What Pistol Rounds Can Kill a Bear?
Don’t take a .22 to a bear fight! That would be crazy!
I have been seeing several questions about what handguns or calibers can be used to kill a bear. While I have seen good questions, knowing how to use a firearm before you are confronted by a bear is much more important. A good shot from a smaller caliber gun is better than a bad or missed shot from a larger caliber gun.
Related: Bear Attacks Trail Camera
There are a lot of guns that you could take to try and kill a bear and most of them would kill the bear if you made a perfect shot. Others would do much more damage and be way more effective with a less than perfect shot. When you are looking for a gun to defend against bears, penetration is most important.
Oftentimes bear attacks can be avoided by making some noise when walking through bear country and letting them know you are there. Talking loudly will allow them to know you are in the area but you still may surprise a bear and a pistol may be a good choice
The other thing to remember is there are several different kinds of bears. Black bears are more common in North America, but you may come across a grizzly or brown bear. Several of the medium to small calibers will be less effective against the larger bears like grizzly or brown bears. So let’s talk about a few calibers that may be good options to use on a bear.
Can a 9mm Kill a Bear
The smallest of the pistols that I would consider carrying to protect myself from a bear attack would be the 9mm. This pistol is a very popular pistol and rounds are readily available and reasonably priced.
The 9mm represents the diameter of this bullet and it is used commonly for self defense or as a concealed carry caliber. It also has a high capacity magazine that will allow for follow up shots because even experienced shooters will miss in high stress situations.
Can a 9mm kill a bear? Yes, a 9mm would kill a bear. As a medium sized handgun the 9mm would be a good choice of caliber when carrying to defend yourself against black bears. It might be a little small when taking on a grizzly but would still do a good job.
I would consider a 9mm a backup gun in grizzly country and hopefully be carrying a bigger rifle or pistol. The bigger the better with a grizzly. The larger number of rounds it can hold in the magazine may be a good trade off over lower capacity magazines.
Related: Primers for 9mm Reloading
Can a .45 Kill a Bear
Coming in a little bit larger and slower than a 9mm you get a .45 ACP. It was designed for more knock down power for the military in the early 1900s. Although most US military handguns are 9mm instead of a .45 caliber.
With all pistol rounds and shooting a bear, comparing penetration is one of the most important criteria. A well placed shot with low penetration will not do the necessary damage to stop a bear. A .45 is a slower moving round that makes a bigger hole. That is not what I am after when picking a bear defense gun.
Can a .45 kill a bear? Yes, a .45 caliber pistol may not be the best choice for defending yourself against a bear but it will kill a bear. If you have a .45 then you may pick to use it. Picking a round that will penetrate deeper may be the better option. A bear is thick and a .45 caliber may not get the deep penetration that you will need to hit vitals and stop the threat.
Related: Primers for 6×45
Can a .357 Kill a Bear
The .357 Magnum is a pistol round that was developed based on the .38 Special and is a common hunting round for deer. Hunters can make a good broadside shot on a deer and it works well. As for a bear the diameter of .357 is very close to the 9mm. It is just slightly larger at 9.07mm.
The .357 Magnum is a heavier bullet with a larger case. The case can hold double the powder as the 9mm. The bullet was designed to penetrate cars so it is a strong competitor for a high penetrating round.
Being a bigger bullet than the 9mm the .357 will hold fewer bullets in the magazine and allow for fewer shots on a charging bear.
Can a .357 kill a bear? Yes, a .357 is a good choice of a bear gun and packs a bigger punch than the 9mm. The deeper penetrating round will allow for a better knockdown power. Still well placed shots are the most important when shooting a bear with a pistol. A .357 will kill a bear in a hunting or self defense situation.
Related: Primers for 357 Sig
Can a .22 Kill a Bear
As the article started you do not want to use a .22 pistol to take on a bear. It is designed for small game such as rabbits and squirrels not for animals that big. A .22 pistol would probably just make the bear madder at you.
Would I shoot a .22 at a bear trying to attack me, if that was all I had? Yes I would, but I would be looking for other options of ways to defend myself or get out of harm’s way. A .22 will not slow the down very much. The sound may be just as much of a deterrent as the bullets hitting the bear.
But could a .22 kill a bear? Yes, a .22 can be a deadly rifle with a well placed shot and a black bear is no exception. A perfect shot could kill and even drop a bear at extremely close range if you are lucky. A .22 may just make larger bears mad.
So like I said above “Don’t take a .22 to a bear fight! That would be crazy!”
Related: 22 LR vs 17 HMR
Would you use a hollow point for bears?
Hollow point bullets are a typical round for hunters but there can be issues when using hollow point rounds when shooting large game.
Hollow point bullets are designed to expand when hitting a target. They turn into a mushroom shape on impact and create a larger hole as they pass through. They are also designed to stop inside of the animal they are hitting and not pass all the way through thus dispersing all their energy on impact.
I would not recommend hollow point bullets in your bear defense pistol. On larger animals such as bears the bullet could be slowed down by the thick hide or muscles of a bear and not penetrate deep enough to strike vital organs. This can be a big problem when trying to stop an attacking bear. The bullet may hit harder but not do sufficient damage and the bear will keep coming.
When taking longer shots this can cause even more issues as the bullet slows down and penetration can be super low.
Should you choose bear spray or a pistol?
There are situations when bear spray may be more effective than a firearm in deterring a charging bear. If a bear is attacking a hunting partner or another person a pistol may not be the best choice. Bear mace may be the better option than missing with your pistol and shooting your friend.
Bear mace is known to be a good deterrent and sometimes more effective than a pistol. In an outdoor situation where there may be a bear attack, having both a pistol and bear spray to use in different situations will be the best option.
Just remember that knowing how to use your tools and being well trained is the most important thing. Knowing what tool is your first line of defense and second line of defense is super important. Bear attacks and situations happen quickly and in quick situations your training will need to kick in to be accurate and stop the threat.
Conclusion
Most of the pistols we have discussed will kill a bear but the best one will be a caliber that is big enough to kill a bear and that you know how to use. Proper training and practice will always be best when using a pistol. If I were to pick a pistol to carry, I would pick the 9mm because I would want more shots and a good enough round to get the job done.
