Black Bears v. 9 mm Handguns

Which is better against a black bear: a 9 mm hollow point or full-metal-jacket round?

When facing an attacking black bear, do you want hollow points or FMJs?

Google whether a 9 mm pistol is enough to stop an attacking black bear and the answers vary. (NOTE: Black bear. This is not about Grizzlies or brown bears. Black bears are the subject matter. There are night and day differences in intentions, size, and temper between the types.)

The answers from ultracrepdarians (those who comment beyond their level of expertise) to those who say they have survived black bear attacks is close to 50:50 — using a 9 mm is not optimal.

But the real question asks which 9 mm round is better for defense against a black bear? Hollow points, most often used as self-defense ammunition for human threats. Or full-metal jackets, rounds used on the firing range and not in self-defense with humans.

Let’s discuss.

The 9 mm full-metal jacket

The consensus about using a 9 mm against an attacking black bear is the need for a bullet that penetrates. This assumes one can, in front of an attacking 400–600 lb black bear, score at least two headshots in an animal moving at 20–30 mph. This means a bullet like the full-metal jacket. One that doesn’t splatter like a mushroom and remains in one piece as…