45acp camping

[TcRoc]

I typically take my Sig 220r 45acp camping with me.
I usually don't change out my ammo, but now thinking maybe FMJ would be better when in the mountains against bigger animals .Yes I mean bear.
Obviously I always have JHP in my guns but against a bear I think FMJ would be better yeh??
I don't like bringing my 44 mag with me,it's to old and nice.

And I 'm not looking for a debate weather a 45 will do the job just if FMJ would be better

[jkroner659]

I would personally load my mags with 1 fmj(for penetration), then 1 HP(for the hurt factor:AR15firing:). That way you have both and they are alternated.

[Sinatra877]

In cop work we practice with lead nose or FMJ but we don't use it on the streets because FMJ's tend to overpenetrate. A .45 ACP FMJ round will penetrate over towards 18" of flesh that is if it is uninterupted by bone, cardiac tissue or fur/clothing.

Actual military usage is limited to FMJ's due to Geneva Convention rules. But I contract for the military and I'm not bound to Geneva Convention rules. And military ammo for a rifle is considered low velocity for more whack effect but less overpenetration.

HP's have a tendency to fill up and fail alot due to the fact that the cup will fill up with fur/clothing but will trully expand to a diameter of .65 inches up too 13" of flesh but on the other hand fail to expand due to mitigating circumstances 80-85% of the time.

If I were defending myself with a .45 ACP round against a Bear I'd use these types of rounds and shoot for the eyes, even if you miss you may get lucky and penetrate his pea brain. I would not use a FMJ. There is no hydraulic shock trauma delivered enough to stop a bear in a 230 gr. .45 ACP and you'll overpenetrate a human torso and will get sued by the guy behind him. So FMJ's would be out of the equation here. You're needs are to stop a bear.

If I had to use hollow points I'd pick these:

Hydrashoks, Triton, Barnes X or Taurus look alike, and Corbons.

If I had the resources to find it, I'd use these:

Corbon Pow-R-Balls great round to shoot things with and the ever hard to find Federal Expanding Metal Jacket. The Corbons will feed easier than the Federals. Aim for the Bear's face cause if you miss, there's gonna be hell to pay.

[TcRoc]

What I wasn't sure of is if the JHP wouldn't penetrate enough on a bear as where FMJ would.
Currently I use Hornaday 230 +p.
I guess I'll keep that loaded up even in the mountains.
I haven't had any problem with the bear,they've come threw camp and keep going but you never know when that one fucker is gonna decide it's his turf,which it is.
They are amazing to see that close up and I've had some BIG bear come threw.

[CBnL]

Since you have a .45 you won't need reloading equipment to get you some Barnes total copper bullets...
TAURUS (www.taurususa.com) puts together a 185 grain HP .45 ACP (TCB45ACP). They use PMC brass, hodgdon powder and Barnes projectile.
Look into them...
I tend to keep them in my self defense guns... and have loaded up a few hundred Barnes total copper HP's in 9mm and some in 44 mag for deer hunting.

[sleepyweasel]

I actaully think jkroner has something here....I actually load my mags with 1 ranger +p+ , one fmj, 1 ranger+p+, 1 fmj.................when i go into the woods, there are bear in michigan, not that many, but i still would feel better with a gun even if its 9mm than without......I really dont see the point with standard velocity hp in 45acp...they just dont have the speed needed to expand reliably(like sinatra pointed out) I also dont see the point in 380acp standart velocity hp's 900 or so fps just isn't quite enough to make em' mushroom. I do however like 9mm and 40 in an hp. Of the hp i've recovered at the range backstops almost all 9mm and 40s have expanded, while i find 45hps that could almost be reloaded again. I'm babbling..........

[Headhunter 13]

The Taurus .45 that was recommended by Sinatara is on sales at Sportsmans Guide. I am ordering some. here is the link

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=370223

[Sinatra877]

It is a unique round. It's about the deepest bore through a round that I've ever seen. You can almost have a cup of coffee with it. We tested it before at Moyock. It expanded up too .70 of an inch and went through 15" of ballistic gel. It is promising unless the hollow is filled up. Most HP's will fill up with clothes and fail too expand to their potential. I have yet shot a naked man so it doesn't happen. If you use it, as I said...against a bear, one of the most weakest parts of all bodies from all skeletal animals including human beings is the brow area between the eyes. It takes less than 30 lbs. per square inch too penetrate so you can get to grey matter.

Now the holster to shot too grey matter is considered the Holy Grail Shot. It's called the 5 percenter. Because only 5% of the time will you be able to shoot something or someone that will incapacitate the body with one shot to the brain. When it works, it's a beautiful thing.

I wish you guys could have access to LETN (Law Enforcement Television Network). They have a series called "In the Line of Fire" and graphic dashcam or vidcam shootings are filmed in high stress situations are shown as training tools. Watching a slow motion 5% shot is almost a work of art. It's that rare.

[TcRoc]

No Bear but could have supplied a bunch of turkey to everyone,,they were everywhere.

[Sinatra877]

You could practically turn a turkey inside out with a Taurus Barnes X .45 if you shot the body with it. That would be interesting to see. I shot a squirrel once with one. He disappeared in a small mist of red stuff. He literally exploded.

[sig232]

If you study the skull of the Bear you will find that the side of the skull is very thin and the front it very thick. A 44 mag round can flatten on the skull of a bear if shot dead on in the front at the right angle.

Bears tend to move their heads from side to side and a side head shot or a shot down through the top of the head will dispatch a bear quickly.

To attempt to shoot the eyes of a moving bear will be very difficult if not impossible. Unless you allow the bear to get up close and personal and then you may be lunch.

I carry a 45 acp in the woods of Oregon and carry a magazine of ball in case of a bear or cougar encounter and then have a mag or two of defensive hollow-point for the two legged problems.

A friend of mine dispatched a black bear with a shot to the top of the skull with a 22 long rifle when it was doing it posturing and moving its head in an aggressive manner. Most bears are killed with rifles up here and the big guys want some horsepower behind their bullets. A 30-06, 300 mag, 45-70 and other larger calibers are preferred.

[StangF150]

I think i'd prefer the wet my pants & scream like a lil girl approach if i ran into a bear in the woods :D

[SheNINE]

I think i'd prefer the wet my pants & scream like a lil girl approach if i ran into a bear in the woods :D


Now that's funny, and something I'd like to see...... :lol: