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10mm for Alaskan bears

Personally I'd want a bigger caliber.
I own a 10mm and after watching the Pigman do an episode with a Springfield 1911 10mm shooting hogs I was astonished that with solid hits, some needed 3 hits.
I'm not sure that I'd be able to get 3 good shots on a huge Bruin who truly wants to eat me!!
šŸ˜‰
 
Pitdogg2 said:
Personally I'd want a bigger caliber.
I own a 10mm and after watching the Pigman do an episode with a Springfield 1911 10mm shooting hogs I was astonished that with solid hits, some needed 3 hits.
I'm not sure that I'd be able to get 3 good shots on a huge Bruin who truly wants to eat me!!
šŸ˜‰
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Iā€™ve seen hogs take 2-3 .308 hits and keep going.
Itā€™s all shot placement and size of hog , obviously.
Conversely, Iā€™ve dropped hogs with 1 round of .45 +p and a .357 .

10mm will be enough on hogs and bears alike
 
I follow several Alaskan outfitters on YouTube and many of them are starting to go toward the 10mm for bear defense.

For me, in bear country, it's all about practicing. Ever had a cardboard bear on a sled running at you from 50 feet away at 30 mph? It's harder to get that gun on-target and make effective shots than you think. And that bear can run faster than 30 mph, so.... :eek:
 
Last trip to Alaska I carried a Glock 20 10MM loaded with Buffalo Bore hard casts. I carried it in a chest rig so it did not get hung up in waders or back pack. Most people would be more successful in putting the rounds of 10 MM on target than a heavily recoiling 44 Magnum. My son lives in Alaska and advises more residents there are going to the 10 MM for bear defense in the bush.
 
Give me a heavier .41 or .44 mag.

The added capacity of a 10mm isnā€™t really a plus, because youā€™re only going to get one, maybe two shots off before Mr. Bear is on you. After that, the ability of a revolver to make contact shots where an auto would get pushed out of battery is going to be kinda important.
 
HansGruber said:
Give me a heavier .41 or .44 mag.

The added capacity of a 10mm isnā€™t really a plus, because youā€™re only going to get one, maybe two shots off before Mr. Bear is on you. After that, the ability of a revolver to make contact shots where an auto would get pushed out of battery is going to be kinda important.
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You won't get anymore shots off with a big bore revolver before a griz/brown bear is on you than a 10mm semi.

I don't think the bears know how to push a semi-auto slide out of battery, considering if it's on you you'll be thrashing around abit.

And I'd rather have 15+ rds to use than being out of ammo after 6 shots in a big-bore revolver. I don't think having a big bear on you will allow for an easy reload with a revolver.

While I have a couple .44 mag revolvers I carry a 10mm XDm when I'm in the woods, which in my area is all griz country.

My .02
 
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Talyn said:
You won;t get anymore shots off with a big bore revolver before a griz/brown bear is on you than a 10mm semi. And I don't think the bears know how to push a semi auto slide out of battery, considering if it's on you you'll be thrashing around abit.
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Itā€™ll get pushed out of battery when you press the muzzle into it.

And if I only get a shot or two, Iā€™ll take something thatā€™s hotter and heavier than 10mm can approach.
 
HansGruber said:
Itā€™ll get pushed out of battery when you press the muzzle into it.

And if I only get a shot or two, Iā€™ll take something thatā€™s hotter and heavier than 10mm can approach.
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I'm very familiar with what being pushed out of battery is.

I can get more rds off with my 10mm XDm before I have to think of the very low risk of an out-of-battery pushing the muzzle against a bear.

10mms (XDm & Glock) are very popular for those that actually live in Griz/Brown bear country. But if one wants to carry a revolver then that's their choice.

Some don't realize that handgun rds don't have/approach the ME and MV of relatively moderate rifle rounds.

In comparison, in griz/brown bear country would one carry a 30/30 for bear protection? Most would say hell no.

Well, well regarded Buffalo Bore ammo in a their max 30/30 load has the following specs, compared to their .44 mag heavy loads.

HEAVY 30-30 WINCHESTER AMMO​

190 GR. JFN @ 2100 FPS (1,860 FT.LBS.)​

Note: Buffalo Bore is introducing a truly Heavy 30-30 Winchester loading. This new load utilizes a 190gr. custom Hawk Bullet and gives the venerable 30-30 here-to-for unrealized power and is designed so that the person who owns a 30-30 can now reliably kill elk or moose sized game. The 30-30 can now be carried as a defensive tool in grizzly country and will be much more effective in stopping a grizzly attack than any other 30-30 ammunition in the world. This heavy 30-30 load is not designed for deer, although it will kill deer and if you line them up right, it will kill three or four deer with one shotā€¦

vs.

DANGEROUS GAME HEAVY 44 MAGNUM - Mono-Metal
265 gr. Mono-Metal WFN @ 1,425 fps / ME 1,195 ft lbs

or

Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Ammo
340 gr. Hard Cast, L.F.N. - G.C. @ 1,425 fps/M.E. 1,533 ft lbs

In 10mm, Buffalo Bore offers the following load and their explanation on it's use.

DANGEROUS GAME 10MM AUTO - Mono-METAL
190 gr. Mono-Metal FN @ 1,200fps / ME 607 ft-lbs

Note: This new DG load will do anything our famed Item 21C will do, but with less smoke and with much cleaner burning, due to the hard cast bullet/lube used in Item 21C. Our Item 21C and Item 21A have killed countless attacking/menacing grizzly and moose in AK. This new DG load will work the same way.

I hesitated to bring out a ā€œDangerous Gameā€ load in 10MM as I do not see the 10MM cartridge as a truly dangerous game cartridge, but I do know it is a compromise cartridge for that purpose, (that comes in lightweight, high capacity, and small-sized pistols) that has been used many times, successfully for that purpose.

After much load development testing with the 10MM cartridge over the last 35 years, I very much see why folks like it as an outdoors protection cartridgeā€¦ polymer-framed pistols are lightweight, high capacity, accurate and affordable and if the ammo is designed properly, a very deep-penetrating bullet can be used that will break large bones and destroy the internal organs hidden behind those bones. Even though I know this cartridge has been used successfully to stop many large animal (grizzly and moose) attacks, I feel you are walking on thin ice using it as such, so please practice, practice, practice at moving targets and in low light, so youā€™ll be prepared should that need ever arise.

So, the moral of the story is it's all about choices..

My .02
 
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Montana grizzlies get big too.
1625286008313.png

900-pound male grizzly

1625286158999.png

old, female grizzly weight ?

1625286542816.png


1625286705625.png



1625287455666.png

small female paw
 
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My eldest son was hunting black bear in Alaska from a tree stand over a bait station. He climbed down to work on the bait station and leaned his 300 mag rifle against a tree while he was working. Of course that is when a bear comes into the clearing at very close quarters. He had his Glock 10mm and killed the bear at CQB range with the 10mm. As he told me, "That bear hunt did not go as I had planned it". He had been practicing with the 10mm and I had sent him a replacement barrel for the Glock so he could shoot hard cast bullets. Never leave home without it.
 
HansGruber said:
Itā€™ll get pushed out of battery when you press the muzzle into it.

And if I only get a shot or two, Iā€™ll take something thatā€™s hotter and heavier than 10mm can approach.
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Second that. I have hunted bear, and even the "lowly" black bear hunt can get up close and personal faster than most people can imagine. It's really hard to appreciate how fast and stealthy they can be.

But, if someone prefers a pistol to a revolver, more power to them. Buy the best you can. And practice. Everything in life is a personal choice and everyone's vastly differing experiences lead them to thier choices.
 
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