tylerms911
Inactive
Is my colt 45 long in a 250 grain big enough for self defence against a bear or cougar if I was on a hike? I bought a 45 mares leg because of the look of it, and think it my be practical to bring along!
Colt 45 Mares Leg
- Thread starter tylerms911
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Same answer here as on the other forum. 
Inefficient, heavy, awkward, slow to load, slow to shoot, handles stout recoil poorly, requires two hands to operate & hold up effectively.
There are many better options.
I'll add:
As a fun gun, great.
But, too many people are trying to make it into something it isn't.
It CAN be used for defensive purposes, but it's a poor choice.
Using the .45 Colt against a bear would require the right bullet, which may or may not feed reliably, and preferably a fairly heavy load. A heavy load through an ML can be difficult to control well & unpleasant to shoot because of the straight stock wrist.
I have two, strictly fun guns & I have so many better tools for serious uses that neither would ever be used that way unless it was, for some inexplicable reason, the ONLY thing I had left.
You can carry an effective bigbore revolver in .45 Colt or .44 Magnum much more practically.
Denis
Inefficient, heavy, awkward, slow to load, slow to shoot, handles stout recoil poorly, requires two hands to operate & hold up effectively.
There are many better options.
I'll add:
As a fun gun, great.
But, too many people are trying to make it into something it isn't.
It CAN be used for defensive purposes, but it's a poor choice.
Using the .45 Colt against a bear would require the right bullet, which may or may not feed reliably, and preferably a fairly heavy load. A heavy load through an ML can be difficult to control well & unpleasant to shoot because of the straight stock wrist.
I have two, strictly fun guns & I have so many better tools for serious uses that neither would ever be used that way unless it was, for some inexplicable reason, the ONLY thing I had left.
You can carry an effective bigbore revolver in .45 Colt or .44 Magnum much more practically.
Denis
The load its self might be adequate, providing its the standard "full power" factory load, or something above with a hard cast bullet. The softer bullets and all of the Cowboy loads are not a good choice.
The Mare's Leg? I'd be better off with a good pistol, or a full size (meaning full buttstock) carbine.
Since it's what you have,go ahead and enjoy it. If you can shoot it well enough under pressure, I'm sure it will work. But for bear defense, I would choose a 12ga pump with slugs. I carry a .45 Colt handgun, for GP, and would use it for bear, if I had no other choice.
Cats are quick, but not terribly tough animals. If I were hunting them, I'd choose an expanding type bullet, but a good solid works handily, if you put it where it needs to go.
Defensively speaking, you need to hit the critter where it needs to be hit, and the bullet has to be tough enough to get in where it needs to go. Proper choice of ammo in .45 Colt takes care of the power/penetration part. The rest is up to you. Personally, (and since I don't have one to practice with) I would do better with either a carbine or a pistol, and not something inbetween, like the Mare's Leg. You, on the other hand, might do better with it, than I would.
The Mare's Leg? I'd be better off with a good pistol, or a full size (meaning full buttstock) carbine.
Since it's what you have,go ahead and enjoy it. If you can shoot it well enough under pressure, I'm sure it will work. But for bear defense, I would choose a 12ga pump with slugs. I carry a .45 Colt handgun, for GP, and would use it for bear, if I had no other choice.
Cats are quick, but not terribly tough animals. If I were hunting them, I'd choose an expanding type bullet, but a good solid works handily, if you put it where it needs to go.
Defensively speaking, you need to hit the critter where it needs to be hit, and the bullet has to be tough enough to get in where it needs to go. Proper choice of ammo in .45 Colt takes care of the power/penetration part. The rest is up to you. Personally, (and since I don't have one to practice with) I would do better with either a carbine or a pistol, and not something inbetween, like the Mare's Leg. You, on the other hand, might do better with it, than I would.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Please do NOT post the same question in multiple forums.
Pick the most appropriate one and post it there.
Since the same question in Black Powder has more answers, I'm going to close this one as a duplicate.
Pick the most appropriate one and post it there.
Since the same question in Black Powder has more answers, I'm going to close this one as a duplicate.
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