Close call

d4dave1 said:
So I would like to ask a question without sounding like a jerk or starting a war. It appears in the video that the one guy is having a very difficult time opening the action on his rifle? You can see him pounding on the bolt with the back of his fist. I never did see him successfully open the action.

For me, even simply having a difficult time cycling the action would spell the end of that rifle. They just lived through a life and death situation and that rifle failed to function in my opinion. Rifle and ammo deserve a very close inspection by a qualified gunsmith. Or scrap the rifle entirely.

Armchair quarterback.​
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It was probably chambered in the "new king" Ruger .375........ Gatehouse........... ;)
 
I was impressed by the PH, his rifle jams at the worst possible moment, his client is injured, and there's a wounded lion at their feet, yet his voice shows no sign of stress that I could detect. That guy's got ice water in his veins. I'd hunt with him any day.

Ammo that's intended to produce good velocity at 20 degrees might be a problem at 45 or 50.
 
Screen grabs are blurry but can anyone ID the PH's rifle?

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That hooked pistol grip and the design of the rear sight has Ruger written all over it.

That said, IMHO, he had an ammo problem not a rifle problem, so I'd like to know what the ammo and load was.
 
If self-preservation and reputation mean anything to that guy, I wonder why he didn't bother testing his rifle with that ammo under those ambient conditions before going on the hunt??
 
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d4dave1 said:
So I would like to ask a question without sounding like a jerk or starting a war. It appears in the video that the one guy is having a very difficult time opening the action on his rifle? You can see him pounding on the bolt with the back of his fist. I never did see him successfully open the action.

For me, even simply having a difficult time cycling the action would spell the end of that rifle. They just lived through a life and death situation and that rifle failed to function in my opinion. Rifle and ammo deserve a very close inspection by a qualified gunsmith. Or scrap the rifle entirely.

Armchair quarterback.​
Click to expand...

I think that the client was wearing a green hat. This appears to have been one of the PHs who was standing off to the left side. Could have been any one of them that got it though. Leo just picked one out of the crowd and clobbered him, as leos are prone to doing when they get cross.

I remember Phil Shoemaker taking about one of his guides jamming a Model 70 in 375 H&H during a bear charge. Apparently the bullet caught and the force of his cycling the action actually bent the bullet and neck of the case over, binding up the rifle solidly. I jammed a Ruger Hawkeye African as I cycled it after I shot my Cape Buffalo. The bullet caught on the feed ramp and got shoved back into the case. Luckily I was able to clear the jam very quickly but had we been into a rodeo the results would have been different.
 
1 certain type of bullet that I've tried won't feed smoothly in my 416 Ruger. Better to find out at the range than on the hunt.

I suppose expecting a loaner rifle (which are commonly used because taking one's own rifle over there often times involves a lot of PITA red tape) to function reliably is a leap of faith. :eek:
 
The way everyone stood around and watched the the potentially seriously wounded man laying on the ground tells me the whole crew is incompetent.
 
Westward1 said:
The way everyone stood around and watched the the potentially seriously wounded man laying on the ground tells me the whole crew is incompetent.
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I was surprised that after the site was safe that they did not apply direct pressure and then dressings to his wounds. I would have also made him drink some water to try to keep him from shock.
 
Exactly. He's in rough shape either way. He needs to get to an ICU right now to get treatment by a trauma physician. Something about the Golden Hour Principle comes to mind.
 
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Slamfire said:
Exactly. He's in rough shape either way. He needs to get to an ICU right now to get treatment by a trauma physician. Something about the Golden Hour Principle comes to mind.
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So keep him talking and reassure him, get him to drink water if it doesn't pose a danger and then get him mediacl care.
 
I recall there was a worker mauled by a Bear in a remote area of NE BC a while ago. Took like 3 hours to get him evacuated to the hospital in Fort Nelson. Foul weather, couldn't be airlifted so had to be driven. Died enroute.

Christopher Bayduza, 31, male September 1, 2002 near Fort Nelson, British Columbia After going for a walk behind a trailer, Bayduza was attacked at a remote oil rigging site in northeastern British Columbia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America#2000s

Bear kills oil rig worker in northern B.C.
Alberta man is attacked 180 km from Fort Nelson

Nicholas Read
Vancouver Sun


Wednesday, September 04, 2002


An Alberta oil rig worker was killed in northern B.C. on Sunday after a black bear knocked him over and attempted to drag him into the bush.

According to police reports, Christopher Bayduza, 31, of Ardrossan, Alta., was attacked when he walked to the back of a trailer near the drilling rig where he was working with a five-man crew.

"Some of the victim's co-workers heard a scream," said RCMP Staff Sergeant Bryan Reid from Fort Nelson. The attack occurred 180 km from the town.

"They observed a black bear dragging the victim across a septic ditch and towards the bush at the rear of the trailer."

The workers threw objects at the bear in an attempt to get it to stop and release Bayduza, Reid said. Eventually it did, at which time the workers tried to admister first aid to Bayduza, who had serious head and neck injuries.

The bear returned twice before being chased away for good.

Reid said efforts were made to transport Bayduza by air to Fort Nelson General Hospital, but because of bad weather and low cloud cover, he had to go by ambulance instead.

He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Reid couldn't say if Bayduza's life could have been saved if an aircraft had been able to transport him sooner.

On Tuesday, B.C. conservation officers continued to comb the area looking for the bear responsible. They have killed one bear so far, but Reid said they weren't certain it was the right bear.

"The bear responsible for this attack was clearly aggressive and predatory in nature," Reid said. "The fact that it returned twice indicates it's clearly a problem."

Since 1985, seven people have been killed by black bears in B.C., and five people by grizzlies, he said.
 
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Slamfire said:
Septic shock would be a risk after getting chomped and clawed. Loads of deadly bacteria transferred into those wounds.
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According to Dr. Ted Nugent ;)

It would take >12 hours for that to be any real concern. Primary concern would be reducing chance of hypovolemic shock. His shirt was pretty soaked...loads of deadly bacteria would be the last thing on my mind if I was in his shoes.
 
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