Best ammo for a 1911 when used

[deadon]

as a side arm when bow hunting There are Bear and an occasional puma in the woods I hunt. I use 230 gr hollow points for Home protection.and also have plenty of ball ammo. No other side arm is available to me. Any thoughts, Rusty

[rossman40]

With a 1911 in 45ACP I wouldn't feel comfortable going against a bear. But if it is the only stick in the woodpile... With a bear you might want penetration over expansion so hardball would be the decent choice. Using a JHP can do the job but your shot placement would have to be perfect. With the cat your getting to a more people size target so a decent HP might work, as long as your 1911 feeds them reliably. You could always mix them in your magazine.

[ozark]

The type of bear means a bunch. Blacks are not that difficult to kill and penetration is relatively easy. A .22 Mag. solid penetrated completely through the lung area. The rib bones of a bear are round and fairly small compared to other animals. Ball ammo out of a .45 should do fine if you can place your shots well. Unless there is a malfunction you should get several bullets into the animal. Blacks are seldom attacking. We have had these critters around for years and I have yet to see one that acted agressive. Perhaps with cubs they would be more inclined to be protective. No experience with the large bears. The next puma I kill will be my first one. Ben

[rossman40]

When he mentioned cougars and bear I thought he was talking out west.

[10ga]

Rusty, Don't let the dog catcher, aahhherr, game wadden, aahhherr, conservation police officer find you with a firearm while hunting in archery season here in VA. You be arrested and the offending firearm confiscated. Happened up here on the Neck where I live just last year. 10 ga

[deadon]

10ga, I was told by a GW that if you have a concealed weapon permit you could carry when bow hunting. Did He have one.? Maybe I better do some more checking, Rusty

[whyohe]

i might think home protection ammo might not be too good. if im right it is designed for fast expansion and you might not get the penatration you may need. I can get some hard cast around my area and think it might work well.

here in PA in the last 3-4 years the game commission has changed the regs here so that you may carry a NON hunting type pistol for protection during archery IF you have a conceal carry permit. here in PA it is not legal to hunt with a semi-auto, so as i read it NO REVOLVERS here in PA archery season for protection.