mooseoutfront

The 10mm up thread is a blast to shoot. Powerful, but controllable. 17 rounds of what is basically a hot .357 magnum. I can see why a lot of people up here are going the 10mm route over the big magnums. The biggest advantage I see is being able to practice with it without killing your hands and wrists. The magnum bear loads are brutal.

I guess that was my old man long winded way of saying be careful with black bears, they be mo' dangerous than you might think Seems to happen to a lot of sisters ; )

I would guess that 95% of the bears I've encountered up here were running away from me before I even knew they were there. I usually only get a glimpse of their ass end when I finally do see them. Moose are by far more dangerous than bears. In fact, most predators avoid humans at all costs. The situation that you practice for is surprising one, especially a sow with cubs. Cubs scare me more than a 10 foot male grizzly because I know mom is around somewhere and mom will attack in an instant. I've had one very close call with a grizzly and I wasn't armed at the time. The last thing I want to do is shoot a bear. They are beautiful creatures. Grizzlies have a bad reputation, but black bears are actually more dangerous. A black bear is more timid and will scare off very easily. Grizzlies tend to hold their ground and assess the situation for a moment before they take off. Grizzlies will bluff charge you to see how big of stones you have. If you hold your ground they'll pull up about 10 feet from you and turn and walk away. If a grizzly engages you play dead and they will most likely stop fucking with you. If a black bear engages you you fight for your life. A black bear will not stop mauling you until you are dead or you kill it.

The pause was momentary; not a full stop of the charge. The lead hunter was able to start shooting from a range of six feet. The grizzly grabbed the lead hunter by the left thigh and the hunter went down with the bear on top of him. As the bear closed with the lead hunter, the middle and last hunters had seen the bear, dropped their bows, and drew their pistols, a .44 magnum and a 9mm. They started shooting. With the lead hunter down and the bear in his lap, he put the .45 against its head and shot his last rounds. The bear went limp. The lead hunter was able to crawl out from under the big bear. Shortly afterward, the bear was seen to move, and the hunters fired two more rounds into the chest cavity from the side. The hunters estimated they had fired 19 cartridges at the bear; 8 rounds of .45, 6 rounds of .44 magnum, and about 4 rounds of 9mm. Nightmare Fuel Brown bears are tough SOBs. Got get them in the vitals to stop them

For large critters you want bullet penetration to the vitals more than anything else. Never use hollow points or bullets designed to come apart. The .40 loaded with the Buffalo Bore would probably be ok for lion or maybe black bear, but imo it’s not enough for a brown bear. The 10mm is the lightest caliber recommended for brown bear, and there are a ton of people who think it’s too light and recommend nothing but the big magnums…44 and up.

I liked the Sig a lot, but the mags are rumored to have feeding problems being fully loaded with the 220 grain loads The Springfield was a great deal. It was on sale for $529 and came with six mags. It was basically a wash between it and the Glock for me so the SA was the winner. Looking forward to shooting it.

Went with the SA

I'm thinking of buying a new 10mm pistol for bear protection. The .44 mag has become a pain in the ass to carry. It's heavy and the bear loads are just plain painful to shoot. Looking at the high capacity, polymer, striker fired options. Anyone have any experience with the Glock G20, Sig P320 XTEN, or the Springfield Armory XD-M Elite?

I did not have "Thankful for a cancer death" on my bingo card. But it is a Tuesday. If I'm rooting for cancer, it had to happen on a Tuesday. When did aging rural white males become such pussies? They used to be some of the nicest, accommodating people I'd ever been around, and I say this as an aging rural white male.

I hope your son enjoys his time up here. A summer in Alaska at a young age is something I would recommend for just about anyone, especially if they are working outside. Winter will not let go. It's been snowing for the better part of a week now. Usually by this time the snow is noticeably retreating. The weather worm is supposed to turn around about midweek with highs in the 40's. Outsiders can buy tickets for the Ice Classic. I believe there is a number you can call in to for that to happen if you are interested in getting in on the game next spring, or they might have upgraded to be able to do it online. I do know that ticket prices doubled to $3 a guess this year. My wife's guess is always April 24. I think she bought 2 tickets this year. With all the new snow I don't see that date as a realistic possibility, but you never know. I picked May 2. Wally, DM me if you would like my phone number for your boy. I'm sure he'll have plenty of support from the people where he is working, but it's always nice to have an oh shit number too. I'll be in Fairbanks quite a bit this summer with my wife working there, so I'll be "in the neighborhood" so to speak. Also if he gets down to Denali I can give him some advice on where the locals go and what they do.

Why don't you think that roof back up on that barn.

I'm going to have to disagree here. The .44 mag I keep in my truck will do a whole hell of a lot more damage to the human body than the .223. But I can't fire 30 rounds of .44 mag in less than 20 seconds like I can with the AR platform. That is one of the central arguments the anti-AR crowd has, the massive amount of firepower that the AR platform represents and, if we're being honest here, is why it is the weapon of choice for these kind of tragedies. That amount of firepower is why I own one myself. Plus, they are a hoot to shoot. The gun matters, and I'm all in for reasonable restrictions on who can own and posses these types of weapons because the inconvenience of me having to fill out a few forms and wait a few weeks in order for a proper background check to occur to obtain my pew pew toy pales in comparison to the continuing slaughter of school children by people who should never have been able to buy that type of weapon in the first place.

Preach!

Chicken and dumplings

This is how I roll

.45-70 Government

I don't get down to Anchorage very often, but I'm pretty sure that place has closed GABC is still up and running in Anchorage

The Great Alaskan Bush Co.?

I’m hoping the Longhorn in the middle of the Northern Lights last night is a good omen. Hook ‘Em

My wife talked me into watching this with her and I'm glad she did. Harrison Ford is killing me in this: Babies, Musicals, Magic, Kale, then Academia

I live in a tourist area, and by the end of the summer I will admit that I'm looking forward to them leaving. But tourist dollars pay for everything in the Denali Borough. The only tax levied here is the bed tax. There are no property, sales, or income taxes so the bed tax pays for all Borough services. Plus the money the tourists spend supports a lot of the population year round even though the vast majority of the tourist season is in the summer. The Asians come in the winter to procreate under the Northern Lights. A child conceived under the Lights is supposed to be blessed. One of my favorite sights in the winter is the red bus parked on the side of the road. It's a modified bus with "sleeping compartments." In actuality the bus drives around the highway looking for the Lights. When they come out, it pulls over and the people on the bus go into their compartment to screw. I've often wondered how the bus driver passes the time in those situations. Always makes me chuckle when I see that bus pulled over.

Good luck Wulaw I struggled with my weight for years. It's one of the reasons we moved where we did and live the way we live. I had to do something drastic or that surgery was in my future. At my heaviest I was 405. I'm down to 255. Stay active, Dude. Modern life does not make it easy.

Well, you’ve basically seen our survival plan. Cabin was about the right size too. My wife and I are enjoying this show so far. Hope it finishes strong.

@Brisketexan reminds me of the H.L. Mencken quote: "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." And in this regard, I can't say I disagree with him.