Aaron O. is a father of six from Bells Flats, Alaska.
On September 27, 2022, around 11 p.m., a massive Kodiak brown bear walked through his unlocked front door.
Five of the children were asleep in bedrooms down the hall.
Aaron’s dog Harley started barking with a special sound Aaron had learned to recognize.
It was the dog’s “bear bark” – a heavy warning that meant real danger.
Aaron grabbed the handgun from his nightstand and moved toward the hallway.
The bear moved through the living room and kitchen and was standing in the narrow hallway between Aaron and his children’s bedrooms.
The animal weighed 988 pounds, and its skull was a massive 27 inches across.
Aaron fired a round through the bear’s shoulder.
The bear turned in the hallway and Aaron fired again, then a third and fourth time.
Three of those four handgun rounds hit the bear but couldn’t halt it.
The bear became trapped in the small entry but was still very much alive and dangerous.
That’s when Aaron’s neighbor Kris arrived with a shotgun loaded with 12-gauge copper slugs.
Kris, once part of a Coast Guard team, fired a single 12‑gauge slug and ended the threat.
Ammunition can mean the difference in survival during critical moments.
The caliber you pick, the bullet weight, and how that ammunition performs against your specific threat decides whether you become a statistic or not.
Understanding caliber selection:
A caliber is simply how wide the bullet is measured in inches or millimeters.
Common handgun calibers include .22 LR, 9mm, .45 ACP, .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum.
Each caliber delivers different levels of power, penetration, and stopping ability.
Larger calibers usually hit harder but come with more kick and fewer rounds in the magazine.
Aaron’s .45 Colt is a powerful handgun round that works well for most self-defense situations.
But against a 988-pound bear with thick muscle and heavy bone, even three hits weren’t enough.
The difference between a .45 Colt handgun round and the 12-gauge shotgun slug that finally ended the bear threat is enormous.
Bullet types and how they perform:
Full metal jacket rounds go deep but don’t expand much.
They’re good for punching through barriers but might go through targets in defensive situations.
Hollow point bullets expand when they hit tissue, making larger wound channels and cavities.
They transfer more energy to the target and are better for self-defense against humans.
Soft point bullets combine some penetration with some expansion.
They’re favored by hunters for their reliability on everything from mid‑sized to large animals.
Slug rounds from shotguns deliver massive amounts of energy over short distances.
They’re devastating against large threats but have heavy kick and short effective range.
Matching ammunition to your threat:
If you live in an area with large predators like bears, moose, or feral hogs, a handgun might not be enough.
You need rifle or shotgun power to halt animals that big.
In Alaska, many residents carry .44 Magnum revolvers or larger for bear defense, but even those are considered borderline.
Rifles in .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, or larger calibers provide much better stopping power.
Shotguns loaded with copper or lead slugs work extremely well at close range.
For urban or suburban self‑defense against close‑range threats, 9mm hollow points or .45 ACP work well.
These calibers are strong enough to halt an attacker but don’t penetrate multiple walls as easily as rifle rounds.
Practice and shot placement:
Every bit of gun knowledge you have is useless if you can’t hit your target under stress.
Aaron had to shoot while his inner voice reminded him “Don’t hit the kids” because his children were in rooms behind the bear.
That kind of pressure makes accurate shooting incredibly hard.
You need regular range time to develop muscle memory and accuracy.
Practice shooting under stress with time limits and moving drills.
Most importantly, practice with the exact ammunition you plan to carry.
Different loads have different kick patterns and points of impact.
Drawbacks to focusing heavily on guns:
Can lead to caliber obsession over skill development:
Some preppers spend more time debating calibers online than actually shooting.
Even top‑tier ammunition doesn’t matter if you can’t hit what you’re aiming at.
Focus more on training and marksmanship than finding the “ideal” round.
Ammunition availability issues:
Specialized ammunition can be hard to find during shortages.
Common calibers like 9mm, .223, and 12-gauge are easier to stock up on.
If you pick an unusual caliber, you might not be able to find ammunition when you need it.
Expense of testing and training:
Quality defensive ammunition typically runs a few bucks per round.
Testing different loads and practicing with carry ammunition gets pricey.
Balance your training between cheaper practice ammo and occasional sessions with your defensive loads.
What you should focus on:
Priority 1: Match your firearm to your most likely threats.
If you live in bear country, you need rifle or shotgun power for wildlife defense.
For urban self-defense, a 9mm or .45 ACP handgun with quality hollow points works well.
A 12-gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot provides versatile protection.
Priority 2: Stock multiple types of ammunition for your firearms.
Keep hollow points or defensive rounds for self-defense situations.
Store full metal jacket rounds for practice and target shooting.
If you hunt, stock appropriate hunting ammunition for game in your area.
Priority 3: Train regularly with your defensive ammunition.
Shoot at least 50 rounds each month to maintain skill.
Practice from realistic positions – not just standing at a bench rest.
Train with the same ammunition you plan to carry for self-defense.
The lesson from Aaron’s terrifying night is clear.
His .45 Colt handgun wounded the 988-pound bear but couldn’t halt it.
The 12‑gauge shotgun slug was powerful enough to end the threat.
Understanding guns and matching your ammunition to your specific threats isn’t just book knowledge.
It’s the difference between protecting your family and becoming a victim.
Study the calibers available, test different ammunition types, and train until you can shoot accurately under pressure.
