I found answers to all my questions.

Good articles on this page.

 oldslabsides wrote: 


I do if you want to see it instead of the trailers. 

 winter wrote: 
What?  You expect me to notice release dates with all the hype?

 oldslabsides wrote: 
Well, Judge Dread is a bit like the Comedian.

I'm definitely going to see Watchmen (fantastic book, and the movie looks amazing), but not this weekend. I have to wait for the theaters to start showing it on March 6.  

 winter wrote: 
Who reminds me of Judge Dread (ew!) which reminds me of Watchmen.  Don't ask why.  You gonna go see that this weekend?

 oldslabsides wrote: 
I heard Elvis was Judge Crater.

 winter wrote: 


I heard he was Elvis.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
I asked my private school friends. They said either

a) "Custer was killed because God was mad at secular humanists, gays, and unwed mothers."

b) "Custer was not killed - it was a Masonic deception. He led his men to Snoqualmie and lived the rest of his life as a haberdasher named Edmond Reginald Velveteen Cowpers."

or

c) "Custer? Never heard of him. Now can I get back to scraping up roadkill?" 

 winter wrote: 
The things they teach us in public schools.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
I didn't know he'd been attacked by bears!

The things you learn on the Interwebs. 

 winter wrote: 
Custer thought that was enough, too.

 OCDHG wrote: 
That's why I only hike in battalion strength with full air support and real time sattelite imagery. No point in being reckless.

 Lazy8 wrote: 
That was pretty much the point.  Who wants to hike with a long gun unless you're hunting?? You can safely walk with a loaded handgun tucked away on your person.  You can't really do that with a long gun— it must be in your hands at all times— and it makes things like walking and climbing over stuff complicated. 

 Xeric wrote:  20-gage 'cause the little lady might need to shoot it, that's all. 12s are FAR more common of course, and easy to find in 'combat' configurations, so if everyone can handle the 12, it's the way to go.

#4 would sting, maybe enough to get the beast to find easier pickin's. And it would do real damage to a human of course. Also shot is easier to aim: a slug does diddly squat if you miss. I could easily be persuaded to your line of thinking though.

Generally speaking I think the 12-gage is over-rated, it's a shame it's so hard to find accessories for 20s. Even the lowly .410 makes a vicious home-defense weapon, small and light enough for anyone to feel comfortable with. A 12-gage is a real beast, especially with a short barrel, but a 20 or .410 is shootable by folks of small stature and limited experience.

Of course all my talk is just that. I shoot skeet with the 20 gage, and (poisonous) snakes with the .410: that's the extent of my shotgunning expertise.

See you at the range!

c.

 Xeric wrote:
 
The bear medicine I was referring to is the .44 caliber kind. Nothing smaller than .357 counts—a 9mm will eventually kill a bear (hours or days later, in agony) but it won't stop a bear. That's the point of bear medicine.

I carry bear spray berry picking and (in general) I think it's a better alternative, but don't count on anything like a 30' range. We tried to use some on a neighbor's dog last week to chase it out of the sheep. A very light wind and we couldn't reach 10'. It would be worse than useless in a tent.

A shotgun wouldn't be a good alternative. Swinging one inside a tent, hung up on sleeping bags and clothes sounds like more danger inside the tent than out. And a shotgun (even a 20 ga.) is a lot to tote around hiking. That means it probably won't be with you when you need it. A 20 ga. slug will stop a bear but you need to have it with you, ready to shoot. And many bear encounters start within an arm's length—too close for a shotgun.

 Beaker wrote: 
how effective is that against bears?

 cc_rider wrote: 
Why only a 20?  If you're seriously dealing with numerous and aggressive bears (the Alaskan boonies, basically) then yes, a shotgun is still the preferred weapon.  But mine would be a twelve gauge. . . .

I probably also wouldn't bother with anything other than slugs.  A face full of #4 shot is only gonna piss a bear off, no?  Either that or I've got to jack them through the action to get to the slugs.  This might be accepted wisdom, but I don't get it. 

 OCDHG wrote:  Shotgun. 20 gage, short-ish barrel so you can swing it faster. A box of #4 rounds, box of buckshot, and a box of slugs. Load the slug(s) in first, then buck, then the first round or two is #4.

 Zep wrote: 
I'm not gonna shoot a bear with anything unless he's already gotten damned close to me.  And pepper spray has a better range than I'd have thought—thirty feet or so, if I recall correctly.

As for the tent issue, M, I've thought of that.  Then again, I'm not gonna shoot a pistol blindly from (a still-unshredded) tent, either. . . .