If you fire a gun to shoot a or over the head of an unwanted animal then you will condition that animal to not respect the sound. In other words these animals are smart enough to figure out after a few times that other than a loud noise they are not being hurt and it will not scare them away and will habituate them to humans which is bad. It is my opinion that if you are having a "close encounter" with a large animal then you have already messed up some how.

I used 230gr FMJ in my 45 as I know they feed reliably through my gun. The bear I shot was a large black bear. My wife and I had stopped to admire a moose and her two calves along side where we were riding. All of a sudden then bear comes out of the brush about 20ft in front of us on the trail and is walking at us. We are sitting on our ATV's. I drew my pistol and before I had the gun pointed at the bruin it was 15-20ft from us! Needless to say I let my gun do the talking and the bear got the message. Plus, it tasted good!

All I can say is that a bear, no matter the size, is mush faster than you can think. I have heard of warning shots causing bears to run at the shooter!

A 45 is probably not he best bear defense gun and there are probably better rounds than a 230gr FMJ but at close range it works. So I am aware that it is not an ideal bear killing weapon (which is why I prefer a 12ga with slugs) but I do know I can shoot my 45 well at close range and I have 10rounds to get the job done.

SJ

 

I am like the others, any shot I fire will be to take down the critter.

Ammo wise, I don't do much with 45 ACP but check around for ammo in the +P catagory. I like heavier bullets but not if I am sacrificing too much velocity. You may need to go with a 185 gr. to 200 gr. bullet if you can find it in +P ammo. Also check to make sure the gun you are using will handle +P ammo.

 

Reb2,

+P ammo? haven't heard of that one. I like, or should I say, my pistol likes the Wolf 230gr FMJ ammo. So far I have fired over 5000rds of the stuff through it and it has not jammed once. I did find one dud cartridge though. I tried other FMJ ammo and some wad cutter target ammo and I got lots of stove pipe jams. So since my gun likes the stuff I will stick with it. If I can find some Wolf ammo in the +P line I might try it out though.

I think the other thing we neglected to take into account in shot placement. I shoot my pistol quite a bit and I know I can hit what I shoot at out to about 15-20yds. So I believe no matter what type of pistol you carry, or where you carry it, if you cannot hit your target with it you might as well be unarmed. (it could be safer for you and those around you!)

My brother modified a flight pilots (I think) chest pack. It has a slot for his GPS and radio and notepad and pens. Then he modified it from the side with a pouch so he could slip his pistol into a pouch from the side. It has a velcro to close it and it stays protected and right in front of yo when you need it. I know it is military surplus of some kind. He put padded shoulder straps and sewed one of the two larger pouches shut ontop and opened it from the side instead. I will see if I can find out where he got it.

If you want a way to easily carry a rifle or shotgun as a backpack I have a Nimrod guide pack with a riffle scabbard accessory that makes it very easy and hands free to carry my shotgun in the scabbard while hunting and or riding. I sometimes put the shotgun there and carry the rifle and switch when I need to. I have the gun stock adjusted to be just slightly higher than my head. If I put my hand on the back of my neck I can easily grab the pistol grip and lift upward to remove the gun. They also have a pistol attachment but I do not have it as it looks to be mainly for a revolver. Check them out at www.nimrodpacks.com


SJ

 

+P (high pressure) .45 APC ammo is closer to .357 Magnum power levels than it is to standard .45 APC power. I like to load 15 or 20 of them in my Para USA pistols.

 

When I am out on just a daily ride, i always have my CCH pistol which is a Taurus .38 Special changed out with shotshells for snakes

When I am on a riding trip I have my Ruger Alaskan in 454 casul