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I was involved in helping a client take a brown bear this last spring using a .500S&W with hardcast bullets.  The victim took two broadside pass-throughs in the shoulder area; and a quartering away pass-through just north of the hipps at @ 60 yrds.  On the strength of that encounter I aquired a 3-1/2" S&W .500- my 14-yr old daughter can shoot it fairly well with 275gr barnes-X bullets; recoil is not much of a factor 'til you start shooting the 400+ gr loads. I am quite confidant that it will do the job in a close encounter with an aggressive bruin-  I normally pack a .416 Rem (Andy Runyan would be proud!)when bear hunting, but I am much more likely to have the .500 in the shldr rig for that trip to the water hole. I have killed and help kill brownies with everything from 7x57s to .460s, but in my opinion the .500S&W is the first handgun that is practicle for "bear medicine".

Message Thread:

• .44 big enough? AK375HH Jan 18 2006
  • My bear attack Ken R Jan 20 2006
    • reporting twodux Jan 21 2006
    • attack Mr. Pid Jan 20 2006
      • pepper spray Ken R Jan 21 2006
  • Stories Bigmnt Jan 20 2006
    • encounters Mr. Pid Jan 20 2006
  • bear protection walk-in Jan 20 2006
  • .44 and bears Kenaimike Jan 20 2006
  • Better than a knife martyv Jan 19 2006
    • 44 mag 4whlr Jan 19 2006
  • NOPE! Michael Strahan Jan 19 2006
    • Amen Bigmnt Jan 20 2006
    • difference twodux Jan 19 2006
    • handgun for bears groundpounder Jan 19 2006
    • Next to useless? Mr. Pid Jan 19 2006
      • Boy friend Bigmnt Jan 20 2006
      • Pssst vs BOOM Michael Strahan Jan 19 2006
        • in the field Mr. Pid Jan 19 2006
  • bullets buckmark Jan 19 2006
  • Handguns for Bears... Murphy Jan 18 2006
    • what Murphy said... AlbertJohnson Jan 25 2006
    • report on this stuff ursus1 Jan 19 2006
      • New math Bigmnt Jan 20 2006
        • english teacher too? ursus1 Jan 20 2006
    • Murphy & Archives Hutchinator Jan 18 2006
      • .44 Mag Jake_65_65 Jan 19 2006
        • 44 vs. 6ft black bear AlaskaCub Jan 20 2006
  • good info huntingmandan Jan 18 2006
    • handguns BrownBear Jan 18 2006
      • 44 mag Mr. Pid Jan 18 2006
        • BTW Mr. Pid Jan 18 2006
          • Is it enough? Snowwolfe Jan 18 2006
            • To Stop a Charge? Whogoose Jan 18 2006
              • deterrents Mr. Pid Jan 18 2006