"Will a .45ACP kill a Grizzly?"

Status
Not open for further replies.
The .45 acp. could still be useful for putting yourself out of your misery after the attack.

Never was too impressed with the range on bear spray. - Do you have any idea how quickly a charging bear can cover 15-20 feet?

I favor a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs in bear country..
 
With regard to the pepper spray...

It seems to me a few years ago there was a notice that hikers should wear little bells and carry pepper spray. The idea was that the tinkling sound would ensure you didn't startle a bear, and the pepper spray would ward it off if needed.

They also said you should be familiar with bear sign, or scat. It has bells in it and smells like pepper spray:)
Click to expand...

haha, I was going to post something similar....
 
If you can only carry a handgun, I'd opt for a 44 mag.
Click to expand...
That's what I carry as a backup to a shotgun.

RE: bells and sprays, a couple of years ago we took a guy with us on our annual Alaska adventure who was convinced he'd be okay with, you guessed it, bells and bear spray.

Day one that was his defense set up. It rained like crazy, which caused him some concern about the effectiveness of A) a bear hearing the bells and B) his spray even hitting the bear in the downpour.

Then we saw one of the "great beasts" (Coastal Brown)- not huge, probably 800lbs or so. My buddy asked Mr. Bells and Pepper "...still think you have the right bear defense...?"

Day two Mr. Bells and Pepper carried a short-barrel shot gun and a .357 to the tune of "I can't believe how big that thing was...Did you see how big that thing was...Man, that thing was big!!!"

Nothing like a little dose of reality to test your ideology on ecology!!!

Thanks,
DFW1911
 
Last edited:
AKRAVEN - I was using 200gr FMJ with 8.3 grains of Longshot. They were fired out of a G20 standard length barrel.
 
I'd take a 9mm hi-cap gun like a Glock over a .45ACP., and just unload into its underside and face. IMO, possibly hitting it 17 times beats hitting it 6 times then realizing that you need a couple seconds between reloading and getting eaten.
 
Sure. A .22 will kill a Tyrannosaur if you hit him in the right spot. The problem isn't with killing him as much as it is in making him understand that he's been killed.

It's more a matter of: "Will this thing die before it finishes ripping my arms and legs off?"


Fortunately, most bears...MOST bears...are as anxious to avoid us as we are to avoid them. This is not to be counted on, however. There are a good many bears who never read the books written by bear experts.

For people who ask about such things as shooting large bears with a pistol, my usual recommendation is to grind the slights down flush and do a radical melt job on the gun so that...after you've shot the bear...it won't hurt so bad when he takes it away from you and sticks it where the sun don't shine.
 
AKRAVEN - It was an interior grizzly, probably a 2 or 3 year old. Not huge but still big enough to eat and crap me out (or as tuner would say shove my plastic pistol where the sun don't shine).
 
In an auto-loader I would not want less than 10mm or 460 Rowland. IMHO .45ACP or 9mm is too risky. Not a risk I'll take.

Personally I would prefer .45LC or .44RM as a minimum revolver round.

As a preference in a perfect world, the .375H&H in a nice compact rifle with irons is about perfect.

The grizzly is a monster of an animal. Centerfire rifle rounds have been known to ricochet off of the forehead or disintegrate on the shoulder. Big bears can go 1200+ lbs, and they are fast. Carry enough gun. Leave yourself the last round.
 
Quote:
Isn't there some kind of pepper spray made for grizzly bears that is 100 effective?

thats a joke, right?

nothing is 100%, and a grizzly bear might just thank you for the hot sauce.
Click to expand...

No, not a joke. :rolleyes: I like guns as much as the next guy here but it doesn't mean that their always the best solution.

You are right. Nothing is 100%. Not sure where I read it. I shouldn't have posted that.

Here are examples of bear spray.

And a link to a PDF about using it.

I'd carry that stuff before I carried anything under a 44 mag.

Being attacked by a bear is going to be a pretty low risk in the lower 48 states. But it is your butt on the line. Look at the statistics and all your defensive options and make a personal decision about how much space you want to leave in your pack for this stuff.

Try not to shoot any bears. They are beautiful creatures. :)
 
There's an old joke, told on the heels of an expert's advice to wear little jingle bells on shoes and carry pepper spray for bear defense...the bells let'em know ahead of time that you're there so they can run away...and pepper spray for those that don't run away and hide.

The joke was that recent bear droppings were discovered that contained little jingle bells and smelled like pepper.

You may draw your own conclusions...
 
"...despite their massive, bulky build, Brown Bears can reach speeds up to 35 MPH for short periods of time..."

"...weigh up to 700 kilograms (over 1500 pounds)..."

okay, so basically, you're shooting at a Sedan or small truck. If it moves that fast, without standing up or roaring at you (as in charging at you), you'd probably be lucky to get your gun out of the holster in time.
 
RP88 wrote:
okay, so basically, you're shooting at a Sedan or small truck. If it moves that fast, without standing up or roaring at you (as in charging at you), you'd probably be lucky to get your gun out of the holster in time.
Click to expand...

Scary, eh?

Hopefully the bells on your shoes will ring while you are in mid-air.

Remember, you don't have to outrun the bear. You do have to outrun your buddy.
 
Last edited:
The only "handgun" I'd carry for bear would be a 10 gauge AOW shotgun. There's a reason why the Ithaca 10 gauge autoloader was called the "roadblocker."

It was meant to shoot machines as large as a bear and stop them.

Although, if limited to pepper spray, I'd hose my hiking partner, and while he was thrashing and behaving like wounded prey, I'd high tail out of there and arrange for flowers for his relatives.
 
I know you guys make fun of the bells on the feet idea but joking aside it is a good idea to make some noise while you hike. Just a normal conversation or something will be fine. Bears don't like being surprised.
 
You know, this is all nice stuff - in print. In REALITY - when the mother bear exits her lair, anything/anyone is subject to a quick death. She doesn't care, will not be frightened, and will not relent.

If you are thinking of going into bear country in the spring - early summer, PLEASE check with your local officials who know about where and when you should stay clear.
b-
 
I'm always amazed that bear vs. man comes up a lot on the internet. Some of us are in good shape and get out a lot. Most of us don't fit in that catagory. Then the percentage of those of us that do get out a lot who actually have to worry about a bear or mtn. lion attack is even smaller. I think I'd rather have 16 rds. of DT 200 gr. bear tooth's from a G20 with a backup mag than a 6 shot 44 mag. I'd definately take a 12 guage with 000 up front and a few slugs behind if I was really worried. I used to live in Western Montana and actually had to worry about such things. I only have to worry about two legged predators now unfortunately. I'd rather go down to a bear than a crackhead anyday.
 
Couple young men around here (Alaska) recently killed a brown bear with a 9mm after they dropped their shotgun in the river.

Popular choice is the 10mm, but bear spray is probably more useful more often.

Everyone in these threads always imagines the bears as monster killing machines bent on getting fresh human flesh. People imagine extremely dynamic 100% enraged charges, but after experiencing literally 100's of bear encounters I can assure you this is a rare occurrence.

What usually happens is the bear becomes curious of you and casually approaches then initial investigation turns into an act of predation. Which is why pepper spray is the way to go as it can be used to prevent an attack from actually occurring.

/The danger of bears is exaggerated. For some perspective: People hunt them with bows regularly.
 
Last edited:
In the interest of science and advancing knowledge, someone should start with black bears and work their way up the size and ornery chain. Report the date you intend to look for an angry bear and then report the results. I guess if there is no results report, then we could guess the answer.

I'd be happy to do it, but I've got these, er, prior appointments.:D
 
I'd take a 9mm hi-cap gun like a Glock over a .45ACP., and just unload into its underside and face. IMO, possibly hitting it 17 times beats hitting it 6 times then realizing that you need a couple seconds between reloading and getting eaten.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! Or better yet, a Glock in .45ACP! The mere sight would make a bear piss itself and faint. Thus, allowing you to escape without ever firing a shot.
 
Quote:
I'd hose my hiking partner, and while he was thrashing and behaving like wounded prey,
Uh...Ain't that a little cold?

No need to be that proactive in your bud's demise. Just pick a partner that you know you can outrun.
Click to expand...

Sorry. That was the low road in me talking.

Guess I'd better call up Mayor Daley and tell him the Alaskan hike's off...
And I got wasabe spray too.
 
/The danger of bears is exaggerated. For some perspective: People hunt them with bows regularly.
Click to expand...

Having been on the wicked end of a Brown's sudden charge from about 50-60 yards, I can offer a little perspective on that.

I was on a Brown hunt...had me a nice M-70 in .338 Mag. When the thing broke cover, I hit him solidly twice and he never even broke his stride. Knowing better than to turn and run, I was bolting the third round into the rifle when he dropped and knocked me elbows over appetite as he skidded to a stop. Good thing that he knocked me 10 feet away from him because he still had enough fight left in him to do me a world of hurt during the estimated 15 seconds that it took him to expire while I crab-crawled backward out of his way.

Ya had to be there, I guess...

30 years later, I still dream about it once in a while.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
  • Locked
Wandering About
Replies
0
Views
264
Feud
F
American_Fusilier
Bear defense pistols: .357 or .45acp. Pick one!
2 3 4 5
Replies
107
Views
4K
crestoncowboy
C
N
  • Locked
What Bullets for bear?
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
thaumaturgist
T
S
  • Locked
Is ballistic an opinion???? The underestimated 30-30 against grizzlies...
2 3 4
Replies
92
Views
10K
Cosmoline
C
T
  • Locked
45 vs 9mm - with a twist
Replies
5
Views
731
Robert
Robert
Back
Top