Posted on 12/03/2010 5:42:12 AM PST by marktwain
Lucky, he was loaded for bear!
3” magnum shells with slugs would take care of a bear with no problem whatsoever, especially at the range this guy was shooting from. Even ‘00’ Buckt would do a number on him at close range.
Why? I have slugs in my .357 magnum, and I don't keep it loaded in my house because I'm worried about a bear attack.
At 500lbs, this bear might be a good candidate for the taxidermist. It could be quite an attraction in the restaurant.
Never read the Diaries of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, did you? When the Corps of Discovery first encountered the American Grizzly, one took 9 slugs from long rifles including several to the chest and head, to fell.
A 410 was the first gun I learned to shoot. They have quite a kick. It left a huge bruise on my shoulder...lol. It was brutal.
I think grizzlies maybe grew bigger back then?
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No, really?
I think that their rifles where considerably less powerful. Heavier calibers became more popular for the West.
I am still waitng to hear from F&G but this is most likely the bear that was tearing up houses on the Nevada side last year. One guy claims to have hit it with a 44 mag and it just walked away.
http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20051028/NEWS/51028005
Note to Restauranteer: Next time leave picnic basket outside the restaurant.
I’m surprised he was able to kill the bear so quickly.
Was the bear virtually on top of them when they started shooting it?
Also, in a post up above, ‘Grampa Dave’ provides the ballistics for a 12 gauge rifled slug. They are quite a bit superior to those of a Kentucky Long Rifle.
In fact, each ball from a 3” magnum #00 Buck has about the same muzzle velocity as a typical long rifle ball (+/- 1,200 fps) — although the buck-shot would be inferior to the rifle at anything other than very short range.
All things considered, were I placed in the situation this storeowner faced, I’d choose a shotgun loaded with #00 Buck over a flint lock long rifle any day of the week.
“... after the bruin allegedly attacked him...”
The bear didn’t have a father and lived with a single mother and other cubs. He got into a gang of bad bears. “He really is a good bear and wouldn’t hurt anyone”, stated the Grandmother Bear.
Its amazing to me this should even be a “state issue”....
“I think grizzlies maybe grew bigger back then?”
Not likely - but they only had weak black powder rifles.
We have far superior weapons now.
LOL!
“Bird shot at very close range lets say under 20 feet is very deadly could easly turn a bears head into mush.”
I believe every gun can kill but why use something that may anger him before he croaks. Want a kill or stop for self defense, go for the buck shot. Want to blind someone and get sued out of your socks, go for the bird shot. Your choice.
In the case of a bear, for me, it is 00 or 000 12 gauge or 10 gauge or slugs.
Recent tests I have seen with bird shot, 12 gauge, show not enough penetration especially through heavy clothing.
We live just outside Yosemite NP. My neighbor was having problems with a bear raiding his screened in porch where he kept a freezer. Fish and game told him to use bird shot to drive the bear off and give him a rash to remember. The bear returned in the early AM hours a few days later. He used a 12 ga. with bird-shot on him at a range of about 12 feet. Result: Get out the Backhoe, dig a big hole and bury one dead bear.
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