Alaskan Bear Guns

steve45

Have been planning a month long fishing, camping and sightseeing trip to Alaska. It will be two years before I get to go but I cant stop thinking about it. Anyway I bought a Marlin 45-70 1895 rifle for bear defense. After buying it someone told me the prefered weapon for bears is a 12 ga shotgun with slugs. A recent thread now closed recommended .338 or .375 and thought the .300 mags too light. Anybody have any other ideas or first hand knowledge?

AntiqueDr

I personally cannot think of a better bear-defense rifle than the .45/70. Note the difference between bear-defense and bear-hunting.

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hacker

i think the chances of needing defense against a bear are remote, but not impossible. the 45-70 is as good as anything and better than most. bear in mind (no pun intended) that if a bear does charge, it will run at you faster than you can imagine, and will present a very tough target. the recoil on a 45-70 carbine is stout, and you will need to practice a lot so that you fire fast and accurate. i would use the heavier bullets for penetration, like the 405 jsp.

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hi karate and old spice

buddyb

For what you are doing,its hard to beat a short barreled 12 gauge pump with OO buck.

jay blue

Spent one summer in Alaska flying Helicopter support for a group of surveyors in the Good News Bay area south of Bethel. Those that carried guns carried pump 12 gauges with either straight buck shot or a mixture of slugs and buck.

leeblackman

I think the 12ga shotgun would be the most economical way to go. But I really think those Marlin "Guide Guns" are nice. And I keep hearing about the new .450marlin, how its supposed to be reaching the ballistics close to that of the .458win mag. 12ga..416win mag.416rigby.444marlin.45/70gov.450marlin.458win magI'd definitly try to stay in the bigger caliber hard hitting bullets.

leeblackman

Of coarse you could never go wrong with a hand grenade...

rsnyder55

If you carried a 12 ga, you could get some of the bird popper loads and try to scare the bear off before having to try to put it down. I understand this is what they do with the polar bears in Canada.Additionally, they now market bear strength and sized cans of pepperspray that has been shown to be effective.

218Beekeep

Man,we don`t have any grizzlys if FLA,and I don`t mind sayin` I`m glad of it.I`d want somethin like a riot shotgun with ooBuck and slugs alternating as mentioned before,and a big bore revolver on my hip,cause I couldn`t trust any one gun around an animal of that caliber!!! Especialy one that holds so few rounds!!!You guys got ba!!$

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rsnyder55

If a shotgun won't stop it, I don't think a handgun, regardless of the bore, is going to help much.At least there aren't any alligators. My uncle owned a golf course in Florida which we played one day. Darned if one didn't come out of the pond and take off with my ball.

leeblackman

You could always find a female bear in heat to distract him while you run away...

ghotie_thumper

If you are planning on fishing, camping and sightseeing, do you really want to pack a 45-70 or a 338 around everywhere you go. Why not get a 454 casull or one of the even larger bore handguns, still much easier to manage fit in a shoulder holster. You might even have it on hand when you need it. Rather than the big rifles one would generally carry while actually hunting. JMHO.

Shootist3006

Get a large bore DUCKFOOT

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Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis

NEEDCOLD

The law in Alaska is that you cannot shoot a bear/moose/whatever unless it threatens your or someone else's life. Pure self defense.If a bear happens to be in your camp, don't just start shooting it unless it personally poses a threat (looks at you and gets out a fork, knife, and spoon).You have to let the animal tear all of your gear up, and then wait for it to come for you before you shoot it.That is why the locals use the 12 ga.It may very well kill a black bear (which are more of a nuisance), but are effective in warding off a grizzly (and have killed some young ones).The .45/70 is plenty for that, as the shot will be at a dangerously close range if it is needed; and it is easier to keep the muzzle on the bear than a .454. But the .454 is very effective on them.The .338 and above are for hunters who don't normally take a shot measured in feet, rather 100+ yards where the bullet will work the best on them.But to carry fishing while wading in the water, a .44 will do ok with the right loads (rifle is too clumsy). In camp, .45/70 seems to just kick a, I mean butt.Try your best to avoid the bears, its what the locals do. Chances are that you won't even see one.