HuntingNet.com Forums - 454 Casull, big enough to stop a grizzley?

HuntingNet.com Forums (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/)

- Guns (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/guns-10/)

- - 454 Casull, big enough to stop a grizzley? (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/guns/317332-454-casull-big-enough-stop-grizzley.html)

454 Casull, big enough to stop a grizzley?

What do you all think? Would a 454 Casull stop a grizzley at short range? I don't yet own a handgun and if I do get one, I want something that has multiple purposes; home protection, whitetail hunting and something to give me a little piece of mind when I go fly-fishing in bear country again. I'd be interested if anyone had new of an article on the net or (god-forbid)had first or second hand knowledge of a large caliber handgun killing a grizzley. I've always been kinda skeptical of ANY handgun round having the knockdown power to take down one of these beasts but after looking at some of the energy produced by the Casull, I'm not so sure.

My opinion on this is no handgun is suitable for bear defense. Sure you can hunt and kill big bears with a nice broadside shot, but being able to place a nice well aimed shot through the massive, thick chest of a bear that is charging you is totally different. And if the bear isn't charging you, then you have no right to shoot it as far I am concerned. I would be carry some of the bear pepper spray myself, and try to do everything else smartly. People who leave their food out and stuff like that, that is just retarded. The chances of a bear attacking you unprovoked are so slim. If you were dead set on a gun, I would be packing a short barreled 12 guage loaded with some big slugs.

A handgun is better than no gun in bear country.Pepper spray seems to work well but I'd feel a lot better with a potent rifle along.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bernie P. (Post 3576748)

A handgun is better than no gun in bear country.Pepper spray seems to work well but I'd feel a lot better with a potent rifle along.

+1, and reasonably sized handgun is better than your fingernails but they are all far less than ideal and there will be an element of luck involved in actually stopping a bear. My elk hunting partner, who has hunted in thick grizzly country for years and had his share of encounters, told me to bring the largest handgun I owned but not bother buying anything new just to have "a bear gun". He said if a bear is committed to getting you, no handgun is going to stop it short of a lucky shot. All you can hope is to make yourself seem un-tasty enough to break it off and give you time to get a REAL gun turned on him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridge Runner (Post 3576717)

As far as home protection, there are much better choices than the 454, those big bullets penetrate alot, wouldn't be good to be defending your home but shoot someone else either in another room of your house or ouside.
Think about a lighter cartridge firing a highly fragmentile bullet. 40 S&W, 357 SIG etc.
RR

Yeah, I don't think I would use a .454 round for home protection, the gun I was looking at (the Taurus Raging Bull) also fires a .45 Longcolt as well.

If I do buy one, it would be a whitetail hunting weapon first and home protection/bear protection weapon second.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridge Runner (Post 3576717)

sure it will, if you can do your part.
Can you calmly stand there with a gizzley bearing down on you and precisely place the bullets to break him down before he gets to you?

Alot of handguns will kill a grizz, its what he does between the firing of the killing shot and when he decides he's dead.

A friend was describing his Brown bear hunt in Ak, where he took a beautiful honest to god 10.5 ft bear. the bear appeared at 50 yards, he put the first bullet into the chest from a 338 win mag, the bear charged immediately, roaring popping its teeth he fired again and again. His face went ghost white just reliving the moment his voice trailed off, in a bit he said " A 338 win. Mag. ain't nearly big enough, thank god the guide had a 375 H&H".

RR

I can't believe a 338 win mag couldn't take down a grizzley and a 375 H&H could. They have similar energy profiles and the .375 H&H isn't that much larger in diameter than the .338 win mag. Do you know what kind of bullets they were using?

Alot of guides pack a short barreled 12 gauge. Damn fine with bird shot for home defense too- a .454, or even 44 mag could keep going through target and walls to someone you dont want to hit. Even an adrenalin charged white tail can go a long way with a heart shot.

I think a 454 casull would probably stop a bus... :D

The issue with pepper spray - any pepper spray - is that you best not have to spray it into the wind. So that kinda gives you a 50/50 chance at it doing anything at all for you.

I vote for the 12 gauge and slugs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle matt (Post 3576955)

That's kinda how I feel about pepper spray as well. If you think about it, you are more likely to accidentally sneak up on Grizzly if you are down wind (i.e. wind in your face) of one anyway so the pepper spray wouldn't be very effective.

I totally agree that the most effective, short range weapon for a Grizzly is probably a shotgun slug but how likely is someone going to carry a shotgun to a trout stream or hiking through the mountains. I would think a 454 Casull pushing a 325 grain Swift A-Frame bullet at 1800 ft/second would make all but the most persistant Griz think twice about making me his or her meal. Just a thought......

Heck, you can kill them with a .22 with proper shot placement but I wouldn't be the one who tried it. The thing I've found with pepper spray is you have to get TOOOOO close to whatever you shoot it at and, as said earlier, pay attention to the wind! Try a .460 Smith & Wesson. It'll shoot .454s and with the .460 S&W 200 gr Hornady it's point of aim at 200 Yds, so you can use it for deer too, ........ or cars or semis .......