.380 on a ultralight backpacking/camping trip?

Well, I am sorry that your experience was so uneventful, though disappointed that your level of activity at Young Lake and Admiralty Cove was so boisterous as to scare away any sign of bears for three months. I can't think of a time when we've not seen a bear on Admiralty. I'm sure you know that the trail crew at the Tram from Seymour Canal to Oliver's Inlet had a different experience in 2010 and were forced to kill a brown bear that continued to attack them.

I'd rather not carry the shotgun because it is heavy, as is the ditch bag attached to my PFD — not to mention the PFD. Still, I carry them because it increases my margin of safety.

I don't know what a G17 is, so I'll have to be excused from your attempt at humor or ridicule.

If every ounce matters I'd carry bear spray. Will work better against the bear and I'd feel more comfortable using it on a crazy person. Spray either with it and they'll leave you alone.

as a avid hunter i can personally tell you that evan if you were packing a gun with sufficient firepower to stop a bear "which would be totally un ul" very few people would be able to maintain the mental clarity to react fast enough to stop anything. Almost all bear charges where a firearm is involved the animal is not Evan wounded it is the sound that scares it off. So if your a military/ law enforcement officer who has trained countless hours to be able to react and react well in the given time frame of a bear charge and you are hiking in a area with rabid zombie bears sure but if not just bring some bear spray know how to use it and be smart

I'd say that you should go with the one that shoots and fits your hand better. Bring bear spray and bourbon too!

*pumps shotgun*
"It's coming right for us!!!!"
"Nope. Chuck Testa."

ಠ_ಠ

Chuck Testa

Joseph:

I believe that "G 17" refers to the Model 17 standard (aka full-size) 9 mm semi-automatic pistol made by Glock. http://www.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm

Assuming one can hit them, it works well on people and small game, but will only get a bear's undivided attention directed your way. Why would you want to get a bear's undivided attention?

It is widely believed by those who should know that if you shoot a black bear (but don't kill it immediately), the odds are about 50/50 that it will charge rather than run away. With a grizzly, that's an open invitation to, and a virtual 100% guarentee of, a charge, and he'll keep coming until one of you is dead.

As has very wisely been suggested by another poster, if you are fearful of people and/or bears where you're hiking, consider hiking somewhere else. The best way to avoid trouble is to be someplace else when it appears. Another poster correctly mentioned that bear spray will also discourage/disable a human attacker, allowing you to get away.

If you MUST carry a firearm for your peace of mind, be SURE you know your duties under the laws regarding both the use of deadly force and what constitutes brandishing. If you do use deadly force against someone, you'll have to convince a jury that you met all of those requirements before you fired and that under the same conditions, EACH ONE of them would have done the same thing.

No amount of common sense will prevail when fear, one of the most powerful emotions is involved. He's afraid without it….

Carry a gun, just don't go all Dick Cheney on anyone.

LOL at Chuck Testa!

Yes, as John mentioned earlier, an ultralight bazooka is the only way to go… though I was considering hiring an Apache helicopter and crew to shadow my every move in the backcountry and maybe run scouting missions or launch preemptive strikes against the bears…

Another alternative in an impenatrable bullet proof bubble….much like a human sized hamster ball. You can be safe from anything, hell you could probably roll right off a cliff.

@ Bob

"The best way to avoid trouble is to be someplace else when it appears."

This is good in theory, practically 100% success rate, on paper.

To the OP
.380… I don't have a use for.

My suggestion is to leave the gun at home but if you feel you need it go with the lighter one.

Look, if you guys don't like guns stay out of the dude's thread. These threads always turn into some political debate about guns and how the people that need guns are scared and parniod. And the people who don't like guns are scared and paranoid.

I love guns. I have several. Including a .40 glock and a 1956 Remington 870 12ga. I personally wouldn't carry a handgun into the backcountry but I won't fault someone who does. If someone feels more comfortable carrying a gun that is their prerogative.

A handgun may not stop a bear but it will surely stop a meth head. I feel I can handle myself against said meth head but I can't speak for anyone else.

curious who you have pegged who doesn't "like" guns? I don't "love" guns, but I do make a living carrying them. When someone's first (and only) post is "should I pack my .380 to keep away bears and the boogeyman" -sorry but I have to think troll.

If someone is going to bring a gun, they should be intelligent enough to bring enough of a gun to do the job.

Bringing a gun that is insufficient for dealing with bear is false security.

Might as well bring a huge teddy bear, and convince yourself it is a decoy to keep the bears from noticing your camp. Most nights it will work perfectly !

redmonk wrote:
"If someone is going to bring a gun, they should be intelligent enough to bring enough of a gun to do the job."

I agree but the same goes for bear spray.

While bear spray is much easier to use than a firearm it still requires some practice drawing, arming, aiming (yeah you do have to aim a bit) and finally shooting.

Even when you do everything correct there is still a chance that the bear spray won't deter the bear.

With anything that is used for personal protection you have to know the capabilities and limitations of the product before you get into a situation where you may need to use it.

Edited to add redmonks quote so the post will make more sense. :)

I have been backpacking and climbing for more than five decades and i have never found a firearm to be necessary. During that time, I have done a fair amount of SAR and I never saw a situation where a firearm would have helped.

Carry an equivalent weight of vanilla ice cream – eat it before it melts. Your load will be lighter and you will enjoy the extra energy.

a fed troll is a happy troll.

my .25 cal semi-auto "pocket gun" ie "sat night special" with its 1.5" barrel weighs 12oz with only half a clip.

I think the guns best use would be shooting yourself in your head to put yourself out of misery after being mauled by the bear .

If you want a light gun that would actually work on a bear, go with the m4 Alaska survival derringer in .45-70. Big enough to do something. Just be real close and prepare for a broken wrist. But I am also of the mind that gun carry is unnecessary. I go through this conversation with my non backpacking friends all the time. They think im crazy for not packing, I tell them that im much more concerened not being able to pack out into the concrete jungle. Tweekers are far more dangerous than bears IMO.

But what about a bear that is tweekin'?

in many places, the law regarding the carrying of a handgun requires specific regulations be followed. issues such as having a valid permit for the states you will be hiking in if you qualify, strict adherence to each state's rules regarding the weapon and it's storage, and the proximity of the ammo while transporting.

simply having the gun in your pack with the ammo in some other part of the pack could be considered a violation and could land you in trouble in many jurisdictions in my neck of the woods.

then there is the issue of where exactly you are hiking – do you cross from National Park lands into some other federal, state, local, or private property along the trail? when you discharge the weapon and miss, are you going to go get the round or does Leave No Trace take a backseat to firearm fun?

i have zero problem with responsible gun ownership, i have several rifles, shotguns, and handguns. out hiking with a handgun can lead to problems for even the most responsible of us, so it makes no sense to carry one with me for that one time i might get the drop on a game animal in season.

when i want to hunt game in season, it's typically black powder and it's typically the purpose of the wilderness adventure, not a "i have a gun, who wants pheasant for dinner?"

i'll have to check on the rules on using a handgun to hunt – i would need hunter safety and a hunting license, plus i would need to be wearing blaze orange while doing so. not sure if the leadup to the taking out the firearm would be considered hunting, so i'd had better wear blaze orange during my entire trip. this is getting complicated.

nvm

A bullet would rust so ridiculously fast that
You can stop reading that sentence and disregard the rest.

Lead will not rust, oxidizes at an extremely slow rate, it will exist for a very long time in a solid state.

"A bullet would rust so ridiculously fast that it would basically become a little rock in the ground."

i'll let our range master know to stop the million dollar cleanup contract. thanks *rolls eyes*