.45 acp vs a bear

[k1dude]

I am sure theres cases of people killing bears with a 22lr, but the fact of the matter is in a intense situation where a bear is charging you and in your face, not many shooters will have the ability to stay calm and take good aim and place a bullet with pinpoint accuracy where it needs to be to stop a charging bear in its tracks.

The OP said he wanted the 45 for bear protection, if I had the choice I would bring bear spray over the 45 solely for the purpose of fending off a bear. Now, that said I would bring the 45acp for the 2 legged meth head critters....

And how will that have helped ddestruel in his tent? Bear Spray doesn't penetrate waterproof nylon. If he'd let loose with bear spray instead of .45 slugs he'd be incapacitated from the spray and possibly dead from the bear.

And if he came flying out of the tent with the intent of spraying the bear, he might have made it about halfway out of the tent before he became future bear poop.

And if you can't aim a .45 in the proper direction of a charging bear because of fright, what makes you think you can aim a can of bear spray in the proper direction?

No thanks. I'll take the .45

[Lead-Thrower]

My experiences with bears (and I have had many, as I go hiking/backpacking a lot) are as follows:

I see a bear in the woods, and it sees me. In most cases the bear runs away. If it doesnt run away immediately, I make noise, and then it will leave.

It is that simple. Never have I had a bear take an aggressive stance towards me, so they do not concern me. The only 4-legged critters that do concern me are mountain lions, and a gun wont do much good against them because they will be on top of you before you even know you were being stalked.

If you plan on carrying, worry about 2-legged threats.

*EDIT* - In this post I am referring to California black bears. If we were in Alaska, things would be different...

[k1dude]

I've had a brown come after me in Alaska. Unfortunately, my gun was packed away in a dry bag. But, fortunately for me, a whole bunch of yelling people in our party showed up and the bear stopped about 30 yards short of me. Trust me, just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Most close encounters with aggressive bears usually never get reported. Just like most times a brandished gun saves someone from bad guys doesn't get reported.

And yes, most times I've encountered bears they run off. But one time it came after me. And it only takes one time.

To advise someone to throw caution to the wind because nothing has ever happened to you is irresponsible and potentially dangerous. I will NEVER dissuade someone from carrying for protection in the backcountry. It doesn't matter if it's for 2-legged or 4-legged predators. Go ahead and carry if you want. 95% of the time I don't carry in the backcountry. But I'm not going to admonish anyone who does. In fact, I'd probably say they were smarter than me for doing so.

If you want to play the odds that nothing will ever happen. Good for you. But don't tell other people to do so. And if you always play the odds, why don't you drop your house and life insurance? Because the odds of anything ever happening are close to nil. A gun in the backcountry is exactly the same, it's insurance against infinitesimal odds.

And if you've read about mountain lion mauling survivors, most times the victims have said a gun or knife would've helped. They aren't cougar ninjas. You have a fighting chance most of the time.

[BuckTurgidson]

And if you can't aim a .45 in the proper direction of a charging bear because of fright, what makes you think you can aim a can of bear spray in the proper direction?

Having difficulty understanding the analogy between placing a pill into a moving target and pointing a can that blasts out a cone of critter condiments at 70 mph to an effective distance of about 30 feet. It's kind of like saying it takes the same amount of skill to hit a bullseye in darts as it does to spray the whole target with a hose.

[stormy_clothing]

yawn - a 10 round clip of 147gr +P subsonic 9mm will make the bear very unlikely to proceed further in your direction - dont aim for the body aim for the lower half. No one runs very fast with slugs in the legs.

that's only if you absolutely have to.

[DPC]

I remember as a kid watching a guy kill a full grown male Kodiak bear with a .357 Magnum Python 8" or 6" barrel. Guy had back up though his friend stood behind him with 30-06 Rifle. Sure enough maybe 50 yds out put one through his forehead and dropped him flat he did use JHP ammo.

[gotime]

The only 4-legged critters that do concern me are mountain lions, and a gun wont do much good against them because they will be on top of you before you even know you were being stalked.

So the actual weight of the mountain lion instantly kills you? j/k

I would imagine that during the struggle (albeit brief) there is a chance you could get to your pistol if you had it on you.

[k1dude]

Having difficulty understanding the analogy between placing a pill into a moving target and pointing a can that blasts out a cone of critter condiments at 70 mph to an effective distance of about 30 feet. It's kind of like saying it takes no more skill to hit a bullseye in darts than it does to spray the whole target with a hose.

How much you want to bet that if you spray a bunch of rounds from a .45 under pressure your spread will probably be exactly the same as the spread from the spray. And with the gun you get to start shooting further than 30 feet.

And just look at LEO reports of citizens using spray in defense against bad guys, often the victim sprays themselves. What makes a bear any different? In my opinion the bear would be worse. I've seen so many people use wasp spray when they think they're all lined up. Then when they cut loose the stream goes way off to the side. And that wasn't even under pressure. And wasp spray shoots almost exactly like bear spray.

The data of guns vs spray is arguable. And spray isn't panacea everyone is making it out to be. The effectiveness of both has been brought to question. I have carried both spray AND a gun in bear country. I have both in my arsenal and I use both. But given the choice between the two, my preference will be the gun. But I'm also confident I'll be able to use it under the pressure of a charge. If you've read some of the mauling attack stories where the victim was armed, you could tell they were usually incapable of using the weapon effectively due to inexperience or fear.

[Kampfer]

Now what if it was a Zombie Bear you encountered while bugging out in a SHTF scenario? Would bear spray work?

[k1dude]

Now what if it was a Zombie Bear you encountered while bugging out in a SHTF scenario? Would bear spray work?

What a silly question. Everyone knows pepper spray doesn't affect zombies. Sheesh!

[bigbob76]

Don't try to shoot the bear with .45 If it is not a life threatning situation.
You at least need 44 mag for black bear.
And avoid HP ammo. It will not go in to the bear's organ and not able to do the critical damage to the bear which will make you much more danger.
If there are no choice of other caliber.... use FMJ with full powder.
Has more penetration.

So if you had a .44 mag it would be okay to shoot the bear if it wasn't a life threatening situation? Maybe if you didn't like the way the bear was looking at you or something?

[Jimmy310]

With some 180gr soft point your good to go!

[Lead-Thrower]

^^^ I want one of those.

[1911Operator]

^^^ I want one of those.

hell yeah! me too! look at the grip, looks phtoshoped! if they are real id take one.

[cam188]

Arrows kill defferently than bullets. Broadheads are like razor blades and when they pass through vitals the animal bleeds out quickly and usually drops due to loss of blood pressure.