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Thought Process
Posted by Jake_65_65 on Dec 05 2005
First let me reply to the guy that said most young guys will just leave and never come back after being sent to the archives. Way back when I first started reading this site (roughly last year 20 then, 21 now) I was sent to the archives for asking a question about the correct firearm for bear correction. Well I actually went, did a lot of research and got a lot of useful information. I also searched extensivly on the internet and skimmed thorugh many of my father's books. My thought process started with a big bore handgun and we both (father and I) decided the 480 ruger was a good choice with reloaded ammunition. My main use for this gun was for my fishing trips which consisted of mostly highway access and entailed hiking to certain spots. I felt good about this decision for a while, but started to wonder if I could develop a profciency level that I was comfortable with and I wont go into how inferior ballisticly handguns are to long guns. I soon came to the conclusion that I wanted a long gun, and went through the whole ballistics debate with my father who already owned a 416 remington magnum. I soon settled on the 375 H&H in a Winchester model 70 (almost bought it down at wal-mart too). I finally came to back to the 480 Ruger because I wanted a gun that I could hike and fish with it on me at all times and my father already had the 416. I really feared that if I took a long gun with me it would end up on sitting on a log when I really needed it. Did I sacrifice a lot? You bet your ass I did, but I also put in the time at the range and the reloading bench to develop a round and a profinciency that I felt comfortable with. I will end with some observations that I have noticed through reading this forum and books on bear attacks. 1. Bears are not predicatble.
2. It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. 3. The best defense against bears is not just common sense( which so many tree huggers would lead you to believe)but common "bear" sense and the firearm you feel most comfortable with. 4. All bear attacks are different and people have survived them with anything from a rock, as previously mentioned, to sticks and hatchets. 5. Maybe this is just me never having been charged, but I will never assume to know the difference between a real charge and a bluff charge and though some on this fourm may disagree if a bear is running at be full charge at any range under 100yds I will be firing as soon as I think I can hit something. 6. There is no perfect gun or situation and if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time no gun will save your life and it is just a part of enjoying this state to its fullest(of course it would look bad ass on a tombstone to read"here rests Jake who died doing what he loved; fighting Grizzly bears.") Sorry for the lengthy post guys just thought I would put the conclusions I have come to after about a year of research and hot debate with my father out there for anybody else that soon finds themselves in my position, but take it for what it is worth because I am just a young 21 year old buck and I am sure my thoughts will change in the soon future.
P.S. When I am out fishing I have found that I can comforably enough carry a rifle or shotgun with a sling on my back as long as I am not carrying a backpack. If I do decide to take a backpack its 480 time.
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