.45-70 lever action as bear defence?

[HighlandLofts]

I'd hate to be on the recieving end of either round, being on the giving end is bad enough.

[Jonathan_S]

It may just be me, but I'll take a reliable 12ga gassed up with 3" slugs any day over a lever gun in close to keep a bear off me.

Both are good medicine but I think I would prefer the way the .45-70 or .444 or .450 Marlin handles upon impact and a decent lever gun can cycle quite quickly

[mountainman]

It may just be me, but I'll take a reliable 12ga gassed up with 3" slugs any day over a lever gun in close to keep a bear off me.

Both are good medicine but I think I would prefer the way the .45-70 or .444 or .450 Marlin handles upon impact and a decent lever gun can cycle quite quickly

copy that!

[mountainman]

Heres my 450 Marlin, loaded hot with hardcast bullets for the closer range rainforest chasing shiras Brownbear on Baranoff and Halleck Island in Alaska. Next to my 338-378 accumark for the longer tidal flat shots!

[Bofire]

  Bear hunting, I'll take the 45-70, bear defense I'll take the 12 gauge. Hunting could be 100 yards, defense is 50 feet or less.
Carl

[Biggerhammer]

Bear hunting, I'll take the 45-70, bear defense I'll take the 12 gauge. Hunting could be 100 yards, defense is 50 feet or less.
Carl

That's exactly what I was thinking "Bear defense" was the topic. 12ga with good heavy slugs would be my choice as a stopper in close. A quality auto maybe(Benneli M4) but in a case like that a 870 pump is almost just as quick and very dependable of course with a extended tube. There are many different rifles and Chambering's for "Bear Hunting" that I would choose above any lever rifle.

[wadu1]

The guides I have used on Vancouver Island carry Marlin Guide Guns in 45-70. One now is using a Ruger  SS Bolt gun in .416 Ruger for Griz. I have the Marlin and an H&R single shot 45.75 with a red dot, I carry the H&R most of the time. 

[mountainman]

a fast shooting 12 gauge is not a bad choice..but never found a lever to be lacking for defense personally they have saved stitches more then once!

[mountainman]

The guides I have used on Vancouver Island carry Marlin Guide Guns in 45-70. One now is using a Ruger  SS Bolt gun in .416 Ruger for Griz. I have the Marlin and an H&R single shot 45.75 with a red dot, I carry the H&R most of the time. 

:yeah:they are the ones who would know best!

[MikeWalking]

It may just be me, but I'll take a reliable 12ga gassed up with 3" slugs any day over a lever gun in close to keep a bear off me.

Has any 12ga slug ever gone length wise through a Cape Buffalo?  Garrett's 45-70 loads have. There a few truly stunning 45-70 loads out there.

Just before my first trip up to the Brooks I saw an article in an Anchorage paper. A 10yo using an 1895 with a Garrett load took an 1100lb coastal brownie at 50 yards, in the left shoulder breaking the right.

Those hammer block safeties come out too.

[mountainman]

It may just be me, but I'll take a reliable 12ga gassed up with 3" slugs any day over a lever gun in close to keep a bear off me.

Has any 12ga slug ever gone length wise through a Cape Buffalo?  Garrett's 45-70 loads have. There a few truly stunning 45-70 loads out there.

Just before my first trip up to the Brooks I saw an article in an Anchorage paper. A 10yo using an 1895 with  Garrett load took an 1100lb coastal brownie at 50 yards, in the left shoulder breaking the right.

Those hammer block safeties come out too.

Totally agree! Some may say they know better tho!

[Skyvalhunter]

Pack my SS 45-70 in the Brooks range this summer on my float trip.  The gun gives a person a sense of security. The bears I saw didn't stick around long to test it out though.

[cohoho]

I hope your really quick at whatever you decide, I personally have been charged by a couple brown bruisers and well quite frankly thank god they turned around before I *censored* my pants and crawled into a fetus ball sucking my thumb.  No time to really react for sure - like the fishing rod was going to do anything...   

I started carrying a close chest holder - outside exposed handgun in large bore caliber (454) or pepper spray was my preference in AK, unless you got that lever action gun - shouldered up, good luck!  This was about Bear defense, right  I do not think bear defense is farther than 25-50ft, if they come closer than that, they need to be put down and kept down and down again till there is no motion what so ever!  Bear hunting I had my .375....  Several friends had .450 marlins in a back pack holder while fishing that was pretty effective to pull and be on target pretty quickly...  Hiked the Russian river a lot to the falls for Reds.. We saw big bears every day....

[jyerxa]

I know some guides up there that run 12g's. Most of the time they will have a mag extension and run like 4-5 slugs and the last couple #9 or #8 shot to try and blind the bear. Eyes on any animal are very sensitive and when you spray anything with lead pellets in the face and get the eyes its pretty much game over and you can get away. Hard for a blind and bleeding bear to hunt you down is there motto. I don't know I think I would still be packing a big bore lover gun and probably my 454 casull as a 2nd in that country

It is going to really sting the nose too. 

12g slugs in a tight jam like that would be my choice. But since I wouldn't want to or try for an encounter I think that the casull would be a realistic way to go 24x7. 

[MikeWalking]

Pack my SS 45-70 in the Brooks range this summer on my float trip.  The gun gives a person a sense of security. The bears I saw didn't stick around long to test it out though.

Same choice in the same area.  Visibility in most area was several hundred yards so quick draw wasn't an issue. Still it hung on me just below port-arms.   Of 8 only one didn't run away.  I had to take aim and talk him out of coming closer, even then I had several minutes to watch him approach.   Hmm?  The one that ran away fastest caught me peeing