Most won't catch that.
45 ACP on Brown Bear.????
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Joe Bishop
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I friend of mine worked in AK in the 70's, met some old sourdoughs and said that they all carried either 12ga or a 4570 while in the back country. I read a newspaper story about a young Eskimo boy that got chased by brown bear and all he had was a .22 pistol and fired over his shoulder while running. He made it to his village and told everyone what had happened. So they followed the trail out and there was a dead bear. The kid got lucky and put a bullet in the bears eye. I shoot pistol a lot and have taken big game but under pressure I would take a 12ga slug or 375HH.
best defense
Well-Known Member
To each his own. I like my 500 S&W carried in a chest holster. Yes, I can and sometimes do practice shooting it with one hand. No, it is not as bad as some people let on. It has a muzzle brake built into the end of the barrel. It is just something that requires some practice. You can practice with 300 or 350 grain bullets, then work up to whatever power level you feel comfortable with.I've owned the DE in .50AE. That hog weighs more than some riflesI cannot recommend a DE for defense. If you limp wrist one (think one handed draw while fending off a bear), it won't cycle. And the recoil just might toss it out of your hand. I've watched stout men nearly smack themselves in the forehead.
You would have to practice, a LOT. I'd personally vote wheel gun with hard cast bullets. .41mag, .44mag. Something with a lot of punch but still manageable enough to handle in a high threat situation. I still own a .500S&W... I wouldn't recommend it either.
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I can assure you, there is no animal in North America that can stand up to that kind of punishment. 2 500 grain bullets in the upper chest takes the fight out of just about any animal. That is why I decided to get one in a single shot rifle as well, although a 45-70 is probably a better choice for a rifle and the ammo is easier to find. (I like to make my own.)
IllinoisBurt
Well-Known Member
The primary thing is to be worth anything in a bear defense (or any other for that matter) the gun has to be one your person and ready to draw/shoot during a surprise encounter. Long guns that just doesn't happen because you set it down to do things with your hands altogether too often so that leaves us with handguns. Sticking a heavy revolver in your pack is worthless as many unfortunately have discovered. So something on your belt or in a chest rig. Also needs to be something you can actually shoot in a hurry without a rest, preferably one-handed. That rules out the super magnum revolvers for me. I can shoot my 44s fairly well, but definitely not getting a second shot off one handed with any speed or accuracy. So that leaves us with basic duty sized autos (leaving compacts out since they tend to be smaller caliber). In the end these are all compromises. A 45 in a chest rig seems like a pretty reasonable choice loaded with +p hardcast. Are there more powerful choices? Sure but that doesn't mean this is a bad one.
griz375
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Yes, a 230gr Remington hollow point only penetrated about 5", the shot broke the jaw and fortunately severed the brain stem otherwise things could have gone alot differently. Will it work? Yes! but do I carry factory bullets made for softer targets in bear country ever again? NO. If what you have is a 45 acp I highly recommend +p hard cast or a non expanding monolithic such as the Lehigh Defense Extreme Penetrator.
Breaking bones is more important than soft tissue damage when dealing with bears. Bears don't motor along very well after having a shoulder broken, especially if their charging down hill.
My Personal choice for a factory load in a 45 acp to be carried in bear country would be the Underwood Ammo 200 grain Extreme Penetrator.
BigNate
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The guy who shot his foot was on his back kicking at the bear while trying to shoot it. Pretty easy to see how it could happen.
And he's got a helluva story to tell around the fire for the rest of his life.
scpaul
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Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen anyone mention a 44 special. They make them in all types except auto. Depending on which pistol you pick, it can be a quick handling powerhouse. I wouldn't recommend loading it to 44 magnum but with the right bullet and powder combination it really deserves respect. I keep a Charter Arms Bulldog Pug on my 4 wheeler when I'm in Hog territory. I've used it on one's that I've trapped and got pass through with both 200 and 240 gr. bullets. I don't usually load hollowpoints for it unless I load them reversed. They are wicked at close range even out of a snubnose. If they were in a 4" barrel I think that it maybe bear medicine in close quarter situations. With the new 45's can really be heated but if I was going to go with a 45 that I'd probably go with the 454. I also havent heard about the 480 Ruger, another bad boy. There' alot out there if you sit sit back and think. Ive forgotten about the 41 mag too, another bad boy. .41 cal. and a 44 mag. is only .429. I love my Para P12-45 and can change mags fast, but I don't think that it would be my go to gun in big or even small bear country. Remember that you most likely only get 1 try at these situations.
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griz375
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Not much of a story, all went down in like 2 seconds. But I was kind of sitting/standing with my *** on the cut bank of an old road. Had a coyote me by looking like he was on a mission, took a hard left turn and disappeared down the hill, so stepped out my rig with a 223 and walked over looked down the hill to see if he may have stopped, which he didn't. Anyway I sat/ leaned against the cut bank and continued the conversation, had been talking for several minutes when I caught some movement to my left, looked and there he was only a few yards away, swung and fired the 223 hitting him between the neck and front shoulder, immediately dropped the rifle and drew my pistol while taking a step to the right and fired, bullet him low inthe left side of his neck just behind and below the ear severing the brain stem, and breaking his jaw. Found the bullet fully mushroomed under the hide in the right cheek.
I Was asked why did you drop the rifle and draw your pistol, I honestly have no clue, the only thing I can think of is some subconscious reaction where my brain realized the pistol was going to be of more use if this turned into a wrestling match.
scpaul
Well-Known Member
What caliber pistol?
scpaul
Well-Known Member
I live in a somewhat decent neighborhood. I'm know as "The Crazy Old White "Buzzard" at the bottom of the hill. I don't walk around my yard that if I have a weapon on me it's cocked and locked. I can't be sure that I'll always have time to rack a slide. I do get some strange looks at the mailbox and they aren't from the mailman.
You sound like me, except in my neighborhood everyone thinks like me and I'm not in the minority
