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Which concealed carry piece in bear country?

WildBillHimself said:
Anybody with experience hunting bear with a handgun? What would you carry concealed while hiking in north GA black bear country with your family? I need to conceal it under summer clothes because we hike in areas where we see gun-phobic yuppies.
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I would opt for something in 44 mag if I were wanting to deter a black bear. Most of the time they want as little to do with you as you do with them. I would opt to carry open if you are concerned with bears and nevermind the people with a gun phobia. Most any handgun with bear stopping power will be hard to conceal under summer clothing unless it is a derringer in a big caliber.
 
two points:

1-- Any handgun that I would consider a "good choice" for self-defense against bear would be too be to effectively conceal. You could cover the gun with an untucked shirt or vest that's at least one size too big for your body, but the bulge would be visible as you move, as the wind blows the cloth against your side.

That being said, I think something MORE POWERFUL than even a .44 magnum would be a good choice. A revolver (could be 5-shot or 6; I don't care) in something like a .454 Casull maybe? And I'd want a 4" or 5" or 6" barrel. They are easier to point instinctively without taking the time to line up the sights. Chances are, if you have to use it, you won't have time to aim. You'll be firing into the open mouth of a bear that's charging you and is about to sink tooth or claw into you.


2-- Sometimes playing dead is a good option. Even if you encounter a brown bear in Alaska and even if she's protecting her cubs. Two such incidents reported here. Both people suffered minor or moderate injuries.

http://news.msn.com/us/alaska-army-national-guard-soldier-attacked-by-bear-near-base
 
Thanks for all the good info and advice. We just got back from two weeks in the mountains. Met one guy who had seen a bear the day before but we didn't see any even though we hiked every day. I carried a lightweight 1911 .45 and it conceals well but I may get a .44 mag snubbie one of these days.
 
Don't see too many snubbies in .44 for 2 reasons. That extra barrel helps soak up that recoil and the longer barrel allows that high volume of powder to fully combust and generate the high pressures. Even an inch or two over a chronograph may show a major difference in velocity. The shortest barrel that I recall seeing on a bear gun was about 3 inches and that was chambered in .500. I doubt I could have fired 2 rounds. RE: barrel length:
http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html
 
Mmix224, thanks for that Ballistics-by-the-Inch link.

It looks like the shortest little 2" barrel .44 magnum handguns throw their bullets at only 950 f.p.s.
The 3" barreled ones go up to 1,100 f.p.s.
But a 6" barrel puts you up into the 1,300 f.p.s. range.

************************************
With a .454 Casull and 240 grain bullets, you'll be getting 1500 f.p.s. even from a 2.5" barrel (Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan).
Load that Casull with 300 grain bullets and you'll drop the velocity to around 1300 f.p.s. out of that stubby 2.5" barrel.
 
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