Pass through shots with a hardcast “bear bullet” might pose a danger to the dogs or your partners. I ‘d be tempted to use a tough soft point in black bear country.
FWIW, I live in MI “bear country “ and feel perfectly safe with my 9mm. I’m not hunting them though.
When we are on a bear with the hounds we are usually carrying a rifle if you’re the shooter or a 12 ga with slugs if you’re the backup. When we are most likely to be caught off guard is first thing in the morning when we’re checking baits and cameras and we are hopping out of the truck and not grabbing a gun besides the one on our hip. This is what inspired the conversation as one of the guys had jumped a not so afraid young boar off the bait.
I fired a PM off to Mackey Sagebrush and got some solid advice. I’m likely going to get a heavier aftermarket spring for my Sig 229 40 and some of his ammo. Likely pick up a couple hundred 200 grain hard cast from Montana Bullet Works as well.
