skid
1st March 2011, 06:40 PM
I just finished a two day course on predatory animal defence weapons training. It mostly involved grizzly bear attack training and targets, as they are the largest predators in BC.
Day one was handgun training. For bear attacks only the largest calibers can stop a grizzly so although we started out with smaller calibers, we quickly worked up to 357 magnum, 40 auto, 44 mag, and 45 auto. We shot a variety of guns, from revolvers to autos, including the desert eagle auto in 44 mag. In addition we used different tactics, using cover, shooting from a variety of positions (including on your back in case you fell down).
Day two was shotgun. We used 12 in barrel rem 870 pumps, as that is a nice size to carry when working in the wilderness. Again we tried a variety of scenarios and positions as well as tactical reloads, etc. I shot off 150 or more shots, with a good portion of them 3 inch magnum slugs. I must say I expect a bruise on my shoulder tomorrow!
All in all a good two days of solid fun, and best of all getting paid by my company to do it. With this training, I can now apply for a license to carry a handgun for work in remote areas (which in Canada is difficult to get). Carrying a rifle or shotgun has very few hoops to jump through, but to carry a handgun is difficult to do legally (training like I just took is required).
A handgun is probably the best defensive option as you always have the gun on your person in your holster vs a rifle/shotgun which you could set down for work purposes and not have it handy in an emergency. At some of the remote locations I go to for work bears are seen daily or more...
Day one was handgun training. For bear attacks only the largest calibers can stop a grizzly so although we started out with smaller calibers, we quickly worked up to 357 magnum, 40 auto, 44 mag, and 45 auto. We shot a variety of guns, from revolvers to autos, including the desert eagle auto in 44 mag. In addition we used different tactics, using cover, shooting from a variety of positions (including on your back in case you fell down).
Day two was shotgun. We used 12 in barrel rem 870 pumps, as that is a nice size to carry when working in the wilderness. Again we tried a variety of scenarios and positions as well as tactical reloads, etc. I shot off 150 or more shots, with a good portion of them 3 inch magnum slugs. I must say I expect a bruise on my shoulder tomorrow!
All in all a good two days of solid fun, and best of all getting paid by my company to do it. With this training, I can now apply for a license to carry a handgun for work in remote areas (which in Canada is difficult to get). Carrying a rifle or shotgun has very few hoops to jump through, but to carry a handgun is difficult to do legally (training like I just took is required).
A handgun is probably the best defensive option as you always have the gun on your person in your holster vs a rifle/shotgun which you could set down for work purposes and not have it handy in an emergency. At some of the remote locations I go to for work bears are seen daily or more...