45acp for black bear protection
 

Do you think a 45 with 230gr FMJ would stop a 250-350 pound black bear?

That would depend on where you hit it. If I was carrying for defense from a bear, I would want a .44 mag or hot .45 colt. Any bullet under optimum conditions placed in the right spot will kill a bear. When carrying for self defense against a bear, you want a round that doesn't have to be placed exactly to stop the charge.

I know the bigger cal are definitely a no brainer but all I have in the pistol department is the S&W M&P 40 and a sig GSR 1911... I'll be carrying the 45 with the FMJ...

would kill it if hit right, but if it were in an attack situation would not be very good, shot a coon last week with the 230 hardball, took 3 shots all of them through the chest cavity, I would use some form of +p hollowpoint.
RR

Well with one shot no. When you put the whole magazine into it yes. I prefer my 10 mm over my 45 for hiking. I also don't really worry about bears.

Would I stake my life on it? No. And certainly not with FMJ ammo.

It's better than nothing, but there are far better choices to be made.

Sure beats a rock or a fist if that's all you have, but I wouldn't invest in a new pistol with that in mind. For 'middleweight' bears, I'd likely look at a middle charge 44mag or a hopped up 45colt load.

Just a question: Why would you be so concerned about needing to protect yourself from a black bear? I've spent a lot of time in black bear country and have never had one act in the lest bit aggressive towards me. Every one I've seen has wanted to put as much ground between me and it as quickly as possible. Taking simple precautions pretty much negates the possibility of having any sort of bear issue in the first place.

The biggest question in my book when someone asks about a handgun for bear protections is just how good are you with a handgun in a high stress situation? Most people simply don't shoot enough in those types of conditions to reliably use a handgun. A 12 ga pump with a the plug removed and a short barrel loaded with 00 Buck makes more sense to me.

Now to the question: Will a 45 ACp kill a bear? Yep. Is it a good choice? In my humble opinion, NO, especially with the ammo you're listing. If you need to stop an angry bear you need to do as much damage as possible and that means expanding ammo. If I wanted a handgun for bear defense I'd use a .44 Mag and I'd learn how to shoot it well.

black bears are becoming more and more of a problem, 10 years ago you never saw one around here and now they are in peoples back yards. I always thought black bears werent dangerous for the most part unless you got between a mother and cub but i was reading an article the other day that reported most attacks were sole males, and they were in a predatory mode, not a startle situation.

i would change ammo but i think the 45 would ok, definitely better than nothing. I went to a 10mm shooting hot loads a couple of years ago as my woods gun.

I see the little ditty about turkey hunting. Wait until you call in a bear with a turkey call! Anyway, for a last ditch, why not? You did not say where you wanted to carry the .45. If you are just hiking, I would not bother. Many years ago I and a buddy camped outside of Yellowstone. There had been a few people attacked by grizzlies around that time, most in sleeping bags. I kept the trusty .45 auto in my hand at night. Worse case you empty it in their ear and it will stop them. I never carried it when fishing during the day. I will have to concede that around here the black bears are less afraid than they used to be. I blame it on out of staters feeding them at their summer houses. I would be more worried about the weirdos you meet out on the trails than the bears. I have a carry permit, but almost never carry. I have been around a while. Carrying a gun will get you into more trouble than it will get you out of. Just be more careful with food and garbage.

*How is having a black bear in your backyard a problem? We have lived with them for years. In hot years they cross town to get to the river. Not unusual to have one chased out of a swimming pool in real hot years. As more and more "City people" move in here, I see a problem, but it is not the bears.

having one in your backyard isnt a problem per se, unless its on its way to eat you

my point was 10 years ago here in my area black bears werent a concern b/c we didnt have any

Really? How will carrying a gun get you into more trouble than it will get you out of?? Only if you are a criminal would that be true. Almost sound like an anti gun person!

C-Rad,
I have killed 5 black bears with my bow and have hunted Elk and Deer where were lots of Black bears. Like you I never had any fear of them. Well last year I formed a differnt opinion. While walking through a large patch of scrub oak on my way to my stand I must have somehow got between a sow and her cub. It was dark and I was walking with a small head lamp for light. She charged me and stoped 10 yards away poping her teeth and was making very loud huffing sounds. Let me tell you I now have a whole new opinion and this year I am carrying a side arm while bowhunting in bear country.

Having a firearm is always better than not having a firearm. That said, having a firearm doesn't give you license to do things that defy common sense - or guarantee that you'd be able to handle the consequences of a situation you'd have been better off avoiding.

So, yes - carrying a firearm CAN get you into more trouble than it can get you out of if you invite or are too unaware of or detached from your surroundings to avoid a confrontation.

Most of the time, my threat is a cat. I'm perfectly happy with a .45. If I'm in black bear country, I'm probably going to carry a .44. In any case, I'm going to be paying pretty close attention to things in order that I not find the need to draw and fire.

Well stated, Homers Brother. I am not anti gun, however I am against belligerent people owning guns. You shoot a black bear in the state of Pennsylvania and there better be claw marks on you. Just this last deer season a girl hunting deer was attacked by a bear in PA. One can never get an accurate story from a newspaper, but allegedly she was attacked. Two of her family followed it and shot it. Last report I heard, the shooters were in trouble.

Think you had a run in with a boar, never in 35 years of bear hunting have I witnessed a sow popping jaws and blowing, even when there was a tranquilized cub on the ground and a sow in the brush.
an adult male bear with no fear of humans is a bad situation.
RR

General stats show that 99 out of 100 blackies will run from a person. Problem is you may be the unlucky one that meets that 1 out of 100 the very first time you see one. Like most have said the 45 acp would not be my first choice to defend myself against a charging black bear. FBI has proven that a person within 21' and average can be on you before you can draw a holstered sidearm and fire. And a bear is a lot faster than a human.

I carry a good Bear mace.

If that's what yer proficient using go for it. PA ain't the bear attack capital of America.