45 Colt bear load

[castman]

I'll be taking pics in black bear country and would like a load for my Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt in case of a close encounter. I'm not hunting just want some close range protection if needed. Any help would be appreciated.

[DanWalker]

I load LEE 300 grainers over 18 grains of 2400 when I am in bear country. If you can't pack a shotgun, then just practice with your 45 until you can hit a paper plate at close range FAST.
I'm not gonna open that can of worms about shotguns vs handguns for bear defense. The above load is a proven killer of deer and hogs (2 hogs with 1 shot) with me.

[rexherring]

I load LEE 300 grainers over 18 grains of 2400 when I am in bear country. If you can't pack a shotgun, then just practice with your 45 until you can hit a paper plate at close range FAST.
I'm not gonna open that can of worms about shotguns vs handguns for bear defense. The above load is a proven killer of deer and hogs (2 hogs with 1 shot) with me.

That's my boolit of choice too. I use either AA#9, W296 or H110 (cuz I can't ever find 2400 here) for stiff but manageable loads. They shoot very well and will go through a mule deer lengthwise so a bear should be no problem.

[GabbyM]

Has there ever been any discussion on the use of black powder loads for bear defense?
Seams to me all that smoke and fire would be dandy for a warning shot.

[paul h]

Forget warning shots, if a bear is truly attacking you, you need to have a load that will take care of matters, not scare the bear off.

I'd agree with a 300gr cast and 21-22gr of H-110, work up to what is most accurate in your gun.

[429421Cowboy]

I think anything as heavy as you can shoot accurately and controlably. Too much gets said about needing one of the snubby .500's or their like for bear defence. Anybody would agree that a short, handy rifle or shotgun would be far better than any pistol.
A .45 throwing 300+ grains of hard lead is going to stop the bear if anything is, IMHO. They used alot of .44/40, .45 Colt and .44 Spl back in the day, even before smokeless and i bet there wasn't any big fights about what to pack in bear country, you used what you had! For factory bear loads in our .45 Colt's we pack Buffalo Bore's Ruger only loads, it wouldn't be difficult to have something similar of your own makings, the Ruger .45 offers alot of potential.

[bigboredad]

I shoot a 340gr. from accuratemolds.com its the 340f it has lots of room for powder. It has room enough for 24gr of h110. weeks ago I shot that bullets through a 12 inch section of a pine tree most 99% sailed right on thru. When it come to stuff that thinks I'm lunch there is no such thing as over penetration

[MT Chambers]

I also am casting a 340gr. from Accurate molds, it's their 340c, and it's top dog for .45 Colt's for serious use.

[waksupi]

You can do like one of my lady friends. She just uses a broom to run them off of her deck. Scares the devil out of the bears.

[castman]

If she would come along I'd feel better! I know what it's like when a lady? wants to get rid of something!!!!!!!!!

Really, thanks for the help guys.

[btroj]

I would load ammo you are willing to shoot a bunch at the range. Get comfortable with it. Nothing could be worse than needing our gun and being afraid of the recoil.

[saz]

You can do like one of my lady friends. She just uses a broom to run them off of her deck. Scares the devil out of the bears.

LMAO!!!! Nest time I go fishing in AK I am going to sling a broom across my back and wait for the questions to start. I just want to see the reactions! LMAO!!!!

[Birddog 1]

My hunting load is for a RUGER ONLY and is 230gr JHP with 20gr of 2400 and it does rock when you touch it off several hogs at close range have found out. :guntootsmiley:

[waksupi]

Something I saw mentioned in a book somewhere, was to grind your foot in the gravel. Bears will run from the sound. I've did it a couple times, and they do leave the area quickly. Mind you, the ones I've done it with didn't have cubs, or a kill around.

[saz]

They are usually more scared of you than you are of them.
Especially when you have a good dog or two with you.

[jlchucker]

You can do like one of my lady friends. She just uses a broom to run them off of her deck. Scares the devil out of the bears.

Good Idea! I'd borrow a broom from one of my lady friends but they all seem to be using them to fly around on at night :kidding:.

[Echo]

You can do like one of my lady friends. She just uses a broom to run them off of her deck. Scares the devil out of the bears.

Hats off, Waksupi - to be able to handle a woman that handles bear like that takes a MAN!

[Bret4207]

Waksupis lady friend must have the same genes as my grandmother and great grandmother, The broom was their preferred weapon for shooing a bear off the porch of the cabin too!

IMO with a 45 Colt, anything with a flatish nose at 1K or more will do the job without a lot of trouble. The largest black bear I ever saw killed was shot with a factory 38 Special RN lead.

[Larry in MT]

Mr Linebaugh's comments on the subject ---- Good reading.


http://www.customsixguns.com/writings/dissolving_the_myth.htm

[Longwood]

Standing up as tall as you can while waving anything you can wave, and hollering as loud as you can, will scare off most of them.
They say not to, if all you can do at the time, is a high pitched sqeeky sort of yell.:kidding:
I saw it work twice as a kid and did it once as an adult.

[GSSP]

335 gr LBT WFN GC run by 20.5 gr Lil"gun @ 1106 fps from my 4-5/8" NMBH worked fine for this big Alaska Yukon moose @ 15 yds.

Should work fine on about any bear one encounters.

Alan

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/GSSP/Alaska/AlanGriffithmoose20084-1.jpg

[fcvan]

Lots of great data and feedback from folks regarding the .45 Colt for bear use. The last load I tried in the Vaquero and the Classic Carbine shot well but the chronograph wouldn't cooperate. Lee 452-255 RF with 8.5 grains of Unique with corn meal filler shot about as hard as 10 grains without. My home made loob smoked without the corn meal but with filler it was like shooting a jacketed bullet.

Darned chronograph, I wanted to see what the velocity and standard deviation for the pistol and rifle was in comparison. Next time I guess. I was also shooting my 1911 with known loads averaging 950fps. The .45 Colt in the Vaquero was scooting along by comparison and the carbine even more so. Good times, and great performance. I'm sure it would be a decent bruin buster. I'll try the 300 RF with the same load and hopefully the chronograph will cooperate. Frank

[Wolfer]

I may be of a different opinion here but oh well. I believe a 45 colt factory round in the right spot will sink a bear 100% of the time.
The hottest load you can build wont put him down on the spot if not properly placed.
For me the load I want is the one I shoot the most and am the most proficient with.
For me that's a 452-424 @ 1000 fps.

[Larry in MT]

335 gr LBT WFN GC run by 20.5 gr Lil"gun @ 1106 fps from my 4-5/8" NMBH worked fine for this big Alaska Yukon moose @ 15 yds.

Should work fine on about any bear one encounters.

Alan

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/GSSP/Alaska/AlanGriffithmoose20084-1.jpg

Gee --- Nice Moose and pix. Sure sounds like a good time!

[Hang Fire]

Son-in-law and his bow hunting buddies in Wyoming carry the Taurus Judge for back up in griz country. He uses a 360 grain boolit pushed by loads he says have tested at over 30,000 psi. No way would I try them, but he says it isn't a steady diet for the Judge so he is not concerned.

[bigboredad]

Son-in-law and his bow hunting buddies in Wyoming carry the Taurus Judge for back up in griz country. He uses a 360 grain boolit pushed by loads he says have tested at over 30,000 psi. No way would I try them, but he says it isn't a steady diet for the Judge so he is not concerned.

:shock:
that is a lot for the judge. I think I'll pass on trying that in a judge

[429421Cowboy]

I'm with bigboredad, that sounds like a nice Ruger only load that was too tempting to load in a Judge cuz of the looong throats. No way would i touch a Taurus or even a Smith with those in it.

[nanuk]

45 Colt's can NOT kill any big game..... doesn't have "Magnum" appended to it...

Now, if you call it a 45ColtMagnum, it'll kill 'em DRT!

[rexherring]

45 Colt's can NOT kill any big game..... doesn't have "Magnum" appended to it...

Now, if you call it a 45ColtMagnum, it'll kill 'em DRT!

:lol::lol::lol::lol: Man, I've heard that a lot.

[Wolfer]

Most humans are aware that you can't kill anything with a 45 colt but luckily all of the deer I've shot we're not aware of this.

[429421Cowboy]

45 Colt's can NOT kill any big game..... doesn't have "Magnum" appended to it...

Now, if you call it a 45ColtMagnum, it'll kill 'em DRT!

Thus why i have long said the .45 Colt is a throwback to BP loads and 255 gr boolits....

Now the .45 Ruger Magnum... thats a killer like no other!

[bigboredad]

can you imagine what the makers of the .45 colt would say if the were here today and saw how popular it is still and the power it has and the things that it has accomplished. it was the magnum of the day and one of the most versatile of today

[9.3X62AL]

After an "off-setting penalties/down goes over" interlude with a pissed-off black bear in a berry patch 10 summers ago, I noted a few things.

The Redhawk 5.5" x 44 Magnum was nice, but seemed a bit puny at the time. Light-tackle fishing DOES NOT relate in any way to light portable sideiron when a bear puts out attitude.

Rifles are better, and something belt-fed might be better yet. Ahem. Now, a 30-30 with 170 grain softpoint j-words comes along in bear country. It is only slightly less convenient than the boat-anchor Redhawk. A Marlin 336 in 35 Remington or a Win 94 in 38-55 would do as well, I suppose. I have a project idea for a 40 caliber lever rifle on a 336 action that I'm cobbling on presently.

I've run the RCBS 45-300-FN through my BisHawk 45 Colt to 1200 FPS, actual boolit weight with gas check is about 330 grains. It shoots VERY well, a bit high to the sights but usable. As stated above, #454424 at 1000 FPS is no slouch of a load. That might be my most-fired combination in the Bishawk, 11.0 grains of Herco and CCI 300 primers in R-P brass. Good, useful load with easy ejection and clean firing.

[Bret4207]

I killed a very large black bear with a original 1873 Winchester converted to 45 LC. The load was 225 grain SWC boolit and 7 1/2 grain Unique out of a 20 " short rifle. Two well placed shots to the chest & about 10 seconds or less he was dead.

Lady down the road from me when I was a kid killed her deer every year with a 32-20, think it was a Winchester 92. She also had a good record on the bears bothering her sheep with the same gun. Bang, wait a while, dead bear. People tend to forget it doesn't take a magnum to drop an animal.

[bigboredad]

Lady down the road from me when I was a kid killed her deer every year with a 32-20, think it was a Winchester 92. She also had a good record on the bears bothering her sheep with the same gun. Bang, wait a while, dead bear. People tend to forget it doesn't take a magnum to drop an animal.

That is very true statement especially in this day of the big .50's. but a big bullet hitting a bear hard ain't gonna hurt your situation any and most of will never have to shoot a bear but having a big iron on your hip stoked with some heavy lead going fast does feel comforting as long as you know how to use it

[sharps4590]

When we lived in Wyoming, about 20 miles south of Alpine, I carried my Freedom Arms Mod. 97 in 45 Colt loaded with a 300 gr. LBT, (I think it was LBT), loaded to 1050 fps. I fished the Grays quite a bit and there is griz up there. Thank God I never had to find out if it would work. Back her ein Missouri the same revolver gets a 255 SWC RCBS at the same velocity or a 696 S & W loaded with 429424 to the same velocity. I lke the 44 Spl. and 45 Colt, grand cartridges.

[429421Cowboy]

.... Bang, wait a while, dead bear...People tend to forget it doesn't take a magnum to drop an animal.

Dad always says, "poke a hole in the right place, they all die same as the rest", bear doesn't seem to be any different. Also it seems to be that some feller named Linebaugh or something like that claims that a caliber that starts with "4" only needs to get a 250-70 grain boolit up to 900-1000 to shoot through an average deer sized critter anyways!

Now when we're talkin' about shootin' nasty bears i'm thinking something more rather than less powerful would be in order for the old brain shot. Or if you're steady enough and are made out of crushed glass and ball bearings you could do what Keith said instead and bust the downhill shoulder on a charging bear to turn it. Just hope you don't run into Mr. Griz on the flats!

[nanuk]

one thing I think that most forget is you may have little time to react if a bear charges

they are FASTER than you think, and you may not hear them getting close.

If you do have time to ready for them, then many things work

But you have to think about what you would use if you needed it NOW!

it better be something you are comfortable and competent with.

Don't think "HUNTING" rounds... think "STOPPING" rounds

even a badly wounded bear can cover 100 yds in a little over 10 seconds, do you REALLY want something that isn't a stopper?

me, I tend to carry a short barreled 12 ga when camping/fishing in bear country.
First 2 rounds are SSG's followed by 3 slugs.

I want to develop a 73cal round ball load, and then sub them for the slugs, OR the DIXIE style TriBall load, or a flat faced cylinder style solid slug like THIS (http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=73-775S-D.png)! at short range, a smooth cylinder bore would throw these just fine I'd think.
and once I get into loading for the 12ga, the first two will be 000 or 0000 buck loads

my shotgun of CHOICE would be a SHORT Mossy, or Maverick with Tang Safety. Far faster than a Remington with the button safety. I like a to use the safety when I'm around others, and I am far faster with the Tang safety.
Also, I've seen Remmies jam up with 2-3/4 rounds, but I've NEVER jammed any Mossy I've owned with anything.

and with anything: practice practice practice... Here I'm thinking I better be able to hit a pie plate inside 10 yds without much more than a Point and Shoot type action, cause a bear can cover 10 yds in ONE SECOND. That doesn't leave me with much time to ready any type of gun.


IF I ever get permitted to carry a handgun for bear protection, I will revisit the options for that, A big fat flat slug out of a large caliber handgun would be VERY handy.

[Longwood]

The size of the gun or bullet is not what is MOST important.
A well placed first round is the most important.
You can poke a lot of holes in a bear and not slow him down if they are notplaced in an effective spot.

A big gun is good.
Lewis and Clark discovered that they needed bigger guns when they encountered their first Grizzly and all they had was their little Squirrel guns.
I can't remember how many bullets they put in it.