Bear hunting with Glock 10mm

[ChaseReynolds]

I recently when shooting with a couple friends back home. One of them has the Glock 20C. He was telling me that people will hunt big game with these pistols. Has anyone done this and what kind of loads would you use for this?

 

[Departed402]

It's has power comparable to the .357 mag, which some people do use to hunt larger game. As far as bears go, I would say a Glock 20 would make a great bear defense gun, but I wouldn't use it to actually hunt bears. Certainly possible, but I'd stick with a good ol' rifle! Also you may want to check hunting regulations to make sure it won't any violate potential minimum ballistic requirements.

 

[jmr40]

I often carry a Glock 10mm loaded with Double Tap 200 gr bullets. They chronograpy 1315 fps from my gun and give me performance almost identical to 357 magnum from a 6" barrel. That load will beat 357 from a 4" or shorter barrel. Accuracy, with me shooting is good enough for 50 yard shots, others could probably do better.

I haven't killed anything with this combo, but it is used by quite a few hunters. Ted Nugent is a big 10mm fan and has taken a lot of game with his. Including some pretty large animals. In fact in my opinion this is a better role for the 10mm.

The Glock in 10mm is also becoming quite popular in Alasks for bear defense. With the right loads penetration is right up there with 44 mag and you get a 16 shot gun that is much lighter, more compact, and is proving to be more reliable in harsh conditions than a revolver.

 

[Mrgunsngear]

a Glock 20 would make a great bear defense gun, but I wouldn't use it to actually hunt bears.

+1

It's a great gun with a relatively powerful round but I wouldn't go looking for a bear with one--I'd take a rifle for that.

If you do plan on using it for bears, I suggest a longer barrel. Hot 10mm loads shine in 6+ inch barrels.

 

[ohen cepel]

I took a 300+lb hog with a Glock 10mm. Extended Glock hunting barrel, that that 1.5in doesn't turn it into a .44mag. One well placed shot put the hog down in about 10ft, it worked with authority and I was very happy with the performance. That was with a Win SilverTip, there is better ammo out there for hunting but it was what I had.

Not sure I would take it bear hunting though unless it was pretty small bears. I would take deer with it in the right situation.

For bear I would want a rifle or a .454 myself. Again, that depends a lot on the bear. Grizzly I would want to hunt from a chopper or with an ICBM, don't like the thought of becoming bear crap, but that's me.

 

[Mystro]

10mm will better a 357mag, especially with Underwood Ammo at 700 ftlbs. That said, I have taken several whitetail with he 10mm with mild XTP 180jhp going 1090fps. No issues at all as long as you do you job. I have also shot a few deer with a 357mag and wasn't that impressed with it's hard hitting power. Tracking was significantly longer even with the same shot placements. I quickly dropped the 357 and went to a 44 Magnum. I now shoot a light 454 Casull and it hits the deer like a 3030 Winchester. I found the 10mm is hard hitting closer to a 44mag than 357mag.

 

[jmortimer]

"The Glock in 10mm is also becoming quite popular in Alasks for bear defense. With the right loads penetration is right up there with 44 mag..." Why do you keep making crazy statements like this? You could not be more wrong. Have you ever researched penetration testing? The .44 mag will go through six feet of bear and the 10mm will be lucky to get to three feet if that. How can 700 ft lbs of 10mm compare with 1,600 plus ft lbs of .44 mag? It cannot, not on this planet or any other. "10mm will better a 357mag, especially with Underwood Ammo at 700 ftlbs" Where do you 10mm guys get this krud? Let's not pretend, let's get real.
Still we hear the myth of the 10mm versus the .357. You can get more energy out of a .357, over 800 ft lbs. Buffalo Bore has specific chronograph data from specific guns and show that a 4" revolver is "more gun" than a semi-auto with same or longer barrel: As noted on the Buffalo Bore web site:

4 inch S&W L frame Mt. Gun
a. Item 19A/20-180gr. Hard cast LFN = 1375 fps
5 inch S&W model 27
a. Item 19A/20-180gr. Hard Cast =1398 fps

Please note below, my personal velocities taken from real pistols. 180 grain JHP
1. 1311 fps - Glock model 20 4.6 inch barrel
2. 1337 fps - Colt Delta Elite 5 inch barrel
3. 1351 fps - Para Ordinance 1911 with Nowlin 5 inch barrel

The 10mm is a fine caliber but lets not pretend it "more gun" than a .357 even in "short barrel" .357s. And to even mention a .44 mag in the same sentence with a 10mm is insane.

 

[Noreaster]

According to Foggy Mountain Guide article on handgun hunting for bear; .40 caliber or larger, 200 grain bullet or bigger, going at least 1,000fps. I believe you can find a similar load for your 10mm.

 

[Big Shrek]

If you want to use 10mm for big 'uns, better get the Longslide kit...

So far I've popped good-sized hogs with my old G20 (Gen2), saving up to put a longslide on my G20-SF (Gen3)...

 

[silvrjeepr]

I love my G20, but I don't intend on chasing smokey the bear with it. It's more of porki and Bambi blaster.

 

[jmr40]

jortimer,

you can pick and choose selected loads all you want, when you pick the BEST loads the 10mm slightly bests the 357, It is close enough to call a tie.

You keep quoting loads from Buffalo Bore, when Double Tap beats them in both 357 and 10mm. You are quoting 180 gr loads moving at about the same speeds as Double Taps 200 gr loads.

I've got a chronograph too. My G-20 is shooting DT 200 gr loads faster than your G-20 is shooting BB 180's. DT's 357 loads are hotter than your BB loads too.

"The Glock in 10mm is also becoming quite popular in Alasks for bear defense. With the right loads penetration is right up there with 44 mag.

I make that quote because it is a fact. Many in Alaska are carrying the 10mm over 44 mag now for several reasons. The 44 has more enegy and slightly better penetraton, but neither 44, 357, or 10mm are rifle rounds. All come up short. Evidence in actual shootings show there is no real difference. All 3 work about the same in defensive shootings. In a handgun only the monster guns such as 454, 460 and 500 S&W are proving to actually do any better. And not everyone wants to carry that much handgun around. I'd personally carry a rifle if I felt I needed a handgun that big.

The G-20 is gaining in popularity for several reasons. It obvioulsy holds almost 3X as many rounds. Since all the reasonably sized carry guns have proven to be about equal in performance, there is no reason to be limited to 6 rounds.

They are also smaller and more compact. A G-20 is almost exactly the same weight and overall length as a 5 shot 3" Ruger SP-101. Alaskans getting into and out of small planes find that a good thing.

 

[jmortimer]

Here is a thread from The High Road forum 10-18-11 entitled "Are Double Tap Velocities Exaggerated?" and you posted this same nonsense. You are in a tiny minority that claims that Double Tap does not exaggerate their numbers. You can find hundreds of posts just like all the one's that disagree with you in this thread:
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-620708.html
Like one post said:
"Are Double Tap Velocities Exaggerated?
yes, for several years now. google is your friend. there's tons of complaints."
No one can dispute Buffalo Bore's numbers. Double Tap rhymes with Double ...
As for your chronograph, I'll just stick with the Buffalo Bore chronograph data which has a universal reputation for accuracy unlike the universal reputation of Double Tap for inflated data.

 

[9mmhpfan]

I think I will take a 106mm recoiless rifle and an enclosed armor plated car to fire it from.

 

[Mystro]

16 rounds of 10mm in a Glock 20 trumps any revolver as a hostile woods defence sidearm from my personal experience. Not only can you control the recoil better but you are much faster at putting multiple rounds into the target. The key here is "multiple rounds". After 27 years of hard core bowhunting and hunting around the country. Money isn't a object for me anymore and I can carry anything I want on my hunts. It's AWAYS a Glock 20 when hunting bear as a back up side arm. I even carry a G20 as a back-up when hunting with my 454 Casull. Most all professional Handgun hunters have the opinion and have written that the 357mag is a marginal hunting round even for whitetail deer.
I am not really a Glock fan but as the 10mm goes. The G20 is lighter than most revolvers, holds way more rounds, and is damn near indestructable. It can take rain, snow, and won't effect its dependability. If my G20 was too big, I carried a G29.

 

[BGutzman]

Well the 460 Rowland trumps the 10mm and holds 13+1 (XD Conversion).... Still for myself I would prefer a hot loaded 44 Magnum for very portable bear defense... Even the Rowland only performs up to mid 44 Magnum levels... if your buying manufactured ammo.. Im not sure how far a Rowland can be pushed safely if you’re doing your own loading....

10mm is a respectable round and even 45 has taken bear and Ive heard unconfirmed stories of 22 mag taking bear... But when it comes to large and dangerous game more penetration to my mind is better... More chances to hit vitals...

Accuracy is always king but under pressure sheer power can be helpful..

But no I’m not hunting bear with a pistol.... Rifle or Shotgun please....

 

[Smit]

Could you imagine actually going out and hunting down a bear, only having pistol in hand? I've make some risky decisions in the past, but that one takes the cake. Rifle for me, but I would feel better having my Glock 20 as a back up for sure.

 

[btmj]

Could you imagine actually going out and hunting down a bear, only having pistol in hand? I've make some risky decisions in the past, but that one takes the cake. Rifle for me, but I would feel better having my Glock 20 as a back up for sure.

I hear what you are saying... For me, a hunting handgun is for deer and hogs. Not Bear.

But if I were to do this, it would be 454 in a long barrel revolver, as the minimum... and perhaps 460 or 500 S&W.

44 mag and 10mm are fine for self defense against bear, but not for hunting.

 

[grubbylabs]

I would not trust my life or any one else's because some has something to prove. I would not carry a 357 into bear country so why would I carry a 10mm. Heck I have a nice 44 with a load tailored to such an occasion and I can tell you from first hand experience with only a pistol and a bow to defend your self you feel very vulnerable walking over fresh grizzly prints while elk hunting.

 

[Blindmike]

A 10mm and a Bear?

OK, I know the 10MM is a wonderful and powerful round and if a bear was about to eat me it beats having my 9mm by a mile but hunting bear with it is foolish.

 

[shortwave]

Purposely looking over guns in the safe that are better suited for bear hunting to choose the 10mm...

...I'll pass Thanks!