hard cast bullets on black bear

[blackbear]

I'm thinking just maybe that I may shoot a blackie with my 45colt. I have seen hard cast bullets just burn a hole through and they run away for a long tracking job.
So two thoughts I am having are first shot through the shoulder shoot then lungs ? or first bullet a bonded bullet heart lung shot because it will open up?

I would like to hear from people that have handgun hunted. Remembering this is not a self-defense I'm being charged scenario where the harder bullet is best but a very controlled hunting situation where I can take my time and place my shot. thanks

[stick+string]

I am not the guy you want to hear from because I have not handgun hunted LOL but...
if you are hunting over bait (close range with a more-or-less stationary target) I would think you could put a hard cast right it the bear's boiler room - a low lung/heart shot. My though with that is if I have to go look for a bear after I shot it, I would rather have hit vitals than broken a shoulder. I can always wait and give the shot in the vitals time to work.

[pike_palace]

You put it through the heart/lungs and he's a dead bear... plain and simple. Don't even bother with a shoulder shot.

[tailwind]

Most dedicted black bear hunters use heavy for caliber Hornady XTP's rather than HC for the reasons you mentioned.

[Catch It]

My experience with hardcast hunting is with a muzzle loader (wheel weight lead 44's in a sabot) for whitetails, all three that I hit with them were absolutely rolled, but then popped back up and ran like the dickens. Made for hard tracking on all of them, and one was lost due to the cruddy blood trail. I'm sure it died, but darned if more than 6 hours of looking turned up an animal. The others I took with JSP's were much easier to locate. Just my .02, but if there is a decent option out there, I'd just go that route. Hoping for second shots may work for moose (who seem to like to stand there and eat lead) but with an animal that bolts, I'd just plan on one in the goodies.

[swampdonkey]

My stepdad and I used a .44 magnum when we hunted over baits. We used 300grain hardcast because a "subject matter expert" recommended/used them and they sounded good to us. At 13-15yds, broken shoulders, ribs, and scapulas were the standard. The lungs and/or heart wouldn't have a huge hole in them, but an unsealable hole nonetheless. They never ran more than 30-40yds, if, they even went that far. We never recovered a bullet either, all pass thru's, but dead is dead, so the bullet worked perfect as far as we were concerned. We are not handgun hunters per se' and we have only taken 3 this way, but it worked great. Some quality brand jacketed soft points would probably also do well for ya. Good luck.

[Snyd]

...I have seen hard cast bullets just burn a hole through and they run away for a long tracking job.
....

What's the problem with a hole all the way through? All the way through what? The stomach, a leg? Heart/lungs? What size/shape of boolit? What kind of animals?

Why would you NOT want the boolit to go all the way through the animal no matter where it was hit?

[Marc Taylor]

Right on, Snyd, if you don't get TWO holes, you were CHEATED!

Taylor

[Snyd]

I'll be trying to put one of these through a blackie this year. 355gr of hard cast that comes out of my 45 Colt at 1200fps.



Marc, you'll be happy to know that I'll be trying to setup a Far North Pimp Keg Diner this year. I'm working on getting the keg(s)

Just think, we could have them all over the state like McDonalds

[Marc Taylor]

Gotta PIMP it out, now. Don't hold back on the bumber stickers.

Taylor

[blackbear]

All the way through what? The stomach, a leg? Heart/lungs? What size/shape of boolit? What kind of animals?


all the way through heart and lungs and they went a long long ways black bears