So, my good friend Johnny Walker is in Kodiak, Alaska teaching kids how to ride horses and shoot guns while riding horses. He had to rent the horses for his project and the deal was, he had to help the rancher round up some cattle first. Seems like the bears were eating too many of them.
Johnny: “What do you do when you see a grizzly?”
Rancher: “Shoot ’em. Shoot everyone I see.”
Johnny: “What do you shoot them with?”
Rancher: “My two, forty, three.”
Johnny: “Really? Why do you use a .243?”
Rancher: “Well, I can find ammo for it anywhere and at anytime. And, it kills them.”
Johnny told me he didn’t feel so bad with a .45 Colt on his hip after that conversation.
sounds like he wants to make the bears mad hope ya all shoot head shots
It DOES sound like the guy with the .45 is trying to make the bears mad, doesn’t it? Dude with the .243 has a necked down .308 … which puts out 2,000 FT/lbs of energy and travels between 3,500 and 4,000 FPS. That’s a hell of a lot more powerful than even the most stout .45 ACP’s or .45 Long Colts you’re ever going to see in existence.
You’re an author of a book dedicated to firearms cartridges yet you don’t know the .45 ACP is not even CLOSE to being as effective as a .243 rifle round? I guess anyone can be an expert these days .. lol.
Sorry buddy, but that’s ridiculous. Dude with the rifle is in control of the situation if he faces off with a bear. If you, however, go out and face a bear with a .45 handgun … odds are he’s charging at you and he’ll rip you to shreds. It’s likely he will die too, but not before you do. On the other hand, a man with a well sighted .243 hunting rifle could easily drop that bear in one shot if he puts his one shot in the right place.
Steve H, You must have woke up this morning with nothing at all to do. Or, you have no reading comprehension skills. I only reported a conversation. I did not offer an opinion. That having been said, a .45 Colt with hard cast bullets will way out penetrate a .243 with any type of expanding bullets. Oh, and I’m sorry, how many bears did you say you have killed?
You do realize the guy with the .45 is the one without enough gun, right? Since the .243 puts out between 3,500 and 4,000 FPS of velocity and 2,000 FT/lbs of energy on a target .. penetrates better .. leaves a deep, devastating wound cavity .. AND the dang guy with the scoped rifle is gonna be able to be at a safe distance .. he’s in a lot better shape than the ole fool walking around with a .45 on his hip thinking a bigger pistol round is gonna do the job alone.
Shot placement is everything, and that handgun is gonna give you 600 or so FT/lbs of energy .. and a way shorter amount of penetration overall. Plus you aren’t gonna be about to reach out and make a precision shot .. lol. Only reason anyone should ever use a handgun like that against a bear is if they got the jump on you, charging at you, and you’ve gotta do SOMETHING with a quickness. Otherwise you’re just crazy and probably have some learning to do about firearm ballistics.
Just because it’s bigger around doesn’t mean it’s more powerful. Old guy there kinda has a necked down .308 and … knows what he’s doing apparently. lol.