Bear Guns- A discussion

I haven't talked about guns yet on this blog but today I had a conversation with my Dad that brought it up.

I go hiking and I do a very small bit of mountain biking in some national forests nearby.  This is also bear country.  Whenever I go out in the countryside I always bring food, water, firemaking tools, a folding knife and fixed blade, first aid supplies, and my handgun (Walther PPQ 9mm) and an extra magazine.  I love the Walther, it is a great EDC gun and concealed carry, but it would be a poor bear gun.  9mm does not have the energy to stop a bear.

I talked with my Dad for about an hour and I told him about my small adventure today in the foothills.  I did a little mountain biking with my buddy, we hiked a bit and looked for more trails for hiking and biking.  While we were up there the thought crossed my mind that, "this is bear country, it is spring, and mother bears are very protective of their cubs."

I wished that I had my DSArms FAL while I was up there, 20 rounds of .308 will make anyone feel safe in the wilderness.  But that rifle is heavy!  He told me about a man in Wisconsin who was recently attacked by a bear and it mauled him pretty good.

Large bore revolvers are good guns but hard to shoot well and a follow up shot is nearly impossible.

Rifles like the FAL are super heavy.

A lever action in .45-70 would be a great wilderness bear gun, but they are expensive.

We decided that for the price a pump action shotgun with ghost ring sights, magazine extension, and a sling would be a great wilderness bear gun.  An 18inch barrel would be nice and handy, the rifle sights would be great for accurate shooting.  That shotgun filled with slugs would be a great wilderness gun.  Buckshot and bird shot only add to the versatility. 

My Dad and I will be on the lookout for used or new 12 gauge shotguns to be my new wilderness gun. 

What are your thoughts on bear guns or wilderness guns?  Post in the comments. 

Zero Tolerance 0561 Intial Impressions

My Zero Tolerance 0561 arrived today.  I have not cut much with it, but I did carry it all day.  Most of my thoughts will be about simply carrying the knife and my initial impressions. 

First of all I have one small criticism.  The blade did not come as sharp as I thought it would.  Do not get me wrong this knife is freaking sharp, but one side of the grind is noticeably more dull than the other. 

Intended Use-I bought this knife to be an EDC/Tactical blade.  I am going to carry it a lot for a while to get more impressions.

Ergonomics- The handle and blade are big.  The blade is 3.75 inches long.  The handle fits my smaller hands very well.  The jimping on top of the spine and top of the blade is fantastic.  My thumb gets locked right in.  The 3-D machining, as ZT calls it, is great on the G-10 and the titanium side.  This is my second framelock knife and so far I really like it.

The flipper combined with the new bushing system that ZT is using is super fast and smooth.  The thumbstuds are also very well designed.  They are sharp and positive, when I open the blade with those it also flies open.

The pocket clip is fantastic.  I was afraid it would be flimsy, especially for its size on a knife this big.  But I was completely wrong.  The clip is strong, locked down and four way positionable.  It is a deep carry clip and it allows the knife to sit deep in the pocket.  That coupled with the length of the knife keeps the knife very stable in your pocket.

I am very excited for a Zero Tolerance 0561 that is on the way.

I ordered a Zero Tolerance 0561 after handling one at Blade HQ over the weekend.  Look for my initial impressions soon. 

Spyderco Paramilitary 2 Digicam G-10 Black Blade Review

Two weeks ago cutleryshoppe.com posted a message on facebook that they would be getting be putting a batch of Spyderco Paramilitary 2's on sale on Friday at 10am Mountain Time.  Luckily I was able to be sitting on my computer waiting for the sale to start.  They sold out in 5 minutes!!!

I was one of the lucky few that obtained one of the knives.  I owned a Paramilitary 2 before, but I had to sell it.  This one I will not sell.

I have carried this knife as my EDC/tactical blade since I bought it arrived a week ago.  This knife is fantastic in every way.

Ergonomics- The scales are medium traction G-10 that will remain grippy even when wet, the handle is longer than the blade enabling the user to get a full grip on the handle.  The handle is comfortable in the normal position or reverse grip if you like that kind of thing.  The jimping and thumb ramp are typical Spyderco perfection.  I don't know of another company who has jimping as good as this knife.  One reason why I keep coming back to Spyderco knives is simply because my hand gets locked into the grip.  The thumb hole is perfect for one handed opening, it is larger than the openings on standard Spyderco knives.

I know from person experience in stressful situations that the Spyderco thumb hole is a great way to open a knife fast, and one handed.  When I have had to use a Spyderco under duress the knife was out of my pocket and open before I even knew it. 

The blade is razor sharp CPM-S30V steel.  I have not had to sharpen it yet because the blade retains a very sharp edge.  The tip is delicately thin, you could snap it with bending and prying.  So if you need to un-screw something get a screw driver or carry a small multi-tool or mini pry bar.

On my scale of awesomeness I give this knife a 10 out of 10.  I have absolute faith that in my every day life or if the SHTF this knife will perform. 

Update on Spyderco Para-Military 2

Now that I have been carrying my Para-Military 2 for a week I like it even more.  I really like the compression lock and that I can close the blade one handed.  The jimping on the thumb ramp is perfect and it really locks your thumb into a firm position. 

Here is Nutnfancy's review on the Para-Military 2.

Spyderco Paramilitary 2 Preliminary Review

Yesterday my Spyderco Paramilitary 2 finally came.  I have been waiting to order one since last May.  At the time I didn't have the money to buy one.  Then when I had the money to buy one every single Spyderco Paramilitary 2 was sold out.  On every website that I went to every Paramilitary 2 was sold out and then when they would come in stock they would sell out almost immediately.

Last week Wednesday I received an email from gpknives.com and they had a satin finished Spyderco Paramilitary 2 in stock.  I ordered it as fast as I could.  It arrived yesterday to my delight.

I have only carried it for two days so a bit later I will talk about what I think about it. 

Benchmade 940 Osborne Review

About three weeks ago I finally bought the Benchmade 940 Osborne.  I was drooling over it since the middle of 2012.

My initial impressions are really positive.  It is thin and fits very nicely in my pocket.  I love the blade profile.  It is a reverse tanto blade style similar to the the Benchmade 810 Contego.  The 940 also has S30v steel.  I have never had a knife with S30v steel before so I cannot give my opinion on the steel so far simply because I have not used it very much.

The pocket clip is fantastic just like most Benchmade's are.  The knife is incredibly light because of the skeletonized aluminum scales.  Additionally the purple titanium back-spacer looks awesome. 

I bought the knife for every day carry.  It does not have jimping or and texturing on the scales so I feel that the 940 Osborne is not a tactical blade at all.  It is purely an EDC blade.  It could be pressed into emergency tactical use but that isn't my primary use for it.  I think it would be a good camping and hiking folder.