.475 Linebaugh for black bear.

[reloader28]

A 325-350 cast at 1000+fps will do anything you want. You wont reclaim the boolit.
Call John Linebaugh and ask his advice. Very few people have done as much testing as him and he will know. He's spent alotta time at Hornady testing ballistics not counting his own stuff.
Go to customsixguns.com. I think his phone number is there. If not, let me know and I'll give it to you.

[fcvan]

I have said this before, the 45 Colt, a black powder cartridge launching a 250-255 grain projectile at approx. 1000 fps, was designed to provide through and through penetration of a horse. It is no secret as to why it has been labeled the Cavalry Model. I watched a video of a guy who loaded his Colt using 40 grains of the holy black, and achieved those ballistic results from a 7 1/2" barrel.

That is the measure by which we should judge. Army testing of the day proved out the required specifications, back when live animals were still used, as well as cadaver testing, that being of beef and horses. Many Buffalo, Bear, Pig, Deer, and other North American game have fallen to those basic requirements. At least 40 caliber, at least 200 grains, at least 1000 feet per second.

Keith, Linebaugh, and many other load developers increased the range of such performance through the use of modern smokeless powders and resulting newer calibers. I believe it comes down to putting the desired minimum energy into vital organs at the desired range. Many game animals fell at closer ranges to the basic round ball, but at shorter ranges of the more dense eastern landscape. The bigger calibers became in vogue when the Great Pains required longer distances.

Most North American game fell to lesser calibers but at shorter ranges. Let us not forget that the 1847 Colt Walker was the most powerful handgun until the introduction of the 357 Magnum. Adequate energy delivered to the vitals results in success. All of the energy in the world that misses the vitals will not always be successful. 350 grains at 1000 fps should be awesome.

[jaydub in wi]

Good luck tomorrow, doghawg. Hopefully it's not raining too much where you're hunting.

[sixshot]

DougGuy, a lot of people just don't believe what a big cast bullet will do even when you show them the proof! I've taken 4 elk with a 325 gr cast slug in one of my 45 Colts, never recovered a bullet yet. Pretty sure all of the elk were bigger than a bear.... That bullet, at that velocity will kill any bear out there & most times you will never recover one unless it's from the dirt behind them.

Dick

[megasupermagnum]

DougGuy, a lot of people just don't believe what a big cast bullet will do even when you show them the proof! I've taken 4 elk with a 325 gr cast slug in one of my 45 Colts, never recovered a bullet yet. Pretty sure all of the elk were bigger than a bear.... That bullet, at that velocity will kill any bear out there & most times you will never recover one unless it's from the dirt behind them.

Dick

I'm not sure why people doubt how well a solid cast bullet will penetrate.

I really doubt any bear is going to stop a measly little 170 grain 357 magnum, and with a bullet twice the mass, there is no chance. With a 475 linebaugh, I'd be looking at hollow points myself, but I sure wouldn't feel bad at all about using the load you chose. You have something there that could take anything on the planet, including elephants. The one I shot last week was with a 212 grain round ball that fully flattened out, and it still passed through mine. You will be fine.

[white eagle]

I know you got a lot of libs in Minnesota,but elephants?

[reloader28]

I'm not sure why people doubt how well a solid cast bullet will penetrate.

I really doubt any bear is going to stop a measly little 170 grain 357 magnum, and with a bullet twice the mass, there is no chance. With a 475 linebaugh, I'd be looking at hollow points myself, but I sure wouldn't feel bad at all about using the load you chose. You have something there that could take anything on the planet, including elephants. The one I shot last week was with a 212 grain round ball that fully flattened out, and it still passed through mine. You will be fine.

I saw a video last winter of an older man (80ish) shooting an elephant with a 475 Linebaugh and a cast boolit. If I remember right it was a complete pass thru with a head shot. The animal dropped instantly.

[doghawg]

Well folks, Sept 11 was the day I learned a little more about cast boolits. At 5:45 PM a nice sized bear came in to the bait. I was in a little makeshift blind of logs and brush up hill 32 yards away with wrists rested on a log. The wind was mostly in my face but shifty so at the first decent broadside I lit off a shot. The bear instantly rolled over and thrashed for a couple seconds then regained its feet and ran wide open into brushy cover on the edge of the cedar swamp where I lost sight of it. After looking for a few minutes I found a drop of blood on a blade of grass about 40 yards from the bait. Then lots more blood and at 80 yards from the shot there she was. Yes, a big very fat sow. I had pictures of her on my motion cam for the last month or so. No cubs.
Upon field dressing this bear the amount of damage had me wondering how she could run that far. She was facing left with her left front leg forward. I put the dot about a foot back from the front leg. The 325 Lee scrambled both lungs and blew through the right shoulder. She must have been slightly angled away but the right leg was back from vertical at the shot.
I thought at first my wimpy load of 12 gr. of Unique under the 325 LEE GC might have fallen short. It clocked at 1160 fps and with the Ultradot from a rest will stay under 2" at 50 yards. Recoil is mild and at my age the heavy loads have lost their appeal. My hunting chum helped me get her out of that mess by dragging her in an ice fishing sled to where we could pull sled with his 4 wheeler. We got her to a local northwoods meat processing place so she was skinned and in a cooler later that night but I didn't get to see the carcass after being skinned. With plumbing out she weighed just over 250 lbs, and meat guy said live weight would have been about 285.
So...at the tender age of 72 I shot my first and last bear and am entirely happy with it. Took 11 years to get this tag.

[nicholst55]

Congrats on your bear! Nothing wrong with a 1-shot handgun kill at all!

[45stomp]

Good show!
Congratulations, well done.

Stomp

[Kosh75287]

The ballistics for the .475 Linebaugh (325 gr. @ 1100) sound like a half-step behind the old .45-70-405 load, which has probably dispatched a trainload of larger north American game. I might not want to jump on a brownie with that load, but if it's all I had, I could be far worse off.

[thadfz]

Very cool!!

Congrats


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tripplebeards]

Awesome!!! It took me four years to get my first WI bear tag. I harvested my first WI Bear the day after the actual 9/11. Mine was 249 pounds guts in. Then nine years later tag number two. I shot a 7’2” boar. I have a good 8 or 9 points again but don’t have a spot to hunt so I keep putting in for a point. I live on the southern MN boarder. I have an ultra dot match dot on my anaconda. Might have to use it in my next bear. You definitely are way above the average WI harvest weight! You have to be excited! I’m am for you!

I bet that first 40 yards was a frustrating search. Same thing happened with 2 out of my three bear. No blood or one two drops where I shot and and zero till a good ways out. Just like bow hunting I always watch the last place the animal went out of sight so when it didn’t bleed I at least have an idea of what way it headed. Great job! Would have liked to have been there to help you drag it out.

[white eagle]

excellent, way to do it
fun wasn't it
congrats

[jaydub in wi]

congrats to you, doghawg. That is a fine bear. I'll have to get my 480 ready for next time I draw a tag. Outstanding job

[Iwsbull]

Congratulations awesome bear and great shot.

[doghawg]

Thanks a lot for all the input folks! I'll be running her to taxidermist in the morning. The Lee boolit was cast at about 12 BHN and powder coated with HF Red and sized .476". I'll try to post couple more pics. When at first I couldn't find blood I have to admit I was a little shaken.

[megasupermagnum]

Congratulations. Looking back, mine didn't bleed much either, although mine was a heart shot. I'm guessing it takes longer for blood to pool inside without the pump. Still, the chest cavity on mine was full of blood, and all I saw on the trail was a few drips, and a small hand sized puddle where it died. Inside was plenty. Between the fat, and thick fur, I don't think bears promote blood pouring out like some other animals. I gave up blood trails, even for deer. I go to the spot of the shot, point in the direction they run, and usually they are in sight. If not, I walk in that direction on the most obvious trail, watching for tracks or other sign. Almost every time, just walking down that obvious path leads to the animal.

[DougGuy]

The Lee boolit was cast at about 12 BHN and powder coated with HF Red and sized .476". I'll try to post couple more pics. When at first I couldn't find blood I have to admit I was a little shaken.

Good shot! I bet there is a LOT less doubt now about the lowly 325gr than before!

I never doubted it for a second. I seen my own 320s go through 3 and a half feet of seasoned oak firewood and keep going, there ain't a bear in the lower 48 that will stop a boolit that will do that no matter where you hit him/her at. And that was out of a shorter barreled 45 Colt than your Linebaugh, and probably 200fps slower.

[megasupermagnum]

Lowly 325 grains.

I'd hate to see your heavy loads. Similar loads in my Redhawk, and I've had enough by 12 rounds.