Disagree all you want. Interesting that you would jump to a conclusion about where he placed bullets to try to substaniate your incorrect assumption. People that have little experience with bears think a bear is a bear is a bear. I saw posts recently by someone from Michigan that talked about Michigan's Brown Bear population -- maybe that was you? I was only trying to point out that not all bears are the same. All the Blacks I've seen hung and skinned looked more like a human than anything else, although, as I said, I realize there can be really large Blacks, also. For this thread to be helpful to the OP, the first question to be asked would have been what kind of bear are you referring to?
PS Did you really think Garrett would advise potential customers NOT to use hardcast bullets??
Oh yeah, and when you say "Ask any bear guide in the USA or Canada" you remind me a lot of someone who tells me that all scientists believe in man-caused global warming and if I don't then I'm stupid - In my experience people that make broad brush comments like that have little first-hand knowledge and are reaching for some "everybody agrees with me" statistic to bolster their case.
Larry,
I don't know why my post seems to have offended you so badly. I wasn't attacking you or your friend. I was merely making an observation based on 35 years of hunting big game from New Brunswick to Alaska, where I actually lived for a while.
In this quoted post you are actually the one making broad brush assumptions, and very incorrectly I might add. Re-read post #13.
I didn't "jump" to any conclusions. I have killed enough big and tough animals to know that penetration with a 240 grain HP on
come what may shooting angles on a heavily boned and muscled animal like a bear is no where near as good as it needs to be to defend
my life specifically, and anyone's in general. You are free to use what you want, and I encourage you to do so. Maybe you'll survive if attacked by a bear, maybe not. I believe in stacking the odds in my favor. When a bear is attacking, it is usually without warning, blindingly quick, and dead serious. If you are lucky enough to get off a shot before he is on you, and you are lucky enough to hit him, are you willing to bet your life that your bullet will penetrate adequately? What about if he is already on you, and you are able to get your gun out and up against him? Will that lighter weight hollowpoint penetrate enough to reach the vitals regardless of where your bullet strikes, and will it even penetrate at all at after expanding from impacting at muzzle velocity?
You stated that "Although it's possible to run into a huge Black Bear that might require more penetration than some 240 44 mag HPs give, it's more probable that you'll drop the average size (or even above average size) black in its tracks with that 240 grain slug than one which doesn't expand."
Got any proof or evidence to back this up?
Taking a cheap shot at me because someone made an inaccurate statement that was from Michigan, and I happen to now live in Michigan is childish, but easy to do when you're sitting behind a keyboard 1000 miles away. It doesn't serve any real purpose, or provide any real help to the board at large.
As far as Randy Garrett goes. I neither know him personally, nor owe him anything. I simply pointed out a person who has quite a bit of real world experience with large and sometimes dangerous game, who has found for himself that heavy bullets work better. If you have a problem with him because he happens to make cast bullets, maybe you should take it up with him. Try telling him he is wrong. Have you ever considered the idea that he might make heavy cast bullets for big and tough game
because work better, and not the other way around as you seem to assume based on your comment here.
Global warming doesn't have anything to do with anything else here
. Asking a man who guides hunters for bear does, since they will have far more experience with them than either you or I. In all actuallity, most bear guides will tell you that they aren't in favor of having a handgun for bear backup anyway, but if you have to have one it should be loaded with something that will get the job done from any angle. I believe that if one ventures alone into the wilderness, they should pack one along. It beats a stick.
The one thing that we do agree on is that bears look exactly like a human when skinned. In fact, any body builder should be so lucky as to be built like that.
