1911 or SBH 44mag

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Lead ball
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1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by Lead ball » Fri Jun 17, 2016 10:30 am

For a woods walking gun which would you prefere

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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by ron » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:28 am

Lead ball wrote:For a woods walking gun which would you prefer
It depends on what woods your'e planning on walking in. A 1911, if it were a Clark conversion in 460 Rowland using heavy flatnose projectiles would be good For defense against angry bears but a standard 45 ACP chambered 1911 would not be a good choice. With a handgun your best chance of surviving a bear attack is a head shot that will penetrated the skull an deliver a minimum of 500 foot-pounds of energy to shut down the brain. Round nose and hollowpoint bullets are likely to glance off the skull.

A 10mm with 230 grain hardcast flatnose bullets will work, and so will a 357 mag with flatnose hardcast 180 grain bullets at 1300 or more fps and I'd actually prefer a 7 or 8 shot 357 revolver to a six shot 44 mag., and a 357 has more controllability for repeat shots. And as far as a 1911, The Coonan arms 357 mag would also be good. And as far as a 1911, a delta elite 10mm with a ramped barrel and a heavy recoil spring that would handle the hot buffalo Bore loads would also work as long as you could actually shoot the gun with those loads well. I hate to say this on a 1911 forum, but a polymer framed gun absorbs recoil better than a steel framed one and the double-stack grip helps with the recoil, too.

That said, there was a bear attack in Alaska most recently where the guy used a six shot, 3 1/2 inch barreled Ruger redhawk in 454 Casull to stop a charge from a starving Brown bear and he only had time to get off three or four shots but two of those shots hit the target (the Brain) and killed the bear instantly. And no matter how good your hardware is the software in your brain needs to be programmed with a lot of practice to be able to shoot as well as that guy did

http://clarkcustomguns.com/parts-category/1911/
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by Lead ball » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:36 pm

I know there are a lot of different situations to consider I wasnt very specific I was just talking about the spokane area cougers,black bears,moose,wolfs no big bears more than likley I know one could wander in but not likley

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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by ron » Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:50 am

Lead ball wrote:I know there are a lot of different situations to consider I wasnt very specific I was just talking about the spokane area cougers,black bears,moose,wolfs no big bears more than likley I know one could wander in but not likley
Because of wolves, which hunt in packs, I would opt for ammo capacity over stopping power so a full size 1911 cocked and locked with an 8 round Wilson mag would be good but because of the possibility of being charged by a mother Black bear protecting cubs, I would carry the gun with BUFFALO BORE 45 ACP +P OUTDOORSMAN 255 gr. Hard Cast FN (925 fps/M.E. 484 ft. lbs.) ammo after first assuring that my gun could feed the ammo.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l ... tail&p=214
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by Coug91 » Sat Jun 18, 2016 12:16 pm

Ruger SBH with a 7.5" barrel can be a PITA to carry around, whereas a 1911 can be carried quite comfortably in a decent holster.
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by Flawlessfoose » Sat Jun 18, 2016 2:29 pm

ron wrote:
Lead ball wrote:I know there are a lot of different situations to consider I wasnt very specific I was just talking about the spokane area cougers,black bears,moose,wolfs no big bears more than likley I know one could wander in but not likley
Because of wolves, which hunt in packs, I would opt for ammo capacity over stopping power so a full size 1911 cocked and locked with an 8 round Wilson mag would be good but because of the possibility of being charged by a mother Black bear protecting cubs, I would carry the gun with BUFFALO BORE 45 ACP +P OUTDOORSMAN 255 gr. Hard Cast FN (925 fps/M.E. 484 ft. lbs.) ammo after first assuring that my gun could feed the ammo.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l ... tail&p=214
That is the load I use in my 1911 ron. It is a hot one, and I feel confident with it for anything around here
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by ron » Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:29 pm

Flawlessfoose wrote:
ron wrote:
Lead ball wrote:I know there are a lot of different situations to consider I wasnt very specific I was just talking about the spokane area cougers,black bears,moose,wolfs no big bears more than likley I know one could wander in but not likley
Because of wolves, which hunt in packs, I would opt for ammo capacity over stopping power so a full size 1911 cocked and locked with an 8 round Wilson mag would be good but because of the possibility of being charged by a mother Black bear protecting cubs, I would carry the gun with BUFFALO BORE 45 ACP +P OUTDOORSMAN 255 gr. Hard Cast FN (925 fps/M.E. 484 ft. lbs.) ammo after first assuring that my gun could feed the ammo.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l ... tail&p=214
That is the load I use in my 1911 ron. It is a hot one, and I feel confident with it for anything around here

Great minds think alike! 8-)
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by Flawlessfoose » Sun Jun 19, 2016 6:01 am

ron wrote:
Flawlessfoose wrote:
ron wrote:
Lead ball wrote:I know there are a lot of different situations to consider I wasnt very specific I was just talking about the spokane area cougers,black bears,moose,wolfs no big bears more than likley I know one could wander in but not likley
Because of wolves, which hunt in packs, I would opt for ammo capacity over stopping power so a full size 1911 cocked and locked with an 8 round Wilson mag would be good but because of the possibility of being charged by a mother Black bear protecting cubs, I would carry the gun with BUFFALO BORE 45 ACP +P OUTDOORSMAN 255 gr. Hard Cast FN (925 fps/M.E. 484 ft. lbs.) ammo after first assuring that my gun could feed the ammo.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l ... tail&p=214
That is the load I use in my 1911 ron. It is a hot one, and I feel confident with it for anything around here

Great minds think alike! 8-)
Agreed!

Also wanted to add, these feed very well in my springfield A-1 TRP, never had a malfunction and are dead nuts accurate out of it.
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by ron » Sun Jun 19, 2016 10:00 am

Coug91 wrote:Ruger SBH with a 7.5" barrel can be a PITA to carry around, whereas a 1911 can be carried quite comfortably in a decent holster.
I didn't realize that SBH meant Super Blackhawk. I actually thought it meant Short Barreled Handgun, like a Smith and Wesson Model 629 which has a 2.65 inch barrel or the Ruger Super Redhawk "Alaskan" which has a 2.50 inch barrel.

However Ruger does make a super Blackhawk with a 5.5 inch barrel, and my brother took his SBH to Mel Doyle who cut the barrel of the 7 1/2 inch gun to an even 5 inches and re-mounted the front sight. And there's no reason a gunsmith couldn't create a "Sheriff's model" with an even shorter barrel. But I still say that since this area has wolves that hunt in packs, I'd opt for Ammo capacity over stopping power and a 1911 with two or more 8 round Wilson mags loaded with that Buffalo bore load would certainly be better for defense against a wolf pack or even feral dogs that have packed up, which has been known to happen.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best"
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by Abruzzi » Thu Jun 30, 2016 10:33 am

I have both, and I walk in the woods.
Super Blackhawk for me. It just feels right.
Mine has a 6" barrel. For woods walking, a 3.75" or 4.6" model would be a cool way to go.

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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by scrappy » Sat Jul 02, 2016 5:23 am

Down here in this area I have no hesitation to carry my 1911 45 ACP. I load it with 230gr truncated cone FMJ's over 7.0grs of Unique for 950fps. 9 rounds of that will suffice. Remember that in almost any situation where you are shooting for your life against a bear it will be at, or near, contact distance. At such ranges sheer horsepower becomes less critical. My 45 load should penetrate more than enough to do the job. The same goes for my heavy 357 cast loads (185gr LBT at 1250 fps). Only a brain or spine shot will immediately stop the attack and at 1' almost anything with a proper bullet will penetrate far enough. Not to mention that at contact distance a smaller gun will be more easily employed than a 8" 454.

Horsepower certainly does have its uses though. Its likely that a more powerful round will aid in stopping things quicker if only internal organs are hit. Probably more blood loss and things like this. Also I think in that rare case where you have time to get off a few shots prior to contact, perhaps you stumbled across a kill and the bear comes at you from 60 yards away, a more powerful round I think will be more likely to either stop the bear or limit its ability to harm you if it does make it to you.

Overall in this region am inclined to think that since its likely that the animal will be on top of you when you are fighting for your life the smaller more easily carried, and thus more likely to be present, gun will be a greater benefit than something larger, heavier and harder to employ.

Of course this argument has its limits as well. In regions where they toothy things grow large indeed more power certainly comes into its own. In such places Im going to carry the biggest gun I can employ under such circumstances. When the bears start topping 700 lbs the 1911 or 357 is staying home, being replaced by 50oz of 44 stuffed with very heavy flat nosed cast bullets.
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Re: 1911 or SBH 44mag

Post by dyolf » Wed Jun 13, 2018 8:30 pm

i don't know how to say this without offending someone, so I'll apologize now. I have hunted, fished, gathered, camped and lived in Washington's great outdoors for over 50 years. I carry a handgun almost every time I go out. But, in that time, the most dangerous wild animal I have seen was a small Black Bear running out of my huckleberry patch. So I select my pistol by, which "toy" I want to play with on that trip. That being said, be sure to take along plenty of ammo. There are lots of old drink cans that need to be picked up and shot at !! Have Fun, but leave it cleaner than you found it.
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