.45 ACP or .40S&W????????

by **ekimox** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:22 pm

Can a .45 ACP or .40 be an effective pistol against four legged predators with the right ammo? I live in black bear and cougar country and Im looking to buy a pistol that is somewhat economical to shoot at the range but when loaded with hot ammo, something I can feel safe with in the woods.

Thank you all for your help.

by **GTS197** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 3:29 am

I would feel better with the .45, if those are my only choices. If I anticipated coming across any bears, I would be toting a rifle.

by **bigdon** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 4:20 am

For four legged swamp creatures a .44 mag or .454 will do the trick. Using magsafe .45 on humans is from what I have read is great, but wild critters requires ususally wither a rifle or larger bullets . A cheap alternative is the 7.62X54R will defeat any animal in the western hemisphere for rifle carry, and not to worry about dropping it and getting messy.

by **rfd339** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:23 am

44 mag or 454 .

by **bigdon** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:35 pm

rfd339, most handgun loads are really unsuitable for big game except .454 casull, .357 with a long barrel, the new .50cal S&W, and of course .44mag. Larger animals have tougher hides than man, and it is good to have a load that will penertrait thick skins of bear, and gatos,etc.

by **g4l** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 2:38 pm

10mm for the woods, 40 or 45 around town, buy one of each!

by **Casino_Manager** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:30 am

At one time I would have said .40S&W. Especially when the US Armed forces went away from the reliable .45ACP to the underpowered 9mm. However, now that every company is making clones to the classic .45ACP and the military is going back to the stopping power of the .45ACP I would strong support the .45ACP. This guns popularity will be around for years to come.

by **beltbuckle** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:21 pm

Either one is great. The 40 is becoming quite popular with law enforcement and proving to be an excellent 1 shot stopper. The 45 has been popular since before my time and wont be going anywher soon. It also has an excellent rating for 1 shot stops. The 45 is a bit more expensive to shoot but not enough to sway a decision.

But if your planning on carrying it in the woods I would urge you to consider a revolver in a 41 mag, 44 mag, 454 cassull, 460, or 500mag. The 454 and the 460 both will shoot 45 long colts to help make target shooting more affordable. You can figure on spending about $20 for 50 rounds of 41,44 and $30 for 50 of the 454 and 500 for target rounds.

by **Vagabond** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:15 am

Im chiming in favor of the .44 or larger hand guns. Lets face it if they (potentially dangerous predators), are in camp, its probably going to be dark o-clock.

In that situation Id opt for a 12 guage pump with 00 buckshot. Might not be as braggable, but it will sure save your @$$.

by **agonist** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:20 pm

In a handgun its gotta be a magnum load. If you were carrying a .45 the only way to achieve adequate penetration on any med. to large animal is with FMJs and they will most likely not do enough damage to be a quick stopper. The .357 MIGHT be enough for a mountain lion but bears are too thick skinned and heavy boned, .44 mag, .454, .500 are your best bet in a handgun. If you go with .44 you can practice with .44 special which will be somewhat more economical and wont beat you up quite as much.