Any of you stop a charge with a handgun?

JimP said:

I think that what you need to do is to book a buffalo hunt over in Africa. Then tell your PH to stay completely out of taking a shot unless his life is threatened. Then with your first shot take a bad one that will likely just make it mad. Put your rifle down and then go into the brush after him with your pistol.

Then if you can come back on here and report the results.

Reading about your list of cartridges is next to a fairy tail. There isn't a cartridge that you listed that you would be able to get off a second aimed shot if you were charged in close quarters. And with using a handgun at a charging animal you would quite likely need two or more shots unless you brained the charging animal.

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Fairy tail? I remember a pervert who once showed me his fairy tail unsolicited in a restroom of the Minneapolis Airport.

Carnivore hunter said:

Where are the studies/data of large sample sizes that prove most hunters never have sidearms on them in Alaska? Not some random news story, blogs or anecdotes but, an official government or academic study backed up by math.

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I haven't seen any studies proving the moon isn't made of blue cheese ... so it must be blue cheese, right?

Ontario Hunter said:

And once again, only a fool would expect to make practical use of a handgun as a backup during a tinfoil hat "what if" situation where 1) his rifle managed to inflict a non mortal wound on a buffalo but then somehow irreparably malfunctioned, 2) the buffalo charges instead of running away, 3) PH and/or his gun fails to stop buffalo, and 4) hunter, when faced with an unprecedented situation of instant eminent threat to life and limb, suddenly has the mental clarity to discard his unexpectedly useless rifle, draw his monster hand cannon from holster and dispatch the fully armored, full tilt running, very close range, angry buffalo before it can reduce him to a steaming bloody pile of mush. Why can't you grasp the silliness of this absurdly improbable scenario?

Someday you may finally get to Africa. I would not want to be your PH!

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You just described all the scenarios that have actually happened to many who had their rifles on them and their rifle malfunctioned or could not manipulate the bolt action fast enough...

Anyone who is around DG and only has one weapon on them and no backup is stupid. You're more concerned about your comfort and a little added weight that the revolver adds and bothers you instead of your own safety and you can conveniently rely on a armed team to back up you if your trusty rifle fails...

And DG does not come in order. You could be out there hunting cape buffalo and come across a lion, leopard or hyena.

lol @ trying to swing around a long bolt action rifle where you get off only one shot dealing with a 50+ mph charge...

Legend Jack Huntington took a cape buffalo with his revolver. Dropped it with two shots quick...

Dangerous Game Hunt 500S&W Revolver!!...

RAZOR DOBBS 10mm Auto Cape Buffalo Kill #1...

Lynn Thompson's Notorious Buffalo Charge...

Handguns are NOT to be used as the #1 primary weapon but, they are a life saver to have on you for an emergency. And YES, they do kill large dangerous game.

Ontario Hunter said:

I haven't seen any studies proving the moon isn't made of blue cheese ... so it must be blue cheese, right?

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lol @ that. No, it's called verification and mathematics, you know the language of science, something you seem to not understand well.

Talking to some of you is like talking to certain blacks who don't understand what is per-capita when it comes to violent crime rates, data/math from the FBI, U.S. Justice Dept, CDC, Harvard's 30 Year Study on Crime. You just don't want to admit when you're wrong like all those blacks who want to argue when blacks have a murder rate that is 735% higher than white non-Hispanic people in the U.S.. It's like Black Twitter.

You're just a stubborn old timer who's stuck in his ways is all. You hate change and don't like it when all the old things you grew up with are not the only game in town. Get in touch with the 21st century. People hunt successfully with handguns, suppressors, thermals and they do it well, and they don't sit around cleaning their guns with Hoppe's #9 as much anymore with grampy by the fire. There will be a lot more modern technology in Africa soon including with DG hunting.

Show me a video of an African hunter who saved his bacon throwing away his rifle during a charge and finishing the animal with a handgun pulled from holster.

Ontario Hunter said:

Show me a video of an African hunter who saved his bacon throwing away his rifle during a charge and finishing the animal with a handgun pulled from holster.

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Scroll up at the videos. The one with Lynn Thompson is there, he did it. I'll post it here for the 4th time on this thread. By the way, he did NOT have a rifle on him, he had a spear, not some rifle caliber that has 6,000 ft/lb of energy...

You can't manipulate your bolt fast enough but you have time to draw a handgun?

Beethoven said:

You can't manipulate your bolt fast enough but you have time to draw a handgun?

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Lynn Thompson did it above in the video with his revolver, he didn't have a rifle, he had a spear. Again, this is like dealing with certain specific "folks" online who deny violent crime rates and data...

Answer my question. You don't have time to reload your rifle but you have time to draw a handgun?

Beethoven said:

Answer my question. You don't have time to reload your rifle but you have time to draw a handgun?

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Yes. lol @ reloading a rifle during a charge? Think about that, explain the math behind that. A buffalo or lion charges at you at least 35 mph and with a lion 50 mph at less than 40 yards, now how long do you have to reload a rifle? And who says you need a rifle? Lynn Thompson did it with a spear first and then pulled out his revolver and shot and killed a buffalo charge within feet...

Carnivore hunter said:

lol @ that. No, it's called verification and mathematics, you know the language of science, something you seem to not understand well.

Talking to some of you is like talking to certain blacks who don't understand what is per-capita when it comes to violent crime rates, data/math from the FBI, U.S. Justice Dept, CDC, Harvard's 30 Year Study on Crime.

You're just a stubborn old timer who's stuck in his ways is all. You hate change and don't like it when all the old things you grew up with are not the only game in town. Get in touch with the 21st century. People hunt successfully with handguns, suppressors, thermals and they do it well, and they don't sit around cleaning their guns with Hoppe's #9 as much anymore with grampy by the fire. There will be a lot more modern technology in Africa soon including with DG hunting.

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I owned a handgun before you were born. Nothing new-fangled about that 357 S&W. And I actually drew it once on a grizzly (from saddlebag) and fired it at another. In both situations I would have used a rifle had one been available. But I was fishing, not hunting.

I don't need new stuff if it doesn't enhance my hunting experience. Looking at a screen broadcast from a drone does not enhance my hunting experience. A booger suppressor hanging off the end of my rifle does not enhance my hunting experience. A long range rifle/scope doesn't enhance my hunting experience. It's shooting game, not hunting for them. And carrying a decorative handgun when hunting big game has never enhanced my hunting experience or significantly reduced the risk of death or injury.

One of the things that comes with age is wisdom gained from experience ... in the field, not watching videos. You could learn something from old-timers' hard earned wisdom ... if you didn't already know it all.

you can move a bolt faster than drawing a handgun.

Lynn Thompson's video is a circus act. Proves nothing. He obviously fully intended to kill the animal with his revolver from the onset. Not really a case of his handgun being "backup" since there would be low to zero probability of him killing anything with a spear.

Throwing out this shabby piece of YouTube nonsense as "proof" only proves your gullibility and total lack of experience/knowledge.

Im waiting. Can you draw a handgun faster than recycling a bolt action rifle.

As some of you know, one of my best friends is a well-known brown bear guide in SE Alaska. I have guided for him many times and he has hunted with me several times in Colorado. He recently sold his guiding business and now operates a charter flight service with his Beaver airplane, headquartered out of Petersburg. Several years ago, he was badly mauled by a wounded brown bear when his Sako 416 Remington Mag malfunctioned after he got a good shot into the previously wounded bear as it charged. The rifle would not feed another cartridge and he had to keep shoving it into the bear’s mouth to stay alive until the bear finally got really sick and sat down. He was not wearing a sidearm but he did from then on. In the thick rainforests of SE Alaska, we carried sidearms after he was attacked but surmised that they were really only useful if a bear knocked your rifle out of your hands or was on top of you.

When guiding on the Alaskan Peninsula, the cover is not as thick and I am never alone. I do not wear a sidearm on the Peninsula but I would not be against doing it. If so, I would wear a 10mm or 45 ACP semiautomatic. That said, I wouldn’t choose it in a charge over my CZ550 458 Lott with six rounds unless I lost control of the rifle. I have a QD scope and I carry a Leica Tempus red dot holographic sight in my pack in case I need to follow up a wounded bear in the alders. I did put a wounded, charging bear down at 20 yards in May 2024 with my Lott.

As for African DG, I think the reason that carrying a sidearm there has not caught on is two-fold. First, it is very difficult, and in some countries, impossible, to get a permit to carry a sidearm, especially as a foreigner. Secondly, wilderness area safaris are usually a group activity with a highly skilled and armed PH accompanying the hunter, as well as an armed government Game Scout. That’s at least three guys with rifles so therefore, the need for a sidearm is much diminished.

If I were hiking or hunting alone in a DG area in Alaska or Africa, I would carry a sidearm. My friend and client, Dan Shilling, was tragically killed by a brown bear while hiking in the mountains behind his home near Hope, AK. He was carrying bear spray and the empty, deployed canister was found near his half-consumed remains. Makes me sad and I shutter a bit just thinking about how horrific of a death he suffered.

Ontario Hunter said:

I owned a handgun before you were born. Nothing new-fangled about that 357 S&W. And I actually drew it once on a grizzly (from saddlebag) and fired it at another. In both situations I would have used a rifle had one been available. But I was fishing, not hunting.

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The S&W 357 revolver saved your life during both situations and was faster to pull out than a long 30"+ inch 8lb+ pound rifle. You just proved my point for me. But, "I rather have my rifle." Who cares? lol The handgun saved your life and got you back home, that's all that matters.

When fishing, it's easier to pull out a handgun in a chest or shoulder holster that's worn outside your jacket open carry than trying to pull a rifle off a sling or have your rifle on the ground some where.

If you're hunting and you make a kill. You go in to collect the animal, skin it. What do you do with your rifle while you're trying to skin the animal and pack up the meat? You got to put the rifle down some where. That's where the handgun on a chest or shoulder holster open carry comes into play if a bear charges you after smelling the gut pile...

Bear Advice With A Master Alaskan Guide Phil Shoemaker...

Bear guide Timmy Winslow talks about his sidearms in Alaska...

Ontario Hunter said:

I don't need new stuff if it doesn't enhance my hunting experience. Looking at a screen broadcast from a drone does not enhance my hunting experience.

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That's personal and subjective. Why stop at a drone, why not just get rid of your rifle and use a spear or knife to hunt? Nothing too manly about shooting an animal with a scope and a high powered rifle. You don't like drones, suppressors or thermals but, you'll stick to your scope and high powered rifle to kill animals from long range. Ok, tough guy.

Ontario Hunter said:

A booger suppressor hanging off the end of my rifle does not enhance my hunting experience.

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A suppressor that protects hearing and prevents or can drastically slow down hearing loss over time is a good thing in fact, it's a life saver. Imagine being legally deaf from years of shooting unsuppressed guns and now you're severely hearing impaired. You can no longer hear clearly when walking in the woods to hunt, not being able to hear when wild animals or people are coming up behind you. Your hearing aids run out of battery at the worst time. Your hearing aids get wet and are damaged. At home at night you're sleeping and not being able to hear when someone quietly breaks in during a burglary or home invasion. Or, when you're sleeping in a tent not being able to hear what's walking up to the tent with a weapon.

Hearing loss lowers the quality of life.

Rifles with suppressors don't spook the herd as much as a unsuppressed rifle blast.

Flash suppressor is also a benefit of a sound suppressor on a gun especially in low-light or darkness where you won't be blinded by the flash of the blast from the muzzle. You also don't give away your position as easily. Who knows what could happen out there, dealing with poachers who shoot at you? I want my rifle suppressed and a thermal at night if I have to return fire against some crazed lunatic who shoots at me and my camp at night. Yes, hikers and campers dealt with people who shot at them at their camp at night. It happens. Lots of people go missing out there. Dangerous people are out there.

No, a suppressor or thermal does not enhance your hunting experience in your stubborn naive mind. It makes life better for your ear drums and the Ph's/guides and their hearing and quality of life. and your quality of life. It also gives you an advantage over wild animals and dangerous people.

Ontario Hunter said:

A long range rifle/scope doesn't enhance my hunting experience. It's shooting game, not hunting for them.

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A 30-06 with a scope is a long range rifle capable of hitting targets past 3,000+ yards. You mentioned on this website you use 30-06. 30-06 is a long range caliber...

Ontario Hunter said:

And carrying a decorative handgun when hunting big game has never enhanced my hunting experience or significantly reduced the risk of death or injury.

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That's just your personal opinion, not a fact for everyone else. Your "decorative" S&W 357 revolver saved your life multiple times as you admitted above. You keep contradicting yourself.

Others have used handguns to enhance their personal hunting experience and it also saved their lives. Your S&W 357 saved your life multiple times against bears, it may not have been some romantic Theodore Roosevelt rifle fantasy in your head but, it did save your life and that's what matters most unless you really don't care about your life or safety, you're just in this for some really biased fantasy you created in your head about your own personal likes and dislikes that you got when you were growing up as a kid reading those hunting magazines about big game hunters in Africa and every hunting situation either has to be some bolt-action or double barrel and that's it, nothing else to protect you. You created those rules for yourself, not everyone follows your personal made up rules. The world has changed. Handgun hunting, suppressors, thermal scopes, drones are becoming the new norm and they save lives. I rather take advantage of new technology to save my life than just stay in some 1900-1950 way of thinking forever.

Ontario Hunter said:

One of the things that comes with age is wisdom gained from experience ... in the field, not watching videos. You could learn something from old-timers' hard earned wisdom ... if you didn't already know it all.

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There are far more people who are far more experienced than you that have killed far more animals than you have and been charged far more times than you...

Lynn Thompson, Jack Huntington, Tim Sundles to name a few. I can learn from them and their experiences. Tim Sundles owns his own hunting ranch/property in South Africa and takes his handguns with him.

I respect my elders and I respect you but, I have to disagree with you on certain things. After listening to Phil Shoemaker and Timmy Winslow who are Alaskan bear guides and Tim Sundles who owns his own hunting ranch in South Africa and is the owner of Buffalobore ammo, I take their views and opinions over yours.

A man was killed in Alaska in 1999 by a brown bear. He had his bolt-action rifle with him but no side arm. He was killed. He was able to get off one shot. He put his rifle down to make lunch and was ambushed. That's the problem and disadvantage with rifles and only having a rifle on you and no sidearm open carry when you go hiking and camping...

Beethoven said:

Im waiting. Can you draw a handgun faster than recycling a bolt action rifle.

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Your question is disingenuous and insincere. Why do I have to draw my handgun? Why can't I be walking with my handgun in my hand?

But, let's say I have my bolt-action rifle in my hand and during a charge I miss, I will drop the rifle and pull the revolver instead of trying to rack the bolt again. If I had a double-barrel rifle, I'm sticking with the double-barrel rifle. I have a personal rule, I won't pursue any wounded animal with a bolt-action rifle...

Good luck.

Ontario Hunter said:

Lynn Thompson's video is a circus act. Proves nothing. He obviously fully intended to kill the animal with his revolver from the onset. Not really a case of his handgun being "backup" since there would be low to zero probability of him killing anything with a spear.

Throwing out this shabby piece of YouTube nonsense as "proof" only proves your gullibility and total lack of experience/knowledge.

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No, it's not a circus act. He approached a buffalo with a spear, he tossed the spear, the buffalo deflected it with it's horn and charged Lynn. Lynn pulled out a 454 Casull revolver and stopped and killed the charging buffalo at point blank range quickly. His actions are proof you can stop and kill a charging buffalo at point blank range quick...

All the other videos above show how hand guns kill buffalo quick. It just bothers you that this evidence challenges your personal narrative, everything you were taught, told and read about growing up as a kid that you need some rifle with a certain specific amount of energy minimum 375 H&H. It's like it ruins this romantic fantasy of safari hunting with a rifle. It doesn't "enhance your hunting experience."