Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
My training group has tested this out extensively (minus the undergrowth, the injury and the bear) and concluded that moving backwards with a handgun, even on a flat range without anything to trip on, is not a best practice. This isn't intended as a criticism of the hiker in the story; moving while shooting is an advanced skill that not many people train to do.


Since a lot of animals can outrun people, what would be the point in backing up from a charging animal at close range except to through your shots off? If you have a 10mm handgun and a bear charges you, you are probably better off standing your ground and firing until the bear is dead or you are. Trying to put a few extra feet between you and a charging bear, for example, isn't very helpful in itself. If a few extra feet leads you to a safer location, like inside, then that is another matter entirely. No matter how good a shot you are, you will always be more accurate being stationary than moving.