Ode to the lowly M1 Carbine...

[imarangemaster]

...I Used it for decades as a camp gun. It was powerful enough to take out a bear or cougar to protect the kids and a great deterrent for prowling humans. They remain my favorite weapon to shoot to this day. I guess a Ruger mini 14 might be close, but the carbine is more accurate and lighter yet. They are a timeless example of American industrial art that will never be made again. We are lucky to have a few of the 6M they made.

Least someone say they are not powerful enough to kill a bear...One of my favorite M1 Carbine pictures taken in Alaska in the 1950s or 1960s... Personally, I would want something a little bigger, but it can do the job in a pinch, especially for a smaller black bear.