HELP: Will a 30-06 bring down a Polar Bear?
Shannon Adams
I have a 30-06 and want to know if it would be good enough to bring. I
need it only for safety reasons when I am out on the land/ice. Also,
what kind of bullet would be needed as well.
Would a 12 guage be better?
shannon
. . . . . . . . . .
Info on moderated group rec.guns is at http://doubletap.cs.umd.edu/rec.guns
Bterr
your 30-06 to .35 Whelen and use
a Barnes X bullet. If you go with the
'06 careful shot placement will do the
job. I'd suggest Federal High Energy
Premium ammo with the Trophy Bonded
180gr. Bullet. For the 12 Gauge go only
with the 3" Brenneke slug. All other slugs
are made of soft lead. Best of luck to you.
Compjrk
maybe, but to be safe take a sixpack of
CoCa Cola along too!
Ken Pisichko
> ...
Hi,
About 30 years ago my uncle brought down a bear at a drilling rig with a
12 ga. The Innu use .303 SMLE variations and whatever to bring them down
too. Remember that you must be able to place a shot to bring down an
animal. The Swedish hunters use the 6.5mmX55 to hunt moose etc. We in
North America have been taught that a MAGNUM in at least .30 cal is needed
to bring these animals down. Not!
Learn how to shoot and place shots. Then your 30-06 will be fine.
Ken in Winnipeg.
KMiddle532
too?
KM in NC
THE SHOOTIST
--
Shannon Adams wrote in message <6q2gh0$6...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...
#Hi, I ammoving to the North West Territories, CAN, The very far north.
#I have a 30-06 and want to know if it would be good enough to bring
Unless you have no other choice I would not rely on your 30-06. You need to
remember you are dealing with a VERY large carnivore who will not hesitate
to thoroughly ruin your day. They are also not at all shy about asking some
of their friends to join in the festivities, depending on the time of the
year. If I had my druthers I would take a 7mm Rem Mag at the minimum and
preferably something in the area of 375 H&H. I am sure there are many
instances when Polars have had their hash settled with a variety of lesser
calibers, but why take the chance if it is not necessary.
Another thought is the .35 Whelen.
Just an opinion.
Nose to the
wind,
THE SHOOTIST
Jerry
#If you handload, you could rebarrel
#your 30-06 to .35 Whelen and use
#a Barnes X bullet. If you go with the
#'06 careful shot placement will do the
#job. I'd suggest Federal High Energy
#Premium ammo with the Trophy Bonded
#180gr. Bullet. For the 12 Gauge go only
#with the 3" Brenneke slug. All other slugs
#are made of soft lead. Best of luck to you.
Heck, I'm told that Eskimos take them with 22s. But then quite a few Eskimos
disappear out on the ice each year.
PaulO57509
#need it only for safety reasons when I am out on the land/ice. Also,
#what kind of bullet would be needed as well.
#
#Would a 12 guage be better?
I recall reading a short paragraph a long time ago, in Shooting Times or the
American Rifleman, where the US Forest Service did an evaluation (??) and they
concluded that when ever someone is working in known bear territory, that he is
not to go alone and that a rifle chambered in .458 Winchester Magnum be
standard issue.
I would hate to shoot at a bear only to tick him/her off.
PaulO
"We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary
Americans ..."
--Bill Clinton (USA TODAY, 11 March 1993, page 2A)
Superposed
I don't understand what the attachment to the 7mm Magnum is over .30 calibers
such as the .06. The 7mm caliber is loosely .280, no? And there are much
larger bullet offerings in .30 cal., no? I understand the desire for high
velocity and the desire for a flat trajectory, but with large, dangerous game
is it not more desirous to have a good bone crunching bullet that will create a
sizable wound channel into the bruin??? Please elaborate.
Joseph
P.S. -- There was a program on Discovery channel several months back where
inuits were shooting everything from small whales, walrus and caribou with a
.30-30 and what looked to be a .308. These venerable loads are the do-it-alls
that those who don't have a safe full of guns rely on. They may not do
anything with spectacular performance, but they service most tasks adequately.
If I had to choose one (and I did) a .30-06 is about the most versatile (in
terms of variety of loads and loadability), most readily available (from Nome,
AL to Alice Springs, AUS) and efficient (case capacity :: bore diameter) that
has been developed. I still like my .270, but the .06 gets the nod if I have
to pick one.
Corsair
In response to your question, yes the .30-06 is more than
adequate for taking down polar bear.. PROVIDING you place your shot
well. Remember that the bear has think layers of hide, fat and muscle
protecting his vitals. From the side, the vital area on a full size
bear might be just a little larger than a basketball. If you miss
this area, the caliber of the weapon will be irrelevant. From the
front, the only real shot will be a brain shot, as the density of
fleash, bone, and fat will protect the heart and spine from all but
the strongest, deepest penetrating rounds. For .30-06, I recommend
one of the heavier bullets, starting with the 180 grain. Choose a
bullet that will retain most of its mass, like the partition, or
"A-Frame" slugs.
That being said, 12 ga slugs can be quite effective for self
defense against so large a critter. This would definetly be in close,
where it would be you, or the bear. The same rules would apply
though. Place your shot well, especially as you may not get a second
chance on an enraged bear!
Whatever you choose, PRACTICE!!!! Get good and comfortable
with your weapon, and the loads you intend to carry in the field.
Know what the gun, and YOU can be relied apon to do in the field.
Good luck, have fun, stay safe!
Corsair, The Mostly Harmless
On 2 Aug 1998 16:00:32 -0400, Shannon Adams
<shanno...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> ...
Fluid
# For the 12 Gauge go only with the 3" Brenneke slug. All other slugs
# are made of soft lead.
Of course this isn't quite accurate, since Remington, among others,
makes slugs of solid copper. These are designed to expand, so are
probably not the best choice for large, dangerous game, and the Brenneke
is a good choice. A sabot round would be ideal, like the old BRI, but
most available today are hollowpointed and limit penetration. The
originals were .50 caliber lead solids, and allowed the 12 gauge to
behave like the old blackpowder "buffalo rifles" used to take game far
larger than polar bear.
Jay T
John Cox
> ...
I don't know about energy transfer, but it will penetrate like a muther.
Saw a training film from wwII a while back and a GI 30.06 round went
through 12 feet of concrete and then through a german helmet. I don't
know about polar bears, the bears around here are the size of big
rabbits.
SgtRage
Heath
work!
Previously <6q57hu$e...@xring.cs.umd.edu>, je...@dittosrush.com said...
> ...
--
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/gorge/6392/
http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/7079/
Spike43
prefer something heavier like a .338 win mag, 340 wthby mag, or even the .375
h&h mag. I would definitely avoid lighter mags like the 7mm!!
Scott P
(Who avoids Polar Bears cause he dosen't enjoy that much recoil, thanks)
Dave HD
Help you will need and yes it will bring down a polar bear - - - eventually.
It also depends on how good a shot you are, how much ammo you have and if you
think that playing the Power Ball lottery is a great way to make easy money.
Dave HD
MOONIESDL
its actually what we call elk I believe, europe has no animal comparable to our
moose.
moonie ;)
Thomas Fournier
#
# Hi, I ammoving to the North West Territories, CAN, The very far north.
# I have a 30-06 and want to know if it would be good enough to bring. I
# need it only for safety reasons when I am out on the land/ice. Also,
# what kind of bullet would be needed as well.
#
# Would a 12 guage be better?
If you are not already familiar enough with guns to have a pig-headed
notion about which gun is best, then you probably should not rely on a
rifle to protect you from polar bears. Think about it. If you ever
have to use it, you will have just a few seconds to place your bullets
in a very small, very fast moving target. This is no mean feat when you
have to change your underwear.
Now that we have delivered the mandatory sermon on how the mere
possession of a gun cannot confer security, we can address the question
of gun choice. Many Canadian Wildlife Service biologists tote Lee
Enfields chambered in 303 British. The cartridge is a little feeble,
but FMJ surplus ammo penetrates well. The rifle itself points well, and
the action is very slick and reliable. Furthermore, the 10 round
magazine has turned out to be useful. Bear fights can get
claustrophobically close. After pumping 5 rounds into the bear's behind
(because that is all you can see and because you do not have the luxury
of waiting for a clear shot when the bear is already chewing on your
buddy), it is nice to have a few rounds in reserve for when the bear
turns around.
Other people prefer to go with heavy calibers and small magazines. They
figure that they will not get off more than three shots (usually all
that is available if you carry the rifle with a full magazine and the
chamber empty). Still others like the simplicity and speed of a
shotgun.
In the end, your choice of weapon (shotgun versus Lee Enfield versus
30-06 versus pukka sahib stopping rifle) is -relatively- inconsequential
because you cannot predict which will be best; there really is no way to
know whether you will need the Enfield's magazine or the Rigby's knock
down power. By definition, if you have to shoot then you have already
failed to avoid a confrontation, and the bear is dictating the rules of
engagement.
In the end, all you can do is choose the one that inspires you with the
most confidence, and then practice until you can use it effectively from
either shoulder even when you are stunned and bleeding. Of course, you
must also learn to maintain it so that goes bang when you need it to.
Keep your stick on the ice,
Thos.
MEADHajduk
Model25
----------------------------------------------------------------
Trapdoor Billy
SASS, NCOWS, WASA
I never met a S&W N-Frame that I didn't like.
Dave HD
#Saw a training film from wwII a while back and a GI 30.06 round went <BR>
#through 12 feet of concrete and then through a german helmet. I don't <BR>
#know about polar bears, the bears around here are the size of big <BR>
#rabbits.<BR>
#<BR>
#SgtRage<BR>
#<BR>
A 30-06 penetrate 12 FEET of concrete!!??? I don't think so "Tim"! An
anti-tank round would have a problem with that. Hmmm, maybe that's what he
should use on that bear!
Dave HD
J. Garner
need extreame range. You will be insured of deep penetration, even into
heavy bone. This load will kick quite hard though; so be sure to see if
you can handle it first. I hope you are successful in not becoming an
angry bear's supper. Leave the 12 gauge home.
G.
Shannon Adams <shanno...@sympatico.ca> wrote in article
<6q2gh0$6...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...
> ...
http://doubletap.cs.umd.edu/rec.guns
> ...
Lorne D. Gilsig
> ...
Think of a polar bear as a very pissed off mini-van with claws.
Lorne D. Gilsig
mc...@telxon.com
cor...@rconnect.com (Corsair) wrote:
# Hello,
#
# In response to your question, yes the .30-06 is more than
# adequate for taking down polar bear.. PROVIDING you place your shot
# well. Remember that the bear has think layers of hide, fat and muscle
# protecting his vitals. From the side, the vital area on a full size
# bear might be just a little larger than a basketball. If you miss
# this area, the caliber of the weapon will be irrelevant. From the
# front, the only real shot will be a brain shot, as the density of
# fleash, bone, and fat will protect the heart and spine from all but
# the strongest, deepest penetrating rounds. For .30-06, I recommend
# one of the heavier bullets, starting with the 180 grain. Choose a
# bullet that will retain most of its mass, like the partition, or
# "A-Frame" slugs.
Both the Partition and the A frame are designed to lose roughly 30% of their
weight in their initial expansion. A 200 grain partition only weighs about
140 grains after the first few inches of hide and fat. A Barnes X bullet
will retain 100% of its weight. After going through hide and fat, a 165
grain Barnes-X bullet has more retained weight and more retained velocity to
damage vitals than a 200 grain partition. If the game I was after was bear,
of if I had a chance to meet a bear by accident and I had to use a 30-06, I'd
be shooting X bullets.
Michael Courtney
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http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum
Tony
Shannon Adams wrote:
# Hi, I ammoving to the North West Territories, CAN, The very far north.
# I have a 30-06 and want to know if it would be good enough to bring. I
# need it only for safety reasons when I am out on the land/ice. Also,
# what kind of bullet would be needed as well.
#
# Would a 12 guage be better?
I would rather have a 12 gauge pump loaded with high quality slugs than
a 06, with a backup 44 mag revolver in a shoulder holster for protection.
If you were asking what I would recomend for hunting polar bear my
sugestion would be different.
Tony
Fluid
#
# I don't know about energy transfer, but it will penetrate like a muther.
# Saw a training film from wwII a while back and a GI 30.06 round went
# through 12 feet of concrete and then through a german helmet...
Wow, I want the dope this guy was smoking! Twelve feet of concrete with
a GI '06! Lots of AP tank rounds couldn't do this is WWII - 37mm for
one, 75 mm for two. Gotta get me one of those GI 30.06s!! :^)
Jay T
Glenn Smith
when the pressure is on? Bullet placement is the most important. Why are
you moving up there? I should say, that if your wanting a gun for the
purpose of selfdefense, make sure the type of gun you bring is a
reliable one.
The Simple Man,
David J. Ervin
> ...
Twelve feet of concrete? Are you sure about that. Sounds like something is wrong here to
me. I have shot a block of concrete with my M1A and it only puts a dent in it. Can't
imagine that the .30-06 would do much more, even with armor piercing rounds I don't think
it would make it.
David
zem...@hotmail.com
going to walk across the Artic. They had a sled that they pulled with their
supplies. Before they went they took a 12ga and sawed off the bbl with a
hack saw. Anyway while they were walking across the Artic a Polar bear began
stalking them. Well they decided they had no choice and shot and killed the
bear. The 12ga did the job I don't know if they used buckshot or slugs. In
article <6q8kno$q...@xring.cs.umd.edu>, Thomas Fournier <drt...@istar.ca>
wrote:
> ...
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. . . . . . . . . .
Tivers
## Saw a training film from wwII a while back and a GI 30.06 round went
## through 12 feet of concrete and then through a german helmet...
#
#Wow, I want the dope this guy was smoking! Twelve feet of concrete with
#a GI '06! Lots of AP tank rounds couldn't do this is WWII - 37mm for
#one, 75 mm for two. Gotta get me one of those GI 30.06s!! :^)
#
#Jay T
He meant 12' wide, 2 inches thick. Or maybe one inch thick. Or maybe...
ti
Tom Ivers
President: Equine Racing Systems, Inc.
http://www.equineracing.com
Mark L. Hufnagle
> ...
Another opinion,
You must use some Magnum Monster as the polar bears have taken to
wearing armour, thus they are much harder to kill than the thousands of
polar bears killed wit the 30.06 and smaller calibers. The key is the
right bullet in the right place. A bear gut shot with a 300 Weatherby
Magnum is still a gut shot bear. The 30.06 will handily kill almost any
critter tht walks. crawls, creeps, flys or hops across the North
American continent. You must use the right bullet and be able to hit the
animal in the right place. You would be amazed at what some of the Artic
natives bang away at the big bears with, 303 British, 30.30, 250 Savage,
300 Savage, and they are subsistance hunters, not sport hunters.
Mark
Mark L. Hufnagle
Mark Crispin
I hope never to have to shoot a bear. I do, however, own land in Alaska;
there are bears (blackies and griz) on my land but not the kind of large
numbers found at Katmai or Denali. Lots more moose sign than bear sign.
I follow the technique of making lots of noise and packing out all my
trash and garbage. As far as the bears are concerned, I'm a noisy and
dangerous creature with nothing of any value for bears, and am best
avoided at all costs. I try my best to keep it that way.
So, firearms are the last-ditch measure to take a bear out of the gene
pool when in spite of excellent reasons to get away from me it decides to
make contact.
# Hi, I ammoving to the North West Territories, CAN, The very far north.
# I have a 30-06 and want to know if it would be good enough to bring. I
# need it only for safety reasons when I am out on the land/ice.
A 30-06 is generally considered to be the *minimum* for a bear gun. Most
folks seem to consider it to be inadequate for brown bear or polar bear.
The general concensus is "carry the biggest that you can handle."
# Also,
# what kind of bullet would be needed as well.
The general answer is "the biggest that you can handle in your gun."
# Would a 12 guage be better?
I think so. A 12 gauge delivers much more energy than a 30-06 at close
range -- we're talking 25 yards or about a second before the bear touches
you if he's charging. You don't want to shoot further out since it may be
a bluff charge and the last thing you want is a wounded bear because the
short was too far out.
I carry a Mossberg 500 12 gauge with slug barrel loaded with Brenneke 3" 1
3/8 oz rifled slugs. Brennekes are probably better for bear than the
ordinary Foster slugs used by most manufacturers since Brennekes will
penetrate deeper (at the cost of less mushrooming). Penetration is what
you want; you don't want it to mushroom and stop before it reaches a vital
spot. I don't think that sabots and rifled barrel are worth the extra
cost; they're more accurate, but they pack less punch.
A Mossberg 500 slug gun is a very basic and inexpensive pump action 12
gauge, perfect with the short barrel (it's the minimum length that Canada
will allow -- I checked with Canadian customs) and a very good safety that
is out of the way and doesn't get set by mistake. Normally, I carry with
the safety set to "fire" but the chamber empty and just the magazine
filled. This saves me having to fool around with the safety in an
emergency; I just go into fire-pump-fire-pump-... mode and the first one
will be dry. It's safer and faster than having a shell in the chamber and
the safety on; safer since there is no way it will fire without a pump
(even if the gun is dropped) and faster than fiddling with the safety.
Some people swear by 00 Buck or even 000 Buck. You have a bigger chance
of hitting the bear, but I don't think that those smaller pellets will
have the penetration or energy to deliver stopping power, and stopping
power is what you want.
I also carry a 6" Colt Anaconda .44 mag revolver with 320 grain bullets.
That's a big load for an Anaconda; you don't do routine target practice
with that stuff, but you should try firing it to make sure you can
handle it. The Anaconda is a backup sidearm; in general, a .44 mag
handgun is not enough gun but if you have a bear on top of you it's better
than nothing.
My visits to my property in Alaska always end up with my unloading the
same amount of ammo that I put in at the start.
Quite frankly, I'd worry about what to carry *after* making local inquiry.
Find out what the locals carry and do the same. It also helps to get to
know the local bears if at all possible. If you know them as individuals
you may be more able to read their behavior and react accordingly.
Nick Hull
# ## I don't know about energy transfer, but it will penetrate like a muther.
# ## Saw a training film from wwII a while back and a GI 30.06 round went
# ## through 12 feet of concrete and then through a german helmet...
# #
# #Wow, I want the dope this guy was smoking! Twelve feet of concrete with
# #a GI '06! Lots of AP tank rounds couldn't do this is WWII - 37mm for
# #one, 75 mm for two. Gotta get me one of those GI 30.06s!! :^)
# #
# #Jay T
#
# He meant 12' wide, 2 inches thick. Or maybe one inch thick. Or maybe...
#
Maybe a 12" thick hollow concrete block?
--
Free men own guns - slaves don't
Committees of Correspondence web page:
<http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/>
nh...@mindspring.com
Fluid
# ....A bear gut shot with a 300 Weatherby Magnum is still a gut shot bear....
This is not intended to be a slam at the poster himself, since this line
is repeated often, and by people who should know better too! No one
wants to shoot an animal in the guts, but it can and does happen. While
armchair hunters who have never even SEEN a bear of ANY kind in the
bush tend to speak knowlingly of "hitting the vital spot" etc., this is
all BS when it comes to a close, unexpected encounter with one of the
large bears. It is very much possible in a hostile encounter with a
bear to NOT hit it in a vital spot, trying or not! We are talking a
survival situation here, not some sport hunt where we can decide to pass
on a difficult shot.
Now, which caliber would you rather hit the animal in the guts with, a
..338 Magnum, or a .303 Enfield? The animal will be more likely to react
to the .338 than the .303, period. This could make the difference
between being injured or killed by the bear, or killing it first. It is
fine to speak knowlingly about all the bears that have been killed with
..22s, .30-30s, etc., but when that animal is looking at you from twenty
feet away, you want all the gun you can carry; believe me, I've been
there.
To recommend a minimal chambering for someone who may very likely see a
bear up close and who may need to defend himself is irresponsible. Yes
the .30-06 will kill a big bear. No, a .30-06 is not a good chambering
to carry when you HAVE to defend your life from a big bear.
Jay T
KMiddle532
campus(I
don't recall which building, it has been a long time) there is (or was) a full
mount of an erect polar bear in which 11 bullet holes could be counted, all in
the mid to upper chest, regardless of the weapon used, that makes
them one tuff SOB!
KM in NC
Brad Thone
scribbled:
#Shannon Adams wrote:
##
## Hi, I ammoving to the North West Territories, CAN, The very far north.
## I have a 30-06 and want to know if it would be good enough to bring. I
## need it only for safety reasons when I am out on the land/ice. Also,
## what kind of bullet would be needed as well.
##
## Would a 12 guage be better?
Perhaps the answer is yes, a 30-06 will bring down a Polar Bear.
It will tick him off and bring him down on you something fierce.
;-)
Brad Thone, speaking only for himself
Proper gun use SAVES lives and preserves/restores freedom!
"...shall not be infringed."
Per 47 USC Sec 227 unsolicited email sent to me
may be subject to a $500 fee!
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/227.html
Dauven
#
# I don't know if this helps but in a building on the Michigan State@East Lansing
# campus(I
# don't recall which building, it has been a long time) there is (or was) a full
# mount of an erect polar bear in which 11 bullet holes could be counted, all in
# the mid to upper chest, regardless of the weapon used, that makes
# them one tuff SOB!
# KM in NC
Having stood toe to toe with a Brown bear the thing that I found most
supprising was not how tough they are but their remarkable speed. I was
alwas of the openion that of a lumbering bear. Let me tell you when
they get in attack mode, they cover ground at a truly remarkable rate.
They may look lumbering but they cover a lot of ground very quickly.
It is this speed of the bear that requires the stopping power not
killing power. At 100 yds if it takes 8 seconds for the bear to die
then that is 2 seconds longer than it takes him to travel 100 yds. Is
their a message here? I hope so.
Jim in Ore.
ted & sharon
wrote:
# On Stardate 4 Aug 1998 23:49:12 -0400, Thomas Fournier <drt...@istar.ca>
# scribbled:
#
# #Shannon Adams wrote:
# ##
# ## Hi, I ammoving to the North West Territories, CAN, The very far north.
# ## I have a 30-06 and want to know if it would be good enough to bring. I
# ## need it only for safety reasons when I am out on the land/ice. Also,
# ## what kind of bullet would be needed as well.
# ##
# ## Would a 12 guage be better?
I worked for a company that set-up camps on the pack ice on the arctic
ocean. For Bear protection we would have a winchester model 70s in .338
mag.,and a 12ga pump shotguns loaded with slugs.
We did have bears come in to camp,but in that ten year project no one
ever had to shoot any , mostly firing the gun in the air would scare them
off,but the thing that worked the best was to scare them off was to chase
them with snowmobiles.
The basic rule was that if the polar bear was coming toward you,don't let
it get any closer then 75 feet, shoot to kill,and keep shooting until your
sure it's not a threat.
I did also read a canadian goverment report on Polar bears wich said that
the 7mm mag was the gun they recommended for bear control.
--
In a society that outlaws adventure,the only adventure is to outlaw that society
Amy Lewis
KMiddle532 wrote:
#
# I don't know if this helps but in a building on the Michigan State@East
Lansing
# campus(I
# don't recall which building, it has been a long time) there is (or was) a full
# mount of an erect polar bear in which 11 bullet holes could be counted, all in
# the mid to upper chest, regardless of the weapon used, that makes
# them one tuff SOB!
# KM in NC
#
I used to live in East Lansing and I have seen that bear stading in the
entryway of one of the dorms. It is a most impressive critter! I would not
want to face that thing with my Anaconda or even any gun I could actually
carry. I'd want something with the gun in a turret!
I believe someone on here once calculated that to have any reasonable
chance of a one shot stop on a bear you would have to be firing a 6000
grain projectile at 1350 fps. Sounds about like a tank to me.
Aside from considerations of calibre there is also the fact that bears
have one hell of an anaerobic metabolism, and even if you pull off a
successful heart shot he can still keep coming and kill you before he
dies.
Amy
--
|\_/| .-------------------------------------------.
| @ @ Woof! | Amy Lewis (amyl...@wenet.net) |
| <> _ | |
| _/\------____ ((| |)) | : A dog may bark all night, but his legs |
| `--' | | will not grow longer. |
____|_ ___| |___.' | |
/_/_____/____/_______| `-------------------------------------------'
Greg
# successful heart shot he can still keep coming and kill you before he
# dies.
#
# Amy
Tis true a heart shot may not stop a beast but then it depends on the
beast. A head shot will stop anything every time, so will a spine shot.
The problem with getting the spine shot is of course obvious. No valid
predictions can be made on what will stop an animal like a bear. Some
animals will fold up with a non-lethal wound, some will do a very good
job of trying to kill you with major parts of thier anatomy blown away.
The critical point is where the animal is hit, after all the esquimo's
favorite round for bear was the 17 Remington because it wouldn't ruin
the pelt. They would shoot the throat out and follow the bear till it
went down. Tracking was no problem and the 17 is accurate to 300-400
yds easily.
Greg
Nick Hull
# I used to live in East Lansing and I have seen that bear stading in the
# entryway of one of the dorms. It is a most impressive critter! I would not
# want to face that thing with my Anaconda or even any gun I could actually
# carry. I'd want something with the gun in a turret!
#
# I believe someone on here once calculated that to have any reasonable
# chance of a one shot stop on a bear you would have to be firing a 6000
# grain projectile at 1350 fps. Sounds about like a tank to me.
#
# Aside from considerations of calibre there is also the fact that bears
# have one hell of an anaerobic metabolism, and even if you pull off a
# successful heart shot he can still keep coming and kill you before he
# dies.
#
You might consider the bear experiences of a friend of mine. He was on the
job building the DEW line many years ago and had some bear trouble. A req
was sent in for a "bear rifle"; what was sent (by the army) was a 3.5"
bazooka with HE shells.
Whenever a bear got too close or menancing, someone would drop a HE shell
in front of the bear and the bear would go hightailling it to somewhere
else. It worked until a she-bear arrived and got mad at the greeting. The
next round was on the chest, and it rained bear meat.
The only other bear incident he reported was a bear getting into the
explosives locker. Everyone wanted to shoot the bear but no one dared. In
the end, they gassed the bear with a lot of CO2 fire extinguishers.
--
Free men own guns - slaves don't
Committees of Correspondence web page:
<http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/>
nh...@mindspring.com
. . . . . . . . . .
Fluid
#
# Tis true a heart shot may not stop a beast but then it depends on the
# beast. A head shot will stop anything every time...
Be careful here. While a shot to the brain is likely to kill
immediately, the 'head' is a lot bigger than the brain is. I once
hunted with a guy who insisted on shooting his deer in the head - didn't
ruin any eating meat. The first one was hit in the muzzle, resulting in
aone of the grossest wounds I'd seen. We had to chase that deer down to
put it out of its obvious misery. The second one went down like a sack
of rocks, but as we approached it jumped up and ran off. We were able
to bring it down, and discovered that the first shot had creaed the
skull, knocking the animal out. He gave up on head shots after that.
# ....after all the esquimo's favorite round for bear was the 17 Remington
# because it wouldn't ruin the pelt. They would shoot the throat out and
# follow the bear till it went down. Tracking was no problem and the 17 is
# accurate to 300-400 yds easily....
Sorry to dis this, but just where did you read this fantasy? While a
few eskimo MAY have used the .17 Rem as noted, those Inuit I know prefer
the .223, .30-30, .30-06 or similar cartridges. They shoot to kill with
care - if they were to "shoot the throat out" and trail the animal, the
excessive bleeding could ruin the pelt. Not that the pelt is all that
valuable, since they cannot sell it to non-Natives unless they make
something else out of it, like mukluks or fishing flys. Shoot a polar
bear in the throat at 400 yards easily???? :^)
Jay T
Tim Chandler
forget that shot placement is more important than caliber. That's why Navy Seal
teams proove more effective with a 9mm MP5 than your average military unit with
their weaponry. The 30-06 is an extremely powerful round. It is more than
capable of taking down anything that breathes with the right shot placement.
In article <6qf8gc$r...@xring.cs.umd.edu>, m...@CAC.Washington.EDU says...
> ...