4 ms·

Killing the bear isn't the objective, stopping it from killing you is,the same goes for legitimate self-defense against humans. And it turns out that's frequen

by dfrage 7y ago

Killing the bear isn't the objective, stopping it from killing you is,the same goes for legitimate self-defense against humans. And it turns out that's frequently possible, even with human self-defense handgun calibers. You might discourage the bear with a wound, pain is a great motivator and works half the time with humans, but for bears disrupting a shoulder for example works well. Here's one study of 63 cases with 95% success rate: https://www.ammoland.com/2019/03/pistols-or-handguns-used-to-defend-against-bear-attack-95-effective-63-cases/ https://www.ammoland.com/2019/03/pistols-or-handguns-used-to... And in serious bear country, serious people carry serious long guns, a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs, or a centerfire rifle with a significant payload. And it's easier to shoot those well under stress.

kalenx 7y ago
Yes, I can also google "can you kill grizzly bears with a handgun" and look at the first result. And I can also google "pepper spray bear success", which tells me that: > "Red pepper spray stopped bears’ undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90% for black bears, and 100% for polar bears. > Of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters. Which then raises the question: which deterrent is the most successful, gun or pepper spray? > And in serious bear country, serious people carry serious long guns, a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs, or a centerfire rifle with a significant payload. And it's easier to shoot those well under stress. Source? Sure, I guess it's "safer", but also way less practical in many situations. 99% of the time, just making noise and let the bear do its stuff without bothering him suffice to avoid any issue.
- thomasz 7y ago
  She was ambushed from grizzly bear hiding six feet from her path. If that happens, you are dead, no matter what.
  - dfrage 7y ago
    Way inside Tueller Drill range (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill), if the grizzly disabled her in the first blow her situation was indeed impossible. If not, and that's reported by some survivors, depending on what was hit and how a handgun was holstered, a handgun is a lot more ergonomic than a spray can, for example in pointing, it would have given her a better chance to strike a counter blow.

by dfrage 7y ago

kalenx 7y ago

Yes, I can also google "can you kill grizzly bears with a handgun" and look at the first result. And I can also google "pepper spray bear success", which tells me that: > "Red pepper spray stopped bears’ undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90% for black bears, and 100% for polar bears. > Of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters. Which then raises the question: which deterrent is the most successful, gun or pepper spray? > And in serious bear country, serious people carry serious long guns, a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs, or a centerfire rifle with a significant payload. And it's easier to shoot those well under stress. Source? Sure, I guess it's "safer", but also way less practical in many situations. 99% of the time, just making noise and let the bear do its stuff without bothering him suffice to avoid any issue.

thomasz 7y ago
She was ambushed from grizzly bear hiding six feet from her path. If that happens, you are dead, no matter what.
- dfrage 7y ago
  Way inside Tueller Drill range (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill), if the grizzly disabled her in the first blow her situation was indeed impossible. If not, and that's reported by some survivors, depending on what was hit and how a handgun was holstered, a handgun is a lot more ergonomic than a spray can, for example in pointing, it would have given her a better chance to strike a counter blow.