Sorry Guys... Best Bear Ammo For 44 Mag And 45/70?

Max Owner

Max Owner

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Hey all.

I know............f:P:

What would be the general consenus for a 12" barreled rifle in 44 magnum and a Marlin SBL Guide Gun in 45/70? OFCOURSE for BEARS.......:redface:

I have some American Eagle 240 grain jacketed hollow point. Some Hornady 240 XTP. Both for 44 mag.

Remington 405 grain softpoint and Hornady Leverevolution 325 FTX. Both in 45/70.

Believe there is better stuff out there. Just not here in Grande Prairie, it seems........
 
44 HP bullets are not recommended for hunting so bear protection is a no-no. They'll fragment on impact with little penetration.
AE recommends soft points for hunting so those might be of some use.
I recommend hard-cast for bear protection. 18BHN minimum for deep penetration and bone shattering performance.
 
Bear protection aside...

Hard cast 405's in the /70 and hard cast 240 or 285's in the .44 will do whatever is necessary or strikes your fancy in the moment.
 
Stay away from the hollow points They open too quickly and thus fail to penetrate far enough Use a soft point or a hard cast bullet. If you reload I would use the 265 hornady in the .44 mag and a 405 gr Reminton,400 gr speer or hard cast in the 45-70.
 
HSM makes bear defense rounds ("bear load"), similar to Buffalo Bore but cheaper and actually sold in Canada.

The 45/70 Gov. is 430 grain wide flat nose hard lead, with max. pressure loadings (e.g. must be used in a modern rifle, no converted "trapdoor" rifles).

The .44 Mag loading is 305 grain wide flat nose hard lead, again max. pressure.

A lot of the defense loading research suggests using flat nose hard lead bullets to maximize penetration.
 
I go against the grain and don't use cast much. I use 300gr XTP Magnums in my 45 colt lever action. These are definitely hunting bullets, featuring controlled expansion and deep penetration. While I have not had to stop a bear charge with these, I am confident they would do a decent job given proper bullet placement. Of the 2 bullets listed for 4 magnum, I would use the XTP
 
Timely thread, I was wondering the same thing. Anymore suggestions would be appreciated especially if you know where I can order them. Fort McMurray has no 44 ammo of any sort.
 
I hunt bears with 240 JSP'S (Winchester white box...always looking for more if you know of any deals!) ....and have taken a dozen or so. If you want some REAL "oomph" for big bears, I have a box of these I'd part with....

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I loaded 310gr cast in my 44 when I had it. As for my 45-70 I use a 350gr cast for everything up to bear protection then I step it up to a 500gr cast :) Hand loads are your friend
 
Max Owner said:
Hey all.

I know............f:P:

What would be the general consenus for a 12" barreled rifle in 44 magnum and a Marlin SBL Guide Gun in 45/70? OFCOURSE for BEARS.......:redface:

I have some American Eagle 240 grain jacketed hollow point. Some Hornady 240 XTP. Both for 44 mag.

Remington 405 grain softpoint and Hornady Leverevolution 325 FTX. Both in 45/70.

Believe there is better stuff out there. Just not here in Grande Prairie, it seems........
Click to expand...

Hard cast bullets, as heavy as possible, with as much powder behind them as safely possible...
 
my 45-70 load is 500gr hard casts, with as much 3031 as I can stuff under them. Store bought? Go HSM
 
A lot depends on what bears we're talking about here, as all bears are NOT created equal............I would not consider a 44 as adequate bear protection in grizzly country but would feel much more secure if I was in an area where the only bear I may bump into was a blackie. I wouldn't consider a jacketed bullet under 300 gn as adequate.
The 45-70 is another matter and would use any bullet from 400 grs and up in it at over 1500 fps. I would not feel undergunned around any bear whether black, white or brown of any size............Don't get me wrong as I would not hunt bears with a 45-70 as I have many better suited calibers and rifles, but as a down and dirty 15-20 yd stopper I would be very comfy with a well loaded 45-70, with 400+ gn bullet at 1500+ fps.
 
My .44 load is a 325 gr WFN over 20 grs of H-110. In a .45/70 I'd work up a load with 480 gr WFNs over IMR-3031 or H-335. I've loaded the 480 gr WFNs in my .458 and I've been quite pleased with the accuracy and terminal performance from them.
 
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