Some Guns Are Better for Bear Defense Than Others

It seems to be well established that shot placement is generally more important than power, especially with handguns. But power is something to consider. The FBI testing protocol for terminal ballistics calls for 14.0-16.0 inches of penetration into gelatin blocks to be ideal (with at least 12 inches on the minimum side and no more than 18 inches on the maximum side). Big animals--particularly with thick hides or heavy, thick bones--require more oomph. That is why handguns intended for use against dangerous animals will generally be large caliber, magnums, shooting hard cast bullets to maximize penetration, and not 9 mm or .40 S&W using standard hollow-points.

    This seems to be amply illustrated by a story related by Ammo Land on the "Details of .22 Pistol Defense Failure against Polar Bear in Norway." This particular incident occurred in 1995. Passengers from a ship had debarked onto the ice to engage in some sight seeing. They carried a flare pistol and a .22 semi-automatic pistol for self-defense. When they were an hour's march from the ship, they encountered an aggressive bear, which attacked the party.

The bear was distracted neither by warning shot nor flare and attacked one of the party. As he did so, he was shot, from a range of only 15m and turned against the man who had fired at him. This man tossed the gun to the first, who shot again. The process was repeated, with first one man being attacked and then the other. By the time the pistol was emptied and a knife drawn, one man was dead and another badly injured. The survivors retreated to the ship.

 The ship's captain subsequently shot and killed the bear using a high-power rifle. Upon inspection, it was found that three .22 rounds had struck the bear in the head, but none had entered the cranium. The author suggests that none of the shots had entered the cranium because a bear's head is large, but its cranium (that is, the portion enclosing the brain) is relatively small--that is, it was a matter of accuracy. But I don't believe that the account meant to use the term "cranium" in such a narrow manner; it can also be used to refer to the skull generally. Thus, this incident seems to indicate no penetration of the skull.

    Striking the vitals means not only requires that the round hits the right spot, but that it actually penetrates to the vitals.