Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns .45 ACP for bear protection - what bullet?

No offense intended, but I'll take his advice over most all day long and twice on Sunday.

Rule #1 of gunfighting is have a gun. Any RELIABLE gun is better than no gun. Can't see how that applies to defense from 4 legged critters any less than it does to 2 legged critters.

and you have months around bears, Phil has decades of living around them.....wonder whose opinion is worth more....

You might be better off carry the 9mm for the extra penetration. Regardless of the handgun you use, you had better shoot straight and put one in the brain or you will get chewed on

Well since the wheels have already come off this wagon, I'll just stoke the fire some more: :^)

I think there's ample evidence in the real world to indicate the "average" shooter would be much better served if he were using a .357 Magnum instead of a .454 Casull, and a .270 Win instead of a .416 Rigby...... regardless of the critter being shot.

Jayco, I have done a boatload of penetratioon testing and have never seen the .45 ACP loaded any which way, go anywhere near 34-inches of penetration in wetpack. Not saying it isn't possible, but which seminar did that data come from? I have a lot of Linebaugh Seminar data compiled, and can't recall a .45 ACP doing that well.

Yes, and where are all these accounts of failed bear defense with a 45ACP???, or 9mm for that matter??

(just stoking the fire....)

Whit

Just playing the penetration game but I was surprised at the results with the 45 acp with XTP and Flat Point bullets done by a reputable guy but not the Linebaugh seminar.



Jayco

While true

You should add "fit for purpose"

If you find yourself in a Bear attack you want a stopper

and

The 45ACP is mad to stop men not bears

Snake

I'm not saying go buy a 45 acp to go bear hunting,but I am saying that a 45 acp will kill bears just fine with the right ammo as well as the .357 and other smaller bore.The opp asked about "ammo" for his 45 acp in bear country,not if it was the best choice.

I'm no stranger to big bore revolvers.I love them....What a kick to shoot.But we don't always have our hog legs with us as much as we do our less potent handguns.So,use a good bullet and the 45 acp and others will work..


Jayco

For all you people willing to be duped by the myth of .357 and .45 acp for humped bear defense, I have another idea. Carry a .380 auto with aone round in the chamber in the waistband of your panties. Then when you see a bear you can shoot yourself and get it over with.

You don't hear about failed .45 acp bear encounters because until recently no one was dumb enough to use one for bear defense on purpose.

How about a .223 on Polar or Brown bears?..

Will that work?

Jayco

Only if you have lace on your drawers .......

It wasn't until "recently" that we even had guns like .44 magnums, 454 Casulls and all the specialty "bear guns" you see today. So, I would imagine that people have used some pretty lowly calibers over the years, whether they used them "on purpose" or because that's all that was available to them. This seems more plausible than your assertion.

Speak for yourself! I always pack one!

I lived in Alaska for 7 years and I am familiar them as well. A kenai resident save his zzz while I was there with a 357 mag. Kenai bears are large as you should know. The bear got on him before he even knew the bear was near he finally got his 357 out and shot the bear in the mouth ending all hostilities

FOr you to po paw on the use of a handgun to save one life just shows your lack of knowledge on the subject

If PA and Texas are puzzy states, what does that make Nevada?? Good grief, man! Settle down, Beavis!

Just a quick question to determine from where your perspective originates. Do you hunt with a handgun? I only ask as those who don't often don't really know how effective they can be when loaded properly.

Funny you mention that, I just got back from 3 weeks on the snow line of where I hunt looking for the returning elk...Went for my morning jaunt with my BFR/Bandolero riding my chest when two ghost dogs popped out and another started howling not far away...Must have been getting close to a den but it made me think if 5 shots were enough in the worst case.....

Went back the next morning with my Springfield and two 10-round clips instead of the hog leg knowing that bears and other critters most likely would not be around with a pack of ghost dogs there and also in a pinch,the 45 acp will work or should,I hoped.

It's all in fun,at least in my case.I just hated to come back and have to be here another week, but these threads make town time easier!

Jayco

To the folks that say a .357 or 9mm or whatever typical handgun load would be fine:

I have no experience with bears or in bear country so I am not speaking from experience, but common sense...

I am sure that with the correct shot placement, you can take down even the largest grizzly with something as small as a .22LR

BUT, knowing that I have the even slightest chance of coming across and possibly being chased or charged by an animal that LARGE, that AGGRESSIVE, and that can KILL me in an instant, I would rather have a handgun that will drop an animal of that size in a single shot. Yes, placement is key, but again, the larger the round, the more room you have to make a good shot.

Bottom line, I would rather have a gun that I know will kill a bear than one that may kill a bear

The 45 ACP 255 grain hard cast at 960 FPS is very comparable to the black powder 260 grain 45 Colt load. A famous livestock grizzly in Montana in the 1800's was killed by a rancher with a 45 Colt

Looks like you aren't up on your history any better than you are knowing about the effectiveness of a handgun with a proper bullet & load

all the .45acp is in reality a more modern delivery system, i.e. pistol, based on the .45colt and for similar reasons, they worked.
I load a 270saa bullet in the .45colt which weighs out in casting to about 282grains, and i don't really hot load them but keep them in the 950 to 1000fps range on purpose. I get about .90 expansion on diameter on the hollow points. On the solids they are deep penetrating.
Big fat bullets at moderate velocities are quite deep penetrating.