Home Invasion: Colorado Man Emptied a .40 Caliber Pistol Into a 400 lb. Black Bear He Found in His Dining Room

[SoJer]

...A real Colorado man would have had a rifle handy.
Something like a 30-30, not an AR.

Aye, Every Self-Respecting Household in America should at Least have one of These mounted above the Fireplace:

(..Not My Beauty, unfortunately.. Good Friend of mine out-here's.. but.. Makes the Point. ) ..And if ya "Ain't Got a Fireplace", well then, By-Gum, mount it over the Microwave or China Hutch or whatever.. Have Something 'adequate' At-Hand..

..We keep (in Addition to several in-Bedroom EDC Pistols at the-ready..) a 7-rnd 12 ga, loaded with Slug / a couple 00, up on-top of the Hutch in the 'foyer area' just-outside the Kitchen, next to the Entryway - and - a .45-70 Henry under the Bed in the MB (who's view covers 100% of the Back Yard, so..) Ain't NO 'creature' - Biped, Quadruped, or anything therebetween gettin Into this House without having Something, via Somebody 'addressing it appropriately', inside of 5-10 sec.

jd

 

[Mountain trapper]

A bear has to make a living too. As more people move in to bear country, there will be more problems like this. I've known people, usually recent immigrants from California, who actually feed the bears! Then they call Fish and Game to kill the bear when they become problems. I've lived in bear country my entire live, black and brown bears, and have never had a problem with them. In Alaska I carried a 500 S&W mag.
In my opinion, a .40 caliber is not adequate for 400 pound bear. Always use enough gun.

 

[Morgan101]

My guess would be he used at least 10 rounds. That would be common for most 40 cal firearms. I agree. It wouldn't be my first choice to use on a large bear, but it was what he had, and it did kill the bear, so IMHO it was effective.

I bet they never leave that door unlocked again. All of our doors and windows are locked all of the time.

 

[Mountain trapper]

A locked door won't stop a determined bear from getting in to a house. I've never locked my house, don't even know where the keys are.
The trick to keeping bears away is to keep a clean place and not leave any food or trash around. I built a shed for our garbage, the chicken feed is inside a feed room, our livestock feed (grain) is kept in barrels inside the barn. I've seen bears around here quite often. A few weeks ago there was a yearling bear walking around the coop. It's common to see a bear sniffing around a late season calf cleaning up the afterbirth. So far, we've never had a problem with a bear, wolf or mountain lion.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

Aye, Every Self-Respecting Household in America should at Least have one of These mounted above the Fireplace:

(..Not My Beauty, unfortunately.. Good Friend of mine out-here's.. but.. Makes the Point. ) ..And if ya "Ain't Got a Fireplace", well then, By-Gum, mount it over the Microwave or China Hutch or whatever.. Have Something 'adequate' At-Hand..

..We keep (in Addition to several in-Bedroom EDC Pistols at the-ready..) a 7-rnd 12 ga, loaded with Slug / a couple 00, up on-top of the Hutch in the 'foyer area' just-outside the Kitchen, next to the Entryway - and - a .45-70 Henry under the Bed in the MB (who's view covers 100% of the Back Yard, so..) Ain't NO 'creature' - Biped, Quadruped, or anything therebetween gettin Into this House without having Something, via Somebody 'addressing it appropriately', inside of 5-10 sec.

jd

I've got a 45 year old Marlin 336 Texan, and when Winchester announced the end of Model 94 production I picked up a used one. It's a late model, made after Winchester subcontracted out production to FN.

My 45-70 is a single shot New England Firearms Handi Rifle. I love guns of the Old West and wanted a "buffalo rifle" but for a new Shiloh Sharps the base price is $3,000 and it goes UP from there depending on options. So, it was a $450 Walmart NEF. Which are not made anymore, darn it.

 

[SoJer]

..I love guns of the Old West...

Yessir, Likewise! The 'they just don't make things like they used-to' cliché Is-one for a Reason: Cuz it's True! Thus, even though I did choose to go 'New School' with the Henry 'X', well.. I just Had to find a way to 'Old School it-up a bit'.. which I did by milling-out / fitting a Custom-wood forestock for it, Just for the sake of having a 'Touch of wood' / nod to the 'Classics'...

..And, bonus, the 'beefier' forestock Does help my Grrls with handling this Mule well, as it's Quite the kicker for their lil 5' frames..

Love yer Win '94, though.. That rifle - "used" or not - is a real Trophy.

jd

 

[dademoss]

What Gun Do You Use When You Find a Black Bear in Your Living Room at 3 a.m.?​

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/w...find-a-black-bear-in-your-living-room-at-3am/

45-70

 

[dademoss]

I've got a 45 year old Marlin 336 Texan, and when Winchester announced the end of Model 94 production I picked up a used one. It's a late model, made after Winchester subcontracted out production to FN.

My 45-70 is a single shot New England Firearms Handi Rifle. I love guns of the Old West and wanted a "buffalo rifle" but for a new Shiloh Sharps the base price is $3,000 and it goes UP from there depending on options. So, it was a $450 Walmart NEF. Which are not made anymore, darn it.

H&R made a single shot "Buffalo Rifle", got one at a gun shop for 89 bucks, they were sure it was a .410 shotgun

For a bear in the house, it's the 45-70 Marlin

 

[Tim Horton]

My 20 some experiences with 2 different kinds of bears tells me they are not hard to puncture, but can be hard to kill quickly.... Enough on that..

I'm surprised of all the people saying things like ...use this gun, use that gun, caliber... Seems no one has said anything about using the 12 ga many keep for many reasons ?? I have used a 12 ga to good effect more than once... Your experience may vary...

Still an unfortunate loss of a fine animal.. But it happens..

 

[havasu]

My 20 some experiences with 2 different kinds of bears tells me they are not hard to puncture, but can be hard to kill quickly.... Enough on that..

I'm surprised of all the people saying things like ...use this gun, use that gun, caliber... Seems no one has said anything about using the 12 ga many keep for many reasons ?? I have used a 12 ga to good effect more than once... Your experience may vary...

Still an unfortunate loss of a fine animal.. But it happens..

A 12 gauge shotgun is very versatile. Have you ever seen what a rifled slug will do to a vehicle? same with Double 00 buckshot. on the other end of the spectrum, how softly it will take down a Dove with #9 shot?

 

[Weedygarden]

Still an unfortunate loss of a fine animal.. But it happens..

Someone who shot and killed one said they cry like a baby when they are shot.

 

[Supervisor42]

Someone who shot and killed one said they cry like a baby when they are shot.

Is that the same sound they make when they are chewing the flesh off a human body?
Bears kill and eat people.
They need to stay in the damwoods.

 

[Morgan101]

45-70

I agree. A 45-70 would be my gun of choice, but with a bear in the house I am guessing there would be a certain sense of urgency. I honestly couldn't get to my rifles quickly. I would probably grab a .45 with a couple of mags. I know I can put my hands on two of them in a heartbeat.

 

[joel]

Never mind

 

[Tim Horton]

Someone who shot and killed one said they cry like a baby when they are shot.
= = =
Um.. I've heard a number of animals get vocal when shot... Bears included... My experience is they can be vocal as they eat, regardless of whether it is a field of green oats, young corn, road kill, or chickens after they break into the chicken barn... If you are around them enough you learn they have a significant number of vocalizations.. Making more sounds than most people realize...

 

[Haertig]

Yessir, Likewise! The 'they just don't make things like they used-to'...

I never would have guessed that was a Henry. I've always associated them with a more cowboy look. I just shot mine (a lever action .22LR) yesterday for the first time in years. I had forgotten how much fun it is. Even with it's tang sight in the rear, which is much better than notch open sights for my older eyes, I struggled getting good groups at 100 yards. Mostly because I couldn't hardly see the 3" target from that far away I suppose. I am used to scopes at 100 yards and beyond. And try as I might, I could not keep a 10 shot group in that 3" target with the Henry (I was using Blazer bulk ammo as well, and that's not very accurate stuff). About 4" to 4-1/2" for 10 shots is the best I could do with those open sights and that ammo. And I consider myself lucky to have managed even that!

 

[SoJer]

I never would have guessed that was a Henry. I've always associated them with a more cowboy look...

Yessir, and yah, this was my Previous obsession, the 'All Weather' w/ nice Wood-ware (not mine, but this was The Exact-model / finish..):

..But, I was torn (also really liked the Marlin equivalent, but mostly just-because of the side-gate..) but I just Loved, Loved, Loved the feel / action / balance of the Henry, so.. Went that direction, initially..

..But whence the 'X' line came out - with a side-gate - I was Very-intrigued, but.. Even so, I was really Not digging the idea of ANY 'tacticool' stuff on a lever, so.. I Had to go put my hands on one, and Man.. It was Love at first Chk-CHKK! This is what the 'X' 45-70 looks like, before I got to mucking it up...

..But, I didn't end up caring for the 'kinda wimpy-feelin' forestock on it, and really-liking the forestock on my .50 cal 'Dragon Claw' PCP, there.. (I'm sure you remember that puppy: ie: https://i.ibb.co/K5kWFFw/DC2-Emp-Ex-Ss.jpg ..I decided to see if a 'merger' was possible.. And it Was.

..So, a bunch of fairly-sketchy / boderline-dangerous routering work & fitting/ potting-labor, etc later.. my 'Black & Tan' was born..

jd

 

[Magus]

Aye, Every Self-Respecting Household in America should at Least have one of These mounted above the Fireplace:

(..Not My Beauty, unfortunately.. Good Friend of mine out-here's.. but.. Makes the Point. ) ..And if ya "Ain't Got a Fireplace", well then, By-Gum, mount it over the Microwave or China Hutch or whatever.. Have Something 'adequate' At-Hand..

..We keep (in Addition to several in-Bedroom EDC Pistols at the-ready..) a 7-rnd 12 ga, loaded with Slug / a couple 00, up on-top of the Hutch in the 'foyer area' just-outside the Kitchen, next to the Entryway - and - a .45-70 Henry under the Bed in the MB (who's view covers 100% of the Back Yard, so..) Ain't NO 'creature' - Biped, Quadruped, or anything therebetween gettin Into this House without having Something, via Somebody 'addressing it appropriately', inside of 5-10 sec.

jd

I ALMOST Put a down payment on one Tuesday... I think I lost my last girlfriend over selling the one I had. Are the Rossi versions any good? I was going to go stainless 357.

 

[Magus]

I believe that also applies to two-legged animals.
Lesson = Don't be a defenseless victim. If you have to shoot once, empty the mag.

Bad idea bro, the lawyers will eat you alive... unless its a bear or some other animal.
Aim for the head, double tap, change cover. if it move again, rinse-repeat. I doubt ANYTHING getting up from a double dose of 240 grains in the forehead however, or if you
have a Ruger 44, 300 grains of buffalo buster. quite messy, quite fatal.

 

[ssonb]

Kinda hard to maka rug outs sumptin with that many holes init.
I keep a 12ga dbl coach gun with one #4 and one 00 in the tubes with more 00 and slugs on the cuff.
Come to think of it there would not be any fewer holes in the hide when I was thru either.

 

[Magus]

BOOM! head-shot. lol

 

[The Lazy L]

Must have been a Denver boy, city boy, enjoying his stay in the get away retreat. Steamboat Springs.
A real Colorado man would have had a rifle handy.
Something like a 30-30, not an AR.

I figure he wasn’t a Socialist immigrate from California because he had a gun and used it.

 

[Caribou]

I've never seen evidence of bear on my property but they are in the area. I keep a Hexolit 32 as the first round out of my 870 12Ga. My carry gun is a 9MM but I keep a magazine of +P external hollow point handy.

At Mom's house I've had bear staring at me through my bedroom window. That PITA bear won't let me see it when I have a clean shot. No, I don't want it dead enough to replace that window, it is a 4-0 X 7-0 and would be a pain to get fixed.

 

[Magus]

I figure he wasn’t a Socialist immigrate from California because he had a gun and used it.

Yeah, one of those dummies would have poured steak sauce over his head and let it eat him for Gaia or tried to s0d0miz3 it.

 

[Tacitus]

I've never seen evidence of bear on my property but they are in the area. I keep a Hexolit 32 as the first round out of my 870 12Ga. My carry gun is a 9MM but I keep a magazine of +P external hollow point handy.

I was going to buy my daughter (who likes to go into rough back country) some solid penetrating 9mm (something like this, maybe: 9mm Luger +P 115gr. Xtreme Penetrator® Solid Monolithic Hunting & Self Defense Ammo), because I figured hollow point might not go deep enough into a bear. Comments anyone? Hollow points are good for aggressive human animals, of course.

Why 9mm for her? She goes light. She doesn't want anything heavy, so no long guns, and a magnum revolver would probalby be too much for her. I also thought she should go with 10mm, but she wants her grandfathers 9mm for sentimental reasons.

 

[Caribou]

I was going to buy my daughter (who likes to go into rough back country) some solid penetrating 9mm (something like this, maybe: 9mm Luger +P 115gr. Xtreme Penetrator® Solid Monolithic Hunting & Self Defense Ammo), because I figured hollow point might not go deep enough into a bear. Comments anyone? Hollow points are good for aggressive human animals, of course.

Why 9mm for her? She goes light. She doesn't want anything heavy, so no long guns, and a magnum revolver would probalby be too much for her. I also thought she should go with 10mm, but she wants her grandfathers 9mm for sentimental reasons.

That is what I carry. Same brand and loading. I have a low probability of an encounter.

Friends of mine are quite active in the outdoors. The son climbed Mt. McKinley. The father bought his daughter a 10MM after one of her hiking buddies got herself killed by a bear. We had a discussion before he bought it. Again, she didn't want to be encumbered with a long gun. A .454 was just too much gun for her. He thought she would tolerate a 10MM. I told him to buy a box of the same ammo that we carry.

I feel confident that a 9mm will kill a black bear. Whether it will kill that bear in my lifetime is a question I hope to never find the answer to.

With the heavy hide and fat, getting adequate penetration on a bear is the issue. Regular hollow points are poor choices.

 

[Magus]

Rear repellent.
https://www.magnumresearch.com/bfr-biggest-finest-revolver/

 

[Pearl]

Rear repellent.
https://www.magnumresearch.com/bfr-biggest-finest-revolver/

I could use some "Rear repellent", mine has gotten a little bigger this summer!! Couldn't resist Magus!!

 

[Mountain trapper]

Kinda hard to maka rug outs sumptin with that many holes init.
I keep a 12ga dbl coach gun with one #4 and one 00 in the tubes with more 00 and slugs on the cuff.
Come to think of it there would not be any fewer holes in the hide when I was thru either.

Needle and thread will close the holes. Nobody would ever know.

 

[Magus]

I could use some "Rear repellent", mine has gotten a little bigger this summer!! Couldn't resist Magus!!

Real men love big butts...
I had to. LMAO