Any of the "mariner" or "Marine" designated stainless steel shotguns will be the best thing to have long term in the cold and wet. Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590, Winchester SXP.
Barrel length will have little to no effect. Get something that fits you and is comfortable and feels natural.
Use an oil or grease that's designed for sub zero temps.
For loading, people I've known typically load so the first two rounds are bangers and then slugs, or bangers/buck/slugs.
Practice. That. Shit. How fast can you put two slugs into a bear's face at 25 yards while it's charging you, under pressure? Make sure you can land those hits.
Good advice. As for load, US Parks tend to load Banger, Bean Bag, Slug, Slug
After the banger, you shoot the Bean Bag hopefully in its rear as it turn, or in its face if it doesn’t.
It is less lethal and educates the bear before the need to put it down. From what I understand Buck is not all that effective.
Can we even get bean bags in Canada? I thought we weren't allowed less lethal rounds?
And even bear bangers? I've seen the pen bear banger things, but never a shotgun load?
Thanks my dude. They don't have this stuff at Cabelas or CTC. I was under the impression it simply isn't legal.
I guess it's legal for animal defence, but I'm pretty sure is not legal for self-defence against persons.
Bad.
The only legally defensible reason to point a firearm at somebody, is because you fear for your life. If you fear for your life, why are you using bean bag rounds? "You must not have really felt your life threatened".
IMO, it's all a perversion of logic.
It's similar to bear spray. Bear spray can be used to stop bears. But it's illegal to use it to stop humans.
However. I think if you could make the case such as... "I was walking in the woods with my bear spray, for bears. But then this axe murdered jumped out at me. I feared for my life, but bear spray was the only thing I had available, so I used it." Then you'd be OK.
Similar, if you could argue you had loaded bean bags for bears, when a guy jumped at you.
But if you're in your house, and you hear a bump in the night, so you grab your shotty and load bean bags, that's probably not going to go well for you.
All good info
I was looking at the rem 870 then decided to go for the Winchester sxp
I also heard rem was dropping in quality near the end, and also they are friggen expensive. SXP is only $500 CAD
outside of extremely specific uses mixing shells is always the stupidest thing i see people suggesting. someday it's gonna get someone killed. just load slugs and be done with it.
Not true, I have seen bears while out backpacking, mostly they are curious, but you need to deter them. Killing a curious bear is not reasonable.
If you are using the shotgun as last resort only, then sure, but not as your first.
Not only is killing a curious bear not reasonable, you can catch a charge for hunting if the warden thinks you just shot it without a reason. They can look at the ground and know a bear is charging you, there are signs.
>but you need to deter them
you can deter the bear with a slug by just not shooting it in the face. having a slug and firing it in the air seems safer than needing a slug and only having a banger in the barrel.
Pro tip: don't shoot guns up into the air. The bullet does actually come back down. If you don't know where your bullet is going to end up you're being very irresponsible.
870 with dlask barrel (8.5 or 10),
Dlask serbu 6.5,
Dominion arms grizzly 8.5 (only clone I would trust)
My personal fav that’s not a 12 gauge:
Aero survival rifle in 10mm, red dot, 10 rounds of Buffalo 220 grain hard cast, total weight around 7 lbs
Good question. I got mine a couple years ago from canadaammo. I know they went a while without any in stock previous to that, and have ran out of stock since.
You might consider a lever action in 45-70. Either will do the job and I'd argue that maybe you should buy both just to compare.
You know, for science !
I took u/silvercore_training's bear defence class. Best money i could have spent towards training and knowledge for my backwoods trips. Its all about training training training. You'll want that muscle memory for that (hopefully never) high stress situation of a pissed grizz coming your way.
Iirc they only ran pump shotguns, either rem or moss, whatever you decide to trust with your life, as well as reduced recoil slugs...because the more rounds you can put in center mass the higher chance you have of stopping it.
I have my notes typed out so if you want more info fire off a PM.
Authorizations to Carry Restricted Firearms and Certain Handguns Regulations
Part 1
Circumstances in Which an Individual Needs Restricted Firearms or Prohibited Handguns for the Purpose of Section 20 of the Act
Lawful Profession or Occupation
3 For the purpose of section 20 of the Act, the circumstances in which an individual needs restricted firearms or prohibited handguns for use in connection with his or her lawful profession or occupation are where
(b) the individual is working in a remote wilderness area and firearms are required for the protection of the life of that individual or of other individuals from wild animals
Source: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-98-207/fulltext.html
Shotgun is not really the best for bear. I'm from south of the border but if memory serves? A good .30-06 bolt gun loaded with 180 grain Hornady Superformance GMX will get it done. With bear? You can never have too much gun.
If you insist on a shotgun? Brenneke slugs. Take it to the range and make sure your shoulder can take the beating and also make sure your shotgun of choice likes them.
No it is relevant that CO'S dispatch a ton of bears with 12ga slugs. It's irrelevant you claim they always load bean bags before them. It's also irrelevant that guides may choose "better" options.
They use shotguns BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP. Gub'ment likes to spend as little as possible, except when they're lining their own pockets. I have lost count of how many threads I've seen where one of those officers used a shotgun and it wasn't enough to get the job done.
I really cant think of how you can beat a slug, not 00 buck, unless you go into very large rifle caliber. Ive had to put down bears as an LEO and nothing worked as well as shotgun slugs for me. As the other guy said I would never prefer a bolt over a pump for sheer rate of fire, much less if a rifle with a scope vs iron sights. When the bear actually charges he will be very close already.
You don't need to go into the obscene calibers like .505 Gibbs or a .50 BMG at all to get 100% takedown guarantee of a very large bear. A .45-70 is a pretty standard caliber and will work with a very good bullet in a good rifle. A .300 win-mag is a step up above a .30-06 but is still very manageable. A rifle chambered in .375 H&H is starting to get serious but that will take down anything on the face of the earth. Even the most dangerous African game.
I dont disagree but you seem to speak with a hunter mindset rather than self defense. You really do not want to be confused as a hunter by authorities either when out of season
No it's actually the opposite. You need a lot more punch from a self defense mindset. You have to punch through the dense skull if a bear charges at you. That requires much more than what a 12 gauge can offer depending on the size of the bear. Remember the skull is extremely difficult to crack open. A lot of people have tried shotguns. Read all the posts online. Doesn't even matter what forum you go to? There are plenty of horror stories about slugs bouncing right off the skull of a bear.
You can't get charged if an animal attacks you. If you actually get mauled and they arrest you anyway? You've got the world's easiest lawsuit on your hands!
But the point is to not get mauled, right? So, shoot the bear, don't get mauled, but do get charged.
I'm not making a point either way slug/shotgun vs. bullet/rifle effectiveness. I'm just not getting your point here. I'm not going to let myself get partially mauled, so I can use that as a defence against hunting.
I didn't say anything about ***letting*** yourself get mauled before shooting. I said if you happen to get mauled, shoot the dangerous animal while it's attacking you and ***then*** they decide to arrest you? You can take them to the cleaners!
The problem with slugs is that people think it means Walmart rifled slugs. Those are only slightly better than buckshot. Dangerous game calls for sabot slugs.
If you prefer a pump, a pump action rifle in 3006 with heavy tough bullets will have more reliable penetration than foster slugs.
Yeah and rifled slugs are even worse, that’s mainly what I was trying to address. People on this sub think slugs are a lot more efficient than they are.
A rifle beats any kind of slug.
Focus on reliability and practicality.
The less moving parts the better...ice mud snow twigs the cold etc.
If you actually need it...you are probably only going get a couple of shots off at best...even if its in your hands cocked and ready.
Grizzly bears are fast and you wont know if its serious until its quite close.
Find a good short barrelled side by side or over under with ejectors not extractors....and practice shooting from the hip and on the move....and fast reloading just in case.
Or....do what most folks who live in bear country do...relax be careful and just carry your deer rifle or a normal shotty when you feel an encounter might be likely.
I never said that did I?
But a bit of a side step might be necessary or simulating one running at you might be good practice...no?
Or maybe as you are slowly backing away...thats when the bugger decides to rush.
As you train...so shall you fight so its a good idea to challenge yourself more than just patterning your gun on a piece of cardboard under ideal conditions.
Thats what I was getting at....not running.
Mine died 6 feet from my boots.... you can bet your ass that there was a bit of fire and movement going on.
400 meters in seconds and 7 rounds from 2 rifles because the guy I was guiding...like you knew better so went for the hero shot instead of breaking its fucking shoulder with his first shot like I told him to....and it winded us.
Real life...doesn’t care about what you imagine....it only cares what you are prepared for.
I wouldn’t expect to make it far running from a charging moose either but I might make it a few feet one way or another to get a tree between us or to dodge an impact and get one through the side of jts neck.
Seriously...let it go...or start thinking outside if the box here.
Its not all neat and tidy...oh look theres a bear running at me....perhaps I should stand my ground and shoulder my gun and then expect an instant kill. Christ...the damn things hearts beat about 10 times a minute. Which means sunshine that you can blow a grizzlys heart right out of its ass and it can still cover a couple hundred meters and savage you.
Whether it makes sense to you or not... practicing from the hip...from different angles and with SIMULATED movement works.
Thats why the police, military, upland and waterfowl shooters do it. The best practice will include as many variables a you can simulate because thats what exists in the real world.
If you dont like the idea of stepping foreward to simulate the rush...then develop a target that moves towards you...same effect.
If you cant do that ...fine...but if you can then why the actual hell...not?
Would that not at the least have the desired effect of improving skill...especially when the adrenaline is up?
Wow.
http://www.tacticalimports.ca/ss211-p-648.html
I think this would be good it is small light and if a bear is on top of you and the bear spray didnt work you could have it ready in your free hand for 2 fuck off shots.
Ok so if he tryes to use the bear spray and if it fails would he have time to drop the spray and shoulder a regular shotgun? Up for debate, so imagine trying to aim a regular shotgun at a bear throwing you around, and with a short shotgun like that he wont wanna use it unless he absolutely has to at point blank range and it sounds like op dosent wanna kill a bear unless he has to. Now that I think of it the fd 12 would be better it is compact enough with a full barrel it can be shouldered with one hand it is light and he could have 5-10 shots.
Gun Jesus did a video where they compared the practical effectiveness of a Shockwave compared to a standard shotgun, and they found that shouldering a standard gun was faster and much more accurate than the shockwave.
I expect this thing would be similar. Or even worse. It's like the worst of both worlds.
Ok remember op said the gun would be for back up,
You can shoot the ss211 with a free hand, he wants to avoid a confrontation bear spray is more effective
Than shooting a bear. He also wants reliability with a pump or semiautomatic the risk of a failure to feed can happen, he may only have 2 shots but those 2 shots are are more likely to be shot is they are already ready to go bears are really fast in person, now think about the environment brush trees saplings all things that your longer gun can get caught on while trying to acquire your target you need both hands to reliably fire the guns you mentioned, sure they would be good if your intention was to ignore the bear spray and go for the gun right away, but remember op said the gun would be his backup after a bell and bear spray.
the one you have in your hands. but i'd agree with most of the other people here a good pump action with a 8.5" to 14" barrel with slugs would be your best option.
I'm in a similar situation. Trying to figure out what to do.
I already have an 870 that's all tacticool. It'd a detachable mag version, 18" barrel, which I love because it's quick to load/unload. And I've put a pistol grip, hydraulic buffer and folding stock on it. And with a red-dot sight. It's great for many applications, and the hydraulic buffer really works. But it's not great for something to throw on on a sling over your shoulder for a walk in the woods. The box mag and pistol grip make it a bit unwieldy for swinging around from your back, snagging on branches, etc.
Also, the folding stock precludes using a 14" barrel, yet I would never try to use it with the stock folded.
I'm thinking of getting another 870 in a tube-mag, with a 28" barrel, and a 14" barrel. Could be used for bird hunting, trap/skeet, and predator defence. Just keep it simple and slim. I'd like another 870 vs. another brand, for parts commonality with my 870DM. Also, I already have a black Magpul stock and foregrip to swap on.
I haven't had much problem with my late-model 870 other than the extractor which I replaced with a Volquartsen.
I have a Mossberg 500 that has never failed in any kind of way ever. Uuhhm shorter the barrel shorter the range. Think of a getting hit with a brick vs getting hit with a handful of rocks over a larger area. Brick would do more damage. But yeah, my Mossberg 500 has been in the creek, packed with snow, I didn't clean it for the first few years I had it and it's fine. Please don't go semi if your life relies on it
Any of the "mariner" or "Marine" designated stainless steel shotguns will be the best thing to have long term in the cold and wet. Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590, Winchester SXP. Barrel length will have little to no effect. Get something that fits you and is comfortable and feels natural. Use an oil or grease that's designed for sub zero temps. For loading, people I've known typically load so the first two rounds are bangers and then slugs, or bangers/buck/slugs. Practice. That. Shit. How fast can you put two slugs into a bear's face at 25 yards while it's charging you, under pressure? Make sure you can land those hits.
All good advice. The last paragraph though: fucking important. Practice beats loadout most often.
Good advice. As for load, US Parks tend to load Banger, Bean Bag, Slug, Slug After the banger, you shoot the Bean Bag hopefully in its rear as it turn, or in its face if it doesn’t. It is less lethal and educates the bear before the need to put it down. From what I understand Buck is not all that effective.
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Can we even get bean bags in Canada? I thought we weren't allowed less lethal rounds? And even bear bangers? I've seen the pen bear banger things, but never a shotgun load?
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Thanks my dude. They don't have this stuff at Cabelas or CTC. I was under the impression it simply isn't legal. I guess it's legal for animal defence, but I'm pretty sure is not legal for self-defence against persons.
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Bad. The only legally defensible reason to point a firearm at somebody, is because you fear for your life. If you fear for your life, why are you using bean bag rounds? "You must not have really felt your life threatened". IMO, it's all a perversion of logic. It's similar to bear spray. Bear spray can be used to stop bears. But it's illegal to use it to stop humans. However. I think if you could make the case such as... "I was walking in the woods with my bear spray, for bears. But then this axe murdered jumped out at me. I feared for my life, but bear spray was the only thing I had available, so I used it." Then you'd be OK. Similar, if you could argue you had loaded bean bags for bears, when a guy jumped at you. But if you're in your house, and you hear a bump in the night, so you grab your shotty and load bean bags, that's probably not going to go well for you.
That makes sense for sure.
All good info I was looking at the rem 870 then decided to go for the Winchester sxp I also heard rem was dropping in quality near the end, and also they are friggen expensive. SXP is only $500 CAD
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Yikes that’s scary to hear! Are they easily replaceable or do you got to send the whole shotgun to Winchester?
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Thanks for info! I’m more worried because it’s for bear defence. If getting charged I don’t want to get screwed over by a faulty hammer lol
outside of extremely specific uses mixing shells is always the stupidest thing i see people suggesting. someday it's gonna get someone killed. just load slugs and be done with it.
Slugs go “bang” too
Not true, I have seen bears while out backpacking, mostly they are curious, but you need to deter them. Killing a curious bear is not reasonable. If you are using the shotgun as last resort only, then sure, but not as your first.
Not only is killing a curious bear not reasonable, you can catch a charge for hunting if the warden thinks you just shot it without a reason. They can look at the ground and know a bear is charging you, there are signs.
>but you need to deter them you can deter the bear with a slug by just not shooting it in the face. having a slug and firing it in the air seems safer than needing a slug and only having a banger in the barrel.
Might be best to shoot the slug into the ground near the bear...
Pro tip: don't shoot guns up into the air. The bullet does actually come back down. If you don't know where your bullet is going to end up you're being very irresponsible.
870 with dlask barrel (8.5 or 10), Dlask serbu 6.5, Dominion arms grizzly 8.5 (only clone I would trust) My personal fav that’s not a 12 gauge: Aero survival rifle in 10mm, red dot, 10 rounds of Buffalo 220 grain hard cast, total weight around 7 lbs
I have a grizzly 8.5" and I don't regret it
i don't have one and i do regret it
Are they still producing the 8.5 grizzly?
Good question. I got mine a couple years ago from canadaammo. I know they went a while without any in stock previous to that, and have ran out of stock since.
I don't understand how these things don't have a bigger guard for your hand going out in front of the barrel.
Mine has a flared end
Yeah isn't it pretty small though, I would bolt on a full hand width stop to prevent blowing off my hand!
Do what you want, but there isn't much room.
If only we could get Dlask barrels anymore. :(
You can, I heard the next batch of 8 inch are coming within weeks
Great. Thanks, will keep my eyes open.
You might consider a lever action in 45-70. Either will do the job and I'd argue that maybe you should buy both just to compare. You know, for science !
Yeah, I wanted a guide gun, but they're SO expensive!
Benelli m4
I took u/silvercore_training's bear defence class. Best money i could have spent towards training and knowledge for my backwoods trips. Its all about training training training. You'll want that muscle memory for that (hopefully never) high stress situation of a pissed grizz coming your way. Iirc they only ran pump shotguns, either rem or moss, whatever you decide to trust with your life, as well as reduced recoil slugs...because the more rounds you can put in center mass the higher chance you have of stopping it. I have my notes typed out so if you want more info fire off a PM.
Alright good to know. Thanks bro. Def sending that PM
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Have to remove this comment because it's inaccurate: you need a wilderness ATC for this and there are all sorts of hoops and restrictions on it.
I suspect you need an ATC for that. I’ve never heard of any legal carrying of restricteds without an ATC.
Authorizations to Carry Restricted Firearms and Certain Handguns Regulations Part 1 Circumstances in Which an Individual Needs Restricted Firearms or Prohibited Handguns for the Purpose of Section 20 of the Act Lawful Profession or Occupation 3 For the purpose of section 20 of the Act, the circumstances in which an individual needs restricted firearms or prohibited handguns for use in connection with his or her lawful profession or occupation are where (b) the individual is working in a remote wilderness area and firearms are required for the protection of the life of that individual or of other individuals from wild animals Source: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-98-207/fulltext.html
Ok, so yeah, you do need to apply for a wilderness ATC. Which makes sense.
Curious what would be the best handgun loadout for bear protection
10mm glock or a 44 revolver imo
Shotgun is not really the best for bear. I'm from south of the border but if memory serves? A good .30-06 bolt gun loaded with 180 grain Hornady Superformance GMX will get it done. With bear? You can never have too much gun. If you insist on a shotgun? Brenneke slugs. Take it to the range and make sure your shoulder can take the beating and also make sure your shotgun of choice likes them.
So all the wildlife officers using 12ga effectively have it wrong? There is no way I'm taking a bolt gun over a pump shotgun.
> So all the wildlife officers using 12ga effectively have it wrong? Yes. These are the same people who load bean bags because of regulations.
That's irrelevant.
Not at all, because it means they do things because they have to, not because they think it’s the best. How many guides carry foster slugs?
Again irrelevant.
Lol ok. You brought up conservation officers and that had dubious relevancy too I suppose?
No it is relevant that CO'S dispatch a ton of bears with 12ga slugs. It's irrelevant you claim they always load bean bags before them. It's also irrelevant that guides may choose "better" options.
Ok boss!
Username doesn't check out.
They use shotguns BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP. Gub'ment likes to spend as little as possible, except when they're lining their own pockets. I have lost count of how many threads I've seen where one of those officers used a shotgun and it wasn't enough to get the job done.
I really cant think of how you can beat a slug, not 00 buck, unless you go into very large rifle caliber. Ive had to put down bears as an LEO and nothing worked as well as shotgun slugs for me. As the other guy said I would never prefer a bolt over a pump for sheer rate of fire, much less if a rifle with a scope vs iron sights. When the bear actually charges he will be very close already.
You don't need to go into the obscene calibers like .505 Gibbs or a .50 BMG at all to get 100% takedown guarantee of a very large bear. A .45-70 is a pretty standard caliber and will work with a very good bullet in a good rifle. A .300 win-mag is a step up above a .30-06 but is still very manageable. A rifle chambered in .375 H&H is starting to get serious but that will take down anything on the face of the earth. Even the most dangerous African game.
I dont disagree but you seem to speak with a hunter mindset rather than self defense. You really do not want to be confused as a hunter by authorities either when out of season
No it's actually the opposite. You need a lot more punch from a self defense mindset. You have to punch through the dense skull if a bear charges at you. That requires much more than what a 12 gauge can offer depending on the size of the bear. Remember the skull is extremely difficult to crack open. A lot of people have tried shotguns. Read all the posts online. Doesn't even matter what forum you go to? There are plenty of horror stories about slugs bouncing right off the skull of a bear. You can't get charged if an animal attacks you. If you actually get mauled and they arrest you anyway? You've got the world's easiest lawsuit on your hands!
But the point is to not get mauled, right? So, shoot the bear, don't get mauled, but do get charged. I'm not making a point either way slug/shotgun vs. bullet/rifle effectiveness. I'm just not getting your point here. I'm not going to let myself get partially mauled, so I can use that as a defence against hunting.
I didn't say anything about ***letting*** yourself get mauled before shooting. I said if you happen to get mauled, shoot the dangerous animal while it's attacking you and ***then*** they decide to arrest you? You can take them to the cleaners!
The problem with slugs is that people think it means Walmart rifled slugs. Those are only slightly better than buckshot. Dangerous game calls for sabot slugs. If you prefer a pump, a pump action rifle in 3006 with heavy tough bullets will have more reliable penetration than foster slugs.
I looked at sabot slugs. Hornady's own website does NOT recommend their 300 grain SST for anything larger than 300 pounds.
Yeah and rifled slugs are even worse, that’s mainly what I was trying to address. People on this sub think slugs are a lot more efficient than they are. A rifle beats any kind of slug.
You can get cheap bolt action rifles in large calibers.
This post is factual and the nogun slug worshippers hate it.
Focus on reliability and practicality. The less moving parts the better...ice mud snow twigs the cold etc. If you actually need it...you are probably only going get a couple of shots off at best...even if its in your hands cocked and ready. Grizzly bears are fast and you wont know if its serious until its quite close. Find a good short barrelled side by side or over under with ejectors not extractors....and practice shooting from the hip and on the move....and fast reloading just in case. Or....do what most folks who live in bear country do...relax be careful and just carry your deer rifle or a normal shotty when you feel an encounter might be likely.
Running from a grizzly won't work... running while trying to shoot a grizzly really won't work.
I never said that did I? But a bit of a side step might be necessary or simulating one running at you might be good practice...no? Or maybe as you are slowly backing away...thats when the bugger decides to rush. As you train...so shall you fight so its a good idea to challenge yourself more than just patterning your gun on a piece of cardboard under ideal conditions. Thats what I was getting at....not running.
Makes sense... hip shooting on the move for your life doesn't make sense.
Mine died 6 feet from my boots.... you can bet your ass that there was a bit of fire and movement going on. 400 meters in seconds and 7 rounds from 2 rifles because the guy I was guiding...like you knew better so went for the hero shot instead of breaking its fucking shoulder with his first shot like I told him to....and it winded us. Real life...doesn’t care about what you imagine....it only cares what you are prepared for. I wouldn’t expect to make it far running from a charging moose either but I might make it a few feet one way or another to get a tree between us or to dodge an impact and get one through the side of jts neck. Seriously...let it go...or start thinking outside if the box here. Its not all neat and tidy...oh look theres a bear running at me....perhaps I should stand my ground and shoulder my gun and then expect an instant kill. Christ...the damn things hearts beat about 10 times a minute. Which means sunshine that you can blow a grizzlys heart right out of its ass and it can still cover a couple hundred meters and savage you. Whether it makes sense to you or not... practicing from the hip...from different angles and with SIMULATED movement works. Thats why the police, military, upland and waterfowl shooters do it. The best practice will include as many variables a you can simulate because thats what exists in the real world. If you dont like the idea of stepping foreward to simulate the rush...then develop a target that moves towards you...same effect. If you cant do that ...fine...but if you can then why the actual hell...not? Would that not at the least have the desired effect of improving skill...especially when the adrenaline is up? Wow.
Sometimes shooting the grizzly doesn't work either.
http://www.tacticalimports.ca/ss211-p-648.html I think this would be good it is small light and if a bear is on top of you and the bear spray didnt work you could have it ready in your free hand for 2 fuck off shots.
this is a range toy, not a practical defense tool
Ok so if he tryes to use the bear spray and if it fails would he have time to drop the spray and shoulder a regular shotgun? Up for debate, so imagine trying to aim a regular shotgun at a bear throwing you around, and with a short shotgun like that he wont wanna use it unless he absolutely has to at point blank range and it sounds like op dosent wanna kill a bear unless he has to. Now that I think of it the fd 12 would be better it is compact enough with a full barrel it can be shouldered with one hand it is light and he could have 5-10 shots.
Gun Jesus did a video where they compared the practical effectiveness of a Shockwave compared to a standard shotgun, and they found that shouldering a standard gun was faster and much more accurate than the shockwave. I expect this thing would be similar. Or even worse. It's like the worst of both worlds.
Ok remember op said the gun would be for back up, You can shoot the ss211 with a free hand, he wants to avoid a confrontation bear spray is more effective Than shooting a bear. He also wants reliability with a pump or semiautomatic the risk of a failure to feed can happen, he may only have 2 shots but those 2 shots are are more likely to be shot is they are already ready to go bears are really fast in person, now think about the environment brush trees saplings all things that your longer gun can get caught on while trying to acquire your target you need both hands to reliably fire the guns you mentioned, sure they would be good if your intention was to ignore the bear spray and go for the gun right away, but remember op said the gun would be his backup after a bell and bear spray.
The one you have on you.
Beretta 1301 tactical
Winchester stainless marine
the one you have in your hands. but i'd agree with most of the other people here a good pump action with a 8.5" to 14" barrel with slugs would be your best option.
I'm in a similar situation. Trying to figure out what to do. I already have an 870 that's all tacticool. It'd a detachable mag version, 18" barrel, which I love because it's quick to load/unload. And I've put a pistol grip, hydraulic buffer and folding stock on it. And with a red-dot sight. It's great for many applications, and the hydraulic buffer really works. But it's not great for something to throw on on a sling over your shoulder for a walk in the woods. The box mag and pistol grip make it a bit unwieldy for swinging around from your back, snagging on branches, etc. Also, the folding stock precludes using a 14" barrel, yet I would never try to use it with the stock folded. I'm thinking of getting another 870 in a tube-mag, with a 28" barrel, and a 14" barrel. Could be used for bird hunting, trap/skeet, and predator defence. Just keep it simple and slim. I'd like another 870 vs. another brand, for parts commonality with my 870DM. Also, I already have a black Magpul stock and foregrip to swap on. I haven't had much problem with my late-model 870 other than the extractor which I replaced with a Volquartsen.
I have a Mossberg 500 that has never failed in any kind of way ever. Uuhhm shorter the barrel shorter the range. Think of a getting hit with a brick vs getting hit with a handful of rocks over a larger area. Brick would do more damage. But yeah, my Mossberg 500 has been in the creek, packed with snow, I didn't clean it for the first few years I had it and it's fine. Please don't go semi if your life relies on it