agree with coyotechaser there is no threat from a black bear, trust me I have been up close and personal. the only time you will be in trouble is if you get between a mother and a cub. then just slowly back out keeping an eye on momma. if you are considering a gun to be accurate both on paper and with a coyote, and relatively inexpensive, I have a Ruger GP100 with a six inch barrel that I am capable with to 50 yards.

As stated in my first post though a 22 is a lot of bang for your buck and can easily take a coyote at 50 yards with practice. They aren't gonna let you get closer than that anyways...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I apologize for the misunderstanding. i DONT recommend a glock of any kind for a bear gun. Glocks are just an excellent gun to get into for the price. If you guys would actually take the effort to look into things you would find out that a 357 magnum is better than a .44 because the bullet is hauling *** compared to a .44. This in turn gives the 357 MORE KNOCKDOWN power than a .44. Most people cant handle BIG like a 454 and 480 or even the new 500's. They kick so much you only get one chance and that doesnt seem smart to me when you are panicky and in a life or death sitution. A 357 is more than enough to do the job just like that fact that you dont need a 300 winchester to take out a whitetail. Come on guys lets be wise and not measure our ***** all the time.

 

Not to be rude RodeHog, but I disagree that a 357 has more knockdown power than a 44.
The bullet may travel faster, but it is also a lighter bullet.

The 44 will outpower the 357 no question.

 

Here is my opinion one more time guys. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
I wouldnt recommend a Ruger if all you want is a 9mm or a .45ACP. Glock 17's and 21's (9mm and .45 full size) are alot more gun for only a little more cash. Other good ones include the new Springfield Armory and the Walther P99. Also I forget which one it is but HK makes a good .45 similar to those for around $650. If thats too much at least go hold a Glock 17, you can get one new for $499 and used all the way down to $400 (for one still in good condition).
If you dont want a semi-auto Smith & Wesson revolvers are excellent guns also. I was at the store the other day and saw a S&W eight-shot 357 that was pretty cool ($799). That wouldnt be bad either.
Dont let any of us distort your judgement on what gun to go buy. We all have different opinions that are appropriate to our past experiences. Go to your friends and the different shops and hold them all and shoot them all and decide for yourself which one you like the best and fits YOU best. Check into everything including price of ammo and who can fix it for you if ever need be.
I still dont agree with you all on the "Go Big or Go Home" line of thinking. If you are sitting in the truck with it, then Hell ya go big or go home. In fact go as big as you can. Get a 45-70 in that case. But if its something you are gonna carry to get you out of a mess, then I believe in something that doesnt take 6"-8" inches to pull out of your pants. Go get a nice little 4" Smith and Wesson 357 mag or something along those lines. This way you dont take yourself out with a tree branch when turning around. Plus its lighter and you dont have to pack around all that extra weight. This is just my opinion guys so dont think Im laying out the grounds for who's right and who's wrong. You are all right!
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as for 9mm or .45..........just get both.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

If you guys would actually take the effort to look into things you would find out that a 357 magnum is better than a .44 because the bullet is hauling *** compared to a .44. This in turn gives the 357 MORE KNOCKDOWN power than a .44.

Here is the effort. The average muzzle velocity of a 125gr. 357mag is around 1450fps, with a muzzle energy of around 583fpe. The average muzzle velocity of a 240gr 44mag is around 1350fps, with a muzzle energy of around 971fpe. Remember these are averages and different manufactures have different averages but they will be pretty close. The .357mag does NOT have the Knockdown power of a .44mag. Here is one source of many if you want to look for yourself. Vinson5 I also have a GP100 in stainless with the 6"heavy barrel and it is quite a shooter also. http://matrix.dumpshock.com/raygun/basics/casedata.html

 

That quote is from rodehog, I must of done something wrong with the quote option

 

if you would like another opion......try a .40 cal. i have simth&wesson sigmas (2) and they are great 15 rounds, (down to ten now thanks to gun control freeks) they have more stopping power than either the 9mm or the .45. check the strouseberg tests if you don't believe. they also shoot more like a 9mm.(not much recoil). if you are serious about bears,the 44 mag revolvers by smith,ruger or colt would be a good choice.

 

yah clinton clips are retarded im with yah there. Arent they currently trying to get that changed again, and they are getting somewhere???

 

Nice effort! Just remember that you have no idea what kind of ammo they are talking about and rest assure whatever kind it may be it is factory loads. Reloaded stuff is a totally different ballgame.