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Backcountry Hunting Podcast

Best Bear-Stopping Guns

Backcountry Hunting Podcast

Joseph von Benedikt

Backcountry, Rifle, Deer, Podcast, Elk, Mountain, Sports, Hunt, Wilderness, Cartridge, Hunting

4.91.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2023

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Folks, I think we often miss the mark when we talk about guns for defense against trouble bears. It's crucial to keep in mind that although a handgun or a deer rifle is far better than nothing and is sometimes the only option, they're still a distant second-best to powerful big-bore guns.
This 5-minute episode details three top choices for actually STOPPING a charging bear. Not just killing it, but preventing it from killing you.
We're filming these brief bonus episodes, so if you'd like to put eyes on the rifles showcased in this episode, please join us on www.patreon.com/backcountry .
ENJOY!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Barry guns are always a popular topic, but such discussions are rarely focused on a question that could save or lose your life.

0:13.0

That question is this, what is the best bear stopping gun, or say three of the best.

0:20.0

Our rapid-fire five minute episode today is on three capable guns that I consider

0:25.8

likely to actually stop a charging bear. Now these aren't convenient to carry

0:32.2

guns. They're not the best load for your dear rifle,

0:36.0

bear guns. The idea here is stopping charging bears. Because always remember folks, there's a big difference between just trying to

0:45.5

kill a bear and trying to stop a bear that's trying to kill you. Now all three of

0:50.6

these guns are hard hitters, all are fast handling, and all are reliable.

0:57.2

The first is going to be a big bore lever action.

1:00.0

And yet this is a type, not a specific model or chambering.

1:04.0

It's going to be short but high capacity.

1:07.0

You don't want just four rounds on tap.

1:10.0

A Marlon trapper or a guide gun is ideal.

1:14.0

Winchester 1886 Carbone is ideal.

1:17.9

You're gonna have this Carbone chambered for big bar cartridges

1:21.8

such as a 4570, 4590, a 450 Marlon, 450 Alaskan, 475

1:28.8

Turnbull and so forth. And that cartridge will be loaded with heavy controlled expansion bullets, particularly

1:37.0

in big coastal brown bear country. You probably want a hard-cast flat-nosed heavy bullet for

1:45.7

grizzly and black-bear country something like a monomettle bullet in Barnes

1:49.9

vortex or pioneer ammunition. Next will be a big bore bolt action. It's got to be of a

1:57.8

controlled feed design just to help the human behind the rifle avoid malfunctions.

2:04.8

Winchester Model 70, anything based on a Mouser 98 type design.

...

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