45 vs 10mm SHOOT OUT FOR BEAR DEFENSE

[greg vess]

10mm vs .45 ACP - Caliber Battle

The 9mm Luger might be the king of modern handgun cartridges, but it’s far from the most powerful. If you want to start handgun hunting or want something with a little extra juice for bear defense, the 10mm Auto and the .45 Auto are two popular options. In a first for this series, we’re running...

www.themeateater.com

 

[gh1950]

Someone had some time to kill, and space to fill up.

 

[davis211]

I wonder if a 9mm would blow the lungs out of a bear like it does to humans??

 

[Overwatch1]

PROPERLY placed shot with either will do the job.

 

[bass222000]

God bless the 10

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Let's see...

.45 ACP +P in pretty hot heavy bullet load from Cor-Bon pushes a 230 grain bullet at 950 ft./sec.,
giving you 460 foot pounds of kinetic energy.
That's chronograph-verified performance from a 5 inch barrel semi auto.

Cor-Bon Self-Defense Ammo 45 ACP +P 230 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point

Cor-Bon uses flash-suppressed powder along with skived bullets with scored jackets to offer high-velocity defense loads that expand quickly with high...

www.midwayusa.com

Now Cor-Bon does not make a heavy bullet 10 mm load intended for dangerous game,
so I went to look at Buffalo Bore.
They do have a 220 grain bullet that is driven at 1200 ft./sec. for 703 foot pounds of energy!


I'd say this contest isn't even close;
the 10 mm wins by a couple of lengths.

 

[greg vess]

I just thought it was an interesting comparison. Someone here recently created a thread about what handgun to carry as a back up bear gun. I just remembered it and stumbled on this.

 

[Red Dawn]

9mm does exactly what I need and plenty rds to spare. Only reason I’d get into 10mm is if I needed to feed a Bren 10

 

[Reloadhby]

I would put a 460 Rowland conversion on it

 

[greg vess]

I think all of them could ward off a charging bear but I definitely wouldn't opt for the smallest choice. It's all in what you feel comfortable with. What the 9mm lacks in energy it makes up for in shear number of rounds you could accurately put on target. They all have pros and cons. Now everybody is happy.