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Black bear broke in my neighbor’s house. Are there any long gun options for defense that aren’t HP carbine 10mm, shotgun, or bolt action… under $600?
updated 11 months, 2 weeks ago
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What am I missing? And why does lever action have to be so expensive it seems kind of ridiculous but I’m not a gunsmith
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12 gauge has plenty of energy for a bear with 1oz slugs
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Yep, 12 Gauge pump with slugs is your most cost effective option. It’s not sexy, but it will work.
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A black bear is basically s big raccoon
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A black bear??
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Take a Win model 94 and seen how many parts are inside vs say an AR which really is just the bolt and trigger group. All parts need to be machined to a certain tolerance, so simplicity in a gun makes it cheaper, usually.
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Any rifle calibre will be fine for black bear. Doesnt need to be a lever gun in trex caliber or shotgun slugs.
Inuit hunt polar bears with as little .22mag or at best an sks or something because theyre chad. And polar bears hunt people back and are generally more scary.
Shotguns are fine, ARs are fine, a used SKS would be fine. Virtually any long gun thats in an actual rifle cartridge will be fine. Semi auto in case you miss. Highest capacity possible in case you miss or one isnt enough.
Edit: You’re on a budget, so i’d avoid .300 bo because you will have trouble affording ammo. You specifically mention it a few times but “I can only afford a $600 gun” doesn’t currently reconcile itself with “I want something in .300 blackout”. AR or SKS if you want a rifle. You can even eventually swap your upper for an obscure hunting upper if you feel like it later. If you decide you need a moose defense rifle slap a .458 socom upper spend $2/rd and eat your heart out, but .223 will be cheap and fine for black bear in the quantities you can dish it out. It’s not like you’d be attempting to ethically and humanely defend yourself so I’d prefer 4 rounds of .223 even in 55gr fmj much less something with more oomph to a single round out of pmuch any pump gun or lever gun or some other kind of non semi auto action. Semi auto shotgun, sure, go for it, but I’m personally wary of the myriad turkish ar clone semi shotguns that you get for under $600.
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You need a Glock fowty problem solver.
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Others have said it, but you don’t need a lot for a black bear. In fact, I’d argue against trying to kill it at all. I’ve dealt with them and they scare easy. But I understand wanting the option of lethal defense if it gets to that point. If cheap power is what you need, you cannot beat a mossberg maverick 12 gauge and slap some slugs in it.
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If are lucky maybe you can find a used Marlin 336
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Buy capsaicin, mix it with a rubbing alcohol, and spray it around your perimeter, no lie, we do this when camping in thick bear country. With one of those pump sprayer things
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Well, if you already have an AR then just get a big bore upper.
It’s out of budget if you don’t have an AR-10 already, but IMO the best option for bear is .45 Raptor.
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Dunno why it hasn’t been suggested but a .357 or .44 magnum wheel gat would do the trick just fine
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Bear spray is probably better than any gun you’d get, FYI so research it and get yourself a can or two.
AFTER that, 12 ga with slugs is a good backup.
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What’s wrong with a shotgun. That’s literally your best bet. No black bear will stand up to a slug.
Lever actions are not for self defense, the end. I love mine, but there are a bunch of reasons they went out of favor, least of which is the cost to manufacture.
