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


I think it makes a huge difference what bear you are talking about. Even in black bears, there's that 200 pound juvenile in Maine or that 600 pound 10 year old in the Colorado Rockies. You would be hard pressed to stop that monster with a 9mm handgun.
 

When I was a 12 year old kid on the farm in Michigan's Upper Peninsula my Mom scared away a black bear that was coming down the hill towards me by banging on a pan with a wooden spoon while screaming and hollering.

If a bear were after me again I'd use whatever I had with me including a pan and spoon, a .22, a 9mm, or just a sharp stick. But if I had any choice in the matter I would much prefer to make sure I am not where the bear is in the first place regardless of what I had to fight with.
 
Don't bears have a skull that averages about an inch thick? I was always told the bullet would just richocet if you shot them in the head.
 
Don't bears have a skull that averages about an inch thick? I was always told the bullet would just richocet if you shot them in the head.

Yes, very thick skulls. A head shot is not likely to bring them down. Grizzly skulls are even thicker than black bear skulls.
 
If all I had was my 9 MM that is what I would use. You mean to tell me if I pumped 18 Hollow Points into a black bear it wouldn't at least slow it down?
 
If all I had was my 9 MM that is what I would use. You mean to tell me if I pumped 18 Hollow Points into a black bear it wouldn't at least slow it down?

Not even a bit. Once a bear has made the decision to charge, pain will not stop it, especially minor pain from a 9mm JHP hit. Bear meat is dense and a 9mm JHP will not penetrate much. It won't break any bones or though the skull. Also, if a bear attacks you, you won't even be able to shoot 18 rounds, let alone have 18 hits. Bears are fast. You get a few rounds off, make them count in terms of caliber and hits.
 
From TTAG | Alaskan Hiker Stops Charging Brown Bear with 10mm Handgun:

The 10mm is increasingly popular as a wilderness defense gun in Alaska. Fully loaded it’s as light — and a bit more powerful than — a loaded, small frame .357 magnum. The GLOCK 20 holds 15 rounds versus five or six for a .44 or .41 magnum revolver. In this case near Homer, Alaska, on the Kenai peninsula, it did the job.

From homernews.com:

A Homer man shot and killed a charging sow brown bear at Humpy Creek last Friday. Kim Woodman, 57, shot the bear five times with a 10mm handgun before the bear fell about 6 feet from him. While backing away from the sow, Woodman fell and accidentally shot himself in the left foot . . .

Park Ranger Jason Okuly and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Jason Herreman went to the scene and found that the sow died from two gunshot wounds, one below the right eye and one in the chest.

Backing away from an attacking animal or person is natural and can be effective. But without eyes in the back of your head, falling down while backing away can be a serious danger. To clarify, consider this . . .

You’re backing away as an 800-lb bear is charging you at close range. You’re firing a 10mm handgun. You trip, but you stay focused on the threat, firing as you go down. As you press the trigger, your foot flies up into the line of fire as your back goes down to the ground — a case where over-penetration could work to your ultimate advantage.

It’s not uncommon for people in self defense situations to inadvertently wound themselves or others. The action is often fast and chaotic. The trick is to keep your eyes on the prize: survival.

Tip: If you don't carry a medical trauma kit, you might just not survive the aftermath and bleed out.
 
Two proven examples above of the 9mm being effective against both grizzly and brown bears. Again my thoughts are that a 9mm will have better velocity, barrier penetration and capacity abilities. My Sig P226 Legion uses a 20 round mag + 1 in the pipe which would give me bout 3 times the capacity over most larger caliber limits. If the damn thing aint incapacitated after 21 shots....
 
Sickening.

That sounded like a submachine gun in the Russian footage.

I doubt you carry one of those around with you.
 
Two proven examples above of the 9mm being effective against both grizzly and brown bears. Again my thoughts are that a 9mm will have better velocity, barrier penetration and capacity abilities. My Sig P226 Legion uses a 20 round mag + 1 in the pipe which would give me bout 3 times the capacity over most larger caliber limits. If the damn thing aint incapacitated after 21 shots....

Though you may prevail, if it's charging you will be unlikely to get 21 rounds on target as it runs faster than a racehorse.
 
Though you may prevail, if it's charging you will be unlikely to get 21 rounds on target as it runs faster than a racehorse.

If a bear is charging you better get your azz up a tree.

Once you get up the tree then you'll have plenty of time to waste ammo from up there.
 
Yes shots can miss from any caliber which would make it even more advantageous in having 3 times the capacity

Again, good luck. Having been on the receiving end of this one in my youth, I would not want anything smaller than a .45 in hand, and even then I would expect to be mauled before it's over.

As I stated before, I struck the bear 7 times with a 30-30 and it barely slowed. Every shot hit its mark, and in the analysis afterward, most simply imbedded in heavy muscle tissue and did little damage - nothing that would have killed the bear quickly.

Though he would have likely bled out eventually. I would not have survived without my hunting partner being in the right place at the right time.
 

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