Need Help on a 10 mm ..... Bear issues

I spend time up in the NC foothills and recently , we`ve been having some issues with black bear coming up on people`s decks , front porches etc . Coyotes are also beginning to be a problem with them coming up on decks and porches .... seems they have lost all fear of humans . This is a very rural area with the closet town 20 miles away and a whopping 4200 population , just what we wanted .
However , I have to take the dog out at night before bedtime and really would not wnat to surprise one , but it can happen . Not looking to hunt the bears/coyotes , just want something to stop them if I have to . I`m not looking for trouble , but want to have something to stop them if we can`t get away . Dog is a 100 lb Dobeman who thinks he`s invincible , but we all know better than that ..... also , he`s always on a leash at night and never left alone outside anytime .

I`m familiar with the Glock 10mm , but wondering if there is anything else out there I should consider .

So , you guys that have the 10`s , I`d like to know some pros and cons on what you use ..... all my stuff is either 9mm or .45 ..... thanks

There was another bear thread not too long ago. It contained a link to a webpage which listed and tracked bear shootings where a pistol was involved. I think they listed around 100 shootings involving just pistols. These involved shootings of both black and brown bear. If memory serves correct, it didn’t matter too much the caliber. Shot placement and ammo type I think played larger roles. They counted it a win if the pistol killed the bear or caused it to cease the attack and flee.

It left me with the feeling of carrying anything I can shoot accurately. And to use FMJ as opposed to hollow points. I would feel ok carrying a high capacity 9mm against black bear. Brown bear maybe not so much. Even with a red dot. Haha. Brown bears scare me.

Have you considered just picking a deep penetrating load for a pistol you are already proficient with? I live in an area with lots of black bear and don’t own any special bear gun.

For around a house I would much prefer keeping a long gun handy.

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Originally Posted by Todd.K

Have you considered just picking a deep penetrating load for a pistol you are already proficient with? I live in an area with lots of black bear and don’t own any special bear gun.

For around a house I would much prefer keeping a long gun handy.

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A friend forwarded this article to me and I found it quite interesting. I''m not claiming it's exhaustive or any kind of definitive proof of what caliber to use. I plan on adding a 10mm to my collection in the near future. But there is some wisdom in your suggestion I think

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/def...#axzz5OS0pKc1O

Buffalo Bore makes an ammo line called outdoorsman. It's a bullet designed to be used in common pistol calibers (9mm, 45, 40) against animals. If you google it, there are several stories where guides have used the round on bears. Hope this helps.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=388

I think based on your location, your problem is black bears.

I have a friend from the old days, that hunted black bears with his 1911. He handloaded some hard cast bullets and was good to go.

I think a good 10mm round like Leighi Defense penetrator from Underwood would do very well. I would have zero issues with carrying my 357sig and just switch from extreme defenders to extreme penetrators.

I now have black bear in my area (northern lower peninsula MI) and I originally planned on buying a 10mm. There are plenty of options, but the G20 seemed to be the best option (G40 mos if you want a RDO and long slide).

After more research though, it made more sense to me to just buy ammo for the 9mm I already carry made specifically for things like bear. So I purchased a few boxes of Underwood hard cast 9mm. It is loaded hot and it penetrates very deep. This kind of ammo has been confirmed to kill bear.

No doubt, the same ammo out of a 10mm would be better, but I would take +p+ hard cast 9mm over what is sitting on the shelf at a local store in 10mm (which is probably loaded like a 40). In the end, I think ammo selection is just as important as caliber.

I still might get a 10mm, but for now I feel pretty confident with my 9mm.

Soli Deo Gloria

If I were the OP I would load up some 200 g SWC @ about 900 fps in my 1911. I don't believe a black bear would know the difference between that and a 10mm

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Originally Posted by jesuvuah

I now have black bear in my area (northern lower peninsula MI) and I originally planned on buying a 10mm. There are plenty of options, but the G20 seemed to be the best option (G40 mos if you want a RDO and long slide).

After more research though, it made more sense to me to just buy ammo for the 9mm I already carry made specifically for things like bear. So I purchased a few boxes of Underwood hard cast 9mm. It is loaded hot and it penetrates very deep. This kind of ammo has been confirmed to kill bear.

No doubt, the same ammo out of a 10mm would be better, but I would take +p+ hard cast 9mm over what is sitting on the shelf at a local store in 10mm (which is probably loaded like a 40). In the end, I think ammo selection is just as important as caliber.

I still might get a 10mm, but for now I feel pretty confident with my 9mm.

Soli Deo Gloria

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This is basically my thought, although I like revolvers and have a couple 44 magnums that would be better suited for bear.

800+ lb black bears are not unheard of but they are not common and the average black bear weighs 250lb or less.

In the southeast, I worry more about snakes and people than bears.

Andy

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Originally Posted by 63Qcode

However , I have to take the dog out at night before bedtime and really would not wnat to surprise one , but it can happen . Not looking to hunt the bears/coyotes , just want something to stop them if I have to . I`m not looking for trouble , but want to have something to stop them if we can`t get away . Dog is a 100 lb Dobeman who thinks he`s invincible , but we all know better than that ..... also , he`s always on a leash at night and never left alone outside anytime .

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You ever try to shoot at something while that dog was pulling and you were trying to hold a leash?

How about trying to shoot while your dog was attacking some shit (and not hit your dog)?


I've got a pair of 100lb Dobermans and they can see better than me, hear better than me, run faster than me, and snatch a leash out of my hand (leash burns SUCK) in an instant 'if' they are determined enough.

I 'thought' I was being slick by tethering mine together (a dog on each end and me holding the leash in the middle) on a 30' lead so just in case one decides to bolt after something she would possibly be hindered by the weight of the dog on the other end and me holding in the middle...

A few nights ago went to take them on that last potty break of the night and I did not see the stray cat under the carport. Patience saw it. :) Jerked that lead out of my hand and drug her sister (across mine and the neighbors wet ass muddy yards) like she was nothing as she took off after that cat in 'kill' mode. :)

I also remember a time when I took them out and they both had pinch collars on and a stray dog was near the yard. I had a good tight wind up hold on the leash so they didn't pull it free from my hand but they BOTH really wanted that dogs ass - Drug me across the yard a good 50' before they registered the prong collars at all and eased up. No damn way I could have been trying to shoot at anything while that was happening. No freaking way.


Only suggestions I have is for you to perhaps go out first and scope out the yard for potential dangers first but... Unless you got night vision those dogs will still be able to see stuff you can't (and hear it or smell it). A fence perhaps??? Good gloves to protect against leash burns and always go out 'ready' to be 'out'. (appropriate shoes and clothes and such - It sucks to be drug across a wet yard in your socks :( )

https://i.imgur.com/iUzIPRd.jpg

Good luck! :)