JohnCarter: Not sure I would feel the need to stroll about packing, but then it would depend on where you are. If it's bears you are worried about I would think the bear strength pepper spray on your pack strap may be the best bet.

Depends on the bear.

Black bear a .357 or larger will take care of them. Brown bear, I've been advised not to pack anything smaller than a .44 magnum in a pistol, but a .454 is a much better choice.

Me, I carry a Marlin 1894 with ported barrel in .44 mangum, but that's not a hand gun

question: which bears are best?

fjnorton: hehe he shot himself in the ass on Blewett Pass!

That's kinda catchy. I was just gonna say that he really Blewett!

adamscr: Calmamity: Bunnyhat: The odds may be low, but if you do end up at a point where you would need to use it, the situation is usually a bit more serious then most.

Yeah, and a .40 Glock wouldn't help you much.

That's a people killin' gun.

To a point, a few years ago a hiker managed to stop a black bear that had him on the menu with a Kel-Tec PF11 (9mm) and a lot of luck.

luck is right. he had god with him.

Noticeably F.A.T.: Lincey: This is why I don't keep a round chambered when I conceal/open carry.

/Full magazine? Yes. Round chambered? No sir
//Only chambered when doing drills/practice/fun shoot

All my guns were designed to have a round chambered, so I keep one in the chamber. Of course, they were also designed to be carried in a holster and not a farking pocket, so I do that too.

QFT

If I am out and about, and need a to use a weapon, I have it holstered, with a round in the chamber, cocked and locked. I train to drop the safety (sweep down 1911 style) in the same motion as drawing the gun. I don''t want to expect myself to have the dexterity in the heat of the moment to chamber a round. They do that in the movies for the same reason you will always see them pulling the hammer back on a 1911. Its a nice visual effect but you shouldn't depend on it in real life.

A while back on one of the boards, they had a security video of a robbery, where the owner of a shop got his weapon out, was unable to work the slide on the first try or two (rushed it, didn't pull far enough back) and was fatally dead. I believe he shot one of his robbers at least once, but it was after they shot him while he was fumbling to get his gun ready.

And before you start with "Well the Israeli army does it" they don't any more. They developed that technique when they were using older weapons that had unreliable mechanical safeties. With the updates to their inventory they have dropped it from the training.

Holster-> keeps you from shooting yourself in the a$$... DUHHHHH

Noticeably F.A.T.: Lincey: This is why I don't keep a round chambered when I conceal/open carry.

/Full magazine? Yes. Round chambered? No sir
//Only chambered when doing drills/practice/fun shoot

All my guns were designed to have a round chambered, so I keep one in the chamber. Of course, they were also designed to be carried in a holster and not a farking pocket, so I do that too.

All of everyone's guns were designed to have a round chambered. otherwise they would be called "hammers".

Unfortunately, he missed his junk, so this moron could still pollute the gene pool with his spawn.

nburghmatt: adamscr: Calmamity: Bunnyhat: The odds may be low, but if you do end up at a point where you would need to use it, the situation is usually a bit more serious then most.

Yeah, and a .40 Glock wouldn't help you much.

That's a people killin' gun.

To a point, a few years ago a hiker managed to stop a black bear that had him on the menu with a Kel-Tec PF11 (9mm) and a lot of luck.

luck is right. he had god with him.

Any encounter with a hungry/truly aggressive bear that doesn't end with you dead involves a lot of luck :-)

They are an apex predator. THE apex predator in North America

adamscr: They do that in the movies for the same reason you will always see them pulling the hammer back on a 1911. Its a nice visual effect but you shouldn't depend on it in real life.

Sometime I wonder if Hollywood thinks that racking the slide on a pistol is like pumping an air rifle: the more times the better.

Bartleby the Scrivener: i don't need a gun when i hike. one time i stopped a bear dead in its tracks by singing the libretto from Fidelio. another time I distracted a rattlesnake with a slight-of-hand parlor trick i learned from hucksters on the atlantic city boardwalk.

For some reason, that seems like the sort of thing that WOULD stop a bear dead in its tracks. You just start singing and dancing and it has no idea what the hell is going on. Cocks its head all confused-like.

Or start juggling.

/obligatory for an asshat

Araj: For some reason, that seems like the sort of thing that WOULD stop a bear dead in its tracks. You just start singing and dancing and it has no idea what the hell is going on. Cocks its head all confused-like.

it evokes horrible, horrible images of their brothers and sisters wearing ruffled neckwear and pointy hats dancing in the russian circus. then i tell them i am not a russian, but a freedom loving canadian (a LIE!) and can sympathize, as a performer, with the plight of the circus bear.

nburghmatt:
To a point, a few years ago a hiker managed to stop a black bear that had him on the menu with a Kel-Tec PF11 (9mm) and a lot of luck.

luck is right. he had god with him.

Having had a lot of black bears wander by the house I'm not all that certain it took -that- much luck. Depends heavily on the bear. Our 500lber yeah, that would be something to stop him with a 9mm but the smaller ones, who actually tend to be more aggressive/cheeky than old gramps, I could see taking on with 9mm's. I'd be comfortable putting a 92 up against the youngsters. Most of them are more inclined to run anyways but when they don't any injury tends to make them back off if they aren't crazed or cornered. I certainly prefer to use my 590 shotgun instead of something like a 92 but if I'm hiking a while that 590 gets heavy where the pistol I can put in a tactical holster and be pretty comfortable hauling.

I use my .44 mag as a plan B. The whole family carries bear spray in case of an encounter with a grizzly. We have been backcountry backpacking since the kids were old enough for overnight trips and have not run into one yet (5 years).

Just don't go out in the woods when you're on your period, and you won't have to worry about attracting any bears...

OK - slightly off topic, but looking for a recommendation for a 357. I need to replace my 6" large frame S&W I sold a while back. I was looking at the model 627, but I know there are some folks on Fark who would love to chime in!

I always carry a handgun whenever I'm hiking. I also use it for hunting. I don't actually kill anything, I just jump out of my tree stand and pistol whip the deer to let them know who really runs the forest. I haven't had a bear mess with me once. They know who's boss.

Everyone's assuming that you'd carry the gun for bear protection. But I carry first of all for weirdo humans, secondly for off-leash dogs, then for wild animals (including coyotes, lynx and other things smaller than bears).

Also, bear behavior really varies. In British Columbia, where I live, the black bears can be unafraid and even aggressive. My neighbor two years ago got attacked in her own garden and another neighbor drove his SUV into the bear and it still wouldn't let go. I get bears in my driveway that I can't scare away, even by trying to run into them in my truck. Saying that all bears act a certain way is as dumb as saying all dogs act a certain way -- they have personalities, etc.

butthurt.

That's why I carry a can of rhino urine with me. Just sprinkle some around your camp and all the bears will stay away.

jabelar: Everyone's assuming that you'd carry the gun for bear protection. But I carry first of all for weirdo humans, secondly for off-leash dogs, then for wild animals (including coyotes, lynx and other things smaller than bears).

Also, bear behavior really varies. In British Columbia, where I live, the black bears can be unafraid and even aggressive. My neighbor two years ago got attacked in her own garden and another neighbor drove his SUV into the bear and it still wouldn't let go. I get bears in my driveway that I can't scare away, even by trying to run into them in my truck. Saying that all bears act a certain way is as dumb as saying all dogs act a certain way -- they have personalities, etc.

Pretty much. This is also the reason I'm leaving the mountains for the bears until they start hibernating, and I can start riding pow.