looking for a good gun for proctection in the wild.

While I would probably take a gun as a backup (again, sucks you guys can't have handguns) bear mace is the first thing I'd use. I watched a documentary the other day (Nat Geo maybe) and the guys were researching grizzly bears and got charged by one and had to kill it. Not gonna lie, pissed me off. Asshole move to go track down bears and expect one not to get pissed off at you and then you shoot it in self-defense....the kicker is the research was to prevent human-bear interactions.

 

they have the sub2k in canada...but iirc they have an 18 inch barrel instead of the 16inch we get in the us

 

.357 mag or .44. load either one with hollow points and you are good to go. they both have the advantage of being revolvers so they are very reliable and simple. the main advantage to the 357 is you can practice with 38 special which is considerable cheaper. it is also slightly easier to handle for a follow up shot

 

Revolvers ain't gonna work for the OP

 

oh ok. i did not read the entire thread. forget what I said then

 

No , I'm sure it's a valid point , just saying the OP is in Canada which rules out revolvers for him

 

ah I see... I do not know Canadian rules. Do they allow shotguns there?

 

yes

 

How about a Marlin lever action, say 1894 carbine in .44mag or maybe a 1895 in 45/70?

Both can be quite portable and the 1895 has been a good Guide Gun in the past.

Winchester or Rossi are a couple of other brands for good levers.


Yuma Taco,

 

I would second this. a 45-70 or a 30-30. both are mean rounds that allow for a quick follow up shot through a rifle. lever actions tend to be short and have open sights that are great for snap shots. I would chose this over a shotgun mainly because of size of the weapon and weight once fully loaded. the advantage of shotguns over one of these are you dont have to aim "dead on" to hit what you are aiming at

 

That REALLY does suck. Down here we have to worry about wild boars and when you encounter one of them, you head up a tree. Not so easy with a rifle, and once up a tree, a handgun helps take care of the boar. Not that you would want to try to climb a tree with the threat of a bear. Lol.

I heard a story once of a Wildlife officer who had to spray a charging bear. Turned out it blinded the bear but the momentum was already up and the bear ran him over, severly injuring him.

More like screaming like a little girl at a Justin Beiber concert. Lol. That would scare anyone away.

 

dunno if you saw that vid I linked but dunno if that situation would be that simple. It was split second. Hehe.

 

I saw some pretty nasty pics of a "victim" found half eaten, still holding his 38 revolver emptied out in his dead hand. That was a few years ago, but it definately made a point about bears and what does NOT work. That's for sure.

 

I would carefully evaluate the circumstances. It is a given that there will be no timely police assistance in remote areas when it comes to two legged monsters. If you mostly will be in a vehicle with relatively short journeys away from the vehicle, then compact rifle or shotgun are workable choices. But for long remote hikes, that is going to be less practical and a powerful handgun would be better IMO.

Just speaking for myself, if it comes to a law that could put me, an innocent citizen, in danger from criminals, I would have to weigh very carefully the risks involved with breaking that law vs the risks of not being able to carry suitable protection.

 

.270 for longshots, .223 for midrange, .45 for oh shit moment, bayonette attatched to ar15 for the **** me moment. I use to have a Mossberg 500 (former Pittsburg Police gun), it was 18.5" with pistolgrip rear and composite front. It worked great for having it slung on my backpack and was easy to pull to shoot. I kept it with 00 and nitro slugs.....

 

Nice post. I hadn't seen that before.

My vote goes for .44 mag revolver (not available in Canada), so a lever action .44 mag rifle would be choice #2.

 

This entire thread may be setting a record for the TW Misinformation Award....and that's saying alot.
OP, IF you are charged by a grizz, you are not going to kill it before it does damage to you, unless you disable it's central nervous system immediately.
A mad, agressive bear, full of adrenalin is not going down.
Pump shotgun with buckshot will not kill a bear quickly if at all....you can only hope to hit it in the face and get the bear disoriented long enough to get away.
Levergun in 45-70 is another good option.
Bear spray was said to be 100% effective in an earlier post.....get a can and spray it upwind (15 knot wind)at a target 10 meters away...why 10 meters and why upwind?...That's the reality of being outdoors, and you don't have the luxury of choosing the direction of your target.
See what happens when you spray it upwind.

 

You got it backwards.
Grizzlies kick your ass.
Blackies eat you.

 

Yer kiddin, right?

 

Hilarious, but entertaining.
Ever consider the difference btw a bear eating grass that gets hit with a bullet compared to a pissed off, defensive bear with fight on it's mind?
KB, you are reliable.