Alaska Outfitter Defends Fishermen from Raging Grizzly with 9mm Pistol

[Cougartail]

I think it's irresponsible for a guide of this sort to carry a 9mm for protecting clients.  He did his homework yes, and gambled it would be enough and got lucky.
Now if this was his personal carry and took it for himself to go fishing that's fine, but not for taking clients. 

Also why don't they (guides) hand out bear spray to the clients and a quick course on deploying the spray?

I could not aagree more. Very irresponsible decision!

Are you from Anchorage?

[T-Dozzer]

I think the star of this show is the ammo.  If it was the 9mm +P+ penetrator, that stuff out performs quite a bit of the .357 mag.  I still wouldn't go 9mm or even semi-auto over revolver though, like said above.

Think it was just the +p outdoorsman hard cast

[KFhunter]

Read what other guides are saying:
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/109570-Alaska-Guides-carrying-10mm-for-Bear-Defence-Sidearm

[buglebrush]

So I shoot the Buffalo Bore +p FMJ 230 grain FN.  Any thoughts on if they are inferior to basically the same load, but with hardcast?

[Fl0und3rz]

For comparison.  Bear spray deployed. Two mauled.

http://komonews.com/news/local/bear-mauls-2-guides-from-seattle-cruise-company-in-alaska

[Bob33]

For comparison.  Bear spray deployed. Two mauled.

http://komonews.com/news/local/bear-mauls-2-guides-from-seattle-cruise-company-in-alaska

One used bear spray. One was seriously mauled. The article does not say which was and wasn't.

"One of the victims did deploy pepper spray and the bears eventually departed the area."

[buglebrush]

Both the guides were mauled. 

[Fl0und3rz]

That's pretty much my point: two mauled versus three not mauled.  At mauling range, i'd rather reach for a firearm.  At greater distances, a non-lethal deterrent would be a nice option to let the bear live, if possible.

[j_h_nimrod]

A 9mm is not my first choice for a bear gun but I would prefer that over canned Tabasco. Many (most) clients cannot be trusted with bear spray, they are already jumpy and bearanoid in most cases and a few cases of clients spraying themselves or having guides and innocent bystander sprayed because they walked up behind someone explains why pepper spray is not handed out regularly. Most clients have no clue and are not outdoors people so giving them a can of bear spray is tantamount to just spraying yourself or throwing the can in the river and letting it float away.

It is kind of funny that people claim the 9mm it is such a weak round and only marginally adequate for human protection but it did a pretty good job on that bear. 

[KFhunter]

A 9mm is not my first choice for a bear gun but I would prefer that over canned Tabasco. Many (most) clients cannot be trusted with bear spray, they are already jumpy and bearanoid in most cases and a few cases of clients spraying themselves or having guides and innocent bystander sprayed because they walked up behind someone explains why pepper spray is not handed out regularly. Most clients have no clue and are not outdoors people so giving them a can of bear spray is tantamount to just spraying yourself or throwing the can in the river and letting it float away.

It is kind of funny that people claim the 9mm it is such a weak round and only marginally adequate for human protection but it did a pretty good job on that bear.

Makes total sense about not handing out bear spray