Originally Posted By: haertig
I consider the fact that he took down an 800lb bear with a handgun, any handgun, pure luck. Some may think this incident proves that 10mm is a "magic bullet". It isn't. If you have no other choice, sure, go for it. There aren't any better options for you, so give it a try. But don't expect it to work. It did for this guy in the article, but generally, no, it's highly unlikely that a handgun will stop any bear, much less one this size.


You have experience?

This study shows slightly higher success by percent, of handguns over rifles.

"Success rates by firearm type were similar with 84% of handgun users (31 of 37) and 76% of long gun users (134 of 176) successfully defending themselves from aggressive bears (Z 1⁄4 1.0664, P 1⁄4 0.2862). "

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/s...5_23_07_utc.pdf