Don't usually do this....but

[dao]

I usually stay well away from caliber debates, ie wars, because I'll typically carry or use what gives me confidence in being able to protect myself. And I like to think I'm a good enough shot to be able to take advantage of and reap the benefits of good shot placement, so I have possibly a bit more confidence than some others might. And maybe more than I've a right to, but that's for another debate.

But in another thread in which I was a bit dismayed about the idea that there does not seem to be enough hammer fired choices these days someone brought up the fact, (and I'm paraphrasing here), that today's 9mm cartridges are entirely capable of narrowing or even eliminating the gap between itself and .45 (or your favorite caliber here), cartridges. And while that may very well be entirely true, a thought occurred to me in the form of a question. If the 9mm is now on an even par with the .45 why is it that there never seems to be a 9mm recommended for bear country?

I don't want to start yet another caliber war here. If the answer to that is simply, "because bears and humans are not comparable in size or weight and therefore one cannot expect a 9mm round, or even 17 of them, to effectively stop a charging bear", then that's all I need to hear and I'll consider it answered. Thank you!

Oh, and Greg and/or Bawanna, since I started this, if that answer comes up right away it would be perfectly fine by me to see this thread locked to prevent it from turning into World War 9(mm). Thanks!

[DavidR]

I’m pretty sure one round of 9mm flat nosed hard cast through an eye socket will take the fight out of Yogi.

[dao]

You may be right, but most of us are not that good a shot, or calm and cool enough to make that shot on a charging bear. So I don't think that answer is going to persuade many Alaskans to give up their 10mm or .45 when hiking in the bush.

[DavidR]

You may be right, but most of us are not that good a shot, or calm and cool enough to make that shot on a charging bear. So I don't think that answer is going to persuade many Alaskans to give up their 10mm or .45 when hiking in the bush.

Most definitely.

I didn’t think that anyone was recommending 45 as a bear load. 357 or 10mm for smaller bear and 44 mag and up for larger bear.

[dao]

I think that a fair number of folks carry a .45 in bear country. Of course there are some folks who think that the .45 is the only round that matters. I'm not one of them, but just sayin'

[Bawanna]

If I was wandering bear country I would not carry a 45. Nor a 357 and certainly not a 9mm. It would be a 44 mag minimum and preferably my Henry 45/70, so I guess I would carry a 45 after all.

Back in my leg days hunting I always carried a 44 mag sidearm. This before handgun hunting was legal in this state.

[getsome]

First thing is I really like your new Sig P227 pistol, probably the best SA/DA pistol ever made and it's a .45 acp so what's not to like....Lets face it, for. bear country no pistol caliber is going to be enough for large bears but a good choice might be a short barreled .44 mag Ruger revolver loaded up with hard cast 240 grain or heavier semi wadcutters which might work if the bear got on top of you before you could get away......Hand guns are tools nothing more and every one has a job....A good solid hit with a .380 is better than a miss with a .454 Casull any day although I only carry .380 when there's no way to carry anything better.....The .45 acp is probably the best man stopper pistol round you can buy and if you can carry one and shoot it well, it's a winner.....It's true that modern 9mm ammo works so much better than the old school stuff from the 80's and I carry my PM9 everywhere loaded up with Sig V-Crown 124 grain ammo and don't feel under gunned at all....The few times where I had to go into an area where I felt more might be needed I belt carried a S&W Shield .45 (covered of course) along with the PM9 in a pocket and I was more than ready....For bedside table I keep a full size M&P 9mm loaded up with 17 rounds and a really bright Streamlight ProTac flashlight because if a bad guy shows up in the middle of the night I'm not going to be at my best by a long shot and I like having lots of bullets and something to try and blind the guy with while I try to convince him he chose the wrong house.....Hand guns are like anything else, one size does not fit all, if all you can shoot is a .22 pistol well fine, better than a stick and if you can carry and shoot a full size .45 acp that's even better but the trick is to find something that fits your hand and you are able to comfortably shoot then practice, practice, practice until you can make holes where you are aiming....

[dao]

^^^Excellent post, thank you

[AJBert]

I talked with a fella from Wyoming a few years back and from what he told me, if you are out in the woods with a sidearm with anything less than a .41 mag you could receive a citation. This does not mean that if you are not carrying that you will receive said citation, though. I took it to mean that the state of Wyoming does not want the bears shot with a caliber most likely not to kill the animal. Only thing meaner than a wounded bear is getting between a mama bear and her cubs. Hopefully, someone from Wyoming can confirm or deny the .41 mag or larger part.

And there is no way I would shoot a bear with a .45 acp. Not sure I would want to try it on a wolf, either. Them critters can get big and mean, usually travel in packs, too.

[Funflyer]

Caliber war threads are stopped like bear attacks. 500 Magnum, Bam! One shot.