Y’all obviously haven’t seen how the gold dots penetrate and expand lately.
I shot a feral pig in the side of the head at 5 - 6 feet with a 9mm 124 Gold Dot and it ricocheted off the skull. At the same distance, 45 ACP with 200 grain XTP penetrated deeply and made a hole the size of a golf ball.
Was on a black bear hunt in Georgia and one of my pards shot a 400lb boar with a Nosler BT. It ran off into the swamps, so the guides fired up their hounds and went after it. Found it holed up in a burrow and shot it with a .45 ACP at 5 feet to finish it off. That damn bear took off so fast he couldn't pull the trigger a second time. It died from the initial wound shortly afterwards.
When I went to pick up my skull from the taxidermist, he asked about the hairline fracture on my buddies skull.
If you think a 45 is any better than the 9mm in this instance, be my guest, but after my experience with a black bear, I think I'll pass.
To the OP: If you are basing your decision to use 9mm bullets for Grizzlies off of the talents of Phil Shoemaker, carry a 9.3x62 to keep the szhit in your pants at a minimum, if you want a blow out try a handgun in a 44.
BTW, Phil Shoemaker is one of the few people when it comes to bears that merit the "Do as I say not as I do" adage!
