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45 Acp For Bear?

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Back to original question, yes the 45 ACP will work but it is light for the job. Stick with the 230 grain hardball because you don't really care so much about expansion as you do penetration. I carry a 44 mag if I'm hunting or a 41 mag if just hiking because its 2/3 the weight but thats because I have them. Before I did I had the 45 and I practice regularly up to 100 yards with it slow fire and rapid fire at 7-50 yards. Use 8 round magazines if you have them and do some practice to make sure the gun and magazines are going to work for you when/if you need them. Never mind buckshot for a bear, use slugs. You don't really want to hit him anymore than you have to and the slugs will penetrate farther than any shot. Deer and horses are a lot thinner skinned than a black bear even if he is only 300 pounds.

Don't do like my buddy did. Shot once, the bear dropped, he dropped his rifle and ran up to the bear, she stood up. Fortunately he had his 44 mag and from 6' away he emptied it into her. Threw his pants away, cleaned up the best he could, wrapped his coat around him like a kilt and came home. He still has the guns but he doesn't buy bear tags anymore and he is ever so grateful it was a black bear and not a grizzly.
 
.45 is fine as a handgun

i wouldnt want to use it for hunting but if you pop 3-4 shots into it its not gonna be coming anymore

i hunt bear every year and i take a .44mag rifle or a .30-30

doc, one of the older guys that hunts with us, only takes 1 gun a .22 pistol and he has killed more bear with that than anyone else with their rifles. given he is 83 and has been bear hunting since he was 12 he usually fires 1 shot a year and gets 1 bear a year hits it every time right in the ear
 
I have an S&W 625. I would not feel undergunned around Black Bear w/ a 250 grain cast boolit at 1000-1100 fps. Brown and Grizz are a diff story.
My only question is would one go with a wide meplat wadcutter for a wider wound path or a RNFP for max penetration?
 
I shot a 200 lb Maine Black Bear with a 45 acp. Three times before it died. It'll do the job in a pinch but unless you place that shot just right big big troubles could be roaring your way.

That day I thought I was gonna pass out when that thing finally dropped, about 15 feet from me. The hair still stands up on the back of my neck when I think about it. When I called my friends to come help me drag it out I told em it weighed, best as I could guess, between 400-500 lbs. (Much giggling ,chortling , snorting and ribbing when they saw the bear) Anyway the point is your pushing it, even with a smallish bear.
 
The reaction of a bear, as I have seen a couple, will be: Outch! What is that thing? Oh it's him, GO!
The fact is... the bear will know you are there, you won't know it, but he will, he will smell you and your dogs from a couple of kilometers, and will be more likely to get you from your back than anything else, always take a look at the direction where the wind is going, the bear won't smell you if you have the wind in your face and him in front of you, but if he is behind you, you're done.
BUT, the fact is that bears won't charge a human unless you surprised him, if you make some noise, he will run away and you will never notice it.
 
OK, SOME of you guys are missing the point. first, the 16 gauge was for shooting squirrels, and second, the 45 is what i normally carry, just in case of s.h.t.f. . my preffered gun (that i own) for black bear, would be my 45/70 with 405 flat points driven @ 1950 fps! almost enough to tip over a tank, but not quite. i would never consider setting off to purposly hunt a bear with my 45. a 454 casull, or 500 s&w mag would be a different story. i am and was thinking that my 45 was really light for black bear. but i usually over gun for everything. i was curious as to how you guys thought i would fair against a black bear if i was not specifically prepared for one. as in, "surprise, roar, i am bear" when i turned the next corner.
 
artiz if i was on a walk or hiking i would rather have th bear smell me so it knows im there

most black bear will just run off in 5 years of bear hunting i have never seen someone get charged...might have sumthing to do with th 3-10 hound nipping at its heal but still
 
.45 for Gummy Bears.

The skull is the biggest problem. If it is a charger (unlikely for Blackies, tho', they normally will run away from you), the head might be all you get a look at. Then you are in trouble.
 
Im told that if you shoot bears with a pistol its best to file down the front sight ==That way when the bear takes the thing away from you and sticks it up your arse it wont hurt so much !!
Now a shotgun with slugs is a stopper -Alaskan Guides carry 12 ga with slugs as a back up !
I have shot 12ga federal 3in Mag slugs they dig a 6in wide 3in deep trench 3 ft long in hard pack dirt behind the target-I shot 4 saved the 5th for a souviner as my sholder had enough !! They kick worse than a 375H+H
 
Yep, I was waiting for someone to offer the 'front sight' trick!!! I love it!

If bears are reported in a certain section of the woods, why don't you avoid that section of the woods?

I love all you guys, but in 54 years of dealing with wildlife I find that we usually miss the simplest and most important aspect:
  • If you're hunting for them, you frequent the place they are known to be.
  • But to avoid being the victim, you avoid the place they are known to be.
Last point is humorous: Here out west it is often advised that you hunt with a fat guy. If a bear attacks, you don't have to outrun the bear. You only have to outrun the fat guy.
 
I recommend a pinch collar for your dog. It's like a choke chain, but it has little tongs on it that pinch his flesh if he pulls. I have a 110 lb lab mix that was a beast to control, and that brought him in line immediately.
 
if i was on a walk or hiking i would rather have th bear smell me so it knows im there
Click to expand...

Taking baths might be a hazard to your health :D


I've only had one bear approach me, and s/he apparently did not realize I was (still) there. I had woke him/her out of his/her bed, and s/he ran off. Scared both of us I think as I was only maybe 30 feet away. While I was just standing around looking at the spot, s/he came ambling back apparently aiming to get back in a nice warm bed and get some more sleep. I watched with fascination until my self-preservation reflex started screaming "that bear is too close!"

I started backing away slowly and the bear noticed me and took off for good. The point of the story is that though I never even drew, my .357 seemed awfully puny in comparison with that big hairy living bear. :uhoh:

Other bears I've actually followed or stalked just to see how close I could get. They apparently don't hear or see all that well because if they don't smell you then you can sneak up on them pretty easy. A bear can look straight at you from 10-15 yards and not even see you if you stand still.

BTW, I have to wonder how many "successful" bear spray contacts are with bears that weren't really attacking ??? I.E. people pepper spraying at bears that were not a problem to begin with ...?
 
If you're in bear country and waling the dog unleashed, you're asking for a bear encounter. Leash the dog.

If you reload, I'd consider a hardcast 200 or 255 LSWC moving at +P velocities. Add a Shock buffer and a #22 recoil spring and you should do well.
 
What the heck is everyone talking about shot placement for? Are we talking about hunting bears where there might be time for shot placement, or are we talking about self defense against a bear where I would doubt very many would even have time to think about shot placement much less get it done?
 
There was an incident in the mid-80's where the Buena Park, CA Police Dept. had to shoot a cow that got loose on the freeway.

If I remember correctly, they shot it more than 40 times with their .45ACP's before they could kill it.

The media gave them a lot of flack over this.

The Police Dept's. response was that the .45ACP lacked sufficient penetration to kill a big animal - the cartridge was designed for man-sized threats - cows can weigh around 800 pounds, or so.

So... if it's a small bear, it will probably work good enough.
 
Lorcin makes a great .25-caliber "Bear Buster" - you've got to hit 'em right in the eye, though.
 
If tearing a deer's heart in half with a .308 and having it still run off is how we base our choice of caliber for a bear, then your going to need a lot more than a .357, and even then, youll have to shoot him in the head.

The point is, even with a .357 through the chest at close range, the bear may still kill you.

Your going to have to get a few shots off with good placement and hope that nervous system shock drops him quickly.

If you dont own a .357, .460, or .500, I wouldnt go off and leave my .45 acp at home. Its better than nothing.
 
The list of thin skinned predators that the .45acp is inadequate for in terms of stopping a charge includes black bears.
 
Who gets attacked by Black Bear anyhow?:confused: Maybe all our Blackies are wimps, though they don't like to share the black berries, and they do tend to be a tad protective of their cubs. Mostly they want less to do with me then I with them.

Now the skunks and pork-U-pines, they are a pain. I hate pullin' quills outa the dog's muzzle:eek:, and I think I rather get et by the bear then have to drive off the mountain with a fresh sprayed dog riding shotgun.:what:

:evil:
 
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