Minimum Caliber for bears?

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RedEdge77

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This summer I hope to head to the adirondacks for some camping and fishing for a few days. One of my concerns is the possibility of running into some unfriendly bears. I have heard encounters with bears up there are rather common, although I have not seen too many reports of bear attacks.

So I was wondering what is the lowest caliber in a rifle you would feel comfortable carrying out in the woods? Chances are I will be bringing my .410 shotgun but I have no clue as to whether or not that is big enough for a bear. :confused:. The gun will not be used for hunting, mainly as a deep in the woods self defense gun. Handguns are not a possibility at the moment.
 
I'd be real uncomfortable relying on a .410 shotgun.

A nice little 12 guage with slugs would be better.
 
Dog Man said:
I'd be real uncomfortable relying on a .410 shotgun.

A nice little 12 guage with slugs would be better.
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i dont think you will get adequate penetration or trauma on a bear or large predator. im not an expert by any means, but you should buy something larger.

in a shotgun, 12 guage seems the only way to go.

in a rifle, at least .308.
 
For black bear 20g or larger in shotgun or 30-30 or biger in rifle,brown bear 12ga or at least a 30-06 in rifle.

What ever you take make sure you use a round with a good combination of penitration and expansion,somthing with a thicker jacket not balistic tips!
 
Best thing the .410 would do as far as bears go would be... when the bear has your head in its mouth... shoot yourself. TYR shadowblade is right on as far as black and brown bears. While attacks have been known to happen it is rare.
 
IMO the .410 is highly underrated as a shotgun I've done a fair amount of hunting with several diiferent types of shotguns....the 410 pattern is generally the same as a cyl. bore 12 guage...it's just that there is not as many pellets in the shell so the pattern has large gaps but with in a range of 30 to 40 yards it is a decent game getter with shot...slugs however are a different ballgame...in some states (not NY) a .410 is aloud as a deer gun (with slugs)...and the ballistics of a .410 slug a very similar to a 41 mag handgun or a .40 cal muzzelloader...I don't know what type of .410 you have but a good pump .410 would make any old west pioneer jealous for sure... a 20 guage is a nice compromise... That's what I usually take camping, however the chances of being attacked by a randy Angelina Jolie are probably = or better than the chances of being attacked by a bear in the adirondacks....making a fair amount of noise is the best way to avoid a confrontation that is 2 close 4 comfort...above all if you want my 2 cents if you are lucky enough to see a black bear while in you are there...enjoy it thier pretty awesome animals..and above all have a great trip
 
Most .410 slugs offer relatively anemic performance, more on par with magnum handgun calibers. Usually something like 90 gr. slug at about 1800fps. And .410 buck... forget it. If you're going to carry a long gun to defend against bear, use real rifle calibers or 12ga slugs.
 
The big thing here is Why wonder if a .410 strong enough for a Bear? A 12 gauge IS! Why wonder, As Peter Capstick Wrote "Anything a 20 can do a 12 can do better" so again stick with the 12. I have nothing against .410's or 20's or 16's or 10's I own a shotgun in each of those gauges and calibre. The 12 however has taken care of critters on every continent from geese to lions and I am sure bear too. Load it up with some OO Buck in the chamber and 6's in the tube imo, but you could go the reverse and diff #s if you want.

A rifle would be a good idea, what calibre's do you have? What Gauge shotguns do you have? Do you have a pistol permit?
 
I have spent many, many nights in the Daks. Forget a .410 shotty for bear.
A black bear will run off and avoid humans, especially if there is more than one of you. If it doesn't, that means it is used to people and the food they bring to the backcountry (which is why the western high peaks reagion requires bear canisters, like the sierra). A truly non-human averse bear wouldn't respond well to a .410, and it would likely piss it off. I wouldn't want to rely on less than a 12 gauge, or REAL bear spray to discourage it.
Now, for other creatures, such as the feral dogs, or anything else, a fast .30 carbine or .22 with lots of rounds would be good.
Personally, my backpacking gun is a 357 revolver loaded as hot as I can accurately shoot. I don't camp in places where there are things that that gun wouldn't handle.

Have a great time in the Daks, they are one of my favorite places in the world.
 
I have camped around black bears quite a bit and would be much more worried about 2 legged varmits, or lyme ticks, or west nile carrying mosquitos....well you get the idea, black bears IMO are not too much of a worry.

But to answer your question I would be happy with a hicap 9mm and up, probably carry my 357 or ruger 45lc. Chris
 
Mosquitos...I heard that historically, more people have been killed by mosquitos than any other creature.
 
If it really HAS to a long gun, go with the 12 gauge and some good slugs. If a bear has you "in his sights" tickling it or with a .410 will do little more than make it really mad instead of just being somewhat annoyed.

Having had a very up-close-and-personal encounter with a brown bear whilst camping in the Ural Mountains many years ago (I still have the scars), I'd choose a 454 Casull. I used to have one (until our wonderful Govt. :jerkit: decided that no-one in the UK was responsible enough to keep a handgun) and to be honest I cannot think of a better tool to have to hand if s**t were to happen in that way again.
 
haha, I remember my neibors had a snake in their shop and wanted me to get rid of it, I found it in a pipe, stuck the nose in and shot, ended up not killing it :eek: I hate snakes. btw it was a #5 birdshot, in a 3" pipe :D
 
If it is all you've got, I'd load it with slugs and carry it. If you have something bigger, carry that. Black bears don't normally bother folks but there are the occasional encounters that happen. I would feel very comfortable with a 41 mag handgun, so why not a 410?
 
Just so you don't get confused about what kind of bears live in the Adirondacks - It's Black Bears only. Brown Bears (overgrown Grizzlies) live in the coastal areas of Alaska. If you see a bear that's brown in color in your area it's the brown color phase of the Black Bear. If you're worried about Black Bears, wear bells, make lots of noise, don't take your dog, hang ALL food well away from camp, don't cook in/near your tent/camp and pack some Bear Spray (especially formulated for bears). Your .410 won't do the job, most probably. Minimim caliber, 30-30. For the 30-30 to be of any real use to you, you must be able to hit a moving car tire that's been rolled down the steep side of a hill toward you, nearly every time. I've had Black Bear (in camp at night) move 50 feet in about 2 seconds. I've seen them go 50 feet up a tree in less than 5 seconds. We shot a small Griz (at night in camp) that went 100 feet before the guy with the 7 mm Mag Mag could jack in another shell. I'm just pointing out that in be any real use to you, you have to practice A LOT with your chosen weapon. Bear Spray isn't perfect, but it takes little skill.
 
Yes, bears move very quickly and will scare the pants off ya if they charge or even fake charge. Black bears do the fake charges a lot if you are within their comfort zone or discomfort zone as the case may be.
 
The one thing that I am concerned with when people ask what they should carry into the bush for "bear" protection is that they probably haven't done any training on how to handle the weapon in a tight and quick situation. If I dug hard enough on the internet I am sure I could find more hikers and campers that have been shot by a fellow hikers or campers who thought their buddy was a bear outside their tent at night. Usuallly the only time that these people shoot or carry a gun is when they go out into the bush, maybe 3-4 times a year tops. (just my opinion here)
If you are a hiker or camper and you feel the need to carry a firearm for protection, please go to a range and shoot a minimum of 200 rounds a week for three weeks in all different positions, on your back, on your belly, one handed..., in all types of light conditions, day light, dusk, with the sun in your eyes, dark with a flashlight in one hand, prior to your outting. See if you can do this and shoot 4 rounds in 3 seconds and can keep a group in a 10" pie plate (being generous here) at 25 yards, if you can't do this, do others a favor and leave the gun at home and carry pepper spray. IMHO, too many people carry weapons they just shouldn't just because of lack of use or training and by doing so they put the rest of us in harm.
Not directed towards any one here just my .02.
 
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