Would you go against a black bear with a 9mm?


After spending a considerable amount of my life in 'bear country' here is my words of wisdom. First there are NO grizzly bears in California. Now a 357 magnum will work on a Black bear BUT shot placement is everything! Better is a 44 mag or if you can handle the recoil a 500 Smith. But recoil recovery takes time and with the 357 you MIGHT be able to shoot multiple times. Bear spray is better because it does not require an exact 'shot' and is usually effective. Bear spray also gets you off the hook legally as you do not have to explain to a ranger why you killed a bear out of season. My advice is carry both bear spray and a gun. Oh and good luck getting a CCW in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia, if you get a CCW get a lotto ticket too as you would be a very lucky man.
 

It's a fairly heavy gun, I suppose with a well aimed throw you could hit the bear on the nose and he'd surely back off!

But seriously, check out Bear Defense Spray, I think you will have a much better chance hitting with that and it having the desired effect.
 
I live in TN. and hike in the great smokie mountian park, there are black bears in the park and I carry my 1911 45 acp and bear spray. If a bear attacks I will try the spray first. I agree that a 44 mag is the minimum handgun for bear I don't own one, so my 1911 is a last resort.(I carry the 1911 for two legged predators)
 
I wish you luck in getting a ccw where you are using the reason "Fear of Bears". If you do get a ccw for that reason you need to let the other California folks know.

Bear Recognition 101

If you climb a tree when you see a bear, if it is a black bear it will climb up after you...if it is a grizzly bear it will shake the tree until you fall out.
 
You can shoot a bear with a 9mm, but you must first file down the front site nice and flat and smooth...this way when you shoot him and he takes it away from you and stuffs it up your a$$, it wont hurt as bad.
 
First...ditch the Hi-Point. My first gun was a Hi-Point C9 9mm, and they are unreliable, a chore to clean and field-strip.

I know...some swear by Hi-Points. They have a lifetime guarantee, just send it back it there's a problem, blah, blah, blah.

The fact is that no other handgun has as many negative reviews as Hi-Point. Why trust your life to anything that has so many speaking ill of it?

Spend...the...money. Get a decent, reliable weapon with a good reputation. Just do it.

Ditch the Hi-Point.

First, I owned THREE hi-points. The .380, 9mm and .40. All three were excellent firearms that performed beautifully and accurately for me. I carried my 9mm compact as my EDC for the first 2 1/2 years after getting my CPL, so yes - I trusted my life with it. These days, for ease of carry, the XD-S .45 is my EDC, but one of the many brands of firearm I sell is the hi-point, and I recommend and sell them without hesitation.

Having said that, no, I would not want to go up against a bear with a 9mm no matter HOW trustworthy the firearm is. For black bear, the smallest caliber I want is .45 ACP; In grizzly country, I want at least a .454 casull.

As for the OP's 9mm hi-point, I would tell him to keep it and use it for what it is - a good, inexpensive, and reliable firearm.

And for the record, here are links to some hi-point reviews from reputable sources:

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Counterpoint: Kevin Smith Re-Reviews the Hi-Point C-9 | The Truth About Guns
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Ok, new to the forum, and relatively new to handguns. Had a Glock 22 about 13 years ago when I lived in Louisiana, but got rid of it when I moved out of state.

Anyhow, I now live near Los Angeles. Recently my father gave me a Hi Point C9 9mm. I do a lot of hiking in the mountains around here and have never seen a bear, but didn't care since I was single and figured I could deal with it. But, now that I have a wife and 2 small children, and a 3rd on the way, I'm thinking ” what if we do meet a bear and he ain't happy?)

So, figured I could get a CCW and carry my 9mm with me just in case. But, would a 9mm be enough to stop a bear? If not, what would you recommend? A .40SW like I used to have?

I hunt bear and use a .30-06 rifle. I would not use a .243 rifle against a bear, let alone a 9mm, unless it was a pistol with a longer barrel chambered in something akin to the .44 or .500 (and yes, .40 and .357 won't do the trick either). Bear hides are thick and their muscle is dense. The penetration you get in human flesh with a pistol is not the same penetration you would see with bear.

If you are worried about bear while hiking in the Kommiefornia, then I would carry bear spray and a bell on your clothes. A bell??? You have to be kidding me right???? No, I'm dead serious. Bears, especially black bears, avoid humans when and if possible. The rare exception is when they perceive you to be a threat to their young or their food. If you wear a bell while hiking, it will make enough noise to alert the bear without startling them. The bell is a rather common thing among the hiking community in bear country. The bear spray is for when that doesn't work.

I'd keep the 9mm for the human predators you may encounter.

Bear Bell - Simply attach to clothing or a backpack to deter animals
 
Another nogo opinion on the 9mm.

Personally, I'd carry a flashlight. But that decision would depend on making noise, and how fast I could carry the flashlight...

...seriously, the bear spray sounds like an excellent idea if too close for comfort.
 
The smallest I would go is my .357 magnum with high powered self-defense loads. And just a piece of advice use that junk Hi-Point for the practice range only. When your life or the life of yours depend on it go to the Glock or something of similar Quality.
 
Another vote for bear spray but there is bear spray and there is BEAR SPRAY

I fish every year in Alaska and every year I buy a new can of the UDAP spray (Can't take it on the plane, even in checked luggage). Every year the other guys haul the fish and I'm on point with the spray in hand ready to squeeze it as we hike back to the plane. I've had 2 occasions to use it over the last 15 years and it worked like a charm.

One time I didn't have my spray handy I was fishing on the Kenai and another fisherman was about 20 upstream from me. A cub, (brown bear = grizzly) came down and started eating one if his fish. He snapped it on the nose with his fly rod (much to my horror) and the cub sat back and started Wahh, wahh. Mommy came over the top of the hill, only touching it once on the way down. The idiot (whom I will run over in my car if I ever see him again) jumped into the fast water to save himself. Luckily for him a boat was coming down and they had his arm as they went around the corner so I assume he was fine. Me? I was 20 feet downwind from a furious, slobbering Sow. I became a tree. She finally swatted her cub which really set him off howling and she followed him up the hill.

My point? Billy the kid on his best day could not have put a bullet into her before she slaughtered him. It happened unbelievably fast. From the time she appeared over the hill to when she was standing at the edge of the deep fast water was MUCH less than a second. Bear spray - the really good, nasty stuff is your best weapon.

By the way, a joke up there is a question. Do you know how to tell black bear scat from grizz scat? The grizz scat has bells in it and smells like pepper.

A final note. When going on a bear hunt the guide told us to snap the holster on our 44's in case we needed them. I asked why as it would slow down access. His reason was that the bear, if met in close quarters will knock you down regardless. If you handgun is snapped in it won't be knocked away when you hit the ground and as long as the bear has not bitten off or is sitting on your arm you still can draw and empty it into the bear, giving you a slight chance of survival.

Bear spray, the good stuff. Big pattern at fairly close quarters.
 
Well, if I was out in the wilds, and I have a bear looking at me for lunch and I had my 9MM with me as I always do, damn right I'd use it. Like anything else, it's how accurate you are, like putting one (or more) in its brain. My 9MM holds 17+1 and I use hollow points.
We're talking Black Bear, not Kodiak Grizzly.
 
Depends on the size of the bear and what he's up to. I get them around my blueberry's in late summer. Generally I can just scoot them away. Even a big guy just lumbers off. I notice they move away for a distance and often stand on their hind legs. Some people think that's aggression but they're just gathering scent. I think some of them have become too comfortable with human contact. Your first warning from a blacky is grunts or snapping his jaw (chomping). Your second warning is if he faces you down. Your third warning is when he starts hopping up and down on his front legs. If he starts to follow or track you he'll meander from left to right as he follows. Don't turn your back or run. Keep at a 45 degree angle, avoid direct eye contact, wave your hands and make a lot of noise. If there are more than one of you stay close together.
.
I found this list of fatal black bear attacks and was surprised at how many people have been killed by one.
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America#Black_bear
 
I fish every year in Alaska and every year I buy a new can of the UDAP spray (Can't take it on the plane, even in checked luggage). Every year the other guys haul the fish and I'm on point with the spray in hand ready to squeeze it as we hike back to the plane. I've had 2 occasions to use it over the last 15 years and it worked like a charm.

The founder of UDAP is himself a bear attack survivor, his story appears in the book Mark of the Grizzly
 
Well, if I was out in the wilds, and I have a bear looking at me for lunch and I had my 9MM with me as I always do, damn right I'd use it. Like anything else, it's how accurate you are, like putting one (or more) in its brain. My 9MM holds 17+1 and I use hollow points.
We're talking Black Bear, not Kodiak Grizzly.

You maynot even reach the brain with them hollow points. FMJ would be the better choice in the wild. HP were designed to stop ppl and limit over penetration. They most likely won't penetrate the bones of big game. FMJ may do it a lot easier
 

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