.45 acp vs a bear

[Brian2217]

For California black bear the least I would take is a 357. The fields pretty open from there depending on what you like. I have taken the following out with me bear hunting. 10mm, 44 mag, 454 and 460. I have been hunting bear for about 5 years now and usually stalk hunt. The score so far is Hunter 0 Bear 5. With that said, 99% of the time that bear is running the other direction by the time I get my rifle up. I will tell you this though, they can run pretty damm fast. My point in telling you this is, your chances are pretty slim with running into one. It's not to say you should'nt take a firearm, I think you should. Not so much for the four legged critter, but for the two legged critters.

Brian

[novaman64]

For California black bear the least I would take is a 357. The fields pretty open from there depending on what you like. I have taken the following out with me bear hunting. 10mm, 44 mag, 454 and 460. I have been hunting bear for about 5 years now and usually stalk hunt. The score so far is Hunter 0 Bear 5. With that said, 99% of the time that bear is running the other direction by the time I get my rifle up. I will tell you this though, they can run pretty damm fast. My point in telling you this is, your chances are pretty slim with running into one. It's not to say you should'nt take a firearm, I think you should. Not so much for the four legged critter, but for the two legged critters.

Brian

He has a valid point, Ive talked to alot of people with bear experience, and 90% of the time they will hi-tail out. Mostly the only time they will attack is if you do something stupid, AKA, get between momma and her cubs or try and get it away from your food after hes already tasted it.

[Gryff]

Some guy killed a bear up in Alaska recently with a .45 (setting a **** storm of complaints from liberals about the guy legally carrying a gun in a national park...apparently they think the bear deserved to win), but that guy should never again visit Vegas since he's used up every ounce of luck he has had allocated to him for his entire life.

If you insist on using that caliber, then you should see about getting rounds that are loaded with the Keith SWC shaped bullet (assuming your gun will even feed those reliably). I've read that this shape is one of the best for larger game.

[wu_dot_com]

it doesnt have enough energy or stopping power to stop a bear. the problem w/ animal is that they lack the psychological impact as human would of developed when we were hit. so a .45acp bullet wound would only anger the bear more rather than stop it at its track.

the smallest recommend hunting semi auto gun caliber would be the 10mm auto. this is becuase the round carries sufficient energy to destroy or disable a bear. colt delta elite or glock 20 are both solid choice.

[WWDHD?]

I read that story recently about the guy in Alaska that was mauled by the bear and used a .45 with little or no effect. The newspaper story was probably wrong, but I think it said he fired 10 shots. Don't know how many hits. Maybe a Glock with that many rounds?
I've heard the bear spray works good. Its like a mini fire extinguisher. Big cone of spray and lots of range. Hard to miss with it. I've seen it in the Cabelas catalog. Thats what I would use.
A few Xmas ago the SFPD learned that a few .40 JHPs will take down a tiger.

[twotap]

Bring whatever ammo you want .But if you want to make a bear go away just yell at it or bang some pots and pans. Yogi is just there for the picnic basket.

[BuckTurgidson]

Pepper Spray Claimed Superior To Firearms Against Bears In AK and MT

I was considering the S&W 329 PD with souped up charges and hard cast bullets and even the Marlin 1895 sbl rifle with hot .45/70 loads for carry against brown bears while camping near the Canadian border later this summer. I've changed my mind, though. Check out this very interesting thread from an Alaskan gun forum that makes a well documented case for a very specific, heavy duty type of anti bear pepper spray that has proven more effective than firearms in turning away bear attacks. I know it sounds unbelievable, but look at the link:

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/29852-Best-bear-gun

BTW everything I've ever read or heard about guns and bears (even the relatively little black bears) indicates that better penetration than that offered by the .45ACP is needed for a chance in hell against a charging bruin.

[XYZ]

The bears in California are not like the bears in Alaska. Most will run away and the chance of you getting attacked by a bear is slim. I.E., does anyone here have any experience of actually being attacked by and then shooting a bear? There are more stories of being attacked by a two legged animal then a four legged animal. If all you're taking is a .45 then FMJ would be the way to go.

[cpt_majestic]

No bear in Mammoth will attack you, guarantee it. Just leave your gun at home it will make me feel safer especially if I'm on the other side of the bear fishing..This is not Alaska

The last thing I want is someone popping off rounds in a campground or down by the water, trust me the bear could careless

[nic]

Pots and pans and a crapload of noise, plus bear spray for the four legged predators.

.45acp for the two legged ones.

[JTROKS]

The bears in California are not like the bears in Alaska. Most will run away and the chance of you getting attacked by a bear is slim. I.E., does anyone here have any experience of actually being attacked by and then shooting a bear? There are more stories of being attacked by a two legged animal then a four legged animal. If all you're taking is a .45 then FMJ would be the way to go.

Exactly! If it was me and it's legal to do so I will take my Ruger GP100 or S&W 686P, both have 6" barrels and chambered in 357 magnum. Being out there makes you wonder about bears and mountain lions, but I'd be worried more about the 2 legged varmints. If it makes you feel any better, my second choice for a gun would be a 1911 in 45 or 10mm.

[lazs]

depends on the bear. And yes.. it is that simple.

45 acp will work on small bears that are not much of a threat anyway.

[BuckTurgidson]

The bears in California are not like the bears in Alaska. Most will run away and the chance of you getting attacked by a bear is slim. I.E., does anyone here have any experience of actually being attacked by and then shooting a bear?

Looks like the thrust of my prior post wasn't understood. Here it is again: If pepper spray is effective against those huge, unpredictable bears in AK and MT, then it ought to be effective in the case of the relatively diminutive black bears in the Mammoth Lakes area.

[k1dude]

A couple hiking recently killed a big brown in Denali using 8 shots (or 9, I can't remember exactly) from a .45 1911. Rangers found the dead bear 100 feet from the shooting site. They couple claimed they were attacked, but Rangers are questioning the story. Libs are upset and are lobbying that the couple be charged. So it can do the job, I'm just not sure I'd want to be around when it happened. Remember, that bear still made it 100 feet after being pumped with 8 shots. It could have easily decided to kill the couple rather than run away after being shot.

But that story is about a BIG brown. I suppose your odds are much better with a .45 against a black. I'd still prefer to take at least a .41 mag wheelgun if it were me. But I imagine you'd be OK with a .45. Especially since the odds of anything happening are slim and something is better than nothing.

[Flying Sig]

I took a 584# black bear with this ammo last year fired from a Sig P220R at 65 feet:

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=69

As others have posted, if that's all you have, it may work. If it were me, I would buy the bear spray, it will work much better.