41 Magnum On Black Bear?

[razor]

Last fall I killed a black bear with a Ruger Bisley 45 colt. It worked great. This year I would like to try my FA 97 41. You can hunt bear in our deer season. I wanted to use 210XTP's for deer. Would they be enough for bear? Should a man use 220 or 240 cast bullets instead? In the 45 I used a 300 grain LFN LBT and the bear went about 25yds and fell. When I gutted it, the lungs where gone. It was about 45yds away and weight 300 lbs.

[kings6]

The 41 mag has been Wayne Bosowicz (sp), one of Maines top bear guides, favoraite caliber for years. I would go with the biggest cast bullet you could fit in your 97 but that is just because I like the big but slow bullet idea and I don't own a jacket pistol bullet.

[agrizz]

A number of years back about 1985 I was spending my weekends as a guide for a man over in Parshall Colorado. He did Spring Bear as well as Fall Seasons. In the Spring we hunted over bait and out of tree stands. I had a client that had shot a smaller black bear and it had moved off into the pine trees and mountain shrubs.

I had a 41 mag Smith that was passed on to me by my Dad and I used out of respect and in his memory. I followed this little guy into the shrubs to find it or finish the job. I found it about 100 yards away and lying on the ground and it got up and started to leave at a slow gate quartering to my left at about 40 yards.

My first shot took it a little high in the left shoulder and the second shot in the lungs. It went about another 30 yards and piled up. The clients shot we will not talk about. The bullets were 210 grain Hornady however not the XTP. The examination when I was dressing the bear showed that the 210 that hit the shoulder had broken the shoulder and suffered core fragmentation and jacket separation with only about 5 inches of penetration. The lung shot had complete penetration due to the fact that there is very little flesh to slow it down and it leaked the best of the two shots.

If I were to do this again today I would certainly use a cast 220 grain or heavier with a large malplate with a good charge of powder. Shot placement is the critical thing to remember in all cases. You just have to make them leak profusely and they will go down. I have seen very few that are drop dead instantly shots to the body.

Then again you may wish to stay with your 45.

[glynn41]

not a bear but I took a 280# boar with a 255 LWN with a .33 meplat in a .41 // first shot --shooting up at the critter --we were in the hills - and I got Mountain edge //then pig leg into the lower chest and exit- from about 40 steps-- shot it at the last rib and it came out the chest- tried the gristle plate it did not even slow it down - mv was about 1300- for North America .41 will do well for most anything-- but I am .41 nuts- those early Hornaday bullets were not much- now I would just use my .410 with a 255 @1580

[whitworth]

I too wouldn't count on a light expanding bullet and instead would prefer a heavy hardcast bullet with a large meplat -- I like full penetration (that means and exit).

[Lee Martin]

If I were going after bear with a 41 I'd use one of these three:

L to R - 255 WFN, 265 LFN, 295 SSK



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[whitworth]

Nice bullets, Lee!

[razor]

I think I will order some 240's or 250's from Montana Bullets Works. Cast bullets have always worked for me. I like them because I am a poor shot and you can use them from any angle and they work. Thanks all for the good advice.

[Markbo]

I don't believe any of those will work in an FA 97 Lee, though they are nice looking! Who's are the first two? Might have to get some, or a mold. The 97's have a rather short cylinder and the longest I have been able to load in mine were 220gr.

That being said those guns are hell for stout and I would not hesitate one second on having one loaded up with some 220gr hardcast GC bullets for bear. I believe in the .41 mag's killing power.

[COR]

While I've never used the bulllet on one from the 41, I'd not hesitate to use the 210XTP on black bear. Put one in his chest cavity and you'll anchor him just fine. They die just fine to most suitable deer rounds. While I'd avoid the shoulder shots, that XTP always seems to stay together in the 44Mag (240gr). Both bear and deer.

[whitworth]

I tend to lean more towards heavy hardcast for their penetrative capabilities. Last year I had to Texas heart shoot a black bear up a tree as it was the only shot it presented us and it had already hurt our lead tracking dog. I like the fact that I can shoot it in the backside, and it exits up front after destroying everything between the holes. It's a measure of comfort for me. But, that's just me.

[jwp475]

I would use a wide meplat 230 grain SWC. I get a bit over 1350 fps out of these in my 4" M-57. This bullet penetrates very well and is very accurate in my 41's

The 265 is also a very effective bullet, but shoot high in my 41's and I do not have enough sight adjustment to sight them in. I have no experience with heavier bullets in the 41 mag. In my experience the 41 will out penetrate the 44 when equal constructed bullets are used

[kaytod]

About the only bullet I know off the top of my head to fit in the 97 is the 250 grain bullet from Cast Performance. The 255 will not with it's nose being too long. The 250 is fine and is offered as Federal Cast Core ammo if I'm not mistaken.

[joemack41]

I have successfully used a LBT style 220grFNGC in my FA 97 .41Magnum. It does a good job on black bear and hogs. The handguns I use a WFNGC in have all been Taylor throated. The 97s are notoriously short chambered.

[bigmuddy]

May 23, 2012 21:53:58 GMT -5 kings6 said:

The 41 mag has been Wayne Bosowicz (sp), one of Maines top bear guides, favoraite caliber for years. I would go with the biggest cast bullet you could fit in your 97 but that is just because I like the big but slow bullet idea and I don't own a jacket pistol bullet.

When I hunted last fall with Wayne we talked a lot about his 41 mag. He said the only bullet/load he has ever used was the Remington factory 210 gr. soft point. He also said he has used it on "lots" of bears and has never lost one.

Dan