10mm stops a bear

[SavageOne]

Alaskan man used his 10mm to save his life, of course he shot himself in the foot too.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/08/dean-weingarten/alaskan-hiker-stops-charging-brown-bear-at-6-feet-with-10mm-handgun/

[Patriot]

Not surprised at all. Most of us here know the potential of the 10mm.

You can't go wrong with the big rmagnum revolvers. I'll take 16 rounds of 10mm over 5 or 6 in a magnum revolver.

Take head shots around the eyes. You will splinter bone fragments into the brain.

[Mike_Fontenot]

I suspect that it was the eye-shot that stopped the bear, which means that there was some serious LUCK involved.  My son (who lives in Haines (SE AK)) has told me that head shots on a face-on charging brownie usually don't work: the skull is sloped, and tends to deflect the bullet without penetration.  He says when the locals have a choice, they go for the leg-joints (hips and/or shoulders) ... not an easy shot either, especially from head-on.

[Patriot]

I suspect that it was the eye-shot that stopped the bear, which means that there was some serious LUCK involved.  My son (who lives in Haines (SE AK)) has told me that head shots on a face-on charging brownie usually don't work: the skull is sloped, and tends to deflect the bullet without penetration.  He says when the locals have a choice, they go for the leg-joints (hips and/or shoulders) ... not an easy shot either, especially from head-on.

I have heard the same thing, and i assume its true for slower bullets with low penetration such as a .45 Acp.  A high speed high power round like a magnum revolver or 10mm will break bone. I've personally seen a .44 magnum enter the front of a bear skull and come out the back.  A 10mm would not have that kind of power but most definitely would do enough damage to the front of the skull to cause bone fragments to splinter into brain tissue.  This could cause immediate death or at the very least make the bear brain damaged enough that it could be incapacitated. 

[Rojo27]

Too bad about shooting himself but 10mm hole in the foot heck of a lot better than being mauled and mangled by a angry momma grizzly.   

[blaster]

^ you got that right! chances are that he had a hard cast or fmj bullet. hopefully that would just punch a clean hole through his foot. still way better than getting mauled by a bear!

[Mr. AR50]

I remember hearing a story about Larry Kelly, founder of MagnaPort, encountering a 1000+ lb Kodiak in his tent one night.
He put (6) 44 mag 240gr JHP in the bear at point blank range, and the bear never so much as blinked. After tracking the bear and dropping it with a 375 H&H, they found that none of the rounds made it past the bear's fat layer. Later on that same year, he encountered an even bigger bear, and dropped it with one round from the same gun, a Ruger Super Blackhawk, loaded with some 300gr hard cast rounds.
All things considered, if I were ever in a place where there were large critters who considered me to be 'on the menu', I would
feel better having a high-cap 10mm on my hip, preferably loaded with some hot and heavy hard cast rounds.

[ZanderMan]

[Mike_Fontenot]

I have heard the same thing, and i assume its true for slower bullets with low penetration such as a .45 Acp. 

My impression from what my son has told me is that it's true for almost everything ... UNLESS the bullet meets the skull approximately perpendicularly.  When the brownie is coming right at you, and looking directly at you, his skull will be so significantly sloped, wrt the path of the bullet, that the bullet will hit it no where near perpendicularly.  The slope is sufficient to deflect the bullet, even for very powerful guns.  If the brownie has his head down, looking well below his intended victim (unlikely, I think), the bullet might hit perpendicularly, but otherwise, a frontal shot to the skull will probably reach the brain only if it goes through his mouth, or an eye.  A side shot to the brain is likely to hit perpendicularly, but in that case, you're not being charged.

From what I've heard, you just can't have too much gun if you're being charged by a brownie.  A friend of my son's put 5 lethal rounds from an H&H .375 into a charging brownie, and the bear repeatedly got back up and resumed the charge, madder than before, covering lots of ground from the first shot, and finally staying down only when he had gotten very close to the shooter (who was moose-hunting at the time).

I've been bugging my son to get a 6" S&W500, and carry it when hunting (or whenever in the woods in general) in an open-carry chest rig.  It's not as good as his 45-70, or his 12ga shotgun with slugs, but he can't always carry those.  And even THEY aren't a guarantee.  Those brownies aren't just protecting their territory ... they HUNT humans.

[blaster]

frontal skull shots are always "iffy". as I am sitting here I am looking at a large black bear and a large boar hog skulls on top of the book case. both have thick sloping bone that makes it easy for a bullet to glance off. a good shot on something that wants to bite you is right in the mouth. the bullet has a good chance of taking out the spinal cord or entering the brain. the bullet can also break the jaws.

[First Manchu]

Great article. I once received an E-Mail that looked like a legit advertisement from Beretta. It Showed a .25 ACP pistol and it had The Beretta logo behind it. There was a letter enclosed that told a story from a hiker that used the pistol to save his life. In the letter he describes how he used the pistol to defend himself from a bear attack. As I read I found out it was a total and complete gag. The end of the letter describes how he shot his girlfriend in the knee cap and ran from the bear! He then thanked Beretta for making such an accurate, reliable and dependable product and how much he appreciated his girlfriend for sacrificing herself for him. I laughed my butt off.

[Rojo27]

Interview with the actual survivor. 

The particulars:
Glock 20
180gr HPR JHP
Bear was hit at least 3 times; in the left eye, mouth, chest....  Survivor was hit 1 time; in the toe. 
Survivor was carrying Isreali style with chamber empty but fortunately the Bear gave him a chance to chamber a round.   

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/08/dean-weingarten/exclusive-interview-with-kim-woodman-10mm-bear-gun-guy-who-shot-his-toe-off-graphic-video/

Harrowing experience.  No doubt guy well ahead of the game trading tip of one toe vs Grizzly mauling.
Wonder if he'll reassess that Isreali carry style business?