I am planning a archery hunt in Grizzly country for next year, I already have a .357. Would you guys with experience around bears say that is adequate or would you get a larger revolver? I am a larger guy who can handle recoil from say a .44 but I already do have the .357 so if that is "good enough" I would probably just stick with it. I will probably be hunting alone so worst case scenario I atleast want the dumb bear to die with me...

i prefer .44...my .357 was like shooting a toy next to my .44. I sold my .357 to somebody on here. When dealing with blacks .357 is ok but I prefer the sheer stopping power of a .44 mag for griz.

I have not had to use my .44 in areas with Grizzlies or larger bears but for me....Win or lose in a large bear close confrontation the outcome will not be hindered by me lacking horsepower.

On another note, would it be legal to keep a dog in camp, bring him to the kill site when needed? Were I alone it sure would make me more comfortable.

Osky

The dog would be ideal, I am not sure on the legality they say the dog cannot help in any function on a big game hunt but it would be real nice to have him along to watch my back.

Exactly. Hikers can take dogs, fisherman can take dogs.....


Osky

I would draw the line at .41 mag,but prefer .44 or larger.For those who are proficient with a .44,a .480 is manageable and would be my top pick.

Dogs sometimes bring brown bears back to you. Not all brown bears will run from a dog.

Sawed off 12ga pump with slugs.

My comments are based upon spending a lot of time in both grizzly and brown bear country. Prepare for a problem, and hope it never happens. Do your thinking ahead of time and decide if it comes down to a problem, will you shoot a bear? Read up on the regs. Killing a grizzly will come with a large investigation about defense of life or defense of life or property whichever standard applies. There may be serious penalties for killing a grizzly if determined to be unwarranted. Likewise, getting mauled by a grizzly will come with a large investigation and serious penalties. I have come close, but have never fired a shot at a grizzly or brown bear.

The .357 is not enough gun to kill a grizzly bear dead in short order. Yes it can happen, but increase your odds.

Learn about bears and get comfortable in bear country. You need to determine if the risk is real or not. Some people cannot keep a level head. My buddy should not carry a gun for bear defense because every grizzly everywhere doing anything is posing imminent danger to him. He is terrified being in grizzly country - but he has a good reason. So he stays away from grizzly country.

Go with a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 mag or .454 casull. Use premium maximum power cartridges with penetrator hard cast bullets. They make an Alaskan model with a very short barrel to reduce weight and make it quicker handling. I like the fact that the shorter barrel takes away the leverage for the gun to be pushed aside. We already had ours before they came out with the stubby model. We should consider trading. Stay away from the cheapie brands - poor quality and poor reliability.

Taximan suggests the .480 which is a great cartridge, but I have no experience with it. It was not available when I bought ours. Today that may be my first choice.

Here is the most important part. PRACTICE. Get used to the gun, the holster, and shooting. Burn up some regular ammunition and then shoot the heavy stuff. Make sure that you can hit the exact spot the first time. Practice multiple shots - recovering from recoil and hitting accurately.

Carry the gun so no matter what you are doing at any time, it is accessible. Never pack it away or put any clothing over it.

You may wish to reduce recoil without adding length or weight. I used Magnaport. I requested that they use the dual port rifle style design - two per side. Very effective.

When and if someone razzes you about carrying a hand cannon, enjoy the security.

Best wishes.

sawed off any shorter than 18 inches here will get you in big trouble in the US.

but you can buy a 14 inch purchased as "firearm" so long as it has an overall length of 27 inches , problem is short 14 inch guns have small magazines.

for the original poster I would keep the 357 holstered just in case if you can't afford a bigger pistol and carry a pump shotgun full of slugs with 5 more in my pocket sling the bow on my back on the way in and out and hang the 12ga in the tree with me while the bow is in my hand.


in wanting a an animal stopped few things are as fast as you would like and few things come on target as fast as a shotgun you are familiar with or deliver as much kinetic energy and penetration.

Spent time on Kodiak Is over several years so have some bear exposure.. Willy firewood is right on and so are the BOY scouts—BE PREPARED.
One more axiom—use enough gun.

Shotgun trumps any and all under 30 yards!

.44 mag is on my hip at ALL times in grizz country. I stress at ALL times!

Shotgun is at hand whenever “hands free” isn’t a direct requirement.

That guide that got killed in WY is the exact situation where I’d have had the shotgun on point. Walking in to a 12 hour old kill site.


If I ever have to use a firearm on a grizz, I hope the shotguns in my hands and not the pistol!

I had a guy shoot a brown bear full in the chest at 15 yards with a 338 win mag. Took two more shots with the 338 and one with a 300 win mag to topple him for good. IMO your best defense is making a lot of noise when coming into a beary situation. Non-habituated bears don't want no part of humans, if they can avoid it.

Better yet approach the situation with the wind at your back.

Article about a mauling in 2010: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/24/ala...ar-attacks.html

Quote from AK Bio Rick Sinnott: “You have to be a very good shot or very lucky to stop a brown bear with a .357 Magnum."

The question isn’t “is it enough.” The question is, when your life is on the line, why would you want anything less than the best? A short shotgun is the preference for full-time bear guards, when they don’t need their hands. When I need to carry a handgun, there’s no point in messing with anything smaller than .41 mag like Taxman said, but at that point why not buy bigger.

.44 mag 340 gr (22 g) LFN +P+ Buffalo bore heavy 1,425 ft/s (434 m/s) 1,533 ft⋅lbf (2,078 J)

Shotgun slugs (12 gauge) achieve typical velocities of approximately 1800 fps for 1-oz. (437.5 grain) slugs, for an energy of over 3,100 ft-lbs (4200 J).

338 win mag This cartridge is able to push a 225-grain (14.6 g) bullet to velocities of 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s), generating 3,918 ft⋅lbf (5,312 J)

I never realized until right now that .44 mag has double the energy of .357, I thought the two were much more comparable. As far as carrying a shotgun and a bow plus gear, that is a big ask. I think I will begin the search for a quality .44.

a 44 is inadequate iMO...

any handgun is too small....

if you choose that the shotgun is too mush to ask, well, realize you arent that serious about being attacked or stopping it.
so, your 357 is fine.

If you are serious, then take the shotgun, or large caliber rifle, if that is legal.

Listen to people like DIRT, who have actual experience....

otherwise, skip the kids calibers and look at a 454 casull, 460 Smith, 480, 475 Linebaugh, 500 smith...

and bring bear spray. it'll be more effective, easier to carry and costs $40 instead of $1,000....

something belt fed would be my preference!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.454_Casull

If you cant find a way to carry a shotgun this ought to work.

I seen a pic once of a little old native lady(Bella Twin) in front of a massive griz(1953 world record) she shot and killed with a 22 single shot cooey ace.
Not my calibre of choice.