I think junebug has the handle on it, as on some 1911 sites you'll get nothing but grief if you mention the 1911 is a fine hunting pistol. I don't think most of them have ever harvested a deer, as most seem to think deer wear kevlar or are as thick as a bison.

As with most game, unless you take out both front shoulders or get a CNS strike, that animal just might take off and run for a while and it really doesn't matter whether you're using a 460 Weatherby or a 38 Special.

Back in the 50's the 38 Special accounted for its share of deer/bear and when the 357 became popular - that was the miracle handgun round. The 44 mag - now there was a handgun caliber that was too powerful to use on deer or black bear and not many ever thought about it but the youngsters got an interest when dirty harry movies came out.

I haven't seen to many "young" deer hunters in the field within the past 10 years with a rifle less than a 7mm and their field of fire is maybe 80 yards.

Relative to rifles, my family used the 30-30 and when the 308 came about some switched while others stayed with the 30-30 or went to the 243. Handguns were always the 38 Special, 357 or the 45 ACP in the 1911 platform - I was the only idiot going big bore with the 44 and now the 50 Linebaugh Max and everything in between.

I started my grandkids hunting predators (fox/coyote) with the 1911 and they love it and my 15 yoa granddaughter is deadly with it to 35 yards on a stationary target - anything that doesn't want to come within her "killing range" will still get a proper send-off and one of these times lady luck will be on her side and a yote at 100/150 yards will take a tumble - so far close but no cigar.

The 1911 is a wonderful handgun and can do about anything a marksman would want to do with it relative to hunting anything that walks on the North American Continent. The 44 mags, 454's, 475 and 500 Linebaughs and 500 S&W's are mighty fine handguns around a campfire as well, but the only thing they can do better is break both front shoulders on elk size or larger game - and of course, they can penetrate larger game end to end and have a longer effective range - I guess that's more than "only thing" but that 1911 is a very formidable handgun.

I would think on a charging brown bear the 255/265 grain cast bullets could break a brown down if you had the time, which in most cases you won't have; so for my money, I'll have a double-action revolver with a lanyard, so when he pounds my butt in the ground I might have a slim chance of retrieving my revolver and getting off a miracle shot.