r/canadaguns • u/Locojester16 • May 06 '26
Misc Carrying a SS-211 for Bear Defense
Recently purchased an ss-211 cos its hilarious, but my best option for something short enough/with enough punch to stop a Grizzly. I live in a fairly small town in BC, and we are lucky enough to be surrounded by crown land however, there are a shit ton of grizzlies and with the amount of close calls/time I spend outside I figured something besides bear spray would be a good investment. My question is this:
Is it safe to carry this thing loaded with safety on in a belt holster? If not, what are some other options/safe bets that allow reasonable deployment time as well as a safe carry option when hiking through rugged terrain.
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u/FluffyPlays22 May 06 '26
I would not trust a turkish gun as a potential life saving device. If you want something short to do the same thing that you can actually trust your life with, get a mossberg shockwave and add a stock to it.
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u/goodfleance May 07 '26
I own an ss-211 and I WOULD NOT trust it with my life. It's fun, hilarious, and awesome but it is not something I trust anywhere but the range. I can feel mine wearing out already in the safety/selector lever and I don't even have 50 rounds through it.
Genuinely, for about the same price you can get a Shockwave or for even less you can get a Maverick 88. Those are both trustworthy, reliable options.
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May 06 '26
I would not. Especially if grizzlies are your concern, you will want something more reliable with more shots. When it comes to a bear gun, portability and comfort are secondary to your capacity, muzzle velocity and reliability. Go watch videos of people taking down grizzlies with slugs in a defensive situation, they tend to have to hit it more than twice.
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u/Locojester16 May 07 '26
Agree but it's all i got for the time being. Wish i could have a 45-70 but way she goes. Would love if you could maybe DM those videos so I could get a better idea of what to look for in the future! Thanks man
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u/Slow-Register-3836 May 06 '26
I've had one of these for a while. Imo its super effective as a noise maker, but unless i didn't have any other option I wouldn't trust my life with it. You only get 2 shots and its not very accurate. Loud as hell tho.
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May 06 '26
very reasonable take I dont know why people downvoted you.
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u/Slow-Register-3836 May 07 '26
Lol its just my 2 cents. I'm not hating on the gun at all its a lot of fun and the build quality isn't half bad but imo there's so many short barreled pump actions available that you'd be much better off with in a serious scenario
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u/therowdyirishman May 06 '26
I've heard anecdotally that pretty much no shotgun is drop safe. Most folks carry their wilderness defense pump action in a cruiser ready condition (empty chamber, loaded tube) for this reason. I would make damn sure the safety actually blocks the firing pin (which I doubt) before carrying it loaded. I will also echo the other commentor in that I wouldn't trust a Turk cannon to keep me from becoming one with a grizz.
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u/goodfleance May 07 '26
I'm not sure why you were downvoted, you're correct.
Basically no shotgun is drop safe and "cruiser-ready" style carry is widely accepted/recommended.
I also echo the sentiment against cheap Turkish guns as lifesaving implements.
I'd recommend a maverick 88 or a Mossberg shockwave instead any day of the week.
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u/Iokua_CDN May 07 '26
And if you do go for a Turkish shotgun, get a pump action from a more reputable Turkish maker or reseller.
For example, if you couldn't afford the Shockwave and wanted something shorter than the mossberg, Canuck imports In a solid product and their pump actions are nice even though they are Turkish. Hard to get a pump action wrong, especially when having it cruiser ready means there is less to go wrong with it.
I know Canuck does one 14 inch shotgun with both a birdhead and a full stock. Or you can split the difference and get the collapsing stock version that's shorter than the full stock but also folds out easily, and still let's you shoulder it even with the stock collapsed.
I have the 1st one. Full stock and birdhead, but if I did it again, I'd get the collapsing stock one. Nearly all the benefit of the birdhead with still all the benefit of the full stock.
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u/fuckbitingflies May 07 '26
That’s exactly what you do, yep. Loaded tube, empty chamber.
Bear defense with firearms comes up all the time online and it’s mostly people talking through their fantasies. In reality, it kind of sucks. You end up lugging around this extra 7+ lbs that you will likely never need, that doesn’t handle the elements very well if you’re out for weeks at a time, is only maybe useful during daylight hours or if the bear is kind enough to let you turn on some lights and have your eyes adjust, etc.
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u/Locojester16 May 07 '26
Kind of why I went with the absolute smallest thing I can legally carry that isn't a giant pain in the ass to lug and doesn't cost an arm and a leg while still having enough punch. I can also load 12g bear bangers, which is pretty sweet! My philosophy is that it's only useful if you're actually willing to use it. Most places like where I live are surrounded by parks making this question mute but where I live it genuinely makes sense to have this when we are hunting/fishing in such remote griz country.
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u/fuckbitingflies May 07 '26
Bear bangers worked for me on a grizz in central BC (Vanderhoof-Fraser Lake area). Middle of the night. Firearm was out of the question because I didn’t have enough time and because I couldn’t be sure what was beyond the bear.
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u/BisonCompetitive9610 May 07 '26
If it's all you got, it's better than not having it.
But for a compact and powerful bear gun, a small lever, maybe even a mares leg, in 44 or 45-70 is what I trust.
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u/Locojester16 May 07 '26
wish i had the cash for a nice lever, and that is the goal one day, but for now the ss is better than nothing haha
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u/Neat_Imagination2503 May 07 '26
Turkish guns are if you want to cheap out on a range toy where when, not if, it dosnt go bang it’s not a life or death situation.
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u/DougMacRay617 May 07 '26
Ive got the same gun, no way in hell i would carry it on my body loaded
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u/Locojester16 May 07 '26
would also like to say that I'm strapped for cash and went with this as it fit the requirement for compact and boom. Also got a nice deal. As much as i'd love a nice 45-70 or a DA Shorty that just isn't in the cards. I get it's not ideal and I get no shotgun is dropsafe technically. Mostly just wanted some suggestions or annecdotes on ways to effectively carry this thing! Thanks yall
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u/Senior_Mail4090 May 07 '26
I went Benelli supernova tactical 14 for my first woods shotgun also in BC. Usually pack a 45-70 though now.
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u/escv_69420 May 10 '26
If you're strapped for cash, don't bother with some POS turkshit toy gun. Buy a Mossberg Maverick 88, then don't bother brining it. Learn about bears, learn to not attract bears, learn to scare bears away, carry bangers and spray on your belt.
I've lived in rural BC on farms with animals my entire life. Bears are not monsters, real life isn't The Edge. It's not coming to get you. If you're in any kind of conflict with a bear outside of your property, you already fucked up about 25 different ways before you even knew the bear existed. Learn to not make those mistakes and you'll never need a gun. We've shot two bears and a cougar because they were threatening my animals on our property and wouldn't listen to reason (the coug actually attacked my mom, got it's ass beat, and then ate my goat before my neighbor shot it from like 200m away next door.) . In the woods, you shouldn't need to.
I say this as someone who bow hunts on foot aswell, so I'm dealing with fresh, tasty meat alone with just a knife, bangers and spray, and a bunch of pointy sticks. I've had bears bluff charge me, mad dog me off my kills, and just chill in my camp. All of those situations were defused by either playing it cool, or yelling at them. I've never even used bear spray. I've been bear sprayed so I don't fuck with that stuff unless I absolutely have to lol, and I've never had to.
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u/swift_gilford May 06 '26
Probably.
Different gun, really. If you aren't comfortable with the ss-211 loaded i'd go with a different system. 590 Shockwaves exist and generally readily available. You can always leave chamber empty but mag full and leaves you one pump away from being ready to go.