Good Bowhunting Sidearm... 40, 10, 45?

[Hornseeker]

I have carried a S&W Mountain gun for about 14 years now and frankly am tired of carrying it. I want something lighter... I am also opting to just pack spray most days now while in the field (By the way, Im in MT and hunt Grizzly country a fair bit)...

I'd like to have SOMETHING to just keep in the tent and maybe pack now and again... that in a close range situation (0-15 feet) would punch into the brain cavity of a griz... VERY unlikely this will ever be needed.

Anyhow, I dont know that I have the money for the super duper lightweight 44's or 41's... which I would be 100% confident in using on a griz's head...

Is there enough difference between a 40, a 10 and a 45acp that I shouldn't just flip a coin? At super close range is the 45 the best option here? I have not delved into the ballistics yet. i know a bunch of you have them memorized and can give me a quick summary! And...I appreciate. Thank you.

E

[D-Rock425]

Get the 10

[quadrafire]

I have a buddy that carries the 10 in Grizzly country.
But from some of the reading I have done spray may actually be more effective 

Somehow I would feel safer with some that slung lead vs spray.

[JLS]

For the scenario you have described you will likely want a 10mm and use a bullet that will give you the optimal penetration.  Most law enforcement bullets (i.e. Gold Dot) are hollow point design and are designed to have limited penetration.

The .45 ACP is slower than the other two rounds, and given its larger diameter will not penetrate as far as the .40 or the 10mm.

Personally, I'd save up a little more for a revolver in .44 mag and load some hard cast lead bullets.  You have to be careful if you choose a semi-auto pistol as not all of them can shoot hard cast lead.

FWIW, I carry spray too and leave the pistol in the truck.

[Hornseeker]

Yeah... even with my 44 I shot 320 grain hard cast...

I just read an article about penetration between these AND the 9... and the 9, with a premium bullet, was getting equal or more penetration than the 40 or 45... the 10 wasn't in the article.

I would like to get one of those little scandium 41's or 44's.... maybe I'll just start watching for one...

The spray is proven pretty effective, but I still like to pack heat...

[turkeyfeather]

Yeah... even with my 44 I shot 320 grain hard cast...

I just read an article about penetration between these AND the 9... and the 9, with a premium bullet, was getting equal or more penetration than the 40 or 45... the 10 wasn't in the article.

I would like to get one of those little scandium 41's or 44's.... maybe I'll just start watching for one...

The spray is proven pretty effective, but I still like to pack heat...

That's what I was going to say. A good +p 9 round is just as good as the others with less recoil and quicker follow up shots.

[JLS]

Just remember that penetration through ballistic gelatin is a whole lot different than penetration through hide and bone.

High quality 9mm rounds do penetrate well under certain circumstances.  If I was looking at Ursus horriblus at close range in the wee hours of the night I know which handgun I would want to have.

[Hornseeker]

Yeah, for a tent gun... it would sure be nice to have something that was going to put a big fat piece of hot lead deep into the brain in a hurry....

[quadrafire]

Ha......Bear spray inside a tent might not end well. LOL

[Hornseeker]

Yeah, the bear spray in the tent deal just doesn't work....

What are the models of the ultra light revolvers? Taurus has one, Smith... each have a couple right? Ti and Scandium???

[buckfvr]

I have the Taurus Titanium .44 mag, and at 28 ounces it is a great carry gun with power.  All the talk of the light weight .44s jumping out of your hand is not my experience.  Ive got the 4" barrel, and its not a problem.....might not want your wife to shoot it, but I dont think its bad at all.

[JLS]

Don't overlook the .357 either.  With hardcast bullets it would fit the bill also.

[wildmanoutdoors]

Grizzly's in MT must be small? 

[magnanimous_j]

My smith revolver came with a generic manual and it had a section on not using super-hot loads in ultralight guns. Not because they couldn't handle them, but because the extreme amount of recoil could crimp the shells. I didn't really understand it, but it left me with the impression that you want a good heavy revolver to throw anything I would be comfortable shooting a grizzly with.

If you didn't want that, I would probably recommend a glock 10mm with the hottest, nastiest hard cast rounds you can get.

[Hornseeker]

Grizzly's in MT must be small? 

ah... the adults range in size from about 250 pounds to about 1,100 pounds... so, I guess it depends on which one you run into... Penetrating the skull of a 300 pounder prob wouldn't be much different than the 800 pounder... and Id probs crap my drawers regardless of which sized one it was...

Thanks for the info... I like these discussions. My 44 mountain gun was fairly heavy, but I loved shooting it, recoil never bothered me...