Runorama wrote:
Enduro211 wrote:
[..]Back up "bear spray" will be a Glock 10mm in a chest pack made by Hill People Gear.
That's a crappy plan. If you want to ensure you do not get hurt during a bear encounter, carry spray. If you think you have the nerves to hit bullseye on a 20mph moving target you know might seriously hurt you, bring your gun.
I think I would trust the spray over a 10 mm in any potentially deadly bear encounter. Don't get me wrong; I'm not anti-gun or anything. Far from it. I just think too many people overestimate the stopping power of handguns (or guns in general)...especially against a large animal approaching fast. There is a disconnect between what people see in movies and what happens in the real world.
Remember the scene from Dances with Wolves where Costner drops the stampeding buffalo and it skids to a stop in a cloud of dust, dead; just before reaching the little kid. That's a stretch even with a large caliber rifle, but it ain't happening with any handgun.
I've had to discharge four 12-gauge slugs into a small bull before it even went down to one knee. The first three slugs just pissed it off more.
Now, I know buffalo and cattle are a lot bigger than a black bear, but I'd still argue that any gun you trust to be reliable enough to immediately stop a bear, you aren't going to want to tote around while out for a run or ride.
Additionally, anyone is kidding themselves if they think they are going to get off the perfectly placed "kill shot" at an approaching angry bear; all while being startled themselves and having an elevated HR from running/biking. You have to just assume it's going to take multiple shots and that bear is still coming fast between each shot.
For the record, I've had hit-and-miss results with pepper spray (not bear spray) against people (work-related stuff). It's effective on some people. Others seem to be just like that bull...the spray just pisses them off more. I would operate under the assumption that some bears (like some people) might not be stopped by the spray.
I'm not saying the gun would be completely useless in a bear attack. It goes bang louder than a bell or whistle. And, I'd rather have a 10 mm Glock strapped to my chest than bear spray if the bear got on top of me (like literally on top me...clawing me and eating pieces of me) before I could react. At that point, you either give up, or you fight with whatever you have.
Sorry for going off on a long, slightly off-topic tangent. I'm gonna head to bed now and try not to have a nightmare are being eaten by bears.