if a bear attacks while im camping, would a 357mag be enough to stop it?

Question

if not, what would be the minimum size caliber to stop the bear?

Answer 1

The .357 magnum has stopped bear attacks before and killed a bear, in AZ a bear got through a fence and attacked a girl in a camp who didn't wipe the smores off of her face the counselor shot the bear with his shorter .357 magnum, the bear didn't die really fast.
The .357 magnum has been proven though not to penetrate the skulls on bigger black bears and grizzly bears. The best gun would be a 12 gauge shotgun, they will stop a bear at closer ranges, they stop lions and bigger and nastier stuff in Africa. My uncle lived in Africa, the shotgun should do it, a rifle is a good choice, better at longer ranges and even close up, but you need a bigger one and sometimes it takes longer for the bear to sucumb to the wound. A rifle is significantly more powerful than any pistol. For black bear a .30/06, .338/06 or .35 whelen or even a .45-70 are good rounds. If it is charging a big rifle at least the .338. The .450 marlin which is a souped up .45-70 is an awesome round and can be found in short marlin lever actions which would help you in bear country and be better for grizzlies. The grizzly definitely would need a shotgun or .338 winchester mag at the least. I would prefer a .50 caliber BMG rifle but they have yet to make them compact and light.

As for handguns, the .44 magnum is the least minimum I would recommend. It is not the best but is a mild recoiler compared to some other except for the .480 ruger but that has less penetrations due to the heavier bullet but it is still a great pistol round. The .454 casul and or a S&W .500 magnum or whatever they call it would be good except you will pay a premium for the .500. Pistols are a last defense weapon and do not reliably kill but are better than nothing.

If you do have a bear problem always have someone with you with a shotgun and you yourself carry a .338 winchester mag or higher and or a .450 marlin. The two of you will be alot better off and only one can get charged at a time hopefully allowing the other to get a good shot. The best scenario is the shotgun guy gets charged and opens up with 3 rounds of one buckshot one slug and one buckshot, where the riflemen gets two shots in from the side at the heart while he is preparing to charge as it is difficult when they are moving. The side shot is better for penetration and kill, then a direct on shot, but both can be fatal if hit right. I have hunted bear, it is alot harder with a frontal shot because of the placement of the heart and the uncertainty of the head shot. Plus even at 100 yards I was scared!!!!! In Africa they will have the main hunter with the rifle and a guide with a rifle and then a couple others with shotguns. There are alot of nasty stuff over there like hippos, but they use shotguns and spears at times.
Bears are definitely not something with which I would like to tangle with . If it is just a camp gun, a .450 or .45-70 would be good or a .338.

P.S.
Of course an m-2 .50 cal BMG machine gun would probably be the best, its rapid rate of fire would ensure the bear would be dead but they are a little heavy and costly and hard to find outside of the u.s. army.
But, you sure do feel safer in camp with one of those and that is for just people! If bears attacked in numbers at least a .50 cal m-2 The bears would likely to hear the noise it makes and run away!

Except for that last part, hopefully this helps you!

Answer 2

A .357 can stop any bear, but it depends on shot placement and for the bigger bears a hot loaded .45 colt, .44 Mag., .454, etc. might be a better choice. I would look at the Winchester 180 grain JHP partition bullet. If not that, then one of the hardcast or other 180 grainers. Keep the shots to the brain.

Given the choice a good 12 ga. loaded with slugs or a rifle would be a much better choice.

Answer 3

All depends on where you place the first shot and the type of 357 ammo you are using. The best load for black bear would be 180 grain bullet. If it's another species, a larger caliber would be in order. The 357 magnum is good within 50 yards, but no more.

Answer 4

A small bear? A shot through the eye? Maybe. If a .357 Mag. is all you have for protection, by all means, carry it. Use hard cast bullets such as the excellent Federal 180 lead hunting round. A longer barrel will add feet-per-second to the bullet also. In bear country I'd carry my Glock M-20 .10mm w/15 round magazines and 215 grain hard cast flat-nose lead slugs.

I would not go hunting for bear with a .357 Mag. as my primary/only weapon. That would be a last resort backup.

H

Answer 5

Bound's hubby here:

No, a .357 Magnum would not be enough to stop a bear attack. Keep in mind, the situation you are posing is a close encounter of the worst kind ... probably within 15 yards, and the bear would either be charging you or reared up in a threatening stance.

Your only solution with a firearm would be a head shot, and the bullet must penetrate the bone of the skull to decimate the brain in order to drop the bruin! Your .357 Magnum is not enough gun. Hell, most highpower rifle cartridges may not be enough gun in this situation. While I agree, a handgun may be easier to swing and employ on a close bear, I sure would be saying my prayers!

I think my .41 Magnum would give me a false sense of confidence, but still be marginal in this situation. A .44 Magnum may be a bit more adequate, but I do not own one, and do not intend to buy one, or any other monster magnum handgun. What to do?

You could hedge your bets by carrying a cylinder full of VERY HARDCAST semi-wadcutter slugs pushed at maximum velocity.
The flat metplat (which induces the shock) of a semi-wadcutter at magnum velocity may be sufficient to shatter the skull and cause fatal damage to the bruin's brain.

Do not even consider using a soft-point or hollow-point bullet in this situation, your bullets will fragment under the skin and give the bear a headache, but not cause a catastrophic skull injury! A full metal jacketed bullet may be successful in generating catastrophic bone damage of the skull, but I doubt it would generate a near immediate kill, to drop the bruin before it does serious injury to you or a companion! Likewise, a lead bullet like you would find in most commercially loaded handgun ammunition would just deform under the skin, and cause hardly any bone damage. In addition, most rifled slugs for a shotgun are made of soft lead, again ... chances are slim that it would come close to penetrating the skull and causing catasrophic brain damage to drop the bear on the spot!

My strongest suggestion, re-think placing yourself in dangerous bear country!

Good luck!

Answer 6

I live in Montana and have had a couple bear encounters, I prefer a .44 mag revolver, I would really like to have a .500 S&W.
Handguns are much better for defense against predators, for the simple reason the average bear attack occurs at 30 yards, if the bear gets in close you may not be able to swing a rifle or shotgun around to shoot, but you may have a chance to get a handgun between the bear and yourself.
When I am in grizzly country I pack my .44 mag and my sawed off pump 12 gauge 3" mag. I rotate ammo, 00 buckshot, slug,
00 buckshot, so on.
It takes alot of lead to stop a bear. In Montana I believe the average black bear is around 400lbs, and the average grizz around 700lbs. If I could help it I would not shoot at one with a .357 mag. Like someone wrote in another answer, you would probly just piss it off.

Answer 7

summing up all the answers - depends on the size of the bear - I'd prefer a 3 inch mag shotgun slug at close range - total avoidance is better. I try not to hang out places where I'm not at the top of the food chain - hiking or camping in griz territory - swimming with the great white - I won't be there.
I looked at your other ?'s. Send me an email address and I'll send you a file I have about a guys encounter with a big Alaskan Griz. He had a 7mm mag rifle. Good pics.

Answer 8

hmmm I would say go with something big. Bette to be over prepared in this case. a .45 with a few well placed shots would do it. A .50 would not only put a hole in the bears head but the tree behind it. If you can get one legaly thats what I would say. Keep in mind that it must be held with two hands as to not shatter your rist from recoil. So if your a small person the .45 would be more managable. But a .50AE should also take down the bear. In something suck as a Glock 37 uses GAP rounds that pack a little less punch then the .45 ACP.

Answer 9

Yes, it should be enough. But your problem may be round capacity. A 357 Magnum carries only 6 rounds in the cylinder (it doesn't have a magazine as some above have said). I'd carry a high-capacity automatic instead. It's likely the noise along with the pain of the rounds would turn the bear away.

Answer 10

If it's not loaded, no.
Yeah, it would be enough with good shot placement but, to better your chances of not being attacked. Don't leave any food out, seal it up and put it in a bag of some sort. Tie it up and hang it high from a tree branch, out of reach when not in use. Don't leave clothes lying around at night and when you gotta dookie or go #2, do it in a bag and despose of it properly. Don't use colonge or perfumes and it's best to use scentless deodoerant and wipes. And remember ALWAYS KEEP YOUR CAMP SITE CLEAN. You should be good to go. Have a safe trip and good time that is, if your going camping.