Thinking about a trip to Alaska for some backpacking into wilderness country during spring break. Been backpacking for years, but never in territory quite that wild. I've done plenty of solo stuff in wilderness colorado areas, but have only visited Alaska once and swore I'd go back. My question to you guys, hopefully some of you have done what I intend to, what weapon would you carry for critter protection? I'm gonna ask in the lounge about general advice, but for this thread, what weapon do you think would be the most advantageous for the particular blend of critters and terrain there?

M1 Garand w/ Federal PowerShok?
Marlin .45-70?
.50 Beowulf w/ M203? (just kidding)

thanks guys!

I spent a couple summers working in Anchorage in the 70's. At the time, my sister's husband who had lived there for over 30 years and had been an Alaska State Trooper suggested either a long barreled .44 Magnum or a shotgun. The shotgun was preferred, not to expect to kill a Grizzly, but to confuse it's senses when you fired 0 buck at it's face. The .44 Magnum was for "up close and personal". The shotgun is a bit much so I carried a .44 Ruger Magnum....

I've been up to Katchemak Bay for some hiking and fishing. Nice country up there, I'd love to go back.
I carried a P220 because it was all I had at the time. I knew going into it that, as far as bear defense goes, I may as well have been carrying a .22 But, hey...its better than nothing and at least it would've given a grizzly something to listen to before he ate my sorry ass.
Every fishing guide I know up there carries an 870, and that's what I'm taking when I go back. Those monster revolvers don't much appeal to me. The 12g pump is more powerful, mechanically simpler, cheaper, and more versatile. Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590, Benelli Nova, Stoeger P350, there's plenty of good choices.
I'd rather carry a 7Lb shotgun slung over my shoulder than a 4.5Lb revolver on my hip.

I think I answered this in the other thread....but more or less. 12 guage. Only option. Suppliment it with a high-cap 10mm (glock is a good idea), or 44 mag. Keep in mind the handgun is for once the bear already has you in its clutches. The 12 guage is for the charge. Don't waste time or rounds with warning shots.

Also...look in the CCW section...there's some conversation going on there about this....sort of. Mostly there's a bunch of bad advice about carrying way to heavy and ineffective handguns. But, You'll see pics of the 329pd. I suggest a 8-shot 12 guage with short barrel and sling combined with a S&W 329pd in a guide holster.

For bear, short barrel and smooth front sight. that way it doesn't hurt as much when he shoves it up your... Oh never mind. Every one has heard this joke before.

Nothing less than a .44 Magnum. Bigger if you can.

It's not popular to mention, since firearms are so much fun to talk about, but it's a good idea to read up on bear behavior and various travel techniques for going cross-country and camping in bear country.

FWIW, I've done an extended backcountry trek in Denali where no firearms are allowed and when I was there they actually required an education session for dealing with bears before they let you have the permit. I was fortunate enough see bears in the wild, btw, and it was an amazing experience.

Also, a number of experts recommend pepper spray above and beyond firearms as being more effective should push come to shove. But IMHO your best strategy is prevention and knowing as much as you can about how bears behave and what you can do to avoid them.

As far as firearms, Mr. SuperAKdually's (who I believe lives in Alaska) advice as to a 12 gauge is probably the best advice. As far as handgun, the conventional wisdom is .44 mag or bigger and I'd personally go Ruger over S&W since Rugers can better handle the top .44 mag loads (IIRC the longer cartridges won't necessarily fit in a S&W).

Just make sure you practice because it's still all about shot placement.

Does this help

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.

They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

You could go old school as the military scouts of WWII did. Most carried some form of centerfire rifle, and a .22lr pistol/revolver.
You listed an M1 Garand, but its not cool to shoot factory loads in those. A good bolt action 30-06 shooting 180 to 220gr. loads with about 50rnds of ammo and a good .22lr pistol or revolver for smaller game and signaling with a 500rd brick should see you well on your adventure.

They call it an Alaskan Snubby for a reason. That's all I have to say about that.

Bear spray is not effective, not easily used, and gives a false sense of security.

Go buy some, see how well you can spray it...and how far. Then, mark that distance and have a buddy start unexpectedly from that distance away....running at you. You'll see that you'll have about 1 second to aim. Don't forget about wind direction. Perhaps you should spray yourself to get a sense of how much fun its going to be getting mauled by a bear while you are suffering from the effects of the overspray (which is generally much stronger than the stuff police use).

Are you getting a sense of why the spray isn't used much be real outdoorsman in Alaska?

I'm sure the sierra club gives it a good recommendation though.

Of your choices the M1 would be the best, but it will be heavy as hell.

Get a Remington 870 (18" Barrel) and some slugs and save yourself 4 lbs or so.

If I was making a real trip of it I would have a standard 12ga and a .44 mag wheel gun of your choosing.

Bring some bear OC spray.

I agree with the 12 gauge but I'd look at something like a Benelli M2 or an M4 rather than an 870. They're just as reliable and you can get lead downrange even quicker than with a pump.

As for a handgun, while a .44 isn't a bad idea, how well can you control one? How well can you control one one-handed?

If it's too much gun for you, take a good hard look at something like a Glock 20 or 21 loaded up with loads on the more powerful end of the spectrum (+P for .45, "full power" for 10mm). They're easier to shoot and lighter to carry than revolvers, have twice the ammo, and are nearly as powerful and effective at close distances with the right ammo.

Alaska isn't somewhere I'd really consider "backpackable" in the "springtime." Up until late may, most places are still pretty nasty in terms of weather and/or snow on the ground. They don't really get a spring during spring break, all the times I've been up there they get a rainy season/summertime/winter. Because of the extreme weather, extreme creatures, and just general all alround-extremeness of Alaska, you should also think about hooking up with a guide. There are about 1000 more ways to kill yourself up there than in the Lower 48.

Obviously AKSuperDually knows the area much better than I do, but in my limited experience I'd also suggest a 12ga. The handgun you pick is of less importance since if you need it, so many things have already gone wrong you're honestly probably going to be bear food.

From an April, 2008 study in the Journal of Wildlife Management based on a sample of 83 bear spray incidents that occurred in Alaska, USA, from 1985 to 2006:

"Red pepper spray stopped bears' undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90% for black bears, and 100% for polar bears. Of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters. All bear-inflicted injuries (n = 3) associated with defensive spraying involved brown bears and were relatively minor (i.e., no hospitalization required)."

http://www.wildlifejournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-a...2193%2F2006-452&ct=1

See also http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc/Spray.htm
noting "No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, bear spray has demonstrated the most success in fending off threatening and attacking bears and preventing injury to the person and animal involved." and "Remember: bear pepper spray is not a substitute for following proper bear avoidance safety techniques."

I could care less if it stopped 99.9% of attacks and only 0.000000000000000000000000001% resulted in injury.

I'm not facing a bear without a firearm. Call me stupid, mean, blood thirsty, paranoid, whatever...it's a bear and I'm very frail in comparison.

If it's a bear...and it's comming towards me...it's getting every bit of lead I can give it.

quote:

Originally posted by ILL DILL:
I could care less if it stopped 99.9% of attacks and only 0.000000000000000000000000001% resulted in injury.

I'm not facing a bear without a firearm. Call me stupid, mean, blood thirsty, paranoid, whatever...it's a bear and I'm very frail in comparison.

If it's a bear...and it's comming towards me...it's getting every bit of lead I can give it.

this begs the question: where can a man find an M79 around here!?

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Nasty:
From an April, 2008 study in the Journal of Wildlife Management based on a sample of 83 bear spray incidents that occurred in Alaska, USA, from 1985 to 2006:

"Red pepper spray stopped bears' undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90% for black bears, and 100% for polar bears. Of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters. All bear-inflicted injuries (n = 3) associated with defensive spraying involved brown bears and were relatively minor (i.e., no hospitalization required)."

http://www.wildlifejournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-a...2193%2F2006-452&ct=1

See also http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc/Spray.htm
noting "No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, bear spray has demonstrated the most success in fending off threatening and attacking bears and preventing injury to the person and animal involved." and "Remember: bear pepper spray is not a substitute for following proper bear avoidance safety techniques."

Remember, they don't survey people who walk off into the woods and never come back again. Their sample is already bias simply by that fact alone.

The most powerful gun in the world won't do you any good if you can't hit anything with it, or if it's so ungainly that you leave it behind.

The answer is the biggest most powerful firearm
that you can actually use well. Good hits with a .357 Mag are better than bad hits and misses with a .454

Marlin 45-70 with the proper loads would make a nice handy choice.


Of course a powerful big bore revolver can be quite a comfort as well, but only if you are proficient with it.