I will be using 180gr 10mm Auto Cast bullets for practice and Woods Defense (black bear and mtn lion are the toughest critters I will encounter). I know that different shapes will perform differently terminally. Some are prone to stay on course better, some will disrupt tissue more, and some will penetrate deeper, but I also have to consider feeding in a S&W 1006. What do you recommend?

Deke.

If I were going to carry a commercial hard cast for defense loads around black bears and mt. lions, I would get a Forster Hollow pointing tool and hollow point the bullets. I think you need a bullet that will dump all its energy into the animal, and most commercial cast bullets are too hard to reliably expand...

I have never shot a bear or a cat, but would expect that a hard cast hp to the lungs would take care of the problem... And a cat is thin-skinned, so there shouldn't be a problem with penetrating and doing the necessary damage.

And the reason the 10MM never made it as an FBI round is that it over-penetrated. Any bullet that exits a body, especially in a life or death situation, is the wrong bullet for the application.

Doubless,

I have never shot a cat or bear either, but a lung shot (although fatal) would be far from my first choice on a bear. I believe bear's low metabolisms are well documented and they are notorious for a slow bleed out. It only takes a split second for one to take my head off. Therefore I would believe the only hopefull/reliable shot to ward off injury from a bear would be a central nervous (brain or spine) shot, with my second choice being a shoulder. In both cases I want to break bones first, where the bullet goes after that is relatively unimportant. I don't think this is as critical with cats. The forster tool looks like a neat idea, but will a hollow point in a hard cast expand it significantly? I am sure we would both be appreciative if someone that has killed bears and cats with a handgun could chime in.

Deke.

Doubless,

Don't want to sound like a know-it-all (because I am certainly not), but in doing more research I came across this @ http://www.recguns.com/Sources/VIIB5.html

"Hollow points are best used with pure lead or
tin-lead alloys as even small amounts of antimony cause bullet
break-up. If antimonial alloys are used, do not exceed 1 1/2%
antimony or 10 BHN."

Taking "Cast Perfomance Bullet Company" as an example, their's are all a hardness of 18-21 BHN (not recomended for hollow points). It appears that their design is a wide flat point which I guess could solve the overpenetration since it is a blunt object which I imagine would also cause more tissue damage since it apt to tear a bigger hole verus a sharper bullet.

Glenn Barnes w/GunHunter Magazine said this "Use a hard-cast bullet when bone-breaking penetration is needed, and a premium jacketed bullet for everything else. A quick, humane kill will be the result, which is what we all should strive for, anyway."

Still wondering about the best shapes for an autoloader and game, especially when it comes to reliably feeding..... The hard cast truncated cone or round nose flat point may be best for breaking the bones of a bear, and the premium hollow point for deer sized/tough animals.

Still would like to hear from others with kill experience on bear and mtn lion.

Deke.

Go w/ the widest fp your 10mm will feed. One of the LBT designs maybe. Cast hard, you'll want penetration, there is no energy dump when it comes to handgun rounds.
http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm