45 ACP vs Bear

[Mike Irwin]

Yes, the bear has its summer fat pack still on, but fat doesn't make a bear TALLER.

[shafter]

It all depends. I've seen an Alaska black bear dropped with a single head shot from a 22 caliber Single Six. On the other hand I've seen 357 magnums glance off of a similar bear's face.

The moral of the story is that if the shot is well placed almost anything will work. If it isn't well placed it really doesn't matter what you have.

[Josh17]

SHAFTER got it right on

I've seen an Alaska black bear dropped with a single head shot from a 22 caliber Single Six. On the other hand I've seen 357 magnums glance off of a similar bear's face.

Now in response to the other posts, I never said a .22 and a .45 is a one shot bear stopper? Saying it HAS happened before in the past does NOT mean I said it will do it everytime, where do you guys get that idea?

Here's what some of you are missing, which i said over and over again. NOTHING is 100%. Now what did I mean by that? For handguns This:

--A .50 cal desert eagle shot to the CNS even on a small bear isn't a 100% it will work.

--Yet at the same time a .22 could get LUCKY or just "defy" what we think is "logic" and that .22 will drop the momma bear in one shot because you just happened to get lucky/had great shot and hit the momma bear in the "soft spot" in the back of the neck. While the .50 cal didnt work on the smaller bear. Yes, weird stuff like that happens.

THAT was my point. Crazy, weird, explainable stuff like that is the NAME of the game when it comes to bears.

Just as your high powered riffle didn't work - what if someone next to you pulled out a revolver .44 mag and shot the bear next to it, and droppd it in one shot because he got a lucky/good hit and smashed the bear's CNS system and dropped it with that one shot? Can it happen? Yup. Is it likely, probably not.

Bigger cal is always better vs bears. My point was that while big cal guns have failed before, lucky/good shots from smaller calibers have worked... You can never be certain.

Now give me a 12 gauge with slugs, a .44 magnum on the side, along with a 9mm with 17 rounds (don't ask but it can have it's side other uses) and I'd be confident vs any bear.

Multiple others in this thread have said a .45ACP or lower has worked, since I'm sure most people skipped over them, here's 1 quote. (So definitely not the *only* one in this thread who has said it can work, few others have)

Quote reloader28:

.It wouldnt be ideal, but I know a man in Alaska that has killed 2 bears with a 45 ACP and wont carry anything else because of quick recovery time.

[MJN77]

We get it. Anything can kill a bear. The original question, however, was...

Would you feel safe using a 45 ACP for protection against a Bear if you were fishing up North where the Bears are big?

In short, no I would not.

[propforce]

Look guys, we are not talking about a hunting season here where you can take your time to line up a perfect shot, or the bear exposing it's side, frontal CNS and said " go ahead human, take your best shot".

We are talking a defensive situation here. If a bear is not threatening you, you will have no business to shoot it. What is bear posture to threaten you? If it is standing up on it's hind legs then you have no business shooting it. If it is walking toward you, or charging toward you, you'll have only it's frontal target to shoot at, which is it's head, front legs & shoulders. If you feel confidence in that situation using a .22 or a .45, you have bigger balls than I do. In any case, constipation will no longer be your problem.

[Josh17]

That's fine you don't feel safe carrying a 45ACP. Multiple others have said the opposite. This is all personal opinion there is NO FACTUAL ANSWER TO THE OP'S QUESTION. But Saying anything can kill a bear is just a little ridiciouls. You claimed I said "anything" could take out a bear. Where did I say that? I never did. The quote I quoted did, not me. And he was talking about guns not "anything" like a rock or stick"

The OP's question cannot be fully answered with 100% accuracy. Where is he going? How big of bears? Is he going into an area where there's a 5% chance he'd come across a bear or an area where theres say an 80% chance of coming into a bear. Some feel safe with 45ACP some don't. I simply stated that it *COULD* work since lesser has worked such as a .22.

But I clearly said 5X over that I wouldn't go without a 12 gauge, and the 45ACP (or 44 MAG) would only be a side-arm.

So No, I wouldn't feel comfortable with JUST a 45ACP unless it was small bears But I'd feel 100 times safer with a 45 ACP than nothing at all.

I think this response nailed it but no one is paying attention:

Quote SHAFTER

It all depends. I've seen an Alaska black bear dropped with a single head shot from a 22 caliber Single Six. On the other hand I've seen 357 magnums glance off of a similar bear's face.

The moral of the story is that if the shot is well placed almost anything will work. If it isn't well placed it really doesn't matter what you have.

That answer is very correct.

[MJN77]

You claimed I said "anything" could take out a bear. Where did I say that?

No, the big picture that you are missing is that i said you were beating a dead horse. The fact that you are so persistent about a .22 or .45 CAN kill a bear is what's kind of ridiculous.

The OP's question cannot be fully answered with 100% accuracy

Yes it can since it asks an opinion. "Would you feel safe". Pretty easy to answer. YES/NO. He never asked if a .45 CAN kill a bear. Heck, a pocket knife CAN kill a bear, but I wouldn't feel safe with one of those as bear defense either. You also seem to get KILLING a bear and STOPPING AN ATTACKING BEAR confused. They are NOT the same thing. Can you point out an instant in which a .22 STOPPED a CHARGING bear with one shot?

I simply stated that it *COULD* work

No, you repeated over and over and over that it COULD work. In SEVEN separate posts you pointed out that a .22 COULD work. Whenever someone else said they would pick something bigger, you again argued that a .22 COULD kill a bear. We got that the first time you said it. Like I said, beating a dead horse.

[dorc-1]

Heh, leave the guy alone. It's his opinion and he's entitled to it.

[MJN77]

Heh, leave the guy alone.

This is a discussion he opened.

It's his opinion and he's entitled to it.

As is everyone else on this board.

[darkgael]

The OP's question cannot be fully answered with 100% accuracy

Of course, it can. As already noted, it was a Yes/NO question.

I never said a .22 and a .45 is a one shot bear stopper? Saying it HAS happened before in the past does NOT mean I said it will do it everytime, where do you guys get that idea?

By inference based on your repeated comments about that the .22 has dropped bears with one shot and about how bears are not bullet proof. Make those comments in a discussion wherein the bears in question are almost certainly going to be charging and the inference is straight forward.....if you didn't mean for those comments to be understood that way, then your original response was gratuitous.

A 9 year old girl took a bear that big? Pretty impressive. But that's kinda more proof they are t bullet proof.

I meant to ask earlier...sorry for my late response...What does the age of the girl have to do with bears not being bullet proof. Perhaps I should make a statement as opposed to the question....the age of the girl has nothing to do with how hard or easy it is to kill a bear (in a hunt, btw).
Pete

[Mike Irwin]

Graphics of someone beating a dead horse.

Nature's way of saying that useful discussion on a subject has concluded, so it's time to close it down.

Thank you, everyone, for remaining civil throughout the course of the discussion.