gnatshooter Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 (edited) Friends, First off, thanks to the moderators and webmaster for making room for pistol discussions. Secondly, thanks to members for paying attention to this in what's a .308 black rifle community. Here's the deal. My son is looking for a semiauto pistol that can take down a bear. He hunts bears in season, but he also does camping, and, well, sometimes a bear shows up when you're just trying to have a quiet night in the woods. My son is looking at getting a 10 mm from Rock Island Armory. He's concerned that the recoil from a 10mm might be excessive, as he's heard that law enforcement abandoned the round for that reason. Also, that 10mm ammo is hard to find, and that there's a 'light' grade of 10mm that's OK for recoil but not all that good for rampaging bears willing to kill you for your s'mores. He lives in central Iowa and nobody rents guns that he can find, so he's looking at buying a pistol without shooting it first. Any advice will be appreciated. Edit: P.S. If y'all have some good advice, he might get a .308 and join up. Edited May 5, 2014 by gnatshooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brushawg Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 1st off dont let think a handgun is a primary weapon for bears! The 10mm is a great round and gun, the RIA is a good 1911 platform although the glock 2o in 10mm holds more rounds. I love the round and the guns as far as ammo goes the best on the market is Underwood with the 200 gr xtp bullets next would be the buffalo bore 220 gr hardcast. But make sure they will function in whatever gun he chooses. He can get a load of information at www.10mmfirearms.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra644 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 For those who dont know the history of the 10mm. It was designed for the FBI when a few agents were killed in a shoot out with a guy who was using a scoped ruger 10/22. One of the agents got a heart shot on the bad guy, but the shooter got a few more rounds out before he died and killed 2 or 3 agents, The Gov. said give us something better, S&W came out with the 1006 or 1066 and Glock came out with a 10 and I think Grizly LAR and Colt Delta Elite. So the 10mm has the same balistic equvialent of a .41 mag when loaded up with some Corbon or Hornady +P. The female and girly sized agents couldn't deal with the recoil, so then the 40 S&W was born. 10mm ammo is still availible but expensive and I second the Glock 20 but would think about a revolver chambered in a bigger cartridge like a .44 mag or 454 casul ect. Sorry but a pistol on a bear is like going after it with a switch, if i'm gonna do that I want a big damn switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 Glock 20SF or EAA Witness for around $600 . Get extra mags and a recoil spring upgrade kit for either. That's what I would do ! Then learn to reload ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripledeuce Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 First of all. a bear, even a big one, is easy to kill if hit in the right place. Second, they are VERY hard to kill if hit in the wrong place! A. get a GOOD 22 pistol. and 4 or 5 THOUSAND rounds of ammo. B. Shoot all the 22 ammo, then re-visit the big bore pistol. Respectfully Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planeflyer21 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 Glock 20SF or EAA Witness for around $600 . Get extra mags and a recoil spring upgrade kit for either. That's what I would do ! Then learn to reload ! +1 My friend has a G20 he shoots with loads "WELL into the .44 magnum energy range!" It shoots very nicely. Mike's (Dane Armory) Witness is a hoot to shoot too! Of the two pistols it's a bit of an edge to the Witness for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted May 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 I think the real point is to have something in the luggage that can be pulled out when bears are not in season, but the bear has to die. Sure it would be great to have your trusty .308/7.62 to gun down the Beast from Hell, but the notion is to have something that doesn't look like poaching, and doesn't take up a lot of space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbasks Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 (edited) . Edited May 5, 2014 by bubbasks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketch Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 (edited) A friend of mine bow hunts and has the G20 for back up barrel and spring upgrade. He stated that he might have to stick the barrel down a bears throat to do maximum damage but he likes the mag capacity. I shot 5 rnd of his relodes on the hot side and recoil was manageable very accurate! One thing I forgot a 10mm has a rather large grip? Edited May 5, 2014 by sketch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 A friend of mine bow hunts and has the G20 for back up barrel and spring upgrade. He stated that he might have to stick the barrel down a bears throat to do maximum damage but he likes the mag capacity. I shot 5 rnd of his relodes on the hot side and recoil was manageable very accurate! One thing I forgot a 10mm has a rather large grip?That's why the G20SF is such a hot ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 Why not a 45ACP, 40S&W, or 357 sig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONTANA308 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 I just been running the G29sf with the rod and 21lbs recoil spring ghost 3.5 connector. I bought this gun for bear country. Where my cabin is located has the highest concentration of grizzly bears in the lower 48. Not to mention the lions and wolves. They are in the front yard of cabin often. Im a firm believer in bear spray first and if that dont work start throwing lead. Cant beat the 10mm get some Underwood ammo and carry on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planeflyer21 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 (edited) Why not a 45ACP, 40S&W, or 357 sig? Maybe a .460 Rowland for bigger hole/deeper penetration effect. For bear shooting out of a handgun, a person is going to want a solid with a wide meplat that scoots along at a respectable speed. Who was that lady in Canada that killed a record grizzly with a .22 and one shot? It can be done but it isn't recommended. If you need an excuse, bears are dangerous: http://www.stiguns.com/nitro-10/ Edited to add temptation link. Edited May 5, 2014 by planeflyer21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 One thing I forgot a 10mm has a rather large grip? In the 1911 the 10 mm grip size is the same as any other caliber. The .40 mags for a 1911 usually have a spacer in the back part of the mag to compensate for the shorter round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmist Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 I've got a couple of the S&W 1076s and they are tanks, incredible shooters, but a lower round count than the Gs. A great option that I went with is the Storm Lake conversion barrels for the G21(.45ACP), to 10mm. 2 pistols in one. As mentioned above the .357 SIG is another good bear round; I run a StormLake conversion barrel in my G24(.40), with TTI extender base pads. Carries very well in a Bianchi X15 medium. With the TTIs the round count is 18 IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted May 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 I've got a couple of the S&W 1076s and they are tanks, incredible shooters, but a lower round count than the Gs. A great option that I went with is the Storm Lake conversion barrels for the G21(.45ACP), to 10mm. 2 pistols in one. As mentioned above the .357 SIG is another good bear round; I run a StormLake conversion barrel in my G24(.40), with TTI extender base pads. Carries very well in a Bianchi X15 medium. With the TTIs the round count is 18 IIRC. What do you think about the recoil of the 10mm? Supposedly it's brutal and nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONTANA308 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 With full loads it has a pretty good kick. in my 29 adding the steel rod and 21lbs spring took recoil way down. I would invest in a set for sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robocop1051 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 The .460 Rowland, the .45 Grizzly or the .50 GI would all be better choices than a 10mm Auto. The .500 mag, the .460 mag and the 45-70 would be the best choices. Even the .454 Casull would be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 What do you think about the recoil of the 10mm? Supposedly it's brutal and nasty.After the recoil spring kit upgrade thr recoil is managable. I have a 23lb spring in my Witness and cycleling issues occur before recoil overpowering happens. I have played with 180gr rounds at 1300fps and 200gr rounds at 1200fps. If the rounds are too hot the brass won't eject or the next round won't chamber. And those rounds are not painfulto shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted May 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 The .460 Rowland, the .45 Grizzly or the .50 GI would all be better choices than a 10mm Auto. The .500 mag, the .460 mag and the 45-70 would be the best choices. Even the .454 Casull would be better. How does the recoil of these compare to the recoil of a 10 mm? For a guy who weighs in at about 110 lbs., there's something of a tradeoff between recoil and knockdown power to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 The .460 Rowland, the .45 Grizzly or the .50 GI would all be better choices than a 10mm Auto. The .500 mag, the .460 mag and the 45-70 would be the best choices. Even the .454 Casull would be better.Really Rob, thought you would say 44Mag , 50AE and 458SoCom. Desert Eagle !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planeflyer21 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 After the recoil spring kit upgrade thr recoil is managable. I have a 23lb spring in my Witness and cycleling issues occur before recoil overpowering happens. I have played with 180gr rounds at 1300fps and 200gr rounds at 1200fps. If the rounds are too hot the brass won't eject or the next round won't chamber. And those rounds are not painfulto shoot. I've shot some of those rounds and the Witness grip makes them very manageable! Whatch'ya workin' on for the next meet Mike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 How does the recoil of these compare to the recoil of a 10 mm? For a guy who weighs in at about 110 lbs., there's something of a tradeoff between recoil and knockdown power to consider.Have you shot a 40S&W ? That is considered snappy. 9mm is smooth. All the ones Rob listed will sting your palm ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Armory Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 I've shot some of those rounds and the Witness grip makes them very manageable! Whatch'ya workin' on for the next meet Mike?nothing ! Been working on other peoples stuff. Got 4 AR pistols on hold. 1 AR on hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planeflyer21 Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 All the ones Rob listed will make a person wish they'd gone and cleaned outhouses that day instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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