Bear Gun?
BY Herschel Smith
8 years, 5 months ago
There’s nothing new about the quest for a good bear-country sidearm, and what we’re carrying is evolving. Giant revolvers, though still popular, are somewhat antiquated. The Glock 20 is rapidly becoming the preferred arm of choice, and for good reason. It is more streamlined, more shootable, and it carries more ammo than a revolver, yet it is still dependable and powerful. My pal Andrew Brady of Lone Star Armory showed me a few tricks to improve a stock Glock.
Replace the Sights
Chances are an encounter with a bear that requires using a pistol will happen very fast. You may not even have time to aim, but any edge you can give yourself helps. XS Sight Systems makes by far the fastest-acquiring sights that I have used. In particular, I recommend its Big Dot express sights ($125).
Swap the Barrel and Recoil Assembly
A quality aftermarket barrel ($140) will increase accuracy. The new barrel, along with a guide rod and recoil spring ($40), can be easily swapped out while your pistol is field stripped.
Modify the Grip
The grip angle on Glocks is a big turnoff to some shooters. Their relatively “steep” angle gives a shooter the feeling of awkwardly having to point the pistol down, compared to a 1911, in order to level the sights. We outlined the steps to change the grip angle below. Grinding on a new pistol might feel counterintuitive, but you end up with a better-shooting gun.
It just keeps going on in this article. I am a fan of the 1911 with its eleven degree grip angle and narrow profile, and I don’t like the feel of the sharp edges of a Glock. If you don’t want to shoot a 1911 but want a double stack higher capacity magazine, why not choose a Springfield Armory XD or XDm which is modeled in the same fashion of the eleven degree grip angle?
Or why not choose a .357 magnum or .44 magnum revolver? Why would anyone spend the kind of effort and money necessary to pull this off when you can buy a new gun for the same amount? I think the gunsmiths at Hyatt Gun Shop would look at you weird if you brought them these plans.
And for the record, a .45 ACP has proven enough to turn a bear away.
On July 17, 2016 at 11:25 pm, MTHead said:
I have a 2.5″ barreled Ruger “Alaskan” in 44 mag.. In a bianchi thumb break holster, This firearm is very comfortable/ comforting to carry. Loaded with 300gr. hard cast, the only thing left to do is keep the lizard brain on the task at hand.(not as easy as it sounds).Then adjusting to the fact that NO gun will seem big enough when getting into a fight with a bear, especially “momma” bear. And remembering the cliché about filing the sights off your 44 so as to be less painful when said bear shoves it up your rectum. The 2.5″ seemed the perfect choice!
On July 18, 2016 at 12:45 pm, Blake said:
After reading through the suggested modifications, I notice there is not one mention of regular practice to find out which loads are reliable in the firearm after the changes.
I’m with you, Herschel, buy a 1911 or an XD and be done with it.
Although, maybe a trip to bear country would give me an excuse to buy the Ruger Redhawk chambered in 45 acp – 45 LC. (I suspect the Redhawk chambered for 45 acp would also handle 45 Super and 460 Rowland, which would be fun)
On July 19, 2016 at 3:28 am, Daniel Barger said:
An option for a ‘bear gun’ is the .460Rowland. This caliber gives you 44mag performance from a 1911 pistol. You buy the kit which is available for a number of platforms including Glocks and many top tier 1911 manufacturers. Once swapped in you can shoot .460 Rowland ammo which is .45acp 230gr ammo traveling at around 1400-1500fps giving you essentially the same ballistics as 44mag. The case and caliber is identical with the exception that the Rowland case is about 1/16 inch longer than the standard case and won’t chamber in a standard 45acp barrel. Otherwise it’s the same magazines and capacity, the same holsters and the same feel.
On July 21, 2016 at 1:12 am, TheAlaskan said:
A 1911 45 ACP ? Really? Y’all must not live in Alaska. If ya did and seen some of our bears up here, you’d pitch that pea shooter and start lugging around the cannons we carry in the bush.
On July 21, 2016 at 1:26 am, TheAlaskan said:
Incidentally, the best “bear gun” and the one most carried, if you’re going into bear country (all of Alaska really,) is a 12 gauge shotgun, pump or auto, 3″ magnum with a 20″ rifled barrel with a full length tube of slugs. My slug of choice is 400 gr black magic. Bears hate ’em.