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Is .45 enough for black bear?

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I don't hunt elk, buffalo or moose. If I was dumb enough to put myself in a position where a 500 lb. bear was charging me I likely would get what I deserved.

My coworkers grandfather used to hunt moose with a 30/30 in NB - because that's all he had to hunt with. And he shot enough to keep his 8 kids fed year after year. Conversely, I hunted (once only) with an idiot that used 338 Winchester Magnum to kill a white-tail buck. Sure, he killed it, but there wasn't enough left to make a single steak.

Think about how much large game was shot (including polar bears) with NWC/HBC trade muskets over 300 years across the boreal forest, the Canadian Praries and the Arctic? Killing large game for people at that time was not for recreation.

The original question was if .45 was big enough got bear. Based on my opinion is that if you are close enough and can pick your shot, it will work. Your opinion is not the same - the poster that asked the question can decide what works for them based on their local hunting regs

Firearms are not unlike one's manhood - its not what you have, but how you use it that gets the job done.
 
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I understand this may not be relevant to this conversation, but in Ned Roberts book The Muzzleloading Caplock Rifle, he relates bear hunting and shooting with his uncle Alvaro. Uncle used a .45 Double rifle by Billinghurst, and Ned used a .44 Double rifle made by a Wm. Read. Both killed large bears at close range, in a berry patch. Uncles rifle was shooting a 350gr flat point "picket" bullet with 80-90 grains of bp. Ned used a 275 gr same bullet 75gr of bp. Neither used round ball. Will the .45 kill a bear? sure, with proper bullet and placement.
But Ned does go on to say that the next
year he used a Winchester 73 in 44-40, but had poor results, he wounded 4 or 5 bears, only killing one. His judgment was that the 44-40 was too light and underpowered. Uncle Alvaro continued to use his double rifle, and made many one shot kills.
I will be deer hunting this year in Vermont where there is a good chance of seeing a large, corn stealing black bear. Last year he destroyed a lot of sweet corn at my daughters farm. I only hunt with muzzle loaders now, so I will probably use the .54 Renegade. It shoots patched round balls great, but I will try some maxi-ball type bullets if I can find any. Any suggestions?
 

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Beaver........I'm not from the school of using the minimum that will get the job done. What you never hear about are the failures from using the minimum.

Humane kills are always my goal. Proper placement is a given and doesn't need to be mentioned.
 
I have only gone bear hunting once, and unfortunately didn't see a bear that I was willing to pull the trigger on. I was hunting in VA, where it is not legal to hunt over bait, so we were hunting bear like we hunt deer--in tree stands near watering holes and other areas where they are commonly seen on this particular property. We saw smaller bears, but nothing worth shooting.

On the subject of caliber... we were all carrying crossbows for this hunt. Our shooting comfort with those tools ranged from 25-50y max, but I suspect that none in our group would pull the trigger beyond about 30yards.

My point is that if you calibrate your caliber and skill with the distance you plan to shoot, then I think .45 would work just fine. I would say that it's minimal (I certainly wouldn't go with smaller), and I would personally carry a larger caliber if I owned one. But if all I owned was a .45, then I would hone my skills as best as I could, and take shots accordingly.
 
If all I owned was a .45. That would be my problem. I'd sell it and buy a proper caliber. We can't hunt any big game in Colorado with a .45.
 
I hunt black bears but usually with bow (incidental during deer season) or modern rifle - 7.08 (incidental during moose).

Would I use a 45 - without a second thought since I use a 38 (roundball) for deer if I still have a tag come the black powder season (and have taken down 3 without losing one due to non-lethal shot).

BUT - I hunt because I love to hunt. My season won't be wrecked if I don't shoot something. That makes me patient. Black Bears, at least here in Eastern Ontario are not "monsters". A 200 to 250 pound bear is "typical" - no larger than a good buck (which I have taken with a 38).

I wouldn't shoot further than 50 yards. It would have to be a broadside shot with the front leg (on the shooting side) extended forward to allow (access) to all the vitals without a huge bone in the way. It would have to be a boiler room shot. And if any of my (conditions) were not perfect, the trigger wouldn't get pulled.

If you "have to kill a bear" then a 45 might be a touch light. If you are hunting bear and are willing to wait for the perfect shot, then it will be just as dead if shot with a 45 roundball as a 50 cal shooting a Great Plains or a 54 fast twist shooting a Sabot.
 
MtnMan said:
Beaver........I'm not from the school of using the minimum that will get the job done. What you never hear about are the failures from using the minimum.

Humane kills are always my goal. Proper placement is a given and doesn't need to be mentioned.
Click to expand...

It goes without saying that you can't make the shot, don't take it.
 
There is not a doubt in my mind that a 45 cal will kill a bear. The only advantage of the larger calibers is they put a bigger hole in the bear allowing for a better blood trail. My brother-in-law hunted a place where they only allowed 12ga or bigger shotguns with slugs or round balls, because of the size of the hole it put in the bear going in and coming out. Depending on the time of year you hunt them the fat can plug one of the holes. I have seen it happen on deer. So the bigger the hole the better the blood trail. DANNY
 
I use PRB for ML deer hunting with my .50 cal. If bear hunting, I'd probably up the powder charge and use a heavier conical. I'm sure a .45 would do the job if you did your part though. Just not as much of a margin for error.
 
rusticbob said:
I understand this may not be relevant to this conversation, but in Ned Roberts book The Muzzleloading Caplock Rifle, he relates bear hunting and shooting with his uncle Alvaro. Uncle used a .45 Double rifle by Billinghurst, and Ned used a .44 Double rifle made by a Wm. Read. Both killed large bears at close range, in a berry patch. Uncles rifle was shooting a 350gr flat point "picket" bullet with 80-90 grains of bp. Ned used a 275 gr same bullet 75gr of bp. Neither used round ball. Will the .45 kill a bear? sure, with proper bullet and placement.
But Ned does go on to say that the next
year he used a Winchester 73 in 44-40, but had poor results, he wounded 4 or 5 bears, only killing one. His judgment was that the 44-40 was too light and underpowered. Uncle Alvaro continued to use his double rifle, and made many one shot kills.
I will be deer hunting this year in Vermont where there is a good chance of seeing a large, corn stealing black bear. Last year he destroyed a lot of sweet corn at my daughters farm. I only hunt with muzzle loaders now, so I will probably use the .54 Renegade. It shoots patched round balls great, but I will try some maxi-ball type bullets if I can find any. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Track of the Wolf carries .54 maximally, or did when I was there several years ago.
They are cast and need to be greased/waxed. Sold 25/bag.
 

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