Best 10mm load for black bears

[Jared Hensley]

Do any of you have any experience hunting black bears with 10mm?  I am leaning toward the Underwood 220 grain hard cast.  My weapon is a gen 4 Glock 20 with a 6" KKM barrel.  

Edited January 28, 2017 by Jared Hensley
typo

[RED333]

42 minutes ago, Jared Hensley said:

Do any of you have any experience hunting black bears with 10mm?

No, I would be in a good tree house!!! Hunting large dangerous game with a pistol is not on my bucket list.

http://www.shootingtimes.com/handguns/handgun_reviews_handguns_for_dangerous_game_021511/

Edited January 28, 2017 by RED333
Because I can

[FJCrusing]

2 hours ago, Jared Hensley said:

Do any of you have any experience hunting black bears with 10mm?  I am leaning toward the Underwood 220 grain hard cast.  My weapon is a gen 4 Glock 20 with a 6" KKM barrel.  

No experience on the bear hunt side but that's probably your best choice in ammo.   I carry a Glock 20 Gen4 with me during hunting season in case I run into any un-friendlies and usually carry Underwood 10mm 200gr.  How do you like the KKM barrel?  Been thinking about one.

[Trekbike]

No, I would be in a good tree house!!!

You know bears are pretty good tree climbers, right? [emoji3]

[Trekbike]

I might carry a 10mm on the off chance I might run into a bear, but there's no way I would go hunting for one with that caliber.

[Oh Shoot]

Aw c'mon, make it sporting, use a .380 mouse gun. Or really test manhood with a .25.

- OS

Edited January 29, 2017 by Oh Shoot

[KahrMan]

26 minutes ago, Oh Shoot said:

Aw c'mon, make it sporting, use a .380 mouse gun. Or really test manhood with a .25.

- OS

Come on, everybody knows that bears are scared of a mouse...oh wait,  never mind, that's elephants. 

[Jared Hensley]

9 hours ago, FJCrusing said:

No experience on the bear hunt side but that's probably your best choice in ammo.   I carry a Glock 20 Gen4 with me during hunting season in case I run into any un-friendlies and usually carry Underwood 10mm 200gr.  How do you like the KKM barrel?  Been thinking about one.

I love the KKM barrel.  Great quality and accurate as heck.

[Jared Hensley]

This guy stopped a moose with his Glock.   I just hope that after he changed his underwear he went back to collect the meat.  

 

[RED333]

11 hours ago, Trekbike said:

You know bears are pretty good tree climbers, right?

Well I did say "good" tree house, I am thinking steel clad with big spikes that shoot out at 3000 FPS.

 

[1gewehr]

Many years ago, I met a man in West NC who used to poach Black Bears with a 6" Colt .38Spl.  The sound of the .38 didn't carry far in the mountains, and he said that normally Black Bears will run away from people.  He told me that about 30 years ago and he was an old fart then. 

For hunting, I would still go with a rifle against anything bigger than a coon  :-)

[Jct1911]

I would go with the 200grn hard cast load, the 220 load is almost point of diminishing returns with heavy bullet. Not far off from 45auto +p. 

Side note, a buddy of mine shot a black bear with a 45-70(old Springfield) from a tree stand once, the pissed off bear started climbing the tree after him, he ended up finishing the bear with a gp100 357 at near point blank range. He never hunted bear again. 

[runco]

Shot placement might be a subject that would go in parallel with OP.