From all the reading I've done, a 45 against a bear is a risky compromise if they're coming at you. Even with something like one of the Buffalo Bore rounds. While I'd hope while it might not kill it, the few "punches" to the skull I'd hope to give it would at least dissuade it from continuing to come at me... but hope isn't a good strategy! lol

Guys, the bear spray I use is fully documented to stop most charges. There is actually video of it being used to stop an angry, territorial grizzly ba a fisherman in Canada. Stopped it short, and had it rubbing its eyes and whining! A .44 mag punching through the skull on a direct brain shot (all but impossible to do!) is the only thing that would have stopped it quicker. You can actually see the fisherman crapping himself as he sprayed the bear... it wasn't set up, just one of those lucky coincidences when somebody was videoing their friend fishing.... I bought 2 when I went hiking in Glacier NP. These are quick to use, easy to get on target, and is no sh** sherlock effective. Works on black bears too, which is what it was developed for. Range is great, and a very good, effective, long cone pattern. You just have to hit the face, something most people can do w/o thinking due to hand/eye coordination. The guy in the video just swep across the face of the bear, it stopped, and then he really zeroed in and doused it good (at about 6 to ten feet!) Then the guy just stood there untill his friends grappeb him and ushered him away... he looked like he was having a heart attack, though... The bear just sat there on its butt in the water, rubbing its face and sounded just pitiful... sold me. I'd rather use this stuff than a firearm. What they will not tell you is that handguns, while they will kill the bear (eventually), they will not stop the charge, unless you score a perfect hit. A.30-.30 or a 12 guage (with slugs) will. Unless you are willing to carry a .50 with a 4" barrell (very heavy and slow to draw monster handgun), you just don't have the stopping power. Most instances of bear charges are false charges, and the very loud report is what actually drive them off, not the hit - and most poeple can't actually fire acuratelly on a charging bear - they miss by several feet, usually above and behind, and since most bear charges start from 30' or less, you will not get to fire more than once, if at all, and that's if you already have the firearm in hand! The guy in the video was lucky - he saw the bear before it started its charge and had the spray ready when it did - and the water slowed it down. He actually missed the bear when he started spraying, and was able to sweep the spray across it's face - but it had actually closed to the 6-10 feet stated above before it was stopped. If he had been using a handgun, he would have been done before the second shot. Just my 2 cents....

Ever see a deer run for a few miles on pure adrenaline after a perfect lung shot? Happens all the time.

Chris, I totally agree!

Grizzlies are territorial, and make lots of bluff charges.... probably due to their size, the energy expended in a fight, and the amount of damage they can do to each other. This is why pepper spray works so well on them. Black bears are an entirely different story - when they are really charging you, they mean to kill you. NO MATTER WHAT. Whether it is to eat you, because you got between mama bear and her cub, between it and its kill, or just because you pissed it off somehow. Handgun rounds, magnum or no, just will not stop them - unless you score a very hard disabling shot right off the bat, (that slows it down... a little) then follow it up with another or three hard hits... and that's on their bluffs - on a real charge, well, you just have to get lucky. They have been known to continue the charge and maul, even after multiple, very hard hits. However, bear spray will slow them down considerably - if you get the eyes, nose, and mouth when they are far enough away (they have great follow through and will hit you even when blinded, unless you think to move laterally, which most people will not). So, sorry... the pepper spray gives you more of an edge than a handgun will, particulary since you can see the spray stream and bring it on target. So, Brandon, I WILL wear that mullet, and proudly, too, brah. Not trying to call you out - just being real.

Short barreled !2 guages loaded with magnum powered slugs are the recommended and preferred way to go in bear country. In Canada, for campers, hikers and fishermen - your only option is bear spray, no mullet required.

What brand of bear spray do you use?

I'm gonna try to get an 870 Express Tactical by spring (12 ga).