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Old June 9, 2007, 12:15 AM   #1
300wsmman
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Bear Bullet

I live in Wyoming and have live there for almost 7 years, and i put in for an elk tag in a special area, which is home to big grizzles, and alot of them. I own a .45, and i was wondering what is a good bullet for it for self-defense aginst bears, and mountain lions in a .45
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Old June 9, 2007, 12:24 AM   #2
AZGunLover
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.45-110 should do the trick
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Old June 9, 2007, 08:14 AM   #3
stevelyn
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A .45 what? Colt? ACP?

A 300 or 320 gr hardcast bullet at about 1000 fps in .45 Colt would be good for close range bear defense and would probably shoot from end to end on a cougar.

An ACP loaded with +P defense loads would work okay on the big kitty, but I wouldn't even consider an ACP for bears.
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Old June 9, 2007, 09:58 AM   #4
Art Eatman
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I wouldn't consdier my .45ACP as an anti-bear gun unless I got really, really good at putting eight bullets into a three-inch circle in about two or three seconds.

, Art
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Old June 11, 2007, 04:59 AM   #5
Mike U.
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I've been looking for something along these lines too. This was about the best contestant I found:

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/cat...48ea60247bac29

Looks promising for our Fla. Black Bears. Not so sure about those big brownies out west though. I'm thinking more along the lines of 45/70 for them. Seriously...
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Old June 11, 2007, 08:22 AM   #6
FirstFreedom
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First, if you do a search, there are probably hundreds of threads on discussing the "best anti-bear handgun", particularly over in the handgun forums. You will find more opinions and info that you could ever hope for.

.45 acp is well below reasonably adequate for trying to stop a brown bear.

Your best defense (other than awareness/precautions/avoidance) is pepper spray. It'll work faster and better than a handgun, by all accounts.

If you run out of pepper spray, and cannot employ your longgun for some reason, you'll want a minimum of .44 magnum with heavy hardcast loads vs. a brown bear.
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Old June 18, 2007, 08:30 PM   #7
Jack O'Conner
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Bring along someone who is chubby and slow on his feet. You don't have to out-run the bear, just the other guy!

Jack
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Old June 18, 2007, 08:32 PM   #8
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At least nobody is telling him to file off the front sight.
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Old June 18, 2007, 11:03 PM   #9
FirstFreedom
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Give it time, fish.....

Quote:
.45-110 should do the trick
or at least .45-70

http://www.amderringer.com/prices.html
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Old June 19, 2007, 06:57 AM   #10
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I'd say your best bear defence will be the rifle you are carrying on your elk hunt. I'm guessing you will be using a 300 WSM by your handle, and 180 grain premium bullets are very capable of taking a bear down if needed. Don't hunt alone, that way you can have somone watch for bears and lions when processing your kill.
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