+P pressure

[dick1van]

I have a 4 inch XD 45 ACP.
What do you know about Buffalo Bore's +P 230 gr. FMJFN?
Can the XD stand the pressure?
How much of a drop in velocity will I get from the specs of 950 fps, which I assume is from a 5 inch barrel?

My application is defense against black bear in Arizona. I am a hiker not a hunter.
I know this may not be the best caliber for bear but it is the biggest I’ve got.
Is there a better 45 ACP bullet to use?

By the way if a bear is charging where do aim?


Thanks,
Dick

[bennwj]

Originally Posted by dick1van

I have a 4 inch XD 45 ACP.
What do you know about Buffalo Bore's +P 230 gr. FMJFN?
Can the XD stand the pressure?
How much of a drop in velocity will I get from the specs of 950 fps, which I assume is from a 5 inch barrel?

My application is defense against black bear in Arizona. I am a hiker not a hunter.
I know this may not be the best caliber for bear but it is the biggest I’ve got.
Is there a better 45 ACP bullet to use?

By the way if a bear is charging where do aim?


Thanks,
Dick

Aim for the head. His first and if that does not stop him shoot yourself. It will hurt less than the bear mauling you.

In .45 FMJ should give you the penetration you need to discourage the bear from making you his lunch.

If you can afford to and the threat is serious enough get a .44 MAG or .45 Colt and load it with HARD Lead Wadcutters. That will do the trick.

[sourpatch45]

yes the xd can take the pressure. check out doubletap ammo. they load there stuff hotter then most ammo manufactures. it may not be perfect for bear but its better then nothing thats for sure. also check out getting some bear spray, that stuff is supposed to be pretty effective. i would allways try the spray first and then shoot. the benifit of the spray over a gun is that it will make it so he cant smell of see you, where as a bullet will need to either kill him or change his mind about eating yoiu

oh here is the double tap ammo page
osCommerce

[spamlovr]

I would recommend a big can of pepper spray. Carry the largest can you can deal with that shoots the spray out in other than a stream. If you make a cloud of "pepper" the animal has to go through to get you, then it will be easier to use than to try to aim a stream of spray under high stress or while running.

After the animal has (hopefully) been well handled by the pepper spray, the sound of the gun firing would probably be enough to really scare the animal. If it was me, situation depending, I'd spray the hell out of the bear, shoot the gun two or three times to drive the point home in the animal's mind, and then get the f*ck outta there. If the pepper spray does it's job, I won't have to shoot the bear, and we both go home that night no worse for the wear.

Also, keep an eye out for more than one bear. They are normally solitary, I've never seen more than a sow and a cub or two together, but you never know.

Just my opinion, worth less than you paid for it. If you have the pepper spray, and you still get attacked, they can have a nice spicy meal.

[sbc3530]

Bears? Funny you should mention bears. Here is a link to an article in today's newspaper about an encounter with a bear that happened in Oregon.

Man survives struggle with black bear in Oregon

[XDragon]

Not familiar w/Bore but for self defense either the Speer Gold Dot or Winchester Ranger T, RA45T, 230 grain. They also have a Ranger T 230 gr+p, RA45TP.
Both brands are top notch. The Gold Dots may be a little easier to obtain.
Some LEO's use both of these brands.
Others here have their favorites but ballistic tests show these should at least be considered by everyone for self defense.

[countryrebel]

Do not use round nosed fmj, most times they will not penetrate the skull unless shot at 90 degree's to it. You are right to use flat points as long as they will feed in your gun. I would not feel under-armed with a mag full of good hp's either. Hornady xtp's might even be better yet. Not sure what the velocity loss would be but it is not going to be significant. If you hike with a partner make sure they are armed as well. You can never be to careful.

PS, I would fight to the death before I shot myself.

[chrisxd45t]

I may be wrong, but I wanna say I've heard that you lose about 25ft/sec per inch.

[jon45xdtac]

Originally Posted by sbc3530

Bears? Funny you should mention bears. Here is a link to an article in today's newspaper about an encounter with a bear that happened in Oregon.

Man survives struggle with black bear in Oregon

I havn't had the opportunity to hunt bear yet, but if I do I don't think it would hurt to carry a backup weapon in case of a weapon failure like in this news article. I've heard that the front part of a bears skill, his forehead, is extremely thick. I've heard of bullets not penetrating through a bear's skull... at least on the front side.

I would second the comment on a 45 colt load or 44 magnum. Then of course there is the big S&W 500.

[dick1van]

Thanks, guys.

The Double Tap flat nose ammo looks slightly faster than the Buffalo Bore.
I have heard that jacketed soft points might work better on the bear's head???

I think my backup gun will be cannon in my wife's right hand.

Has any one used pepper spray on a bear, human or other animal?

Given a charging bear, I would like to hear more about where to place the “shots”. How about aiming at the nose (if I could hit it) or the mouth. The adrenalin will be pumping and hard to control the accuracy.

Thanks,
Dick