Grendel bear load?

[daved20319]

I know, the Grendel is probably marginal at best for bear, but I don't have anything else that would be better, and this would be emergency use only, and only for black bear. Although I've never seen a bear on my property, this is bear country, and there has been a significant uptick in bear encounters with people. My primary concern is a bear going after my chickens, they go in a pretty secure house overnight, and in 15 years the only predator issues I've had has been from hawks and owls. But secure as their house is, it's not bear proof, and bears will go after anything if they're hungry enough. And ours are hungry, wild fires over the last few years have made major impacts on their habitat, and the berries that they usually fatten up on this time of year are in very short supply. Not stressing, just want to be prepared for the worst case.

So my rifle is an AR, BCA side charger upper, 20" heavy SS barrel, on an Aero lower, with a Sig Romeo 7 red dot. Had a scope on it, but for this, the RDS makes more sense, and if I do have to try to take one out, range will certainly be less than 50 yards. The load I'm using is the Sierra 120 gr. Pro Hunter, 28 gr. of Shooters World Tactical Rifle, and a CCI 450 primer. Velocity is ~2450 FPS, and is under an inch at 50 yards with the RDS. I also have some Hornady 129 gr. Interlocks on the way, I like flat based bullets for shorter range shooting.

Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions, critiques, experience, etc. As I said, this will be a last resort, and the likelihood of actually needing to take on a bear is probably pretty low, but I've long been a fan of have and not need vs. need and not have. Later.

Dave

[TedBrewer5]

[LRRPF52]

[Former Cav]

I think I'd buy a SLUG gun in 12 GA if I were you.

[Kosh65]

[montana]

Yup, this is correct. You can keep your shot guns, magnum revolvers and heavy caliber rifles. If I'm not hunting the bear, I want a weapon platform that is light, quick to shoulder, fast follow up shots, adequate penetration, accurate and most of all reliable..

[CJW]

[montana]

There have been a lot of obscene experiences with heavy caliber rifles when hunters have been surprised by a bear lol.. Many hunters will shoot over a charging bear as it closes distance and a heavy rifle is at a distinct disadvantage with a second follow up shot, especially if it is scoped..Better to kneel if possible and then fire if time permits..That said, I don't feel under gunned in Grizzly country with a 7.62X39, 6.5 Grendel or even a 300 black out if I know the rifle..

[biodsl]

How LRRPF52 handles close bear combat with a Grendel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qApXp7sH9QQ

[TedBrewer5]

[CJW]

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[kpswihart]

I've killed multiple black bears and brown bears, both in a hunting environment and during my time as an LEO in SE Alaska. Bears aren't typically hard to kill, unless they're all jacked up on adrenaline. They can be extremely difficult if they do have an adrenaline dump. I felt completely comfortable in the woods up there with my Glock 22, and have hunted and allowed my kids to hunt black bears with various short action calibers. With all of that said, if I had to dispatch a problem bear, I carried a M70 375 H&H with 270 gr jsps. Shot placement is obviously key and first round hits matter. As a side note, I never shot a bear with the G22, but have probably killed over 50 moose with it.

[LRRPF52]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19216[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]19215[/ATTACH]

These are just my thoughts on it, nothing set in stone.

True or false:

If you had shot that bear in the face/head 1-3x with a semi-auto, with monoliths, it would have dropped on the spot.

hiker in Alaska shot a charging grizzly with an AK-74 in 5.45x39mm. That one went down quickly, then got up and charged again, taking 13 rounds.

[LRRPF52]

[daved20319]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Yes, I realize there are better rifle choices, but I'm not going to go buy another rifle or shotgun just on the off chance I might need to dispatch a bear. IF I do, yes, it'll be from the relative safety of my porch or front door, where I can beat a hasty retreat if it all goes to hell in a hand basket. In other words, I have no intention of getting any closer than I have too. As shot placement tends to trump all, I prefer head shots, I know my rifle, and I know myself and my ability under pressure. If one shows up here, my first goal is to scare it off BEFORE it discovers an easy meal, if I end up having to kill one, it'll likely be its second visit, predators tend to keep coming back until the food is gone or they get killed. I seriously doubt this will ever become an issue, but it is a possibility, and one that I need to take seriously. Again, appreciate the feedback, later.

Dave