The .45 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) cartridge is one of the most popular self-defense cartridges.
But is it a wise choice when entering bear country? Should you carry a 45 ACP – or should you consider something else? Let’s find out.
Can a 45 ACP Kill a Bear?
Yes, a 45 ACP can kill a bear, but it has some significant flaws. First, it lacks the recommended striking energy to stop bears instantly. Second, it doesn’t have many hard cast bullet options, so it will rarely penetrate deep enough to stop a charging bear.
Why 45 ACP Is Not the Best Choice to Stop a Bear
Many cartridges are better for bear defense than 45 Auto. If you can be convinced to carry a revolver, then a beastlier cartridge like the 44 Magnum, 454 Casull, or 500 S&W Magnum would serve you much better. And even if you are limiting yourself to a semi-automatic, you’d do well to choose the 50 AE or 10mm (the latter of which is issued by the Danish military for defense against polar bears).
Why It Is Far From Ideal
The 45 ACP isn’t your worst choice for bear defense by any means. You’re probably already thinking it by now, and the answer is yes: Any 45 ACP cartridge can quickly turn any black bear into an extremely dead thing. But it’s still considered underpowered for actually “hunting” black bear. General consensus holds that a minimum of 1,000 ft-lbs striking energy is ideal for harvesting the species. Even an overpressure 45 ACP cartridge strikes with less than half that much energy at close range.
The minimum recommended striking energy for taking a grizzly is much higher: 2,000 to 3,000 ft-lbs, depending on whom you ask. Factor in the 45 ACP’s relatively wide bullet, which exhibits characteristically poor penetration on thick-skinned and densely muscled animals, and you’re just not talking about a great bear slayer.
Why It’s “Bearly” Possible
None of that means the 45 ACP can’t get the job done. Recall Bella Twin’s famous feat: a record-setting grizzly toppled with naught but a .22 cal rimfire bullet to the eye. This underscores the most important thing you can say about shot placement. It counts for nearly everything. And if you’re already accustomed to carrying and firing your 45 ACP handgun, then you might reason it’s your surest solution for bear defense, even if it’s widely considered to be underpowered for the job.
Shot placement’s not the be-all and end-all when it comes to bear defense, though. You also want to choose the best ammo for the job – and that ammo won’t look like your conventional self-defense fare. It will be loaded with bullets that do not expand.
Expanding bullets are inclined to anchor themselves within the quarry before they can strike a vital organ. However, a bullet exclusively designed for penetration is less likely to exhibit such shortcomings. In other words, you want 45 ACP ammo that invests virtually all of its energy into inflicting the longest wound column possible.
Best 45 ACP for Bears: If You Still Want to Stick With It
For the best 45 ACP for bears, I stuck to trusted brands: companies I know to load consistently reliable ammunition. I limited my selections to overpressure ammunition (loaded to generate a maximum chamber pressure of 23,000 psi as opposed to the standard 21,000, and therefore transfer relatively more kinetic energy to its target). I almost exclusively tested ammo loaded with hard cast bullets, which are extremely rigid and consequently able to forgo deformation in the interest of inflicting the deepest wound possible.
Good manufacturer. Overpressure. Non-expanding bullet. That didn’t leave me with very many choices. I subjected the few remaining candidates to a rather unscientific test protocol, which involved firing them into stacks of old phone books that I had previously soaked with a garden hose from a distance of 10 feet.
I understood that any one of these rounds should penetrate bare ballistic gelatin to a depth of around 50 inches. They entered much shallower into my damp yellow pages, albeit still deeply enough to reach where I assume a grizzly bear’s ticker to be located. It wasn’t FBI-level ballistic testing, but it satisfied my curiosity all the same.
| Ranking | Cartridge |
|---|---|
| Best Overall | Federal Solid Core +P 240 Grain Syntech Jacket FN |
| Runner-Up | Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman +P 255 Grain Hard Cast FN |
| Honorable Mention | Underwood +P 255 Grain Hard Cast FN |
Continue reading Is the .45 ACP Enough to Stop a Bear? at Ammo.com
I personally if I had a choice would always use hard cast in bear country. But if your on a trip that lands you unexpectedly in bear country any thing is better than nothing. One thing about it . The Automatic could deliver multiple shots quickly in one general area.