Larry:
A 230 grain .45 ACP bullet comes out the barrel at around 900 FPS, about the same as a 250 grain .45 Colt. It's a good man stopper but it would just piss off a big bear. Don's got the right idea with the .500 S &W. Not something you'd want for concealed carry but good in bear country. Jerry Caruso "All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." ----- "Larry Johnson" < JOHNSOLA @ uvu . edu > wrote: Makes all the sense in the world. I wish I was in a financial position to buy a BIG FRAME handgun. What would my Springfield Armory 1911 .45 ACP do in a bear situation? Any good at all? Larry Johnson I've posted photos before of my fly-fishing protection in Grizzly country, such as Glacier Park in NW Montana. I love bears- just don't want to be mauled or eaten alive. Hope I never have to use it. So this starts out as fly-fishing related. Please respond off list ffc @ tribcsp .com The list is a little slow, so I though I'd post why I opted for the S&W .500 mag. over the .44 mag. A few weeks ago we were camping and my friend had his 44mag. So we target-practiced against a clay bank at 80 yards or so. After we shot for a little, he went over and dug out a few slugs for comparisons. His 44 shot 230 grain bullets (left) and mine 550 grain bullets. Mine is 10% larger in diameter (.5 vs .44), but doesn't look like it because of the radiused shoulder. Flip-em over: So at almost 2 1/2 times the weight, it mushrooms out to double the diameter. This will stop even the biggest bear in its tracks, even at full charge point-blank range. We're looking at over 2600# M.E. from a hand-gun carried in a vest holster! NOW... I thought I'd show you what a real heavy-brush dangerous game cartridge looks like. This gun is my cousin's, who hunts African Cape Buffalo, the toughest animal on earth to put down. On the left is a .44 and a .500 (700 grain). On the right is his 4-Bore, or, 1000 Nitro Express! That's NOT black powder, like the old Maharajah's version in India. Over 12K in muzzle energy! 2200 grain bullet at 1600 ft./sec.! Heavy gun, has his gun-bearer carry it in a custom sling until the stalk: Once they spot the old beast, it's time to feed the villagers: Some people oppose hunting, but they don't understand Africa. He paid $40,000 for the hunt, which 75% went to the village fund, and the meat direct to the villagers. In areas without tourism, where he hunts, these animals would all be killed by poachers. The villagers all become game wardens, protecting the resource that feeds them, rather than a poacher killing it and making a few hundred dollars for himself. Please, comments off list. DonO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" group. To post to this group, send email to vfb-mail@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to vfb-mail-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com
