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Going hiking soon and thinking about bringing my .45 xdm compact. I know it is not the best for the job but sadly it is all I have. What rounds would you all recommend that will be compatable with the weapon.
Bear rounds in .45 ACP
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11,700 Posts
230gr ball. and a shotgun with 3" 000 buck. or combination buck / slugs (a la PDX-1). aim for the face, use the shotgun first.
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Hilarious.
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12,197 Posts
Far from my first choice but if the 45acp is all ya got, then a 200-230gr+P lead solid with large flat point would be my choice.
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^agreed^ though admittedly, if I were visiting Bear Country, I would borrow a .44 Mag or .454 Casull...if a .45 is the only option, make sure ya have plenty of ammo and that the gun is easily accessible at a moments notice...
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4,323 Posts
A 375 H&H as a primary lol.
This would be my choice, make sure your gun will properly feed it:
45 ACP +P 255 Grain Hard Cast Flat Nose Box of 20
This would be my choice, make sure your gun will properly feed it:
45 ACP +P 255 Grain Hard Cast Flat Nose Box of 20
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12,197 Posts
I have prop tools for just bout every job. A 3-4" 44ag is preferred forva ber country jamboree. Currently working on a 10mm load that will be up to the task; 220gr fp @ 1100fps. If one handloads the 45acp, a 255gr LFP @ 900fps is no slouch.
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A whole lot of them what ever you choose.
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Yup yup.
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I suppose this would depend on just what kind of bears you might encounter. For black bear which seldom weight over 350lbs Fred's solution with a heavy bullet would be better than a sharp stick if deployed accurately. With bears capsicum compounds are sometimes effective and you might look into "bear spray".
With a Grizz things get serious and I doubt if a 45ACP would do the job quickly enough. He might wander off and die eventually, but you yourself would in the meantime have a brief but violent existence. Only a brain shot would be adequate for a relatively quick stop. Again, bear spray has been relatively effective on some large bears, and if approached, there is some survivor evidence to indicate that playing dead also works if you are not actually being chewed on at the time. Once an attack begins, playing dead seems to go from playing to really dead in a short period of time.
Don't stop to admire some cute cubs you may see. Retreat in the direction you came from and hope the mother is otherwise occupied. If she thinks you are a threat to her cubs excitement will ensue.
It is a myth that bears have poor eyesight. Recent evidence suggests they see about as well as we do. They are extremely alert and have a sense of smell several times greater than a bloodhound, coupled with hearing that a dog would envy. Aside from a sow with cubs, young "bachelor" male Grizzlies who are out seeking a female, are the greatest threat. They will actually stalk you and charge from cover if you enter what they consider to be their territory. They will stay in an area where they may have a carcass too, so if you trip over a dead dear or something it is time to leave.
With a Grizz things get serious and I doubt if a 45ACP would do the job quickly enough. He might wander off and die eventually, but you yourself would in the meantime have a brief but violent existence. Only a brain shot would be adequate for a relatively quick stop. Again, bear spray has been relatively effective on some large bears, and if approached, there is some survivor evidence to indicate that playing dead also works if you are not actually being chewed on at the time. Once an attack begins, playing dead seems to go from playing to really dead in a short period of time.
Don't stop to admire some cute cubs you may see. Retreat in the direction you came from and hope the mother is otherwise occupied. If she thinks you are a threat to her cubs excitement will ensue.
It is a myth that bears have poor eyesight. Recent evidence suggests they see about as well as we do. They are extremely alert and have a sense of smell several times greater than a bloodhound, coupled with hearing that a dog would envy. Aside from a sow with cubs, young "bachelor" male Grizzlies who are out seeking a female, are the greatest threat. They will actually stalk you and charge from cover if you enter what they consider to be their territory. They will stay in an area where they may have a carcass too, so if you trip over a dead dear or something it is time to leave.
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Great advice, JSG!
Being from north Georgia, the only bear risk we face is from an occasional black bear. We were hiking on a small leg of the AT and encountered a medium sized black bear. It ran away from us as fast as possible.
If I lived in grizzly/brown territory, I would definitely reassess my current hiking/woods gun. At the moment, it is usually a Glock 19 with 147gr FMJ or a Glock 30s with 230 gr FMJ.
I'm thinking about a Glock 20 soon. Not that I really need it, but I'm mainly using it as an excuse to buy it :mrgreen: The wife hates spiders, and I told her the 10mm is the best spider gun on the market :lol:
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Yeah, you'll be further handicapped by the 3.8" barrel. They probably wouldn't be fun to shoot from the compact, but I have older Ramshot data where they made warm .45 ACP loads using Enforcer which is their magnum handgun propellant. The Max. load with the 230 gr. SIERRA JHP chrono'd 1060 FPS with an SD of 9 @ 19,393 PSI from a 5" barrel, where I'd use the 230 gr. XTP instead. I also have some .452" 240 XTP-Mags intended for high pressure Colt or .454 Casull loads that would be more than tough enough. Been thinkin' about them for Hogs just to use them but the new guy at Ramshot suggested using Silhouette that just won't give as much velocity. Black Bear only! If I were in Griz country, a Marlin lever-action guide gun in .450, or warm .45-70 would be minimum. 
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Hardcast semi wad cutters in 45 Super if you want to go with just what's in the box. Your gun can take it. But part of the reason I decided on an XD was the fact that they make drop in 460 Rowland kit for it.
There's not too much walking that will shrug off 13 rounds of near 44 mag hard cast.
There's not too much walking that will shrug off 13 rounds of near 44 mag hard cast.
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I carried my XDm loaded with .45 Super Buffalo Bore loads when I went to Alaska last year. In order to make the gun fire reliably, it will, at bare minimum, require the mag, striker and recoil springs to be upgraded. Otherwise, you will likely experience failures after every shot fired successfully. Here is my full review and experience with the .45 Super in my XDm 4.5" .45acp.
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