Hi American Man,
Fed 230 grain HST LE +P.
It isn't the .45 Auto cartridge alone that has guided my preference. It's the entire package: Springfield Armory TRP 1911-A1 .45 ACP, which has been flawless to date.
A 1911A1 has to be the easiest big bore handgun to carry. It is the fastest to battery of any big bore handgun I've carried. It's simple design makes it extremely reliable. When loaded with 230 grain +P ammo, I can rapidly fire it while keeping its muzzle on a threat. I can reload 8 more rounds within a few seconds or less.
The .45 Auto isn't in the same league as a .44 Rem Mag in terms of power. I could hunt everything in North America including the largest bears with a 16" barreled lever action rifle chambered for .44 Rem Mag.
From direct experience, a 6" Model 29 is a huge, heavy handgun. It's weight and length do not mitigate its awesome recoil. And I'm not recoil averse.
When confronted by any thread -bipedal or beast- it's crucial to get a handgun's muzzle pointed at a threat ASAP and ready to fire.
If the largest predators are killed every year by arrows leaving strings at ~300 FPS, a .45 Auto would be far more formidable.
A .357 Mag would be my first choice for wilderness survival due to its versatility. But for self-defense, it's hard to beat a good quality 1911A1.
https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/de...s-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz65kUSoXpL
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.o...grizzly-denali-national-park-and-preserve6320
Lots of accounts of the .45 Auto used successfully against mean critters.
BTW, I had thought about converting a 1911A1 to .45 Super. However, after analysis, I've concluded it would offer marginal if any benefit vis-a-vis a .45 Auto when loaded with 230 grain +P. But that's merely my opinion. It works for me. It might not work for others.
I'm considering buying a 3" .357 Mag revolver for wilderness survival. So far, I'm thinking I could make a TRP just as effective.
Another important factor: I know this borders on heresy, but a good quality semiauto is more reliable than a revolver. A double-action revolver has far more moving parts than a 1911A1. When a revolver fails, it's almost always catastrophic, meaning it becomes a throwing weapon. I can completely field strip a 1911A1 within a minute, but that's rarely necessary to return a malfunctioning semiauto to full functioning mode. However, carrying a spare firing pin is wise; however, I've never experienced a firing pin breakage.