger blackhawk with 325g hardcast sounds like a potent combo. :thumbup:
 
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