I'm going black bear hunting next weekend and will be carrying my 30-40 Krag as the shots will be 40 yds or less. Hmmm, I thought, it would be kinda fun to take one with my Blackhawk in 41 Mag, but all I have are a bunch of the 210 gr XTP's loaded rather stoutly. Getting another bullet at this point is out of the question as I don't have the time. Would this be sufficient up close? (20 yds or less)
I'm worried about penetration.

Many people would recommend a Hard cast bullet for Black bear.
Federal cast Core would be a good choice in factory ammo that might be easy to find.

That being said the Hornady XTP has a good reputation as far as penetration goes.

I have killed a black bear with a 400gr XTP in a 475 Linebaugh, and alsom know it will just about shoot completely through a zebra.

I recently killed a hog with a 44Mag Hornady 225gr Leverevolution with no problem.

The XTP is a tougher bullet IMHO.

So my answer to your original question is that I would take a broadside or slightly quarting away shot on a black bear with your 41 Mag load.
I would try to stay away from a shoulder bone hit, in the same manner I would if bow hunting.

Place one or the other behind the shoulder of any bear into the heart lungs and you well have a dead bear.

Put it through the lungs, and it will do just fine. I wouldn't want to try a shoulder shot on a large bear with that bullet, but at the range you are talking about, you should have ample opportunity t place your shot just where you want it.

Good luck on the hunt...and don't forget to post pictures upon your return.

Several years ago, I killed a 400 pound Black bear, treed, at about 20 yards, using my S&W 57 .41 Magnum, 6" barrel. I was using a handload of a 210 grains Sierra JHP in front of 23.0 grains of WW296.

My bullet hit just to the left of his center chest and exited through a rib near the spine. The bear was done before he hit the ground.

I imagine your 210 grains XTP would do just fine, so long as you shoot accurately.

L.W .

I say go for it.... And tell us how it went..

I am more than sure it will do the job and as others have posted, shot placement.

As others have said , the 210 XTP will work fine. Place it behind, not into, the shoulder and into the lungs.

Sounds good to me! My buddy is up there this weekend (hunting on his parents land) and saw a little one - 100 lbs or so. I've never seen one in the wild, so even if I just see this little guy, it'll be a thrill. I'll report back.
Thanks for the great answers!

quote:

Originally posted by old4x4:
Sounds good to me! My buddy is up there this weekend (hunting on his parents land) and saw a little one - 100 lbs or so. I've never seen one in the wild, so even if I just see this little guy, it'll be a thrill. I'll report back.
Thanks for the great answers!

Good luck to you.

I have shot several deer with the 210 XTP's in the .41 and they always leave an exit wound. I poke em in the ribs and not the shoulder though. I don't think I have recovered a bullet yet. Let us know how they work. God Bless, Louis

I have to play devils advocate. And what happens if you do hit the shoulder?? I keep hearing that the XTP will work well with the caveat that you should slip it behind the shoulder and avoid hitting it....... I don't have a dog in the fight, but I am observing......

I think that you have to hit the shoulder for a vital hit unless the animal is quartering away. Check this site out:

Vital Zones

I'm not an expert on such matters; I have only killed one black bear in my lifetime. I killed it back in 1992 with a compound bow and arrow. I made what I thought was a good shot (about 4" behind the front leg) and the arrow showed signs of a gut shot bear (dark blood and chunks of acorn on the shaft). I shot the bear at 3:00 p.m. and left it alone until nearly dark. I found the bear after dark about 100 yards deep in a mountain laurel thicket. This website verifies what I believe to be true from my limited experience, the heart/lung area on a bear is directly behind the front shoulder.

I have had literally dozens of shot opportunities since 1992 on black bears, but I have not killed another one since I do not care for the meat. I really don't want to mount or make another rug out of one because of the increasing price of this service. There is also the "getting them out of a wilderness area with no roads" thing that helps soothe an itchy trigger finger. A man with a bear on the ground 4 miles away from a road has NO friends.

However, we are getting so many of them around here that I literally see more bears than deer when I go deer hunting. I decided last year to take a bear if I saw one over 200lbs. I saw several in the 100-150 lb. class, I even had one to come within 5 steps of me trying to figure out what I was. I was on the ground with my back against a tree and he was trying to figure out what I was. I had the wind in my face so he could see me but couldn't smell me and he just kept getting closer. He finally caught my scent and ran away. While he was checking me out, I had a 180 grain XTP in a 10" MGM .357 MAX Contender pointed at the bear and didn't feel undergunned at all; perhaps I should have.

Having said all of that, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a bear through the front shoulder with a .41 caliber, 210 grain XTP. I wouldn't expect it to give me a complete passthrough, but as I've already said that doesn't bother me as long as the bullet reaches the vitals and does its job.

Hey, I'm just asking the tough questions! Someone has got to do it, you know!

They're good questions! I like civilized debate. I learn alot!

quote:

Originally posted by x-caliber:
They're good questions! I like civilized debate. I learn alot!

Me too. I try to play nicely with the other kids, but every now and then, folks just don't let yoy and drag you into the trenches......

Good discussion.

My temptation would be to use the Remington 210 SP bullet. Has proven to be deadly on deer always yielding penetration and expansion for me.

With that bullet shot placement might not be quite so critical.

Speaking of the .41, guess what came on UPS today?

quote:

My temptation would be to use the Remington 210 SP bullet. Has proven to be deadly on deer always yielding penetration and expansion for me.

Mike, that is what I am going to be loading in this barrel. Good advice!

Excellent!! When are you going to start load development, x-caliber?

quote:

When are you going to start load development, x-caliber?

Tonight!!!

Please keep us posted!

quote:

Originally posted by x-caliber:
Speaking of the .41, guess what came on UPS today?

quote:

My temptation would be to use the Remington 210 SP bullet. Has proven to be deadly on deer always yielding penetration and expansion for me.

Mike, that is what I am going to be loading in this barrel. Good advice!

Good looking barrel you got the x-caliber, let me know how it shoots.

What barrel length?

quote:

Good looking barrel you got the x-caliber, let me know how it shoots.

What barrel length?

Thanks Redhawk1! It's a 9"er...one forend mounting hole. I'm liking my Contender barrels shorter and shorter these days.

I am shooting some 210 gr. Hornady XTP's in my 410 GNR Encore barrel, and they are tack drivers. I am hoping to get some game with them to see how they perform.

I also have some 240 gr. hard cast bullets I will be loading in the near future.

Good luck with your new barrel...

What is the parent case for the 410 GNR? Is it a .445 Supermag? I just acquired and traded off a .358 GNR and I never even shot it. That round was based on the 445 Supermag case IIRC.

What velocity are you getting with the 210's? Those cast 240's ought to work great. Gary recommended a 187 cast bullet in the .358 GNR.

quote:

Originally posted by x-caliber:
What is the parent case for the 410 GNR? Is it a .445 Supermag? I just acquired and traded off a .358 GNR and I never even shot it. That round was based on the 445 Supermag case IIRC.

What velocity are you getting with the 210's? Those cast 240's ought to work great. Gary recommended a 187 cast bullet in the .358 GNR.

The parent case is the 454 Casull, with the load I am using, with the 210 gr. bullets, I am geting 2130 fps and there is room to go up.

I would not hesitate to shoot a bear with a 210 XTP. While I haven't shot a bear, the landowner where I hunt deer lets me "put down" the sick cattle that he does not think will live. I have had complete pass-thru with heart/lung shots with my model 57 and XTPs on cows weighing up to 400 pounds.