Ruger revolver for Bear hunting?

[Webster1967]

I’ve killed a few deer with my 44 mags , Super Blackhawk and Redhawk. I know my limits and my ammo choices can very well take a bear in North Carolina. Also with my new to me Blackhawk in 45 is also capable too. I keep thinking about a 454 or 475 just to hedge my bets.
Anyone here done any handgun hunting for bear, and what you used?

 

[ChrisRhodes]

I have used 357 and 44.

 

[jack black]

I have used a Colt SAA in 45 for 40 years I have taken 9 Black bear and 21 Whitetail all with a 51/2 barrel
a 255 gr Keith SWC with 8.8 grains of Unique.
You do your part and all will be GREAT.

Best Wishes

 

[contender]

I live in WNC,, and my normal handgun for bear hunting is a .45 Colt. And I do own a .454, a .480, & others. I'm using a MP cast 280 grn powder coated SWC design bullet.
We do have some big bears in NC,, and I never feel undergunned with a .45 Colt.

 

[vlavalle]

I live in WNC,, and my normal handgun for bear hunting is a .45 Colt. And I do own a .454, a .480, & others. I'm using a MP cast 280 grn powder coated SWC design bullet.
We do have some big bears in NC,, and I never feel undergunned with a .45 Colt.

I see you own a .45 Colt revolver. If it is not a Ruger, then I have a warning for yo when buying manufactured ammo. There are 3 high powered .45 LC ammo made that is really only for Ruger revolvers since they are so heavy duty. I have one that is also a convertible (swap out the .45LC cylinder for a .45acp one), and a flattop, which has less steel. This flattop is not suppose to be used with the top two heavy loads (all three are made by Buffalo Bore) because it is not strong enough. I have fired the round that produces 1,213 ft. lbs, and it takes a glove and two hands! But the normal .45 Colt made by Ruger that is NOT a flattop should be able to shoot the other two heavy rounds with no problem, apart from your hand or arm! The round I have shoot has quite a kick and bag.

When comparing this .45LC load to the .44 Mag, they come somewhat close. The max .45 LC round is 1,344, and the max .44Mag load is 1,533 ft. lbs. have a file that has the ballistics info on 35 handgun and 25 rifle caliber, with links to the web to purchase all this ammo. So if interested at all, just message me here. It is free, and comes as a PDF file. If you load your own and have a chronograph, the ballistics info alone may be of interest to you.

 

[BearBiologist]

As long as you are (a) hunting BLACK BEAR and (b) don't expect to be charged, then any of the 357, 41, 44 mags or a 454, etc., or hot loaded 45 Colt should suffice. Things change when hunting something other than a black bear or when the animal is unsuspecting (i.e. no adrenaline surge). Best bet: Break Bone!!!

BTW: I carry 45 Colt with LeHigh bullets made by Underwood for woods walking in grizzly country (especially where moose may be present). Might consider a G20 or G29 in 10mm. That's what the Sirius Ski Patrol in Denmark carry on their 4–6-month patrols in polar bear country!

 

[BearBiologist]

I also had Gary Reeder make me upo a 5 shot, 454 Super Black Hawk for bear country but gave it to my daughter when I retired as a Wildlife Biologist (she's in Flagstaff and goes fishing in Alaska every few years).

 

[MHtractorguy]

I live in ENC, I do not hunt bears, but the people I know who do hunt them, mostly carry 10mm auto pistols or 357 , 4 inch revolvers.

 

[Fujicon]

Have not done bear hunting with a handgun, and kudos to those above who like that sport. That said, when it comes to the unpredictability of bears (some fall easily, some act as if they're indestructible*), my motto is you can never have too much in hand. My defense sidearm when hunting is either a 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh, never less.

*An example of their surprising resilience...
My uncle shot a largish black bear who collapsed in a shallow creek. Appeared dead, but he walked up and placed one between the eyes just to make sure the kill was complete. Walked over a low hill to let us known he got a bear. Came back and that bear had crawled another 20 yards out of that creek.

 

[SteveRuger]

I prefer the Super Redhawk in 454 which went with me both times to Alaska & used it to finish off my Black Bear.
I like the double action for fast shooting & having 6 shots is a plus!

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I tend to use a stout hard cast bullet. At a reasonable velocity. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 44 mag or a 45 Colt. I like both calibers so that doesn’t matter to me. Black bears are thin skinned and aren’t heavy boned. Use what you shoot well and have confidence in.

 

[contender]

vlavalle I had to chuckle a bit at your post.

I'm an "old hand" when it comes to the .45 Colt. And yes,, most of mine are Rugers. I do own a T/C Contender barrel, and an El Dorado SA in .45 Colt.

I am fully aware of the differences in the Rugers,, and others.

I also handload my own ammo. You must have missed the part of my post about using a cast MP 280 grn powder coated bullet. I cast my own, and when I load,, I load for accuracy. Pushing the limits,, or thinking I have to have "rocks & dynamite" loads etc is not me.
If I need more power,, I have a .454 Casull Fa,, and a Ruger .480.

I do appreciate the info,, as other folks may need to understand the differences in both the guns & the ammo.

 

[Don Lovel]

A 325gr WFN 45 Colt is hard to beat for stubborn critters you do not want to have to wrestle.

 

[Johnny-Baseball]

It is difficult to find "reasonably priced" 45LC rounds. The ones that are low cost are, most often, Cowboy Load rounds.

 

[bearskinner]

One thing to think about with shooting bears, they usually have a nice layer of fat to plug up a wound channel, so I believe a good pass thru with exit wound helps them bleed out and hopefully leave a trail, in case you don’t drop them at the shot. I’ve use heavy 44, 45 Colt, and 454 on many. A flat meplat or light cup point penetrate deep, and (1 recovered front to back) mostly full pass thrus.

 

[Webster1967]

Good info and discussion “Everyone “! And yes all mine are Rugers with my Super Blackhawk 44 mag being my go to. It loves anything 300gr. and I’m pretty confident in it and myself. I keep telling myself I should start reloading so maybe someday. And as far as something larger I keep looking at 454 and 475’s! Would love a Freedom Arms but not opposed to a BFR. I know I know, but without going custom Ruger hasn’t made one in either caliber to my liking.

 

[Don Lovel]

Good info and discussion "Everyone "! And yes all mine are Rugers with my Super Blackhawk 44 mag being my go to. It loves anything 300gr. and I'm pretty confident in it and myself. I keep telling myself I should start reloading so maybe someday. And as far as something larger I keep looking at 454 and 475's! Would love a Freedom Arms but not opposed to a BFR. I know I know, but without going custom Ruger hasn't made one in either caliber to my liking.

Why would you need more energy than a 300gr full power 44mag?

 

[TestEngineer]

vlavalle I had to chuckle a bit at your post.

Don't chuckle too much. His point about Buffalo Bore ammo is very valid. They have lists of handguns approved for use with their ammo. Lucky for me, Rugers dominate their lists.

I saw a picture of a very nice S&W that tried to shoot BB ammo, but it wasn't on the approved list. Poor gun had a broken frame and a split cylinder. I take the BB warnings seriously.

 

[Paul B]

Before a bad car wreck and other health related problems stopped me from my time in the boonies I used to explore the desert and the local mountain range. I always carried a powerful handgun just in case a bear or Mountain Lion decide to get a bit too friendly. In more years than I care to count, I've had exactly two incidents with wildlife that required killing.

One was a Mountain Lion on Nevada that was stalking me. I'd scared it off a bit twice, but the third time it was too close for comfort. I was packing a Super Blackhawk .44 as usual but also a rifle chambered to the .243. I used the rifle, then reported the kill to the local game warden. They did an autopsy on the cat and apparently ir had not eaten anything in some time. The stomach was void of all content.

I don't remember the date of the incident with the lion but the bear is still in my memory banks. It was on the labor Day Weekend, 1959, camping with a college age group near Yosemite Nat'l. Park. Along about 2 in the morning I was awakened by a woman screaming and excited yelling by members of the group. When I got out of the tent I saw a Black Bear that was trying to drag a young lady out into the brush and away from camp. I had the only gun in camp, an S&W 38/44 Outdoorsman. The 38/44 Spl. was just a hot rod .38 Spl. load somewhat hotter than the current .38 Spl +P ammo you see today. I think it was also a bit hotter than the .38 Spl. +P+ ammo you hear about. I was shooting my handloads of a 158 gr. cast gas check SWC over a max load of H2400. The 38/44 S&W was the forerunner to the .357 Magnum and a good load in its own right. I took that bear down with two shots. The lady required a bunch of stitched as I recall.

Most of my bear protection guns are Ruger with one S&W 629 that is semi-retired. It doesn't digest really hot loads very well.
One old model Super Blackhawk and one New Model, .44 mag. with 7.5" barrel. An old model flat top .44 Mag and an old model .45 Colt with .45 ACP cylinder. Neither have been converted.

However, my favorites for desert ratting and mountain work gre a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 with 4 5/8" barrel and a regular Blackhawk grip and a Super Blackhawk Bisley in .45 Colt. I bought the Bisley because of an article by Ross Seyfried where he called it the poor man's custom. I have to say he was right and it handled John Linebaugh's hot loads quite well.

I also have a couple of Redhawks, a 5.5" and 7.5" but I think they're just too darn heavy for what I'd use a potent revolver for.
Paul B.

 

[contender]

Test Engineer,, I wasn't chuckling at his post,, but the fact that I'm VERY familiar with Buffalo Bore & other ammo as well as the firearms.


Paul,, I seem to recall you posting this story before. Good lessons there.

However,, I'm SURE it's typo,,, I don't think it happened in 1915.

 

[larry8]

It is difficult to find "reasonably priced" 45LC rounds. The ones that are low cost are, most often, Cowboy Load rounds.

Same for the 44mag.

 

[Webster1967]

Why would you need more energy than a 300gr full power 44mag?

I guess the same reason my Hemi truck needs 200hp more?

 

[BearBiologist]

Paul B.:

I think your memory is a little fuzzy, Old-timer. The 38/44 didn't come out until 1930, so it wasn't around in 1915 (108 years ago).

 

[Paul B]

Paul B.:

I think your memory is a little fuzzy, Old-timer. The 38/44 didn't come out until 1930, so it wasn't around in 1915 (108 years ago).

Not fuzzy memory. I just can't type worth spit. It should have been 1959 and I fixed it. I also till have an S&W 38/44 Outdoorsman on hand, albeit not the one used to take down the bear. I made the mistake of selling to get money for some silly reason. I'm keeping the one I have now.
Paul B.

 

[BearBiologist]

Not fuzzy memory. I just can't type worth spit. It should have been 1959 and I fixed it. I also till have an S&W 38/44 Outdoorsman on hand, albeit not the one used to take down the bear. I made the mistake of selling to get money for some silly reason. I'm keeping the one I have now.
Paul B.

Understand completely!!!! My fingers don't work as well with the arthritis and a steel plate, either!

 

[thinckley]

As long as I can remember (and no, I am not as old as some of the fine folks on this site), .357 and .44 have always been the "recommended caliber" for back country protection. Even though we do not have a ton of bears in Utah, I carry my OM SBH in .44 and my son carries the OM .357 for whatever we might run into.

 

[vlavalle]

Why would you need more energy than a 300gr full power 44mag?

The term 'full power' is pretty meaningless. If you said 'with the max .44 SAMI load, then it would refer to the Buffalo Bore round that delivers 1,544 ft. lbs. of ME, which is quite powerful, but no where near the max of the other .45 and above calibers. Also, if you are shooting at an attacking big grizzly (1,000 lbs. or more), then the .44 Mag may not be enough!

 

[vlavalle]

It is difficult to find "reasonably priced" 45LC rounds. The ones that are low cost are, most often, Cowboy Load rounds.

Check out my ballistics file and you may find some .45LC ammo at lower costs. I also do not purchase 'Cowboy' rounds, and they often have more flash as well as a lot less power. I am currently working on updating my file, with lots of current availability and pricing. I get 10-15 emails daily from gun/ammo retailers, so I have a very good input to my file. Message me here with your email address and I will send you the latest release. It is a PDF file, and not really usable on smart phones. It is too long ad too wide, with over 3,500 entries, where each entry is a link to the online retailer for that specific ammo. But there are not many .45 LC updates in this version, so if interested, let me know and I will wait until I make the next rel;ease with more up-to-date info.

 

[jmca]

It is difficult to find "reasonably priced" 45LC rounds. The ones that are low cost are, most often, Cowboy Load rounds.

Wish they were less expensive around here! Same price if not a little higher than some of the Stock ammo.

As far as the 38/44, I saw one once and made the mistake of not buying it! Regretted it ever since!
Maybe someday I will find one "reasonably" priced but S&W's seem to bring ridiculous prices!

As far as Buffalo Bore ammo, I have a box of 20, shot one round to know what to expect if I ever get crossed up in a Bear situation while hiking. Only time I load them in my 45LC Blackhawk is in Bear country.

 

[contender]

As I've mentioned,, I've shot some Buffalo Bore ammo, and I'm also very familiar with them. Top end loads in general for sure.

I live in an area with an abundance of black bears. And here in NC we do have some really big ones. 500lbs+ are around. Yet,, even with all that,, I don't feel the need for BB ammo. I do cast my own,, powder coat them myself,, and use a 280 grn SWC design by MP molds. The load I use is very accurate,, and carries enough punch to put a big bear down if necessary. I have no doubts there.
Accuracy trumps power. You need to be accurate,, before the power can do anything. But you also need enough power to do the intended job.
Cowboy loads aren't the best choice,, but they too have a decades long history of use. Remember,, the 45 Colt was developed in the 1800's and used on all kinds of critters long before smokeless powder came along.

I tend to feel my .45 Colt is a good solid "comfortable companion" for most things. Trustworthy.