Quote from: Bongo Boy on November 13 2019 09:49:06 PM MST
I know it's been a while--I'm hoping the op can come back with a happiness report on this--I've always really liked the Sig 'interpretation' of the 1911, and this one is among the nicest looking, to me anyway.  If they'd do this very thing in a double stack...wow.

To date I have a little over a thousand rounds thru the tacops.   I have only had one type of ammo that failed to function.  It also failed to function in any of my three 10mm pistols.   Everything else has been 100% function and accuracy has been fantastic.

I am very pleased with this pistol and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a1911 style 10mm


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Sep-

My experience has mirrored yours.  I've only seen one bear dropped like someone hit the off switch.   A 7' sow shot thru the neck/ shoulder junction straight down thru the vital at 15 yards from a tree stand over bait.   Hit with a 450gr TSX out of a 458 Lott. 

Another buddy one shot flopped one with a 375 H&H.   Bullet entered below the chin, took out several inches of vertebrae. 

No handgun is getting the job done on horsepower, it's all about placement. 

I was at the Russian river several years ago when a GI DLP'd a bear with a beretta 92 9mm.  I'm not sure if he got all 15 off but it sounded like a firefight.  Stopped it with a head shot.

Shoot as big as you can shoot well.


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I guess we don't have as tough of bears here in Alaska as you do in Montana.   The 10mm is very popular here, it's also used regularly year in and  year out against bears here.   

16" trees aren't much of a threat up here either.   

There is nothing wrong with your 45 colt, but I wouldn't get to quick to bash the 10mm.  A  200gr stout load in the 10mm will get in deep enough with good placement and up the odds that a bullet gets there.

A quote from Phil Shoemaker...
"
The formost virtue of a handgun is that they are portable and likely to be with you at all times. Any handgun beats no gun and a determined person with one should be able to survive most situations. My choice is usually my S&W 44 Mtn Gun as it is comfortable and familiar. I also occationally carry a S&W M-13 357 with hard cast 200gr Fn bullets. i wouldn't feel unarmed with a Glock, Ruger or other good auto but as we used to say in the military - the purpose of a handgun is to fight your way to a rifle."

This guy has more experience with big bears in tense situations than all of us on here combined.   

It really boils down to what your shoot well.   If that's a 357 or 10mm or a 500 SW it's up to you to figure that out.   A lot more people are familiar with the Glock platform.  If your shoot a 9mm Glock a lot the 10mm will seem pretty natural.

Remember all of them are a POOR substitute for your rifle.



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Did a little shooting this weekend with a few of my "bear guns".

I shot a 4" 500 smith, a 2.75" 44mag, a 3" 357, a Glock 40, and a sig tax ops 10mm.

Hands down putting more lead accurAtely with either 10mm, especially the RMR sighted G40.


The 357 and 44 weren't terrible, 5 hits with the 357, 4 with the 44.


Chances are high that I'd be bear shit with the 500 SW!  One round gotten off.  But the 500 is impressive!  Maybe the blast would be enough to turn a bear!



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https://www.diamonddcustomleather.com/collections/holsters/products/hh12

The pancake style is a good one for a lower profile carry.   


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Great to hear, looking forward to hearing your performance with them.

I think I'll try some of his bullets in my 500 SW and 44 mag.   Great looking bullets.

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When you have one charging towards you nothing feels adequate.   I remember my 375 RUM feeling under sized when getting charged.    I had a 458 LOTT built just for backup at the bear baits.   

I watched a fair sized grizzly nonchalantly reach down and shatter a 13" piece of pressure treated 2x6 that was being used as a lid on a bait barrel.   Their power is hard to imagine.

I watched a grizzly kill and eat a small black bear one time, it was one of the most brutal things I have ever seen,   Just the sound was terrifying. 

I never go out without a sidearm but more important than all the firepower in the world is an ounce of common sense and precaution.    Keeping a clean camp, making enough noise and staying vigilant in areas where likely to encounter bears will save your life many more times than your handgun.   The odd freak encounter or predatory attack can still happen, but your odds are much better. 


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It's hard to go wrong with a kydex chest holster. Gunfighters Inc kenai is a very good one.  The Dimond D guide's choice is a very nice leather chest holster. 

I'd give the kydex the edge in weather resistance.


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I'm a big proponent of a chest holster.  There are several very good options out there now.   If you are balled up by a bear the chest holster is the easiest place to draw from.  A chest holster is above the waders and out of the way of the pack straps.

A true predatory attack will be almost impassible to draw before contract is made.  It will happen in seconds. 

The bear will most likely be chewing on your head, a double action revolver or an auto that can be fired easily repeatedly would be better than a single action revolver. 


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I've witnessed very poor effectiveness with shotguns in bears.  Specifically brown bears.  Foster style slugs flatten out and fail to penetrate, buckshot also is ineffective.  Only the hard cast like brennekke  black magic have the necessary penetration.   

A buddy of mine swatted an interior bear in camp with the classic buckshot/slug combo.  3 hits with the 12ga,   Bear killed later with the 375,  none of the pellets or foster slugs made it into the vitals.  A lot of muscle damage to the bear but not immediately fatal.   

I'll take a bigbore rifle over a shotgun every time!  I have an AR15 in 450 bushmaster running 275gr TSX, a 45/70 guide gun, and 375 RUM and 338 RCM with light mounts and ghost rings.   If I'm carrying a long gun it won't be a shotgun.


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Shotguns are for birds!

There is nothing better than a big rifle but a handgun can be effective.

I have a Glock 20, a 40 MOS with RMR, 21 w/ 45 super and 21 pound spring, a1911 10mm, and a 44 mag revolver.   I am comfortable in "bear country" with any of these.   

I can definitely put more lead on target faster with the autos than the revolver.   

A 200gr FMJ or hardcast at 1200+ FPS is nothing to sneeze at.  They penetrate very well.  My buddy pushed two 200gr TMJ thru a 6' black bear out of a Glock 20.  Entrance in neck/shoulder junction exited out rear leg.  Smashed a bunch of neck vertebrae on its way thru. 

I think the 10mm is about the best power/packability/controllability out there.  The bigger bore handguns are heavy, recoil is more difficult to control, and have limited capacity. 

We do a "charging bear" drill, more just fun practice.  Suspended balloon above a remote control car.  Start at 20 yards with your back to it.   Turn, draw, and fire as its raced toward you.  It can be pretty humbling but you can get pretty good at it.  Little tip, much easier if you take a knee.

My percentages are way higher with the 10 vs 44, 454, 500s.  You won't get a second accurately aimed shot with the 460-500s.   You might get 2-3 with the 44.  You might get 8 or more with the 10mm.


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Diamond d leather on my sig tax ops.   

You should check out the EDC holster DD makes.  Kind of a generic belt holster but works pretty well, and only $35




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Wandered into a inventory reduction sale at the local cast&blast .   They had a Sig tacops 10mm for $700.   Seemed like too good a deal to pass up. 

Took it out to the range and ran a few rounds thru it.  It shot great, ran everything I fed it except some armscor 180 JHP.  They wouldn't run in my Glock 40 either so I'm pretty sure it's the ammo.   A mix of 180-200gr jacketed and 200-220 cast all ran like a top.  Accuracy was as good as I'm able out to 45 yards.   I was able to hit my 9x12 steel gong about 75% of the time at 45,     My 6" gong was 100% at 25 yards.   

I'm pretty stoked.  It will make a more compact backup than my Glock 40 w/RMR.

I have an IWB holster right now. It works but I'm thinking a nice OWB pancake will be more comfortable.




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I carry the g40 most of the time.  Lately it's been so dusty that I've taken to carying  the g21 with 24# spring and lone wolf threaded barrel.   Cycles just fine with Buffalo bore 230 TMJ AMMO. 


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My g40 runs all above mentioned ammo with ease.   I'm running an RMR and ameriglo suppressor height sights.    Only thing I did was add alpha wolf barrel and ghost connector.   


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