Originally Posted By: Susan
Why would anyone carry a handgun as protection against bears???

The phrase "armed for bear" has a meaning to it, you know.

If you're just carrying a handgun, you may be "armed for squirrels or a raccoon", but not a large predator.

Sue


Weight and because it is better than nothing.

Typically while hiking in Alaska I carried a Remington 870 12ga with slugs.

I can attest it gets very heavy. :-)

If going somewhere where I'm less likely to run into a bear I admit I would often just carry the .357.

And yes, I understand the relative effectiveness of each option.

FWIW, if you are in the brush and startle a bear, deploying a long arm is iffy at best. Actually, deploying anything is iffy, but a long arm even more so.

-john