.45 on bear?

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Lictalon

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I recently had a close encounter with a black bear...about 50 feet. :eek:

So...if the fecal matter had REALLY hit the fan, how much trouble would I have been in? Winchester white box .45 ACP out of a 4'' Kimber.

And what the heck should I aim for? :confused:
 
My Grandfather-in-law once shot a small black bear with a 22 High Standard. He was trapping at the time and that's all he had. I would have thought it a "fishing story" except the bear is mounted on his wall.

So I guess anything will do if that's all you have. If I had a choice, I'd prefer something heavier - say a S&W 44mag Mountain Gun.

With regards to aiming, I have been told to aim for the snout if he is dead on.
 
A small black bear with the right JHP and good shooting....

might work OK.......DEFINATELY not for big bears!!!
Most time they leave you alone.
Suggest some Hornady or Winchester 230 gr plus p JHP's.
I have heard that if it is truely charging to aim for the shoulder and try to break it, without the structure to support the weight, the bear becomes immobile. The cranium is pretty thick and deflects bullets pretty good....From the side, if it is charging someone else, the base of the skull to break the neck. I have heard bears(the big ones anyway) can have their heart shot up and still rearrange your anatomy in a most unpleasant fashion.
In my younger years, I hiked and climbed all over the Cascades.....Washington and Oregon, and some rough northern California terrain as well. I carried a LW Commander with a mix of 215 gr LSWC reloads and the 200 gr Speer 'Flying Ashtray' in one of those GI cross chest rigs(good for backpacking!).
I saw six black bears, during that time...they all went the other way as soon as they realized I was there.
Now the fours years I spent in Alaska......the .45 auto was a might puny. So was the .44 magnum(back then, both are better now with loads available...but still not better than a shotgun with Brenneke slugs or a rifle...Marlin Guidegun 45-70 gets my nod of approval here. I'd probably get a .460 Rowland conversion barrel for my Government model(45 at 44 magnum velocities....www.clarkcustomguns.com) if I was venturing out much in mountains now...just to have alittle more thump!
Dealing with bears you are better off armed with a rifle..but the blacks, from what my experience indicates, should be too much of a problem and I rather have a .45 auto I can control and reload quickly than some feisty magnum revolver I cannot!
A couple of pennies worth....
Jercamp45
 
you may want to look at 460 rowland conversion for bears. clark customs has them. you can shoot .45acp out of the barrel of a .460rowland barrel though the spring is bit higher tension so you may want to change springs if you want to shoot 45. just make sure you change it back for .460rowland.
 
I wasn't planning or even meaning to meet Momma...one of the cubs was laying in the road...I had no idea what it was until I got close to pull it off the pavement...When I saw what it was, I went from yellow to red so fast all I can recall is watching the tritium sights come up as I spun around to cover the side of the road.

Momma stayed in the woods, I stayed on the road. I was just wonderin how much **** I'd be in if she HAD charged...
 
The way I understand the original post - - -

Lictalon more-or-less asked if one could "make do" with what he had on him. I think so. Certainly, a .45 automatic, especially a short barreled one, is not the ideal anti-ursine sidearm. If I was spending a lot of time in bear country, I'd personally want at least a hot-loaded .45 Colt or .44 mag revolver, with proper solid bullets. (But during my limited fishing and hiking in the Rockies, I carried a LW Colt, 230 hardball, and a head full of happy thoughts. :D)

In which regard - - -
With all due respect to those who advocate JHP ammo, my personal feeling is that one is far better off with either hardball or hard cast LSWC bullets, loaded pretty warm. As a general rule, bear pelts are pretty thick and can easily clog up and slow down HP bullets, seriously limiting penetration. The bullet has to get in fairly deep to do significant damage. This doesn't even consider the bears that have been wallowing in mud. When that stuff dries, it presents an even greater barrier to handgun bullet penetration.

(The dried mud thoughts are strictly hearsay. I've never seen a bear with caked mud in its fur. Can Keith or anyone else comment on this?)

Anyway, ANY handgun is clearly not the weapon of choice for bear, but it sure beats a stern scolding . . . .:p

Best,
Johnny
 
I recently had a close encounter with a black bear...about 50 feet.
Click to expand...

I would like to, respectfully, comment on that statement. To be 50 feet from a bear is an observance but hardly a close encounter. I have observed bears 50 feet away that were never aware of my presence.

On the other hand, I've had a few rear up out of nowhere and grunt in my face. Thankfully, I am not a beauty contest winner and the sight of my face was enough to put them on the run.

Never underestimate a bear, any bear.
 
Hahahaha!

He'd be using the BAyonet of the M16 for a tooth pick to get to the pesky remains of YOU stuck between his teeth!!!
That gives a new meaning to 'spray and pray'!!!!
Full auto will never replace precision shot placement!
Jercamp45
 
It was a black bear, which means the danger was statistically insignificant.

Aim the gun in the air and pull the trigger.

Keith
 
With black bear attacks/encounters on the increase. It seems that a lot
of shooters think that the .45 ACP is a great Manstopper, so it should
work on a bear.

Before my 10mm, i chose a Ruger .44 Magnum. The .44 is more powerful, but also only holds 6 shots and is dog slow to reload.

Whereas, my .45 is better for personal defense against 2 legged
predators. Same thing with my 9mms.
 
Yes

I have personal knowledge of a 350# black bear being killed at about 14-15 yards in the NC Mountains during a boar hunt by a .45 acp 230 grain hardball ammo. While a .45 is certaiinly not the weapon of choice, it will do the job if you're lucky and can hit the bear with it. They will go down.
 
The bear in question tried to cross the road with her two cubs, and one got hit. I stopped to find out what was in the road, and discovered it was a cub...and momma and the other were still out there, NOT happy.

I certainly wouldn't CHOOSE to use a .45...If I had my druthers, I'd take a 8mm Mauser. :D I just wanted to know if Mom had charged if I would have been royally screwed...or if there was a decent chance .45 Hardball would take her down.

Still...where to aim? Or just open up, while running backwards? :confused:
 
A .45 is "probably" going to work on a black bear, especially a sow which are quite small.

The nose or mouth are the best place to aim at a bear facing you. The brain is low in the head, below the level of the eyes - directly behind the nose and mouth...

Keith
 
I would say that a .45 ACP or .45LC would put down a black bear pretty reliably if you didn't use expanding bullets. Both should penetrate far enough to hit something.
A better solution is to just let them be.
I have been much closer than 50 feet several times, and they have always just kept going on their own way and just more than less ignored me.
Having a gun did make me feel better, but unless they are sick, have cubs, or have been fed and lost their respect for people, you probably won't need it.

If I were to pick something that I felt would be ideal, it would probably be a 12 gauge pump loaded with slugs.
 
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