I recently moved from California to Montana, and while I have never owned a gun before I’m thinking that I probably need one (please let’s not let this become a thread about the pros and cons of gun ownership). We have Grizzly bears, brown bears, moutain lions and timber wolves living not far from my property, and I am often outdoors doing work around the property. In addition to wild animals, because of our relative isolation I am also concerned about being robbed, although that’s probably not likely to happen since most people have guns for protection around here.
So I have started to look at various guns, including handguns, hunting rifles and shotguns, and the 12 gauge shotgun seems to be a good all around self-defense weapon. BTW, I realize that a shotgun won’t stop a charging Grizzly bear, but any gun that would is likely overkill for general usage. I also want a gun that my wife could handle when I am away for a few days on business.
I did some reading on the web, and from visiting the local outdoors stores I realize there are a lot more variations in shotguns than I thought. There’s the 12 vs 20 gauge of course, and there are both 26" and 28" barrels (and other lengths?). Since most people buy these guns to shoot birds I can see why you might want different length barrels, and even one gauge versus another, but for general purpose use (I doubt that I will ever go bird hunting) what gauge and barrel length makes the most sense? Or is it all personal preference?
FTR, I would only use a gun if I had no other choice, such as if a bear had made it into my house and wouldn’t leave on his own accord. I should also mention that I have a gun range a few miles away from my house so I will practice often to make sure that I can hit whatever I am aiming at.
If your wife is on the small size, she might like the shotgun I have - Mossberg makes a “bantam” size, which is evidently for kids but fits me just fine. It comes with a coupon to help me upgrade to a full size stock and all when I grow up!
Mossberg 500 Slugster, 26" barrel, cylinder-bore, 12-gauge. Good for taking down just about anything that needs it, depending on the load. It also swaps barrels quite easily, should you decide to use it for hunting.
There are basically two “general purpose” shotguns at the top of the shotgun world - the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870. These are both versatile and cheap shotguns and they will last forever. I myself have a Winchester 120 - not much different from those other two, except it has its own special “WinChoke” system (spreading out the shot in different patterns). This is not really of any concern to me because I don’t hunt with this shotgun.
If you are really worried about bears you probably want to load it with slugs; for human assailants you would be better off with buckshot. If I were you I would have a shotgun with buckshot and a big handgun like a .44 for bears. And maybe an additional shotgun with a rifled barrel loaded with slugs, and another pistol for good measure, maybe a .357. And a rifle; you can’t go wrong with an SKS. And maybe another pistol too, like a .45 M1911. And maybe another rifle, like a Winchester Model 70 for long range shooting. Oh yeah, and maybe another shotgun.
Note that in North America these terms are generally held to denote the same species (Ursus arctos). Montana also has plenty of black bears (Ursus americanus) - which, just to confuse things, are often brown in color.
(In fact, the two species are reasonably easy to tell apart.)
If you live in a rural part of Montana, forget the shotgun. I would get a rifle and a handgun.
When I have time to go and grab a gun, I want the most accurate and most powerful thing I can get my hands on. This is where the rifle comes in. For bear, I would choose .308 (7.62 X 51).
If you’re out-and-about, you’re probably not going to carry the rifle with you. That’s where the handgun comes in. For bear, you want something big. Like a .45 ACP (semi-auto), .44 Magnum (revolver), or .454 Casull (revolver).
When walking around in the wilds it is recommended that you wear a bell, and carry pepper based bear spray.
On the subject of how to tell Black Bears from Grizzlies, you can tell by looking at their scat. Black bears eat berries, and you can see the seeds in their poop. Grizzlies eat meat, and their poop can be identified by the presence of small bells, and it smells like hot peppers.
If you were to go with one all around weapon, I would get a 870 12 gauge and load it with either 00 buckshot or slugs, or a combo.
I think a 30.06 would do better as a rifle when it comes to a general purpose rifle just because it is a little more powerful than a .308 and very easy to find ammo for because it is so popular. There is nothing wrong with a .308 however.
A .44 magnum pistol is not well suited for beginners at all. They tend to be way too powerful and uncomfortable to shoot for most people. You can develop bad shooting habits like trigger flinching just by being afraid of it. A .357 is good because it can shoot fairly low powered .38 cartridges as practice rounds yet the real .357 rounds can take down almost anything at close range.
To the OP: Get something you are comfortable with at first and practice, practice, practice. Also, get ear protection. Most people have no idea how loud the higher powered guns are. It may be the loudest sound you have ever heard in your life and that causes bad shooting habits as well.
My experience has been that I just don’t want to lug around a rifle or a shotgun while I’m working. A handgun is far more likely to be at hand when I need it.
If you put the right round in the shotgun, you very well might take down a bear, if you hit it.
I have the Mossberg 500A, and keep it loaded with: first round shot then, 00 Buck, Slug, Slug, 00 Buck, Shot, Shot.
My theory being, “If at first you don’t suceed, hit it with some heavier stuff, then as it gets closer, calm down and really pump some shit into it. If it keeps coming, scatter some lead as you run away and the last one will be enough to keep you from too much pain.”
Thanks for the great advice. I have a bell and bear spray that I take with me now when I am out in the woods. Bears are fairly common up here, but bear encounters aren’t. For the most part these aren’t “park” bears that are habituated to people (and their garbage). As I understand it, bears that aren’t normally around people tend to stay away as opposed to attacking. There was a recent grizzly attack in Glacier National Parkof a jogger, but other than the obvious trigger of someone running they really don’t know why the bear attacked. The jogger sustained some injuries, but once the bear attacked and bit him it apparently decided to leave. The key to avoiding an attack is to not threaten a bear in any way and to completely avoid interacting with a mother with cubs. I know people who have lived around my property for years who have never had an encounter with a bear. I hope to be one of those people some day.
It comes with a coupon to help me upgrade to a full size stock and all when I grow up!
