sweetnectar
New member
A while back there was discussion on what would be better to protect yourself from a charging bear attack. The idea that you would not be able to unholster a pistol and hit anything before you got killed came up. Some said pepper spray was better, some said a firearm was best, some wondered if a 10mm would be enough punch, etc.
So I went to the shooting range and tried the charging box technique to see how I would do. I have a glock in .40 cal, 15 rounds in the mag, We took three boxes, one to simulate a bear, one to simulate a fox, and one to simulate a rabid skunk. Each box was placed 19 yards in front of me with string tied too it. I turned so that I could not see the guy pulling the string hooked to the box and would only be able to catch the box moving out of the corner of my eye were I would have to draw, turn, and shoot before the charging box got to me. Here are my finding:
Adam holding a chunk of 3/4" OSB subfloor. Gold dot bullets when through with no expansion...later tested it with 9mm and same result. I would like to do some more testing to check penetration. I'm tempted to try shooting an dead elk with my glock before gutting it to do an autopsy and record the results.
The charging fox box. I was able to get off 5 rounds and hit it 4 times.
The rabid charging skunk. On this one I put my hands in my pockets to slow my reaction time down. By the time I saw it charging forward I drew and saw it bouncing rapidly toward me. Fearing that I would get bitten by a rabid skunk and finished off with stinking spray
I was able to get 4 rounds off and hit it twice...few safe!
The charging bear box was a dishwasher box to simulate the size of a bear....long story short, the kids had ripped it open so I tried to rig it so that I would stay together to simulate the charging bear but no luck. The wind just collapsed it so we propped it up and just used it as a stationary target. After being able to hit the smaller boxes I figured the bear box would have been the easiest.
So there you have it. I hope you are inspired to do some practice with your sidearm and post up the results. I really want to see what that 10mm will do.
So I went to the shooting range and tried the charging box technique to see how I would do. I have a glock in .40 cal, 15 rounds in the mag, We took three boxes, one to simulate a bear, one to simulate a fox, and one to simulate a rabid skunk. Each box was placed 19 yards in front of me with string tied too it. I turned so that I could not see the guy pulling the string hooked to the box and would only be able to catch the box moving out of the corner of my eye were I would have to draw, turn, and shoot before the charging box got to me. Here are my finding:
Adam holding a chunk of 3/4" OSB subfloor. Gold dot bullets when through with no expansion...later tested it with 9mm and same result. I would like to do some more testing to check penetration. I'm tempted to try shooting an dead elk with my glock before gutting it to do an autopsy and record the results.
The charging fox box. I was able to get off 5 rounds and hit it 4 times.
The rabid charging skunk. On this one I put my hands in my pockets to slow my reaction time down. By the time I saw it charging forward I drew and saw it bouncing rapidly toward me. Fearing that I would get bitten by a rabid skunk and finished off with stinking spray
I was able to get 4 rounds off and hit it twice...few safe! The charging bear box was a dishwasher box to simulate the size of a bear....long story short, the kids had ripped it open so I tried to rig it so that I would stay together to simulate the charging bear but no luck. The wind just collapsed it so we propped it up and just used it as a stationary target. After being able to hit the smaller boxes I figured the bear box would have been the easiest.
So there you have it. I hope you are inspired to do some practice with your sidearm and post up the results. I really want to see what that 10mm will do.
