Black Bear vs 45 Colt?

[doc]

I am a conservation officer in PA and can tell you that a 45 colt will probabley just make the bear mad. A 12 gauge slug is minimum. A 44 mag to the head may work and there could always be exceptions depending on the size of the bear A large bear will get you before he dies if he has a mind to. Black bears try to get away at all costs unless cornered or protecting her cubs. BTY ,you had better prove to me that you were in danger or we will have some trouble in a legal sense.

[gryffon2004]

Hey guys and gals.  Im new to the CAS scene but have been hunting since I was about 7.  People seem to forget that at one time our ancestors hunted these critters with sharp sticks.  Sure some of the got eaten, but if thats all you got, youd use it too.  I dont think that CAS loads are going to do anything but annoy a bear.  But, the colt can be loaded close to 44 mag specs in the right iron.  Corbon has some pretty impressive ammo as well. 

In short, 45 colt beats the heck out of a sharp stick in the eye anyday!!!

Wanna get some  funny looks?  When you go to check your next deer in and the guy asks you what you shot it with,  Whip out a flintlock musket.  Some of those guys that were bragging a couple minutes ago dont quite feel so good about using their ultra high tech shotguns and scent lock suits, standing next to a guy in buckskins with a musket.

[Delmonico]

D. Boone and others kilt a bar on this tree with roundball 40-50 cal flintlocks and didn't seem to have much trouble.  The round ball don't penatrate real deep and is light for the caliber.  Truly study ballistics, not a lot of power there.  Today animals seem to have grown much tougher, or many writers have got fuller of Bolivine Feces.  The size of the hole, the depth of the hole in relation to the part on the anotomy is what kills.

Often a slow bullet will penatrate deeper than a fast one.  But then nobody has come up with any figgers as to how many are et by bears every year that didn't deserve it.

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[gryffon2004]

The animals got tougher.  I doubt it.  I think that people forgot how to shoot.  Placement is key

[Ornery Orr]

The easiest way to tell a Black Bear from a Grizzly is that the black bear will climb the tree after you where the Grizzly will just knock it over.   When all yer fancy calibers and bullets and tricked out guns fail to stop the pissed off charging bear, think of a man by the name of Hugh Glass.  Pull that big honkin' survival knife that you bought as a novelty item, get in as close as you can to the bear and commence to ventilatin'.  And pray to god that you kill him before he kills you!  Sure am glad I live in Iowa (no bears).

[tarheel mac]

You know guys, I've got to say here that if I was walking out in the woods, and a black bear came outta nowhere to start some trouble, and all I had was my .45 LC, I wouldn't be real worried...not at close range anyway, assuming I could "beat the bear to the draw" so to speak...It probably wouldn't be my first choice to go out and hunt a bear, but for emergency, I think it would handle the situation just fine....

[Russ T Chambers]

You know guys, I've got to say here that if I was walking out in the woods, and a black bear came outta nowhere to start some trouble, and all I had was my .45 LC, I wouldn't be real worried...not at close range anyway, assuming I could "beat the bear to the draw" so to speak...It probably wouldn't be my first choice to go out and hunt a bear, but for emergency, I think it would handle the situation just fine....

Tarheel

I wouldn't go huntin' a bear with a .45 LC.  I also wouldn't go lookin' for a stick if I had my .45 with me.  I imagine it would hurt him a might more that a stck, and if it just got him a 'bit' more upset, I'd go under a tad bit happier than if I hadn't hurt him too.

[Delmonico]

One must remeber the onetime top ranked grizzly bear and one still up high was kilt by and old Indian lady. She was runnin' a trap line and it run her up a tree.  She got cold and tired and POed so she shot it in the eye with her 1906 Winny.  Just a little ol' 22 short, but it POed the bear so bad he just up and died. 

Best thing to do is not PO a bear.

[hellinpetticoats]

No one around these parts wants to PO the bears but it is becomming necessary to know how to defend against them. 

On the way to work today, mixed in with the usual traffic report, was "Bear delay on Route 15 near the Bagel Shop."  The population of Black Bears has grown tremendously in this area in the last 5 years.  There are sightings on a daily basis, livestock kills are not uncommon as are pet kills.  Last week there were two house break-ins in two days.

There is a theory that the bears in this area have been thriving due to eating out of our garbage cans and dumpsters, and are growing in size and having twins, triplets and even quads. 

Since we've all tried to co-exist with them by locking down garbage, the bears have decided to try for the pork chops cooking on the stove as well as the fresh baked brownies on the kitchen counter.  Parents are advised to tell their kids walking to isolated school bus stops to carry their back-packs instead of wear them. At least a kid would have a chance to throw the PB&J to the bear and run like crazy.

The bears are beautiful but they are NOT predictable and do attack when hungry, not just when they are cornered.  We really really need to bring back the hunt before there is loss of human life.

Hellin (who had her encounter with a mama bear and her triplets and is not amused) Petticoats

[Delmonico]

Sorry, that don't fall under natural enviroment.  It counts as doo gooders messin' with things.  You should petition to open two seasons one on bears and the other on no good doo gooders.

[Big John Denny]

A buddy of mine in Alaska sent me a picture of a hiker mostly eaten by a grizzley. He had those bear bells with him. Guess the bear thought it was the dinner bell and came running.

I've got some real good 45 Colt loads you can only shoot out of a Ruger or one of my Freedom Arms, all using very heavy hard cast lead bullets. What you want on a bear is penetration and bone breaking, not quick expansion. Of course, a .58 caliber 465 grain minie ball from a musket does real good too.

When I was younger I would just beat him with a stick.

[Delmonico]

They say it is easy to tell a good bear from a bad one.  The bad one has bells in his poop.

[Ozark Iron John]

I'm gonna have to chime in on this thread again.  This goes fer whatever kinda bear you run up against.  Put the first two in his bread basket.  BOOM! BOOM!  Take his wind.  If he don't high tail it, bounce two off his head.  BOOM!  BOOM!  If that don't stop him, roll up into a ball and let him maul you a bit.  When he gets them big chompers down on you, shove the business end of that Peacemaker down his throat and turn out his lights.  BOOM!

Stand up and draw that second revovler and dump five into his carcass just for meaness.  BOOM THUNCK! times FIVE.  Holes Patch.

[Fightin Creek Slim]

They say it is easy to tell a good bear from a bad one.  The bad one has bells in his poop.

That was an ongoing joke around the Kalispel Montana Area shortly after the feds began their grizzly bear reintroduction program around that area. The feds suggested that in order for parents to keep their children safe from bear attack that they have their kids wear bells on their clothing. Grizzly's are one thing black bears are another. Just about any cartridge capable of stopping wild boar will also be effective on most of the black bear in the lower 48. Their are several Ruger only .45 Colt loads developed for boar hunting that would put down most black bear

[hellinpetticoats]

Fightin Creek Slim, these Ruger boar loads...I don't suppose I could get some at the local K-Mart. I got the .45 Ruger, just need the right pills.

The front page of today's local paper has a picture of a young mother holding her 7 mo. old baby and standing next to her 3 year old son. On the ground in front of them is the tranqilized bear, a 2yr old weighing 200 lbs,, that the Div. of F & W ultimately destroyed. The catagory 1 bear got between the mom holding the baby and the 3 yr old boy when the mom was unloading groceries. The mom ran past the bear to get to the 3 yr old who was in the car. She then ran with both kids into the house. The bear followed but did not attempt to break in.

On page two of the same paper is a picture of another 200 lb male bear standing guard next to a bear trap that is holding a 230 lb female. Those two were "relocated."  The "relocation" method of deaing with bears is such a joke. So many were "relocated" to this area that they are now far beyond a nuisance and becoming downright dangerous. As they migrate south and get into the la-de-da neighborhoods, towns and cities, the idea of the hunt wil become the best idea our Statehouse ever heard.

I agree. There needs to be a hunt for bears and another for the  bear huggers!l 

[Fightin Creek Slim]

hellinpetticoats: Sorry those boar loads are strictly a handloading proposition. I worked these up along with a Pard of mine down in Tennessee for a planned wild boar hunt. What Part of the country are you in where you are having these bear problems I'm in eastern Washington near the Idaho line.

These loads use a hard cast 300 gr gas checked bullet cast from a Lee mold these are an RNFP bullet but they have a big flat meplat that makes em look more like a semiwadcutter. I use liquid Allox as a lube with these bullets. I'm using Winchester Brass and CCI Large Pistol primers. I'm using H110 powder at 23.5gr and this is pushing these bullets along at 1300 fps out of my 71/2 barreled New Model Blackhawk. I'm getting 1500 fps out of my Legacy Sports "Rossi" model 92 Winchester Rifle Clone with this load. Thats out of a 241/4 octagon barrel With these loads start at around 20 gr H110 powder and work up loads a 1/2gr at a time watching for signs of excess pressure. These Loads should only be used in Ruger New model Blackhawks and older Vaquero's, along with Freedom Arms Revolvers. Do NOT try these in Any New Vaquero's or the Clone Revolvers as they will turn the gun into a hand held grenade. Also the Model 92 Winchester clones Are the only Rifles I would suggest with these loads Do NOT try them in any of the toggle link Winchesters. If you keep a 12 gauge pump shotgun in the house this is a much better option for bear when loaded with slugs.

[hellinpetticoats]

Thanks for the recipe. I don't make my own but have pards who do so I'll be passing your post along. My Ruger's an oldie so I should be OK if I ever need to use it.

I'm providing a link to the local paper. (www.njherald.com) since nobody would believe that all this bear nonsence is happening in New Jersey!

If you read the articles about the bears and get to the part where the neighbor says, "He is darling." try not to throw up!

[Fightin Creek Slim]

hellinpetticoats:

Sounds like these bears are becoming habituated to the presence of humans and have pretty much lost their fear of people. This is what makes them dangerous. We are seeing more and more of this out in my area too with increasing real estate development and declining wildlife habitat. Also much of the Animal rights inspired ballot box wildlife legislation such as the banning of the use of hounds for hunting and baiting, has caused increases in bear populations due to declining hunter harvests. we aren't just seeing bears coming into the urban areas we are also seeing mountain lions,moose, deer, elk and coyote coming into the city in broad daylight.

[Delmonico]

As I've been trying to point out, this is where most of the bear problems come from, what I call, tongue in cheek "Yuppy Bears."  The handgun you can't carry at these places don't do you no good so caliber of the gun back home in the vault don't mean poop.

[gryffon2004]

I was at a buddies house after a day of shootin one day.  Sitting in  his chair cleanin irons and 60 minutes or some such show had a report on bears.  They were talking about bears coming on the porches and things at peoples homes.  Then i heard the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life.  These people were putting peanut butter on their 2 and 3 year old kids faces and letting these bears lick it off of their faces.   These people have seen to many disney movies.