Here's what I've been told by those more experienced than I: bear mace will deter a curious bear or a hungry bear, but it will not deter an angry bear or a starving bear. So, it will work most of the time. But it also has been known to turn a curious bear or a hungry bear into an angry bear... If a bear was getting too close, I would certainly use the bear mace first. But mace won't be my last resort.
Unless you can hit the eyes, prolly. ...wait, arnt you an aussie? It'll prolly work just fine to fend off koalas If I were in ozz, I'd prioritize something that can fire snakeshot. A .22 can fire snakeshot... technically.
In the case of brown bear attack (which is actually the most likely bear to attack) "playing dead and letting the bear chew on your backpack while you lie underneath it" will quite often save your life. The bear will move off after chewing on your backpack for a couple minutes. However, if you happen to be one of the rare cases where playing dead won't work, you'll then have to open fire when the bear is already on top of you. And playing dead only works with brown bears. If attacked by a black bear or polar bear never try to play dead. The bear will just start to eat you.
Just the sound of gunfire, even a .22, without shooting the animal will usually scare one off. Actually killing a bear takes something substantial, though emptying even a .22 pistol into the face would have a good chance of doing sufficient damage to dissuade it from eating you. In any case, just being passive or running is worthless. Better to grab a branch and fight; an animal like a dog or bear that senses you aren't afraid of it may get the impression it should be afraid of you.
IF I were hiking in BIG bear country a 458 Winchester Magnum, carry "enough" gun for the worst case scenario. As for handguns I hold with the late, great Jeff Cooper, a handgun merely buys you time to get to your RIFLE.
My goal here is to prevent the bear from getting on top of me. Tho, this is another 'pro' on the pistol side of the argument- I'll have a far better chance of being able to use it from 'underneath' a bear than I would a rifle.
Is a tiger cheating when it uses claws and muscles to kill a deer? Humans evolved to use our brains to produce tools. If you wish our ancestors had evolved into tigers instead of into hominids, I can't help you become a tiger. All I can do is advise you to accept your lot in life as a tool-using hominid.
you developed you brain to slaughter needlessly, i developed my brain to advance the species it is what it is, peace
From what I understand, bear spray must be sprayed at the ground between you and the bear (nearer the bear, of course), as bears charge with their head down. Travelling with their sensitive nose near ground saturated with the spray is what deters them. If the spray merely gets on them, its less effective. This is what I'm told anyway...
I have never used one, but they look like they gonna spray a lot and all over, hopefully I will never have too, I would try that too though, on them, in front of them, anything as I panicked
Be mindful of the wind direction, too The only thing worse than a bear attack is a bear attack when you've blinded and choked yourself.
I think you're all shooting up the wrong tree. Even an injured bear can keep charging (especially a Grizzly); it's not like you can depend on having a clear shot, as if it was charging you through a shooting range. It's going to be amongst trees, maybe appearing from out of large bushes; i.e., you can't depend on getting off a lot of rounds. Best defense: bear spray. For the man who's more interested in surviving, that looking tough. And it'll work on human threats, as well.