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What would you choose against a grizzly?

Johnny Stiletto

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Ok, a random scenario question:

You are taking a hike in the woods by yourself and you come across a startled, full grown grizzly bear in an open meadow. The bear is about 100 yards away and approaching you fast.

You are caught off guard and you only have time to pull out one of two weapons you have on you; a 9mm with 20 rounds between two magazines, or a samurai sword (yeah, you weren't prepared and you just happen to carry weird stuff in the woods).

Which one do you take your chances with and why? What strategy would you use with your weapon of choice? Remember, you can't use both.
 

R a Z o R

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I'd go to Mexico and buy a direct from Russian Full Automatic Assault Weapon and pollute the air with lead .

If we can get a ride and some people to go in with us maybe even a case of Chinese ...... Surface to Air Missiles , aka S.A.M.s . for pesos .

I've heard a ballon filled with monogahela water can stop one too .
 

Prophet

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Thats a very random (and very good) question.

Being skilled in both firearms and kenjutsu I will give you this answer.

I would try to climb a tree. If the bear comes to the tree he will have to lift up and take a few whacks to knock it down offering up either the front or back of his neck. I would pop 20 rounds of 9 into him and hope it would do the trick. The problem with this of course is that huge ball of muscle that is located at its shoulders so i hoping for him to stand up so i can get a shot on the underside or a side shot if he circled.

Most likely 20 shots will just annoy him and hopefully he will just go away...but maybe its enough to kill him.

Now, the sword is a trickier weapon. Despite what cartoons and movies depict the katana is traditionally a one shot one kill weapon. Samurai were calvary fighters and would ride into battle and would use the slight curved katana to wade through the enemy.

Standing still, with a 1500 lb animal charging you have one shot to get a deep enough slash to stop the bear but you would have to side-step it and hope for the neck because the skull is thick and may stop or deflect the blade and the muscle on the back of the neck is so thick it may stop the sword from penetrating. Unless you are some Iaido master you will not be getting a second slash in.

For grizzies im going up a tree, or if not up a tree crouched down for a underbelly shot, and unloading 20 rounds in and hoping for the best. The animal is too massive to effectively stop with a single sword slash. Maybe some kind of naginata or lance that i could secure into the ground and have the bear use his own force to impale itself upon might work but the katana would be better against a pack of wolves or puma.
 

Citizen

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R a Z o R wrote:
SNIP If we can get a ride and some people to go in with us maybe even a case of Chinese ...... Surface to Air Missiles , aka S.A.M.s . for pesos .
Grizzly bears fly!?! Jesus! That gives a whole new meaning to the word "airstrike."

That does it. I will never walk in the woods again without first establishing air superiority over the theater of operations.

:D
 

R a Z o R

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Shotgun to the first " Stuckey's " .

The Dolly Lama and I shared a pecan bar once and I got that going for me if the grizzly bear eats me .

On the trip we can see who knows the most candyadvertisement songs like ... Sometimes you feel like a nut yea yea yea .

You know I dreamed about this once . Two grizzly bears were coming right at me . First I stood my ground . Second I yelled UnGawa UnGawa. Next I told them that I wasthe boss Bawana. Then I woke up .

Citizen ... I will be the other big toe when you're not here . :idea:

 

KAHR54

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MarkMathenysm.gif


This guy got attacked and started his own product to deter bears. I also have seen other sites where sprays are purported to work better than bullets.

http://www.udap.com/



Muldoon
 

Jizzzle

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i think the tree is a good idea, the bigger the better..

i think penetration is the main issue with 9mm or the sword vs the bear. neither are gonna do the job sufficiently.
 

Dispatcher

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Mar 1, 2009
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Location
Virginia, , USA
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Johnny Stiletto wrote:
Ok, a random scenario question:

You are taking a hike in the woods by yourself and you come across a startled, full grown grizzly bear in an open meadow. The bear is about 100 yards away and approaching you fast.

You are caught off guard and you only have time to pull out one of two weapons you have on you; a 9mm with 20 rounds between two magazines, or a samurai sword (yeah, you weren't prepared and you just happen to carry weird stuff in the woods).

Which one do you take your chances with and why? What strategy would you use with your weapon of choice? Remember, you can't use both.
If you are carrying for defense against predators you need something with power.

I would not carry a 9mm in the woods.....

Grizzly vs .454 Caliber?

.454 > Grizzly
 

Article1section23

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Jun 24, 2006
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USA
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Johnny Stiletto wrote:
Ok, a random scenario question:

You are taking a hike in the woods by yourself and you come across a startled, full grown grizzly bear in an open meadow. The bear is about 100 yards away and approaching you fast.

You are caught off guard and you only have time to pull out one of two weapons you have on you; a 9mm with 20 rounds between two magazines, or a samurai sword (yeah, you weren't prepared and you just happen to carry weird stuff in the woods).

Which one do you take your chances with and why? What strategy would you use with your weapon of choice? Remember, you can't use both.

I guess the sword...make a "peace" pipe and smoke it before he got to me. I'm not sure if the 20 rounds would stop him and I would want to be at peace.

100 yards, I would have to whittle fast...lol. I bet it could cover that ground in about 8 seconds if it wanted.
 

Jizzzle

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10mm at a minmum in the woods in NM for me. Oryx, mountain lion et. in Grizzly country? um, .44 mag (300 grainand up)might do the trick but nothing smaller.
 

bugly

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The Samurai sword, of course, at least I could fall on it and die before the grizz gets me, a 9mm IMHO is far too small to be effective against a grizz and I'd hate to leave a "gangsta gun" for some punk to find.:lol:
 

Johnny Stiletto

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Interesting thoughts, Prophet. I think I would take my chances with the sword and try to nail a sweet spot in the chest, neck, or right down the mouth. Either way, I would probably be pretty screwed. It would at least be better than a pocket knife, though.

Citizen wrote:
Grizzly bears fly!?!
Grizzlies don't fly. However, the Himalayan-flying-bearded-bear does. In that case, I would just give up hope, toss the weapons, and run around in circles screaming until the bear gets me.
 

Barnett3006

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A 9mm and katana vs a grizzly? You might as well have a Daisy BB-gun and Grandpa's old whittlin' knife....outcome will be the same.
 

Task Force 16

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I like the tree and 9mm idea. while I'm up in that tree I've got a fair shot angle at the top of his head. I know that a single round won't penetrate his thick skull, but if I can keep pounding away at it, I should be able to bust through before I run out of ammo and plant some lead in his brain.

I just hope I can find a tree I can climb, and quick.
 

Flintlock

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100 yards? You wouldn't have the time to find a suitable tree much less climb one. Your 9mm is a much more superior weapon than your katana which you may not even get to use itif the bear is intent on following through on it's charge (many are bluff charges). There isan experience listed in the book Alaska Bear Tales by Larry Kanuit that describes a story of a bear chargethat was deterred with an ice-pick and the incident left the bear wandering away from the scene while making loud gurgling sounds after a throat hit.

An adult brown bear or grizzly bear can take your head off with one swipe of it's massive paw. Those types of incidents are extremely rare and I would trust firearm of any sort over a slashing sword.

There are also incidents in kanuit's books of bears being killed with .22's. But then again, there are also incidents where a bear was shot multiple times with a .458 Winchester Magnum rifle and had the heart shot out butthe adrenaline kept it going until all four hunters were killed before it finallydied...

Bears are unpredictable and frankly there is no sufficient weapon but a large caliber rifle, shotgun, and/or sprayif you are being charged.
 

Flintlock

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KAHR54 wrote:
MarkMathenysm.gif


This guy got attacked and started his own product to deter bears. I also have seen other sites where sprays are purported to work better than bullets.

http://www.udap.com/



Muldoon
I have a can of this stuff, but it is in addition to a firearm, not a replacement.
 

old dog

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What would I choose against a grizzly? DISTANCE!

Failing that, my old Model 70 .458 provides a measure of comfort.
 
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