454 Bear loads

[Ak Guy]

I often carry a Freedom Arms 454 Casull (7 1/2 ") for bear protection. And I'm waffling between two Corbon loads. They are:

335 gr hard cast flat point @ 1600fps (1905 ft lbs)

360 gr FMJ flat point "penetrator" @ 1500 fps (1800 ft lbs)

Do you think either would be much better than the other for bears? I like the idea of the FMJ penetrator because I want to break as many things as possible w/ max penetration. But I also like the higher fps for the hard cast, but I'm not sure just how "hard" they are. ( I don't want expansion at the expense of penetration. )

Which do you think would give the most penetration?

Would there likely be any expansion / deformation to the hard cast ?

Thanx in advance for any info you can provide...........

 

[Ak Guy]

Perhaps I should rephrase the question...........

If I assume zero expansion, is there a rule of thumb for comparing penetrations ? Which will penetrate deeper.........."light & fast" or "heavy & slow" ???

 

[rick_reno]

I don't think there is enough difference in those two loads to matter. Use the one that you shoot best.

 

[Sergeant Sabre]

According to articles on John Linebaugh's website (http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/Default.htm) weight is the primary factor involved in penetration. According to him and his testing, increasing a projectile's weight at the expense of velocity will yeild more penetration. Increasing velocity will grant increased penetration, but not as much as increasing wieght.

 

[P95Carry]

I think I'd be happy with Hornady's 300 grn XTP ... that cuts 1800 ft lbs ... and would I am sure get the job done. A second if needed would finish the job IMO ... assuming of course ... shot placement!

 

[Ak Guy]

Thank you Sergeant Sabre for the link to Linebaugh's site........it is EXACTLY the info I was looking for !! I'll definitely be using the 360 gr Penetrator !

 

[rick_reno]

Brew up some ballistic gelatin - recipe is here or soak some phone books in water and test the penetration of those rounds. Making the gelatin can be a hassle, but getting phone books wet is pretty easy.