.45 ACP Versus 10mm for North America Dangerous Game
BY Herschel Smith
21 hours, 24 minutes ago
This is Tim Sundles, owner of Buffalo Bore Ammunition. As I’ve said before, I’ve never felt undergunned carrying a 1911 for dangerous game, but of course, I was carrying it outfitted with 450 SMC (Short Magnum Cartridge). I would also carry 45 Super since I believe the two are approximately the same. In fact, I’d carry .45 ACP+P as well.
But as always, the choice is up to you. I did find his personal example of use instructive.
On March 17, 2025 at 12:02 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
In the past, one of the obstacles to using handguns in .45-caliber has been the availability of loads suitable to dangerous game/bear defense and/or hunting, and also to use in semi-automatic models such as the M1911A1.
Thanks to companies like Buffalo Bore, there are a lot more options than there used to be.
The old-school hand-gunning great Elmer Keith was famous for his advocacy of 45 Colt as a hunting cartridge, claiming that it didn’t need to make magnum-like numbers in order to be effective. If memory serves, he said that where game animals were concerned, that big 255-gr. hardcast bullet “… let a whole lot of blood out, and a whole lot of air in!”
Considering that the old west 45 Colt loads were comparable ~ maybe a bit hotter, but not by much – to the first 45 ACP/Auto loads, that strikes me as a decent basis for comparison.
I look forward to the narrator’s coming episodes; I am quite curious to hear his arguments regarding kinetic energy and its relationship to terminal performance. I agree with him that KE isn’t all there is to terminal performance, but it is far from irrelevant – which seems to be what is being suggested.
On March 17, 2025 at 7:55 am, Wyotana said:
I’m still gonna pack my Block 10!
15 for the bear, and one still left for me. :)
Pack whatever you’ve got. Contrary to what many people suppose, even the lowly 9mm is a well-proven stopper against bears.