308 auto>45-70 for bear defense, any day.

[Camp10]

Well, that was a fun read! Glad the ex forced the sale of the 45-70 and I got my .308..... if her and her lawyer read this thread, I might have had to hunt with something inferior to a 12 gauge...... (rolling my eyes)

[ElevenBravo]

Reminder: This is a troll's thread, akin to all the caliber "superiority" threads that pop up on the Enternets.

[GreatUsername]

If it doesn't shoot through schools, go bigger.

[hunter63]

Aw man, now I gotta change barrels on the H&R Handi Rifle, in bear country?...to the 45/70?

[kyratshooter]

You can always switch to the .223 , bounce them off his skull and give him a migrane!

Was this the same troll that claimed no cartridge made would penetrate the skull of a polar bear?

[hunter63]

Yeah......

[ElevenBravo]

I like pie. Do you like pie?

[2dumb2kwit]

I like pie. Do you like pie?

Well...yeah. In fact, I even have a pie chart!

piechart.jpg

[Bushman]

ahahah !!


at 11.38 in the evening, you boys are always good for a LAUGH !!

[kyratshooter]

I broke my diet rules and had some pie this weekend.

Thanksgiving is just not the same if you can't have just a little piece of pumpkin pie.

One of my hispanic friends made a desert called "flan". It is a custard pie with no crust! You drizzle fruit sauce over it like a cheescake.

If I was around that stuff much I would be one fat hispanic guy!

[Scotticism101]

I gather that this is a bit of a troll thread, but what the heck, I'll bite:

First off, I think it's all about what you can shoot accurately. Shot placement is the most important thing, and how fast you can get a good follow up shot. A year or two ago, a guy in Alaska stopped (read: killed) a charging grizzly with his .45ACP handgun. It took 9 shots, but he was able to get those 9 shots off in a couple of seconds with decent accuracy.

Secondly, I would take a 12GA shotgun with slugs over a 30-06 any day for two reasons. Even if your 30-06 hunting rifle does have a magazine of some kind, I can work a pump action a lot faster than I can a bolt, and my pump action is a lot less likely to jam than a bolt will when I need it most. Also, if for some reason I have to, I can more quickly reload my 12GA from a side-saddle than I can load the internal magazine of a 30-06 hunting rifle.

That being said, it's again all up to what you actually train with.

EDIT: For some reason was thinking someone said 30-06 hunting rifle, not 308 auto. Still, I guess it's all about what you have and what you train with. Still like my 12-ga

[Wildthang]

I heard somebody say one time that the best way to stop a bear is hit him in the face with 00 buckshot a few times. Now I have never hunted bear, but I would think that would definately make him stop and think about it for a minute or 2

[GreatUsername]

For the sake of keeping with the trolling theme: I betcha some class III permit owners would be willing to bet on a full auto burst to the face from an AK. As would I.


In seriousness though, give me something bolt action, in any, and half a second to aim for the head, and I wouldn't really care much WHICH caliber I'm using. It just has to do the job. If I'm not mauled, I'm satisfied. Granted, I've seen loads of bear out in my neck of the woods, and even way far from towns where they are still truly wild, they only attack if you're doing something horribly wrong. So long as you make noise so you don't startle them, avoid eye-contact, don't bring them in close with food, and DON'T get cozy with a mama's cubs, a bear shouldn't pose a threat to you. Even if they charge, it is more likely than not (particularly with grizzlies) a bluff, to see if you'll run. Once you run, you're prey, and either you or the bear will die. IF you stand your ground, without getting your gun off just because you're panicked, you may very well avoid needlessly killing an animal whose territory YOU were encroaching upon in the first place. If you call a bear's bluff, they almost always leave you alone. Just don't make them angry, and you won't have to shoot them (that being said, in bear country, still a good idea to have a revolver with hot-loaded .44 mag, but remember, that's a last resort)

[hunter63]

I. ............If you call a bear's bluff, they almost always leave you alone. Just don't make them angry, and you won't have to shoot them (that being said, in bear country, still a good idea to have a revolver with hot-loaded .44 mag, but remember, that's a last resort)

OK if you say so......LOL, as the ones that standing their ground didn't work for,.... aren't here....

[Power Giant]

I have had encounters with bear (not Grizzlies thank goodness), moose, and mountain lions. Only once did I feel the necessity to shoot in defense. I am glad that I missed that shot, though. The animal ran away-no harm done. There is definitely something about facing down an animal that you know can rip you to shreds that can leave you unnerved.