Bear Load 44 Mag

11 August 2019, 23:14

LeonardC

Bear Load 44 Mag

BH63: Yes, the pics are better than the text. I read somewhere what the load was but can't refind it. Seems like it was a JHP as I thought at the time it was more a people load than a bear load. 6 shots point blank range, last shot under the chin.

Whitworth: loved your book on Hunting Revolvers. Any idea how the body structure (toughness) of water buff compares to bear or moose? Are you aware of failures like above with heavy HC bullets against bears and moose?

12 August 2019, 17:48

buckeyeshooter

quote:
Originally posted by Whitworth:
I have trouble digesting the "all black bear are created equally" mantra so flippantly bandied about. I have hunted them (with handguns) in Maine where a 200 pounder is a good bear, and North Carolina where (where we hunt) the bears frequently exceed 500 pounds. In fact here is one from last year's take...not one I would use a 240 grain bullet out of a .44 Mag, but that's just me.

Nice bear! I have shot 2 blacks of 200-250 pounds with a warm loaded Hornady 265 grain softpoint with a 6 inch 29, about 30 years ago. Today, I use a rifle.

19 August 2019, 01:50

newfrontier45

For bear, any bear, I want more than a generic 240gr jacketed load. For black bear, I want at least a 250gr cast or 270gr Gold Dot. First choice would be the Oregon Trail 310gr with its huge meplat. For bigger, nastier browns, I want at least a 320gr cast or a monolithic solid. Preferably a 355gr Beartooth at 1200fps, Grizzly Punch, Barnes Buster or Lehigh WFN as fast as they'll go. Which is usually around 1400fps.

Sorry but I don't agree that there's any difference between hunting and defense, with regards to load selection. For me, all this changes is the platform it's launched from. The difference between a longer barreled, scoped revolver and a shorter barreled beltgun.

19 August 2019, 19:21

AnotherAZWriter

quote:
Originally posted by Whitworth:
I have trouble digesting the "all black bear are created equally" mantra so flippantly bandied about. I have hunted them (with handguns) in Maine where a 200 pounder is a good bear, and North Carolina where (where we hunt) the bears frequently exceed 500 pounds. In fact here is one from last year's take...not one I would use a 240 grain bullet out of a .44 Mag, but that's just me.

That is a seriously big black bear...how much did it weigh?

19 August 2019, 19:48

p dog shooter

quote:
In fact here is one from last year's take...not one I would use a 240 grain bullet out of a .44 Mag, but that's just me.

Several variables in 240gr 44 mag bullets most 240gr soft points give plenty of penetration at handgun velocity.

JHP's differ and drive them at carbine velocity cuts way back on the amount of penetration on gets.

20 August 2019, 18:41

BuffHunter63

quote:
Originally posted by newfrontier45:
For bear, any bear, I want more than a generic 240gr jacketed load. For black bear, I want at least a 250gr cast or 270gr Gold Dot. First choice would be the Oregon Trail 310gr with its huge meplat. For bigger, nastier browns, I want at least a 320gr cast or a monolithic solid. Preferably a 355gr Beartooth at 1200fps, Grizzly Punch, Barnes Buster or Lehigh WFN as fast as they'll go. Which is usually around 1400fps.

Sorry but I don't agree that there's any difference between hunting and defense, with regards to load selection. For me, all this changes is the platform it's launched from. The difference between a longer barreled, scoped revolver and a shorter barreled beltgun.

Besides handgun selection, I would think the range would be the biggest difference for bullet selection. A 44 Mag bullet that performs great at 3 yards might not work the same at 70 yards.

Shooting an angry bear in the chest at arms length is very different than popping one in the rib cage as it feeds a fair distance away.

BH63

21 August 2019, 02:51

MS Hitman

Some people don’t understand the difference between killing and stopping.

21 August 2019, 03:09

p dog shooter

quote:
Originally posted by MS Hitman:
Some people don’t understand the difference between killing and stopping.

Can be one in the same or different.

If you kill it, it will stop sometime.

There have been stops just by the noise of the gun going off.

Psychological stops, they are called. May even be better then a killing stop no messy paper work to do.

I don't necessary believe in counting on them but they do happen.

Well placed bullets do seem to work better over all.

I have had several Psychological stops as a LEO. I pointed my firearm at the bad guy told them if they didn't stop doing what they were doing.

I would shoot them they agreed and stopped their behavior.

But most bad guys understand what your saying. Some do not or just don't care.

Bears do not understand human language.

21 August 2019, 03:27

458Win

Every animal, even amoebas, understand the language of pain . And unless a bear has already been wounded, in which the hunter should already be packing with serious stopping power ! The shock and pain from most any handgun will get their undivided attention
And dissuade virtually all of them.

21 August 2019, 03:38

MS Hitman

quote:
Originally posted by p dog shooter:
quote:
Originally posted by MS Hitman:
Some people don’t understand the difference between killing and stopping.

Can be one in the same or different.

If you kill it, it will stop sometime.

There have been stops just by the noise of the gun going off.

Psychological stops, they are called. May even be better then a killing stop no messy paper work to do.

I don't necessary believe in counting on them but they do happen.

Well placed bullets do seem to work better over all.

I have had several Psychological stops as a LEO. I pointed my firearm at the bad guy told them if they didn't stop doing what they were doing.

I would shoot them they agreed and stopped their behavior.

But most bad guys understand what your saying. Some do not or just don't care.

Bears do not understand human language.

Yes, stopping and killing can be one and the same, but depending on the animal, I’ll take stopping over killing any day of the week and twice on Sundays. If I stop it, I can kill it at my leisure and not while trying peel it off me.