could you kill a bear with a .45 ACP pistol?

Question

i mean like if you were walking threw the woods and you saw a bear and it decided to have you for lunch.

Answer 1

Here we go again!

Can you Kill a Bear with?... Blah, blah, blah

You can kill a bear (regardless of species) with a pebble or a knife or a stick.

What you are asking, I think, is if you can stop a bear attack with a .45 ACP.

Yes!
In all likely hood you will not be attacked by predatory bear.

Most encounters you will have will be with an overly inquisitive bear, or a startled bear you stumbled upon!

Even large Browns, Grizzlies, Polars will unlikely stalk you to your demise.

If one were to come too close to you, or be aggressive; a shot fired into the ground will likely confuse and frighten the bear into thinking of other things then food.

If a bear (of any species) is HELL BENT on killing you for whatever reason, NO handgun is likely to help you.

If you are hunting bear the .45ACP is inhumane and under-powered and probably not legal.

However carrying a .45 in bear country is probably a good choice anyway,
it will sure help you fend off the Two-Legged-Psycho-sexual-ex-con-lunatic-werehumans.

Which are far more likely to see you as prey than any bear.

Answer 2

Could you kill a bear with a .45 acp pistol that was determined to have you for lunch? Sure, if it was a small Black bear but probably not before you got mauled. A Grizzly??? Sure, it would go off and die somewhere, maybe, after having you for lunch and using the .45 for a toothpick.

Seriously dude, a .45 acp is man stopper, not a hunting weapon. It does not generate enough velocity nor foot pounds of energy to do anything else. It is not good against barriers, it is not good against cars (which is why DPS switched to the .357 Sig) it was just designed to drop men, period. It uses early Twentieth Century technology from when handguns were not terribly efficient because bullets were not well enough developed to reliably expand. The only way you could assure a decent wound channel was to start out with a big, fat bullet. Man is not especially tough. He knows he's been shot and he freaks out. A bear has no idea what is going on so the pain simply infuriates him so he becomes even more determined to accomplish his end, namely having you for lunch. A bear is all tough muscle, bone and tissue for that slow moving, heavy bullet to plow through which is why the .45 acp is not a good defensive weapon against bear except as a last resort, weapon of opportunity.

If you are going to place yourself in a situation where you might encounter a hungry bear, then arm yourself accordingly. A .45 acp is great in the 'hood, but in the great outdoors you're better off with a .30-06 or at least a .357 Mag, .10mm or .44 Magnum.

Now I've heard of documented cases of a .45 Long Colt being used as a weapon of opportunity against a Grizzly in the late Eighteen Hundreds. The cowboy empties his six-shooter on the maurading bear and managed to kill it before it mauled him and his horse. But the .45 Long Colt is way more powerful than the .45 acp.

Best.

H

Answer 3

Yes, but please read on. It may save your life.
Depending on the state that you live in, you better have your face scraped off if you plan to kill a bear because it's a federal offense if you can't prove you were attacked. Try shooting at the ground in front of it to scare it off. This will work (several rounds may be needed) because it will confuse the bear with the first shot then a second shot while the bear is stopped will put it on the defense because then you are the aggressor.
Unless you are between the mother bear and her cubs, then you should pray, do the same above but quicker, slowly move out of the way of her and her cubs, and prepare yourself to be attacked. This will help you keep calm if your head ends up in her mouth.
If your out hunting and enjoy a good thrill a .45 will do the job, but you will probably only get one shot before a charge or it runs away.

Answer 4

I've been w/guys who have killed a black bear w/a .22 pistol at close range. The bear had a broken leg, so it can be done. Now is it the weapon of choice? Absolutely NOT!!!!!

The .45 is a good gun to carry when hiking or backpacking. It has the power needed in dangerous situations. But it is not a caliber of choice when hunting.

Get yourself either buffalo bore ammo or extreme shock ammo to carry in it.

I carry a Glock .357 Sig w/13 round mags loaded w/buffalo bore ammo. So I'm pretty safe out there in the wild.


P.S. All of this is based on the assumption that you are talking about Black Bears... Everything changes when talking about Brown/Grizzly/Polar bears.

Answer 5

It is possible..after all anything is possible.If this was a last resort situation where you are about to be munch-a-bunched, personally, I would do everything I could to try and stop the Bear..
On the other hand if I have other options that will let me go on living and intact from the experience, I wouldn't attempt it with a .45 ACP. If you have the shooting skills tp place a few well aimed shots, and you aren't "pooping" in your pants
the odds are in your favor. It just wouldn't be in my own personal top ten list of situations I preferred to be in .....

Answer 6

Of course, it isn't the best weapon, but if that's all you've got. A bear is big and tough so you should make your first shot count. By the way, it isn't a federal crime to kill a bear. Many states have black bear hunting seasons and even the grizzly is only listed as threatened and not endangered. Besides--would you rather be judge by 12 or carried by 6.

Answer 7

Sure it could kill a bear. But the bear would have to be very close to you and you better hit it in the head and more than once. Preferably the eyes or the base of the ears.

Answer 8

yes it can definitely kill a bear if the shot is well placed.
A poorly placed shot can result in the bear becoming enraged too, take your time if you have the time. Otherwise, you may have to go hand to hand, when it grabs you stick it up to his skull, or under an arm pointed at the heart, and pull the trigger several times. Your gonna get hurt but you should live to tell the tale.

Answer 9

Anything is possible but always save the last round for yourself. No handgun is good for bear; a handgun is a defensive weapon that is better than saying "Boo" if you have nothing better at hand. One of those loud compressed aircan boat horns seems to make the bear take off as they don't like the noise.

Answer 10

Well, I lived in Oregon for many years and have killed a Bear while Bow Hunting, so a .45 could defiantly do the trick.