so my girlfriend and i found that we both enjoy camping (the primative shit) and that can be the hobby we share. We eventually want to go to Colorado. However, before we actually go there i want to buy a large caliber pistol (preferably the S&W 500 Magnum) to protect against large predators. Last time i camped in Colorado I encountered a mountain lion and i had no protection and feared for my life.
My question is: Lets say i come face to face with a bear and am forced to shoot it self defence. Would it be better to have the longer barrel for decreased recoil in hopes of placing more shots quicker, or as my friend pointed out, get the shorter barrel for more manuverability in case the bear ends up nearly on top of me?
I personally want the longer barrel b/c i think it would be way more comfortable to handle, but if it would be wiser to get the shorter one then I’m willing to so. Thanks for any imput.
if your gonna get a long barrel S&W 500 why not just bring a shotgun or a rifle?? better accuracy and hell you can fire a 3 1/2 inch .50 Cal slug from a nice shotgun!!
[quote]IronWarrior34 wrote:
if your gonna get a long barrel S&W 500 why not just bring a shotgun or a rifle?? better accuracy and hell you can fire a 3 1/2 inch .50 Cal slug from a nice shotgun!!
IronWarrior[/quote]
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or this:
If I was worried about bears/large game, I’d go with a decent shotgun with some steel sabot rounds. These pistols carry a whole buncha power so you’d have to get really familiar with them to be effective. With a shotgun, you can fire it off the hip and still take care of bidness. Of course, if you know what you’re doing, you can fend off any animal without any weapon so look into camper safety and basic wilderness survival.
To directly answer your Q:
Barrel length only matters when you consider range. Are to talking about 5-20yds, 20-50? Without getting into too much detail, longer barrel for longer shots.
I’d check out bear spray…and read up on how to avoid bears in the wilderness.
I can’t remember what the rate is for people being able to successfully defend themselves against a bear with a pistol but it is VERY low in part because the bear is so massive, bullets will probably only piss them off. The speed at which they run will make it difficult to make a killshot(the head). The best thing you can do is learn how to stear clear of them.
Stopping power and critical hits are what matters if you are attacked, but its not that likely esp if you’ve read up as admbaum suggests and look into avoiding bears / lions by any means.
I suppose i’d carry the lighter of the two guns for speed, and perhaps more as a gaurd v weirdos than animals!
You have to give yourself and the animal a way out, if it thinks this is “do or die” it might attack, both bears and big cats are much faster than we tend to think and once they charge even well armed hunters can miss, as in the vid below (but invevitably the lion gets killed in the end by the ‘brave’ hunters)
Stopping power and critical hits are what matters if you are attacked, but its not that likely esp if you’ve read up as admbaum suggests and look into avoiding bears / lions by any means.
I suppose i’d carry the lighter of the two guns for speed, and perhaps more as a gaurd v weirdos than animals!
You have to give yourself and the animal a way out, if it thinks this is “do or die” it might attack, both bears and big cats are much faster than we tend to think and once they charge even well armed hunters can miss, as in the vid below (but invevitably the lion gets killed in the end by the ‘brave’ hunters)
if i was that lion i would of just ate all of those guys.
Seriously, a gun for “protection” from animals when camping? rolls eyes I’ve been camping hundreds of times out in no mans land and never, repeat, never had a problem with any wildlife in concerns to my life. You would be much better off learning some basic wilderness skills.
[quote]BCSteel wrote:
Seriously, a gun for “protection” from animals when camping? rolls eyes I’ve been camping hundreds of times out in no mans land and never, repeat, never had a problem with any wildlife in concerns to my life. You would be much better off learning some basic wilderness skills.[/quote]
I’m happy for you. Not all of us are so lucky.
I used to have a .500 (had to sell through rough times). I carried it for wildlife protection when I didn’t have the shotgun. The only reason I wouldn’t have the shotgun was if someone else had the shotgun. As far as I’m concerned, you can’t get much better of a firearm for bear defense than a 12 gauge pump shotgun with 3" or 3 1/2" slugs.
The 8 3/4" barrel models are a real pain to wield. The thing is stupid heavy for a pistol and a lot of that weight is out in front. Don’t get me wrong; the gun is freakin’ cool and I wouldn’t advise against buying one for fun or hunting. I’m just saying it’s far from easy to use, and when talking about bear defense, there are better options.
Regarding the short barrel version, I’d suggest finding someone who owns one and shooting it before you buy it. I haven’t shot one, but I’ve heard stories. One guy said it blew his baseball cap right off his head. The extent of my knowledge of the shorty is hearsay, so I won’t yell “Stay the hell away!”, but considering the stories it’s generated, I’d certainly advise weighing the decision heavily. But if you know for absolute certain that you’ll be able to handle the recoil and make follow up shots, that might be the way to go. It’ll definitely be easier to point than the full length.
If you do end up using a handgun for defense, consider just what you have to do with it in regards to bears. You pretty much have to either shoot them in the spine, head, or shoulder(s). Those are small targets under stress. It’ll be much easier to hit them with a shotgun.
May I ask why you’re thinking about a handgun in the first place?
[quote]BCSteel wrote:
Seriously, a gun for “protection” from animals when camping? rolls eyes I’ve been camping hundreds of times out in no mans land and never, repeat, never had a problem with any wildlife in concerns to my life. You would be much better off learning some basic wilderness skills.[/quote]
I take it your part of BC is grizz free?
[Edit] Basic wilderness skills include self defense.[/quote]
The part where I live, yes. But its not always the place where I play.
Basic wilderness skills do not include guns.
Is there a possibility that one day a situation could arise where a gun could make a difference between my life and death in regards to an animal attack while out in the bush, sure. Chances are far greater that such a situation will never occur and not having a gun while in the back country does not mean that one is not prepared. If someone needs a gun to feel safe, fine. That has never been the case for me and I honestly cant see it ever being one for me.
[quote]BCSteel wrote:
Seriously, a gun for “protection” from animals when camping? rolls eyes I’ve been camping hundreds of times out in no mans land and never, repeat, never had a problem with any wildlife in concerns to my life. You would be much better off learning some basic wilderness skills.[/quote]
cuz wilderness skills will do a whole lot for you when you wake up to a grizzly bear sticking his head into your tent.
in response to OP, S&W 500 is just plain ridiculous. not only is it wicked overkill, I’m sure it is ferociously expensive. I’ve never actually seen one for sale, but I’m gonna guess they’re probably around $1200 US, when its all said and done. Ammo is gonna be a rip off too.
save yourself the expense, and just buy a .45 automatic and put good hollow points in it. I’ve heard good things about the springfield XD pistols, and taurus 24/7 OSS pistols, they run about $500-$600. Assuming you don’t have any dumbass “hi cap” magazine laws where you live like we do in the People’s Republic of California, 12 rounds of .45 hollow points is more than enough to kill anything that moves.
Also, the shotgun option is a good one. you can buy a 8 round 12Ga from big 5 for like $300. and no bear is gonna get hit with a 1oz hunk of lead and keep coming for you… and if he does, you still got 7 left.
[quote]BCSteel wrote:
Seriously, a gun for “protection” from animals when camping? rolls eyes I’ve been camping hundreds of times out in no mans land and never, repeat, never had a problem with any wildlife in concerns to my life. You would be much better off learning some basic wilderness skills.[/quote]
I take it your part of BC is grizz free?
[Edit] Basic wilderness skills include self defense.[/quote]
The part where I live, yes. But its not always the place where I play.
Basic wilderness skills do not include guns.
Is there a possibility that one day a situation could arise where a gun could make a difference between my life and death in regards to an animal attack while out in the bush, sure. Chances are far greater that such a situation will never occur and not having a gun while in the back country does not mean that one is not prepared. If someone needs a gun to feel safe, fine. That has never been the case for me and I honestly cant see it ever being one for me.[/quote]
You ever heard that saying? It’s better to have it, and not need it, than need it and not have it?
