firearms

[Guest]

I couldn't carry a firearm if I wanted to. &nbsp;As a Canadian I can't travel with a gun in my vehicle or cross the border with one.<br /><br />Edit: I also would have to get licences, take courses on safety.. nah.. why bother?

 

[IGBT]

Seraphim, what would you recommend for Alaska?&nbsp; My wife has a Ruger LCR .357 magnum revolver&nbsp;(with crimson trace grip lol) but I don't think it would be a great bear gun.&nbsp; Good for pissing off the bear or shooting me in the kneecap so she can run faster.&nbsp; It does have the advantage of being really really light and compact.<br /><br />I was considering a 44, but the one I like is about 5 pounds!&nbsp; That is a lot of gun to carry when you are hiking.&nbsp; There is also the problem of getting this stuff up to Alaska...damn Canadians <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[Guest]

I am going to chime in here if you don't mind IGBT....<br /><br />As a long time Alaskan, I don't recommend a handgun of any kind unless you are really, really good with it and practice constantly. You best bet for a bear gun is a 12 gauge shotgun, I like a pump, loaded slug, buckshot,slug buckshot.<br />That is what the Fish and Wildlife rangers and NPS rangers carry if they think one is needed, at times the USFWS naturalists carry one if they are working along a salmon stream.<br />You would also carry it through Canada easily providing it fits with their rules as to what is legal. They are not amused by a shotgun all dolled up with anti-Zombie jewelry like you are going into combat.<br /><br />It really isn't the Canadians that caused the carry-through handgun problem. It was Alaskans that did that. <br /><br />Until not long before I moved there in 1976 you could carry a handgun through Canada on your way back and forth to Alaska and the lower 48. It had to be declared on the way into Canada and sealed in a plastic pouch and declared as you left the country.<br /><br />Too many of us arrogant Alaskans decided that it was too much trouble to stop at Canadian customs on the way out of Canada, so as far as they knew, the guns were still in Canada.<br /><br />Unlike the US, Canada&nbsp; had an armed insurrection by Quebecois Separatists and I believe that is how a lot of the harsher gun laws came about....not positive though. <br /><br />However they came about, we have to respect them when there and we didn't prove to be trustworthy.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_de_libération_du_Québec<br /><br />Anyway, Canada is only exerting their rights&nbsp; regarding carry-through privileges.<br /><br />Bri

 

[Seraphim]

I'm probably not the best person to ask - not a hunter and I'm kind of out-of-date on modern loads. I've been asking the same question from people I know and got various answers from a 30-06 to a shotgun lol.

A lot of experienced people also think carrying a firearm for bear protection is a waste of time - and they know bears better than I.

IMO, I'd want a high velocity round that's going to penetrate a lot of muscle and fat, so a magnum round would be my preference. It has to be something you're willing to carry around if you hike, so a rifle or shotgun may be too awkward to have at all times, and slower to respond with than a handgun. I'd also prefer a revolver.

.357 and .44 are good, I think, and I mentioned the S&W 460W - a five inch X frame revolver which cambers the .460, the .454 Casull, and a .45 long Colt. A lot of versatility so you can choose a different round for different occasions. The .460 is brutal to shoot (I hear), but in an emergency...

Again, no expert, but I don't think much is actually going to stop a bear if it's coming at you. A powerful round and a lot of luck lol...

 

[Stillwater]

A powerful round and a lot of luck lol...

<br /><br />Yep, a lot of luck with a shot into the CNS. A handgun is a poor substitute for a shotgun with slugs or a high power rifle if you're talking about a large brown bear.<br /><br />I advocate proficiency and carry of firearms for protection from those two-legged predators. For bears, Bear Spray works better as a deterrent to being eaten.

 

[Guest]

<span id="post_message_1274833098"> For bears, Bear Spray works better as a deterrent to being eaten.</span>

<br />Thanks for saying that PM, I forgot. That is what all rangers carry for bear deterrent these days...they carry a service sidearm for the bad chappies...<br />Bri

 

[IGBT]

We do plan on carrying bear spray (we carry it now when hiking even in the Pacific Northwest).&nbsp; I am tempted to go on hikes with just the bear spray and my wife carrying her Ruger (for two legged predators because they may not be scared off by the spray).&nbsp; Then again, there is this:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.adn.com/2009/08/13/897940/twig-snap-alerts-dog-walker-to.html">http://www.adn.com/2009/08/13/897940/twig-snap-alerts-dog-walker-to.html</a><br /><br />

 

[Seraphim]

A better answer might be it's less a matter of caliber than ballistics...

... And it's assumed the shooter can place the rounds with some accuracy. No point in a heavy caliber weapon if the rounds don't hit somewhere vital.

 

[SoulRaven]

I carry 3 things for Bears... An boat air horn, Bear Spray, and my .44mag... All have their place and time for use...<br /><br />PS works wonders on those 2 legged pink monkeys also...

 

[gypsydreamer]

edited<br /><br />

 

[Seraphim]

Gypsy

I don't consider myself bearaphobic lol

DW and I have spent time in the Colorado mountains with only slight concern. I rode a bit with an old head wrangler who showed me some interesting claw marks on a tree, high above our heads. I asked him if the bears climbed up there and he replied, "No, they just stand up and stretch..." lol. I asked, and he stated he always carried a .44 magnum. Just a precaution.

A gun is a tool. There are times and places it's prudent to have one. DW and I are going to spend months at a time travelling, what with retirement, and will be out in remote places a lot. I want to have all the tools I hope I never need.

I love animals and don't hunt ( no criticism - I love a good steak) but if it came down to a bear or DW, I'll stand between them and empty whatever I'm carrying. It won't stop a charging bear (or moose), but hopefully it will be dead before it knocks me over and I'll only get crushed, rather than mauled and eaten *grin*

As for the rest, I agree with you. I may have gained a reputation as being anti-gun, but I'm not. I'm anti "idiot with a gun". Please note the lack of an 'lol' here. I know many responsible gun owners. Unfortunately, I know an equal number of those who are irresponsible and downright dangerous. So I understand your sensible caution.

 

[Seraphim]

"Meanwhile, I will fight for your right to bear arms.  Onward through the Fog!"

I once tried to start a movement, in my younger days, for the right to arm bears. I figured it only sporting if the 'sport' hunter had an equal opportunity for being killed as the bear did. *wink*

 

[Seraphim]

My FiveseveN arrived today. Three 20 round mags and Extenders to make two of the mags have a 30 round capacity. If 81 rounds are not enough, I'm in over my head *grin*


photo.JPG by jglennhart, on Flickr


photo.JPG by jglennhart, on Flickr

 

[Stillwater]

Very nice! A friend in AZ carries one daily.
Update for me:

I'm completely out of the .380 business for edc. The new pocket carry (yes, in a pocket holster) is a Sig p290.

This joins the rotation for shorts / backup gun. My iwb for t-shirt weather remains a .45 Glock 36.

Iwb/owb with a jacket or open carry is a Sig p228.

 

[Seraphim]

So you have an armory lol.

The Glocks and Sigs never felt completely natural in my hand. The Tangfolio feels perfect, and points naturally. It's sleek, and comes out of a holster smoother than any other handgun I've used.


photo.JPG by jglennhart, on Flickr

 

[Seraphim]

Sorry for the poor photo, but two features of the Tanfoglio are the rounded slide and lower receiver, as opposed to the current fad for squarish shapes, and the fact that the slide is inset in the lower receiver, rather than overlapping it.


photo.JPG by jglennhart, on Flickr

Makes for a thinner profile and smooth movement out of even an IWB holster.

 

[mockturtle]

Now, if we could just get the Senate to pass this bill that the House passed last year:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://judiciary.house.gov/news/11162011.html"> http://judiciary.house.gov/news/11162011.html</a>

 

[Seraphim]

And I did get to shoot the FiveseveN today.


photo.JPG by jglennhart, on Flickr

Trying to get the sights locked in, but I can't focus on the front sight blade anymore. Nor the rear ones either, for that matter lol. Makes a sight picture a bit more difficult.

DW planted one dead center, first round. AFTER I adjusted the sights of course *grin*

Those grids are the size of a quarter, for reference...

 

[Seraphim]

"This bill simply allows Americans who travel in interstate commerce to bring their Second Amendment rights with them.”"

Are vacationers or people travelling for personal reasons travelling " in interstate commerce?"

 

[mockturtle]

'Commerce' can be construed to mean any business [doings] any of us conduct in a state other than our own.&nbsp; The gist of the bill is that it will be like a driver's license.&nbsp; If your own state issues you one, you are considered legal to drive in other states.

"This bill simply allows Americans who travel in interstate commerce to bring their Second Amendment rights with them.&rdquo;" Are vacationers or people travelling for personal reasons travelling " in interstate commerce?"