[Seymour Hiney]

I know that .38s aren't all too powerful considering their size, but would they still stand a chance against a black bear?

 

[Paul F.]

If the question is, "Is a .38 spl better than nothing against a black bear?" - the answer is yes. That said, it would do nothing on a head shot but might on a close-throat shot. The best you could hope for is that a shot would scare it off, in my opinion. :wink:

 

[hoashooter]

SH-Things with teeth what are bigger than you are require more than a 38 :shock: :shock: :shock: I would not use a 38 for whitetail at close range let alone pi11 off a bear at close range :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Fuelburns2]

Wasn't there a post about a LEO shooting a bear in the heart after some drunk climbed in the bear pit at the zoo? Maybe that was on SGW. Still, that was point blank range.

I would want nothing less than a .44mag and maybe a .454 for such a large animal. This is one of the few times when even I won't advocate the .357mag. It's just too small.

 

[TheRedScare]

.44 Mag!

 

[Asylum Keeper]

better than a sharp stick! but if you see your self running into bear then you might want to carry something bigger, at the very least a .357mag, but I would say .44 mag or .45 LC.
If all you have is the .38 keep it loaded with the hottest hollow points it and you can handle and dont make any head shots (bears have very thick skull!)

 

[uglydog]

Numerous black bears have been killed with the 38 Spl but it is not a very reliable stopper. I personally know of 4 bears that have been killed with a 38 Spl by LEOs and a dozen or so by houndsmen. In the first, that is all the officer had and in the latter the bears were treed and the shot can be placed very precisely. If one had no other choice but a .38, the best bullets would be solid (not hollow point) semi-wadcutters or round nosed bullets. These may give you the penetration needed to reach the vitals of the bear, hollow points will open up much too fast and may not even penetrate the hide and fat on a bear in the fall. If it is at all possible use a bigger gun as even a .357 is pretty marginal under the very best of conditions with the best of bullets.
In reality, unless you intentionally go looking to tick a black bear off, a loud shout and making yourself appear bigger by raising your arms out will send it scurrying. Few people see black bears in the wild, especially under 100 yards, as black bears are fairly wary of man and do generally their best to avoid us. I've lived in bear country most of my life and the number of times I've walked up to one while out and about can be counted on both hands with several fingers left over. It takes an awful lot of luck (good or bad depending on the individual) to get close to a bear in the wild and is not something I worry about, definitely less than stumbling across a temporary meth lab.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

the best bullets would be solid (not hollow point) semi-wadcutters or round nosed bullets

yea, oops, i thought about what I said and realized hollow point is a bad choice for bear,was gonna correct my post but ya beat me, FMJ or hard cast lead would be much better choice