I have heard that a 45colt 250gr rnfp will penetrate very deeply because of the combination of a heavy bullet (with minimal expansion hard cast bullet) at lmoderate speed. My brother, a noted B.S. artist, claims a 45 colt will shoot thru a deer the long way, he also claims a 9mm 115gr fmj could pass thru two people standing one in front of the other. Personally I think both of those claims are, shall we say, 'suspect'. I would NOT consider a 45 Colt best medicine for bears.I've been looking over the "bear" threads lately and the heavy .45 Colt loads are often recommended as a somewhat practical round for defense against big bears. Does anyone have any info on what a standard pressure 250 grain RNFP will penetrate?
ROFL, not to be a smart***, but this made me laugh.I have heard that a 45colt 250gr rnfp will penetrate very deeply because of the combination of a heavy bullet (with minimal expansion hard cast bullet) at lmoderate speed. My brother, a noted B.S. artist, claims a 45 colt will shoot thru a deer the long way, he also claims a 9mm 115gr fmj could pass thru two people standing one in front of the other. Personally I think both of those claims are, shall we say, 'suspect'. I would NOT consider a 45 Colt best medicine for bears.
A hotloaded 45 Colt is a bit different story. With +p loads you can equal a 44mag, some say you can do better than a 44. Either way I feel that the only handgun I would consider for bears is a 500 S&W Mag (or a 460 S&W).
From what I have heard the best thing for bears is (in order of effectiveness):
1. Common sense, Avoid the beast if possible.
2. large caliber rifle, .338 WIN mag or larger.
3. Bear spray.
4. Play dead/handguns/prayer (tie).
Basically, if you are going to go after anything larger than a mid sized Black bear, bring a rifle and a partner with another rifle. Otherwise make sure to save shot #6 for yourself so you can get it over with before an angry wounded bear makes screaming bloody confetti out of you.
When it comes to handguns and Bears, I am NOT saying it can't be done. I am well aware that many folks do it every year.ROFL, not to be a smart***, but this made me laugh.
A 338 mag? As a starting point?
You do realize that the ave. black bear rarely goes over 300#. Most are around 200
Play dead? rofl. Wives tale
I have shot 5 bears w/ a 44 mag and none of them went over 30 yds.
I have also shot a 400 pounder with a 454 casull that was quartering toward me, went in his front shoulder and was found under his hide in the rear hip, almost 20" of penetration through two major bone groups and lots of flesh, if you think prayer and playing dead is equivalent to that, you have a better connection to the higher power than I do. I rarely recover a bullet that I have shot from my casull into a bear, which tells me I have more than enough penetration, but I also shoot 300 grn bullets in it.
But back to the op.
I regularly shoot heavy 45 Colts +p out of my casull, and although I don't know of any official tests, I would place them right in there with a 44 mag. And anyone who says they reload 45 Colts to 44 mag levels, has no regard for safety, the brass just isn't heavy enough to sustain it, been there done that, it's just pushing the boundary. Which is why I opted for a casull, the best of both worlds in this caliber. I wouldn't feel under powered with +p. My 250 grain 45 Colt loads chrony right at 1200 fps.
I agree with Mr. Keith on this one, they let a lot of blood out and a lot of air in.
I've been looking over the "bear" threads lately and the heavy .45 Colt loads are often recommended as a somewhat practical round for defense against big bears. Does anyone have any info on what a standard pressure 250 grain RNFP will penetrate?
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