Posted on 11/14/2017 7:11:39 AM PST by marktwain
I would be most comfortable with a .12 gauge semi-automatic with 6 rounds of .00 buckshot. A pump requires racking, which takes precious time. Pistols are hard to aim. But a semi-auto shotgun? - perfection!
If at 10 feet+ it would probably put its eyes out. Closer, it might as well be a slug.
Out to 15 feet, It would likely smash the bears skull. With a full choke, over half the pellets are still in a 1” circle at 15 feet from the muzzle. That is enough to reinforce each other and act as a pre-fragmented projectile for about 5-6 inches of serious penetration. The front pellets start penetrating and slow down, then are rammed into by the next pellet behind, which are in turn rammed into by the next.
With a tightly packed shot string, five or six pellets may all follow the same wound track. You end up with a wound that is more than an inch in diameter and just mush for 5 inches and more.
If you are using a cylinder choke gun, your estimate of 10 feet could be right.
Once the pellets are spread enough that they act individually, they do not reinforce each other. Penetration is significantly degraded.
When seconds count PETA is in court.
It is always a
“charging Grizzly”...lots of Griz in Alberta Rockies and from my experience both they and the potential meal are always “charging”in the opposite direction. Unless cubs are about bears like to keep their distance from humans. These guys and gals have no trouble finding their next meal.Of the bear kills I recall, most victims were unaware the bear was about. A friend was jogging near Banff and a bear stepped out and took his face off with one swipe...he later committed suicide in the hospital...not doubting what this lad did, but playing macho with the Griz...not a good idea....just sayin’
So with those loads you are carrying not for hunting but purely for self defense? Article says the boy was pheasant hunting. If you are hunting, would you load spread shot then slugs? Just curious.
I lived in MT in the 1960s and hunted often usually Elk and Mullies. One thing I was taught at an early age is you never even hunt squirrel without a 44 magnum or another big bore of choice on your hip. My dad told me it is hard to climb a tree with a griz on your ass and a rifle in your hand.
No, you are conflating the two stories in the article.
The boy in Alaska is shown where bird shot did not work.
The 60-year-old pheasant hunter was in Montana.
Bear attacks are rare.
The deadliest creature in the forest is man.
Most bears retreat from humans, but some do not.
I do not understand your reference to “playing macho with the Griz”?
The story about your friend...yikes! Banff and Lake Louise are on our destinations list, but maybe we’ll stay in the hotel there and not venture out.
Except the semiauto is more likely to jam.
Thanks. So was the boy carrying the different loads specifically for self defense then? For just this scenario?
Thanks. So was the boy carrying the different loads specifically for self defense then? For just this scenario?
Yes.
Except the semiauto is more likely to jam.
I love the 870. But it is not hard to get it to malfunction.
The best semi-autos are very reliable.
Agreed. We were shooting some #4 from a 20 gauge at some gallon milk jugs. Blew them apart with authority.
Bump
giving the impression that these bears can be easily taken down by an 11 year old with a shotgun...not a good idea.
Amazingly, the FReep headline immediately before this story reads: “Let little boys wear tiaras: Church of England issues new advice to combat transgender bullying...”
Your comment never had so much meaning as in this juxtaposition.
Most bears that threaten or attack armed people end up dead.
We do not hear about it because it is not news.
Bear attacks that result in injured humans are news.
“1999 study by Miller and Tutterrow on Characteristics of Nonsport Mortalities to Brown and Black Bears and Human Injuries from Bears in Alaska. Miller & Tutterrow examined more than 2,000 incidents from 1970 to 1996 when people killed bears in defense of life of property, and less than 2% of the people involved reported injuries. Instead of offering a meaningful explanation for major differences between the two studies on firearms vs bears, Smith and Herrero claimed there were no previous studies on firearms vs. bears.”
I heard about a guy shoving the barrel of his revolver in a bear’s mouth while it was mauling him. It worked and he survived. I think it was a magnum caliber.
Beeswax and bird-shot add up to a ‘MacGyvered’ slug giving tens-of-yards in effective range.
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