Best gun to use in a bear attack?

[Jeddak]

You know how you can tell apart brown bear's poop and black bear's poop? Black bear's poop will have berries in it. Brown bear's poop will have bells in it.

 

[CAD Jedi]

You know how you can tell apart brown bear's poop and black bear's poop? Black bear's poop will have berries in it. Brown bear's poop will have bells in it.

And smell like pepper spray.

 

[Jeddak]

Are you gonna be hiking in the mountains? Day hikes or overnight? Group or alone? Any fishing? (Bears can attack you for fish).
If overnight, I would take both shotgun and a revolver. One for a camp gun, another for ''I am going potty gun''. Do not store food in your tent or close to it. Bag it, hang on a sturdy branch 20 feet of the ground. Bears can climb trees, not ropes.
Travel in group, do not run, or turn back to bear, make noise as you hike to let brownie know you are coming and let is scamper away. Fed bears will leave you alone.
PS if it were me, and I already owned a 12 ga, I would take that, with pistol grip and slugs, and call it a day. It is less handy than a Raging Bull, but I can't spend $600 for a revolver for one trip. You can find decent attachments options for your backpack to carry the shotty.

 

[payneed]

For pistol, this is exactly what the 500 S&W was designed for. They kept making handguns for this bigger and bigger because they kept finding that they needed to. Even the 500 isn't great for stopping a big Bear. It's about the equivalent of a 308 Win rifle round with maxed loads. The problem is that anything bigger is simply impractical to try and shoot. These things have a vicious recoil.

If you're going to carry a long gun one of the Marin Guide Guns is just about perfect. 45-70 is the classic, but I think they make them in 450 and 444, too. Any of those will sort out a big bear at close range nicely. They are also reasonably light and fast.

If your standard is to discourage a less than completely determined bear, the S&W 500 will do the job. If you want to have a high likelihood of stopping a bear that has every intention of killing you and is in a full charge at close range, go with the Guide Gun.

What he said^^^ or a bear bell for your hunting buddies

 

[Jeddak]

And smell like pepper spray.

When I saw someone on a trail with a bear spray, I knew I just met someone from Lower 48.

 

[Grant S]

Are you gonna be hiking in the mountains? Day hikes or overnight? Group or alone? Any fishing? (Bears will attack you for fish).
If overnight, I would take both shotgun and a revolver. One for a camp gun, another for ''I going potty gun''. Do not store food in your rent or close to it. Bag it, hang on a sturdy branch 20 feet of the ground. Bears can climb trees, not ropes.
Travel in group, do not run, or turn back to bear, make noise as you hike to let brownie know you are coming and let is scamper away. Fed bears will leave you alone.

Yes we are going to hike the Bob up in Montana and probably a group of 5 or 6. I was thinking both the shotgun and revolver but I didn't know if that would be too much extra weight going up the mountains. Have you tried it?

 

[Jack O A T]

I think you're overly concerned. They're really not that much of a threat.

 

[Jeddak]

I found that steady climbs up the mountain side killed my lungs, that's why I had the revolver. Not every one in group has to have both guns. Point man can carry a revolver and a bit of extra weight in the pack, and someone in the middle of the group can carry the shotgun strapped to the pack and a bit less in the backpack. Depending on how good the trail is, if there is one, you might need to use both hands to get thru the underbrush, so handgun wins again.
Enjoy it, it is a beautiful country. If I cannot talk my wife into retiring to AK, Montana is my next choice.

 

[JkEnder]

If you want a pistol for ease of carry, 500 S&W magnum, 454 Casull, a hot 45 Colt load, 44 Magnum, 460 S&W, or 10mm at a minimum. If you are hiking with others, and don't like them much, a pocket 9mm to kneecap them ought to slow the bear down enough for you to make you getaway. If you're worried about penetration, use hard cast bullets. They'll definitely get there with proper shot placement in all but maybe the 10mm.

 

[flyfisherman]

Ruger Alaskan and Bear Spray. I have put a lot of miles in the Gallatin National Forest and Lee Metcalf Wilderness during the last 15+ years.
There was an article in one of the Montana publications, Montana Sporting Journal or Montana Outdoors (can't remember which) based on a study of bear encounters that the spray was more effective than than a firearm. I carry both.
My MT neighbor said he recommends removing the front sight from the pistol - that way when the bears shoves the pistol up the hiker's arse it doesn't hurt as much.