Defense Against Bears With .22 Rimfire
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 2 months ago
The reigning king of bear attack data (firearms, calibers, effectiveness) has a surprising one for you. He has cataloged 20 instances of successful self defense with .22 rimfire.
For me the takeaway is to shoot what you’ve got and pray for the best, but I sure would want a large bore handgun.
It seems to me if you make your way into the bush with a .22LR, you failed before you ever left home.
On October 19, 2020 at 10:44 pm, Sanders said:
One of the last professional bear hunters in Southern Arizona, Sam Foster, who was my brother-in-law’s uncle, only carried a Ruger Single Six in .22 LR.
Crazy bastard. May he R.I.P.
Bears didn’t get him, but cancer sure did.
On October 19, 2020 at 10:51 pm, Brad said:
Is this one of those shoot your wife in the knee and run like hell deals?
On October 20, 2020 at 6:03 am, KDKong said:
How many were unsuccessful?
On October 20, 2020 at 8:57 am, Ned2 said:
Great story:
https://www.ammoland.com/2014/11/what-22-rifle-did-bella-twin-use-to-kill-a-world-record-grizzly-in-1953/
A world record griz was killed with a .22 long in 1953. Shot placement matters!
(I still don’t go anywhere without my .454)
On October 20, 2020 at 1:37 pm, Roger J said:
When I lived in the mountains of NC over 20 years ago, the only firearm you could take into a NC State Forest was an open carried .22 rimfire pistol or revolver with a barrel length shorter than 6 inches(!), UNLESS it was hunting season, you were on gamelands and were hunting (with a license of course). I’d say the pucker factor would be near infinite when attempting to defend oneself from a bear with a .22 pistol. Glad I never had to do it.
On October 20, 2020 at 1:54 pm, John said:
In the 60’s I read an article in Guns&Ammo that was told by a young man who was
chased and treed by a black bear. He had a .22 pistol and as the bear kept trying to
get higher in the tree to grab a piece of lunch, he continued to empty the pistol into
its head and reloaded several times. Eventually the bear fell out of the tree, dead.
I remember he said he was very happy that he had brought more ammunition than
usual that day..
On October 22, 2020 at 6:43 am, Whocares said:
Sometimes you can find yourself in bear country and not realize you’ve crossed the border.
I was in Mammoth Lakes, CA a few years ago fishing around the lakes, something I’d done for years. I took a short hike to a higher elevation lake on a heavily traversed trail, a day hike area. Once casting, I was surprised by a female and three cubs walking on the same trail I had just used. Small children had been there goofing off just minutes prior.
We had a standoff, her family about 50 yards away and me standing like a statue in waders, no fire arm. No attack or aggressive behavior from the bear, after many minutes the ice was broken when two adults came up to fish and I called them over to look at the bear. At the sight of them she took her cubs and ran off.
On October 22, 2020 at 1:22 pm, TheAlaskan said:
The 22 is a winter gun on the snow machine…ptarmigan and spruce grouse, hares, fox and lynx. No bears about.
Still pack the slugged 870 for pissed off moose.