Posted on 12/06/2023 3:55:42 AM PST by marktwain

 Travis' bear hide.
Handguns over and over have proven to be effective in defending oneself.
Did he send his pants to the laundry or just throw them away?
.45 Colt can be loaded pretty hot, if you have the right gun, like a Ruger Blackhawk/Redhawk/Super Redhawk, or a rifle.
Reloading manuals have two sets of data for this reason.
Ruger Blackhawk revolvers in .45 Colt are marked as “.45 Caliber,” which I always thought was interesting.
 Travis Newman was lucky. He would have been better off with full metal jacket bullets instead of hollow point ones.
It is all about advertising.
Don’t want the Name Colt on your non-colt handguns.
My trail gun is a Ruger Redhawk 44 magnum.
When buying my 44 ammo, the stereotypical gun shop clerk says, “you know most likely you’ll just shoot your hunting buddy’s leg off with that .44 if you ever get attacked by a grizzly.”
“I’ll take my chances. Two boxes please.”
My thoughts too when I read the article. Travis is a very lucky stupid man. Walking into a mud waller where a wounded Bear was blowing bubbles which means he was still alive, is monumentally stupid especially with a gun loaded with hollow point loads.
God obviously has plans for Travis.
45 Colt can be loaded to levels approaching magnum status. They can’t be used in (my) 1873 Winchester or in Colt’s Single Action Army, but in Ruger or Taurus, they can be stout. My reloading manuals actually have separate data for “Ruger Only” loads.
The bear invited Travis to dinner…
Travis declined the invitation.
Good on him.
“He would have been better off with full metal jacket bullets instead of hollow point ones.”
And likely even better off with hard-cast Keith semi-wadcutters.
Although the adrenaline dump of a bear within 10 feet may have had a LOT to do with the situation.
He would have also been better off with a Super Redhawk than with a five shooter, although one understands the idea of weight savings for bowhunters. Redhawk probably weighs a couple of pounds more than a Tracker, which does count on an ordinary, non-bear-shooting day.
Nunsense lawsuit against Smith & Wesson.
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/smith-and-wesson-nuns-ar-15/2023/12/05/id/1144866/
Smith & Wesson Shareholder Nuns Sue Over AR-15 Rifles
.45 Colt can be loaded to higher power levels than the .44 Magnum, but it’s only safe to shoot in select over-built revolvers (incl. .454 Casull & .460 S&W), top-breaks, falling blocks and maybe a couple of lever guns. I knew guys 50 years ago who were shooting .45 Colt in Blackhawks loaded hotter than anybody’s factory .44 Mag loads.
Buffalo Bore sells .45 Colt with a 260-grainer loaded to 1500 fps and 300-grainers to 1325 fps (with a long list of cautions attached). For a handgun, that’s some serious horsepower.
I carry a .45 loaded with hollow point Federal Hydrashoks. They work.
He had 5 rounds in his pistol and 4 more rounds in his pocket.
And he missed with 4 rounds out of the 8.
He’s lucky to be alive.
Out of the 9. Need more coffee.
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