Wearing the 1911 while out side

[litman252]

I was up north for a long weekend recently. Due to the locals seeing many more bear than normal I decided to take the .45 with me at all times (when legal, no CCW.) At first it seemed heavier that I'm used to shooting USPSA, but with the Galco and my gun belt it was nice how quickly the weight went away. I have a Blackhawk but no good holster and I shoot the 1911 much better.
Long story short, 1911 still feels nice for a little insurance when out doors......

Thanks,
Tony

 

[rondog]

From what I read, our beloved .45acp may just be pretty much useless against bears. Better than nothing though.

 

[mljdeckard]

It's what I normally carry, but for bears, I would very much prefer a 10mm.

 

[litman252]

I'm far enough east from you guys that the nice little black ones don't really scare me too much. I'm guessing that it would make enough noise to get me to the 30-30. Of course the smell of the spill on the ground would slow them down as well.

Tony

 

[rondog]

I'd prefer a 12 gauge with the hottest slugs known to man. Or my M1 Garand. Bears freak me out.

 

[DHaught]

I love my 1911 but I'd sure prefer a 10mm Delta Elite over my .45 ACP for a bear. Actually I'd prefer a .44 mag or larger for bear defense. But like the earlier poster said, the .45 ACP is much better than nothing. I don't think it will necessarily bounce off a bear.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

would fmj be better than hp on a bear?

 

[Oro]

would fmj be better than hp on a bear?

Consistent with the idea that penetration is what you want with a mammal the size of a bear, I think you are right. When I (gasp) decide to take a beloved 1911 out in the woods in your/my state, I make sure it's with FMJ.

Bears in the wild are awesome sights. Count yourself lucky to see one.

 

[rondog]

would fmj be better than hp on a bear?

Absolutely! And the hotter the loads the better. You want DEEP and aggressive penetration on bears. HP's are liable to just stop in the fat and piss 'em off.

 

[D-Day]

Perhaps a drop-in .460 Rowland conversion would be a decent alternative for 1911 bear-carry.

 

[Buckhannon]

Try a Galco Avenger OWB for your 1911. I carry my Kimber Ultra @3-o' clock and it seems to balance out very well.......

 

[Walkalong]

The Galco Avenger is what I use at the range. It is very nice. It would work great for any kind of outdoors duty. I also have a Kimber Ultra in mine most of the time, but occasionally my old L/W Commander or a Colt OM.

 

[John Parker]

You want DEEP and aggressive penetration...

I heard this line in a movie once.

 

[litman252]

LOL, very nice^^^^^^^^^

Avenger I what I believe I have, bought it only for the use we are discussing. Thanks to WildGroupbuyAlaska sveral years back......

Tony

 

[Mainsail]

Bears just keep getting bigger and more bulletproof every year.

 

[Shadow 7D]

I live in Alaska, and the last black bear I saw was acting rather paranoid as it ran away, really a black is not that dangerous unless it is habitualized to humans. That being said I know a number of people who actually advocated not taking a gun because you probably don't want to carry something heavy enough to get the job done, and a person with a gun tends to be OVERCONFIDENT and stay when someone with JUST bearspray would turn tail and run.

Run should be read as beating a tactical retreat. Most blacks will take off if you make yourself loud and big, however just out of curiosity, why are bears a concern, they are going to sleep now anyways.

 

[litman252]

I thought running from black bears meant the game was on, they usually win?

I assume most black bears don't want anything to do w/ us. The only one I saw while hunting was in Colorado, bow hunting, was smelling us and moved on quickly, very cool sight really, 34 lasered yards Too close to this cheese head!!! I'd prob. yell like hell, shoot some rounds in the ground and hope, then run to the 30-30......

Tony

 

[joe_security]

What about the .45 auto +P stuff for bears ?

 

[rondog]

What about the .45 auto +P stuff for bears ?

Still better than nothing, but the point is that bears are so thick because of all the fat and muscle, and hollowpoints will expand and stop too quickly, causing only tissue damage. They aren't as likely to penetrate deep enough to cause enough organ damage to stop a bear. FMJ bullets with a hot load behind them have a better chance of reaching the vital organs. But few pistol rounds can do as well as 12g. slugs or large rifles. The last thing I'd want to tote around is my M1, but in grizzly country, I'd make an exception.

 

[Rem.222]

I would load use 200gr swc loaded hot +p rating. Double Tap has some hard cast load if you don't reload.