Wondering and wandering

[HCM]

I’m really happy with a P365 as my carry pistol. Hiking in the mountains I need something bigger when my Scout stays home.
My 4” 500 certainly qualifies as a bear gun but dang it’s heavy even in a chest rig. Evan Hill at Hill People Gear made a compelling argument in favor of an M&P 5” 40. Lighter than 1911, has a safety and I can beat it up and not care.
I live and play in NW Wyoming with gbears and wolves so the extra magazine capacity could certainly be helpful.
Would love to hear experience with the M&P. My load would a 200 grain WFN at a thousand or a bit more. We’ve done this load in P220 and G whatever’s

1) 4” .500 is just ridiculous. Period.

2) The number one threat is ALWAYS feral humans so, yes, extra Magazine capacity is useful.

3) A full sized service pistol in .40 or .357 SIG makes sense as a modern woods / hiking gun.

Glocks (22, 35, etc) and M&Ps are both good choices if you already have them or you normally carry similar. However, if you normally carry and are happy with your P365 why not a full sized P320 in .40 or .357 SIG? It’s a modular handgun, can be had with or without a manual safety and it is the closest analogue to the carry gun.

Rather than focusing on a variety of hardware, a better process would be to focus on your “software” I.e. look for commonality and what you are familiar with and trained with.

An M&P or P320 with a thumb safety is fine if you are a 1911 guy or your carry P365 has a thumb safety and it is what you train with regularly. If you don’t normally carry or shoot handguns with safeties, then while a bear or pack of wolves are trying to eat you is not the time to try and figure it out.

4) The number one concern with ammunition for defensive use is reliability. A 200 grain WFN .40 is fine as long as it runs/feeds/ cycles reliably in your gun. If not, FMJ or modern bonded / equivalent duty ammo will do.

What ever you choose you need to run several hundred rounds of that specific load in your gun to ensure it runs reliably.

[HCM]

I have a full-size S&W M&P 45acp 2.0. I also have a 1.0 version of the same pistol. I like the 2.0 better primarily for the better trigger pull and grip surface. The grip area has a more aggressive texture compared to the 1.0. This helps to better secure the pistol in the hand. You also have the option of a thumb safety or not. Both my 1.0 and 2.0 have been 100% reliable with all ammo. Just my experience with them.

M&P 2.0 is a great gun but in this case 40 >.45.

.45 works well on people but .45 sucks at penetration and bigger animals require more penetration than humans.

[HCM]

Personally, if I was in brown bear country, I wouldn't go with anything less powerful than a 10mm (e.g. Glock 20). I'm at best in black bear country, so I prefer .357 SIG.

Glock 20s (an G29s) are set up to run with medium power 10mm ammo which is ballistically equivalent to .40. Unless you specifically re-spring the gun G20s will not reliably run with hotter 10mm ammo, and even then it’s a crap shoot. Many people don’t find this out because they buy boutique hot “rhino roller” loads that run $1.50 to $2.00 a round and then don’t shoot them because it’s too expensive.

One option that actually runs reliably is the HK USP with .45 Super loads.

Another is .40 and .357 SIG with FMJ or bonded/equivalent duty loads.

Both will give adequate penetration on large bears. Fiocchi has a 140 grain FMJ load for .357 SIG that is an excellent option though it’s a bit tough to find.

[RevolverRob]

We'll page @GJM here - but

My solution in the lower-48 as a hiking gun is whatever handgun I normally carry, loaded with Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator loads

9mm Xtreme Penetrator

45 ACP +P Xtreme Penetrator
___

Lower-48 grizzlies are quite a bit smaller than their Alaskan brethren and they are also in lower population densities, chances are slim of an encounter, period. Your biggest concern will always be a sow with cubs. Distance and warning shots will probably be all you need.

The USP as a field gun makes a lot of sense, plenty of capacity and +P Lehighs available, not too heavy compared to an all-steel 1911.

[Frank500]

There was a self defense shooting a couple days ago. Havnt heard the details yet but there is one deceased person.
Yes, my p365 has a safety, yes I tried a g20 and it’s long gone. Grip angle being the deciding factor.

[fatdog]

I live and play in NW Wyoming

I envy you that, it is my favorite place in the world after where I live. I spent 10 days 4wheeling and camping in the Absoraka's, Bighorns, and Beartooth's last summer. Can't wait to get back.

I have an HK USP 40 and I tried some of the 200gr hardcast as loaded by Underwood, those ran fine, but I don't have a reload recipe for it.

The bear defense thread cited above is full of a lot of good insights on this subject.