AR Grizzly Medicine...

[J-Dub]

Bottom line, I think with Brown bears or Grizzlys bigger is better.

Yes Im sure both have been killed with the 30-30 or 38-55, but I'd rather play it safe or have someone backing me up with magnum/big bore instead of becoming bear shit.

375H&H, 45-70, ect

[DDM4LV1]

Denali can have his opinion, I can have mine. I've seen video of a charging bear getting smoked by a lucky guy at 10 feet with a .338 Win Mag. It was dead right there. They were videoing a final stalk on a moose when the bear burst from the brush.

One of my best friends killed a charging sow brown bear with a single shot from a .340 WBY... the entrance wound was through the top of her head and exited the mid line of the bear about 1/2 way back of the rib cage. The bear died and knocked him over while skidding to a stop.

People have beaten bears to the punch, but you'd better be throwing a big punch.

Perhaps Denali was talking percentages, overall..close charges and as you even said "lucky" (or not)...I have been told by those who have been charged, ( other forums in the last few hours)...that you are :lucky", really lucky to even shoulder the rifle and get ONE shot off and it better be dead on CNS, or you WILL be mauled as the bear with a bullet thru the heart /lungs or whatever, does not yet know he is dead and has quite a few minutes to tear you up...?
You said it "lucky" shot.
Your friend's kill, perhaps the exception...?
Who knows, unless we had data on 1,000 bear charges?

Bottom line is , now I am rethinking going out EVER, in bear country with and AR of ANY caliber, fun as it may be and viable for most all other game around!

[DDM4LV1]

From what I know from bear hunters and those that work with a high possibility of encountering bears (guides and such), deep penetration is essential. Nothing in the 5.56 genre is really suitable to stop a determined bear without CNS hits. Optimal performance in humans is significantly different than optimal performance in bear-sized threats. They prefer to step up in levels of magnitude to 45-70 and better, and the "why" makes sense to me.

Would a really good bullet design, loaded "hot" break down a charging bear "mechanically", say like 3 rounds fired quick into his shoulder?
So as to slow it down & give more time for a CNS shot to finish it.

What do you think?

[Vash1023]

id say forget the AR for a bear and take a "BEAR" caliber revolver.

i carry a 45/70 govt with the hornady lever evolution rounds.

havent meet an animal that thing couldnt put down.

[AKDoug]

Leverution rounds are not designed with deep penetration on big bear sized targets. They are good rounds, but not what you need for bears.

That said, I live in bear country. I've had them in my yard, in the back of my pickup truck, and in between the buildings at my hardware store. I spend plenty of time unarmed or armed with no more than my CCW pistol. My kids go out all night and fish without anything more than their wits. Bear maulings are still pretty rare when you factor in how many hours people spend in bear country.

[J-Dub]

id say forget the AR for a bear and take a "BEAR" caliber revolver.

i carry a 45/70 govt with the hornady lever evolution rounds.

havent meet an animal that thing couldnt put down.

You want hard cast, not lever evolution. Something like Buffalo Bore.

[Campbell]

Using some common sense, and having some respect for your AO will keep you out of alot of trouble...big bears included.

[Failure2Stop]

Would a really good bullet design, loaded "hot" break down a charging bear "mechanically", say like 3 rounds fired quick into his shoulder?
So as to slow it down & give more time for a CNS shot to finish it.

What do you think?

I wouldn't bet my life on it.
Bears are NOT the primary threat I know how to reliably reduce.
I wholly defer to those that have experience in the matter.

[sinister]

"Back in the day" (late 1970s and early 1980s) if you were to jump and train in Alaska, two guys in the squad turned in their M16A1s and drew M14s.

There's a reason the locals carry 12-gauges; 30 (and bigger) rifles; and 10mm, 44, and 45 handguns.

[M67A2 Zippo Tank]

Bears are heavily armored animals, they have lots of bone, muscle, and fat; and hollowpoints tend not to work very well against like things, too. You need soft nosed ammo or ball for facing down a bear.

Your rifle must work. Bears rush very quickly, you will not have time to work a manually-operated rifle for a second shot. I'd take a quality 7.62x39mm AK with a muzzle brake. If rushed by a bear, I would then shoot it to the ground, and I don't care how many shots it takes, too.

There is a difference between hunting and self defense shooting. Learn the difference and live.