Looking to buy a defender 12 gauge

[nast70]

In my mind I see a 'bear gun' not to kill a bear with, but to deter with noise. I bought a Churchill for this. It fits on the quad nicely, hangs on my cot in the tent or straps to my backpack out of the way. Simply put, its a big nose maker. I'm pretty sure, if I was surprised and charged for real, the only thing between me and jaws would be a can of spray. Its the only thing I know I can draw and shoot fast enough with any degree of accuracy. I know there's no way I could draw a gun, chamber a round and aim in the seconds I would have before a bear is on me. The gun is only for when I see it first and want it out of my way.
The main reason for buying this cheap gun, was well, it's cheap. Its small and light, and cheap. if I loose it in river, or it gets stolen i'm not out a bunch of dough, and i'll just go buy a new one.

[Sashi]

I would go with a double barreled hammer gun from Trade Ex. Get the barrel shortened to just above legal (18 1/2"). Then when you get caught off guard by a bear it's hammers back and bang, second shot for good measure. No safety issues with a hammer gun. Cost, a couple hundred bucks.

[parfleche]

Any gun will likely do the job , The problem is a bear seldom advertises when he comes at you ! The kicker is will you see it on time to use the gun ? But then again if you have one its better than not having one !I have had a bear creep up behind me at about six feet and had I not turned around and yelled that there is no telling if he would have nibbled on me!
At two in the morning you really are not expecting this! This has happened a couple times trapping , So yes I changed those shorts two times also!
It,s whatever gives you peace of mind.

[airbornedeerhunter]

Originally Posted by Puma

I'm sure its a fun gun to shoot cans & stumps with, but when it comes down to a life and death tactical situation, there is a big difference in reliability between a 300 dollar shotgun and a 1000 dollar one. Stressful situations are very hard on equipment.

I have two Maverick 88's. I've had one of them since 1992 ($200 bucks back then) and have put thousands of shells through it. Not one stoppage, hard extraction or any other issue. I carry it religiously when bowhunting and river fishing. I fail to see the need to spend $1000 on a shotgun for fear of reliability when I have 26 years of "reliable" slung across my back.

[zabbo]

Bought a Maverick 88 for exactly the same reason. Put lots of 3" magnum slugs through it, always goes band when I pull the trigger and never had any kind of malfunction. That said, never once have I carried it when fishing. Bear spray is all the defense I have.

[dewalt18]

Originally Posted by airbornedeerhunter

I have two Maverick 88's. I've had one of them since 1992 ($200 bucks back then) and have put thousands of shells through it. Not one stoppage, hard extraction or any other issue. I carry it religiously when bowhunting and river fishing. I fail to see the need to spend $1000 on a shotgun for fear of reliability when I have 26 years of "reliable" slung across my back.

I’ll second this. I’ve had my short barreled mav for 8 years now, well over a thousand rounds of varying ammo, and not once have I had any issue. No jam, no miss, no hang, no fail to eject, nothing. I also have a mav with the 28” vent rib, and it’s seen close to the same amount of rounds, without a single hiccup. Hands down I would trust my life to either one of these shotguns.

[curtz]

I love my Akkar, P@D still has them for $250.00

[1savagehunter]

My new bear deterrent device.
18" barrel and 5 shot clip

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[WSweeney74]

Here's a nice one, 14" barrel

https://www.rdsc.ca/collections/rifl...rel-12ga-black

[nast70]

Originally Posted by curtz

I love my Akkar, P@D still has them for $250.00

That's the one I have. Cheap, fun, easy to pack, and its cheap!

[JonnyBoy0919]

I bought a little Uzkon AS44 from S&J Hardware last year. 13.5inch barrel, great to throw in a case and keep on the quad. Never had an issue with accuracy, and it has a pistol grip. I bought it specifically for hiking/quading/camping.