Best shotgun ammunition for bear defence

[JD848]

I killed large black bear coming at me at 6 feet with a sawed of 20 gauge maybe 20 inch barrel with no sight and a old wood pistol grip,with number 4 bird shot,the shot gun was in my boat and only used to make noise and frighten the bears,but one day at shore lunch I chased two bears off an island when I got back where the guest were there was a trail you could see 60 feet down it.

I was just starting to fillet more fish and out came a good size bear ,I picked up the shotgun and started yelling at it to get lost but this bear was swaying side to side and as soon as we made eye contact he charge,i held my ground and it all happen in a split second and by the time I raise that gun with one arm stretched out I fired and broke his back behind his head,he strated rolling around and I moved behind a big pine,this is number 4 bird shot and I was yelling for the guest to run for there boats.
I cracked the single shot shotgun and the bear was just in front of me moaning and moven around,as I came out from behind the tree the gun was up in one hand he was right there and nail him in the neck and he dropped but wasn't dead plus I only had one more shell and put it on his head and finished the job.Out of all the shooting and nice rifles I have,the best shot I made was that first shot with a 20 gauge with bird shot in a 20 dollar gun or I would have died or been injured to where I wished I died.There were 50 people no more than 60 feet away when this happened and trust me that night around the fire at camp only one topic was talked about,some guest were scared to death.

I was shaking like mad when this happened ,but didn't want no anyone to notice and when I got in that night I phone my wife and told her to have some one that night to drive 250 miles so I could get my 45 70 on the plane to go out with the next day.Don't ever try this unless it's your last resort and no other choice because the odds are you won't get lucky like me and 80 percent was luck the rest was that I held my ground and never thought twice because there was no time to think.

[purgatory.sv]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

Aw, Purg! it's all good. Your posts often make me smile.

You're right, the first line is truth to the topic.

All you needed to add is "FIRE!"

fire

[wildbill]

Originally Posted by OostinD

I'm trying to decide on the best ammunition to use for defense. I live in eastern Canada and we don't get any kind of brown bear here, so this would be mostly for black bear. Moose is also a consideration.

After a bit of googling it seems slugs would be more effective than buckshot. The selection of slugs around here is a bit limited (I don't believe you can order ammunition online, can you?) so I was hoping someone would be able to tell me from this list what would be good to use and what would not.

This is for a mossberg 500 with an 18" barrel. These are all 12 gauge rifled slugs:
(They may not all be available, it's just what I saw on the website)

Winchester PDX1 Defender Segmented Slugs - 2 3/4" - 1 OZ slug
Kent 10 Point / FiveStar Deer Slugs - 2 3/4" or 3" - 1 OZ slug
Winchester SuperX Value Slugs - 2 3/4" or 3" - 1 OZ slug
Remington Slugger Slugs - 2 3/4" or 3" - 1 OZ slug
Challenger Magnum Slugs - 2 3/4" - 1 1/8 OZ slug
Federal TRUBALL Slugs - 2 3/4" or 3" - 1 OZ slug

I would lean towards the Challenger slugs, however they only list them in 2 3/4". I have heard mixed reviews about the Remington Sluggers, some say they penetrate very well and some say they penetrate poorly. Thank you for any help.

I believe the challengers are identical to to the scores except for one minor detail that would prevent me from buying them......they are made in Quebec!!