Bear gun build?

I hear Arma-Coat has a nice stainless colour but have not seen it in person. Could be worth looking into, along with a Dlask, NEA or even Norinco barrel depending on how anti-rest-of-the-world you are. As for bear bangers, I like the pen type in a little holster with one loaded and FP at its half-#### position. Just be ready to drop it and switch to the gun if you dont think you'll have enough time to get one off. A guide I used to work with used them alot in the Yukon to get bears out of camp and told me they work very well.

gorky said:
I would love to be able to get a shorter stainless barrel for my Marine Mag as it is my prefer truck gun / wilderness defense gun. Mine has a Choate folding stock which I prefer over the full length pistol grip stocks for this application. If I could get a 14" stainless barrel, I would happily change to that even if it meant losing a few rounds of capacity.

I am no where near as experienced as the likes of Boomer or Geologist but I do follow the mindset of "guns are for stopping, not for scaring". There are alternative if scare tactics are desired. There are also alternative non-lethal options (bear spray, etc). My thought is that if I am under stress, I do not want to be unloading rubber slugs or firing birdshot to get to that slug that is three rounds in. I did not know about how corrosive the bangers are which is just another reason not to use them in a dedicated bear-stopping gun.
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My experience with 12 gauge bear bangers are that they fly about 200 feet and then explode. On canoe trips, my typical encounter distance is less than that so I have never used one in anger.

I typically load up the 870 with slugs but have one of those stocks that can hold 2 extra shells. I keep the bangers in there so if I ever need to use them it is a matter of pulling back the fore-end, dumping a slug on the dirt and sliding in a banger then closing the action. The next few are slugs if negotiations fail.

This works for me. Typically my encounters so far have been peaceful minus a stolen fish. Stare at the bear and talk to it and pretty soon they get bored and wander off. Polar bears are likely not so tolerant but they do not come down here.

I do wonder if you can skip fire a bear banger to reduce the distance or if it's unpredictable nature would result in a bad day? May have to try it in the interest of science in a safe location.
 
^Now that's a darn good idea! I'm going to remove the safeties from all my 870's and 1100's right now. :)

On the topic of less lethal ammo, has anyone tried the 12g bean bag rounds that Margo Supplies sells? What about the softer rubber koosh ball rounds from SFRC? I was thinking of ordering some as a deterrent around camp. Sometimes factors such as wind, people, pets, etc make bear spray less than ideal, so I'd like something I can have on standby in my side saddle should I need a less lethal option. The few curious bears I've encountered have been quite young so that's why I'm leaning towards the 'softer' rounds so I do as little damage as possible.
 
llwyd said:
I do wonder if you can skip fire a bear banger to reduce the distance or if it's unpredictable nature would result in a bad day? May have to try it in the interest of science in a safe location.
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My preference if the range is short is just to put the cracker up in the air. Skip fire might work under ideal conditions, but I wouldn't want to count on it or recommend it due to the unpredictable variables involved. When the range is close, put the banger up in the air. I've on occasion hit obstinate bears with cracker shells, and the result is always immediate compliance, but it often blows off a chuck of hide and probably leaves a nasty burn.
 
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Jwan320 said:
^Now that's a darn good idea! I'm going to remove the safeties from all my 870's and 1100's right now. :)

On the topic of less lethal ammo, has anyone tried the 12g bean bag rounds that Margo Supplies sells? What about the softer rubber koosh ball rounds from SFRC? I was thinking of ordering some as a deterrent around camp. Sometimes factors such as wind, people, pets, etc make bear spray less than ideal, so I'd like something I can have on standby in my side saddle should I need a less lethal option. The few curious bears I've encountered have been quite young so that's why I'm leaning towards the 'softer' rounds so I do as little damage as possible.
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I get what you're saying, but the important thing to remember about any projectile coming out of a gun barrel is that it is potentially lethal, even if the lettering on the box suggests otherwise. I'd be hesitant to use any impact projectile on a small bear I didn't have to kill. Even on a big bear, these things should only be aimed at a large muscle and not the head or ribs. There's a story that circulates around here that years ago some bright boy suggested that the ultimate bear deterrent would be a rubber bullet fired from a 37mm grenade launcher. Well whoever it was that conducted the test hit the bear in the ribs from about 50' and killed it as dead as a bag of hammers. Oops!

With respect to removing the safety from your guns, I wouldn't do that. Geologist has many years of experience and has worked out a system over that time that works for him, but I'm not sure it should be emulated, if in fact that is what he does. At the very least the removal of the safety provides a recess for dirt, sand, snow, ice, and debris to accumulate and tie up the gun. I seldom use the safety on my own guns, but I use it enough that I can't say I never use it. Consider for example you are walking in an area that has evidence of recent bear activity, but you have to push through a stand of willows to reach your destination. You want a round in the chamber when you go into the willows, but with the risk of stumbling and falling in that tangled mess, do you want to proceed with a hot gun and no safety on the thing?

That actually happened to us last summer. We were walking along a buggy trail, the tide was out, and in my wisdom I said we should walk out to the bay and cut across the tidal flats to the tower saving us almost a mile of walking along the trail. My wife said she wasn't comfortable walking into the willows with all the bear tracks around. I said look, that string of willow is two miles long (the willows formed a continuos serpentine barrier to the bay between two eskers) what are the chances that a bear is going to be laying right where we walk through? As it turned out 100%.

My wife was a bit slow getting the camera on him, but he stood up almost right under our feet and by the time she got the pic he's running back towards the buggy trail . . .
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This was certainly a .458 sized bear, the tracks on the left aren't fox tracks, they're from our 90 pound dog . . .
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When I lived in NU, Federal 37mm launchers with baton rounds were available. Worked on one with a misfiring problem. These things are less lethal; used for riot control, there have been unfortunate results. Longer range reduces lethality, as well as accuracy.
Have also seen 12ga banger shell leave a separated case in the chamber. The attempt to reload left a heck of a mess and well jammed gun. Boomer already mentionned corrosion, and the desireabilty of having a dedicated banger launcher.
The thunderflashes I saw and used were ignited like a railroad flare.
I know of one successful use of bear spray against a polar bear, by a hiker, north of Pangnirtung.
Know one chap who killed a polar bear at point blank range with a single 12ga slug, out of Kimmirut.
We have all seen the reports of the results of polar bear attacks.
The black bears I have seen around here have not needed any sort of deterrence apart from loud noise.
 
Don't worry guys, my safety removal comment was made in jest. Should've made that more explicit earlier. :) 99.9% of the time I don't use the safety on my firearms, but because of that 0.1% I'll leave the safety mechanisms in tact.

I understand that pretty much any round (rubber slug, bean bag, etc) within close proximity will have the potential to be lethal. Just curious to hear if the design of those 'softer' rounds (to spread the force over larger surface area) really yields any significant difference in the amount of resulting damage. When I'm not actually hunting (for food, not trophy) I prefer not to resort to shooting unless absolutely necessary. In that context my current options are to A) not shoot at all (except for birdshot into the air), or B) slugs all the way. Just thought I'd add an option in between. But judging by that polar bear photo it appears that the rubber slug is only marginally less devastating even on a larger bear. If those alternative rounds are no different then I figure I'll just stick to my current options.

BTW, great pics Boomer. I always enjoy the pictures you share from your neck of the woods. :)
 
Alright, i'm looking at a 12.5" grizzly shotgun. Its non restricted. But if i change it to a pistol grip will that be restricted?

It'll be realy small, which is the point. I want a small light shotgun which doesnt take up much room or hassel for bear protection.... A flashlight on it too.

Think this will do? Remember that this is a worse case gun. Im planning on having it in a back pack and probly not use it at all.
 
blasted_saber said:
Why do people need "special builds"?

Whats wrong with a pump action shotgun with a rifle sighted barrel?
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Nothin' wrong with a decent pump gun with rifle sights. Gun nutz who
like to tinker on their goodies are like car guys who like to customize their rides.
It's fun, educational and gratifying when a build turns out well.

For example....My bear gun.
watermark.php
 
SHELL SHUCKER said:
Nothin' wrong with a decent pump gun with rifle sights. Gun nutz who
like to tinker on their goodies are like car guys who like to customize their rides.
It's fun, educational and gratifying when a build turns out well.

For example....My bear gun.
watermark.php
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Details on this ?
 
hey guys
my two cents, gun builds are fun and excitting. i love working with them. i do not own 1 gun which i havent "customed". cheek risers, new stocks, pistol grips, recoil pads, bipods, hybrid sights, ect ect.... its all part of the hobby. Every shotgun i own are either over under pheasant gun or duck guns. They arent heavy... but long, and in my opinion, bulky for something i dont intend to shoot. im going camping/fishing in the back woods. Taking a canoe, sleeping in the woods north of reindeer lake in north sask. i picked up one of the "spot locators". its the satelite distress locators. theres no cell service obviously. I'm going fishing, and want a little "just in case gun". its got to be able to fend off a bear. i have shotguns, but would like something small. We have alot of gear already; tackle, tents, food, beer, ect...

I have good shotguns for hunting and trap, something small is ideal for this situation i figure. im not planning on using it. lol. its going to sit, unloaded. i work at the mines up there and see bears everywhere, they mind themselves but ive never slept in the woods up north, pretty much secluded.

so, is it ileagal for me to put a pistol grip on a 12.5" long barrel grizzly shotgun?
the plan is this. small shotgun, pistol grip with folding butt, ammo on side, flashlight on it.

my question is... is it legal?
 
As long as the overall length remains 26" or over when folded then it's OK. Not all stocks/grips are made equal so you'd have to check that whatever grip you choose doesn't reduce the overall length to less than 26" or the shotgun becomes restricted (not illegal). :)
 
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