Bear Protection Shotgun

One of the elders in my whitetail party had an experience with a black bear a few years ago. Was sitting on his stand, turned his head and the big fellow was sitting next to him sniffing his lunch. The bear was dead silent approaching. He quietly told it to F off and the bruin left. That's a close encounter.
Close encounter of the lucky kind.

You can plan all you want and then something weird happens
 
I'd say that the Partition and the Oryx are very well-known performers. Both tough bullets (one partitioned, the other is bonded). In .30-06, I'd expect them to perform very well. They're probably ideal for the heaviest game you might hunt with that cartridge. If you're shooting at a lighter critter, you'll probably get the fastest kills with a standard bullet in a medium weight.

The Sakos and Barnes' coppers I'm not super sold on, but that's just opinion and I have no personal experience with them. I might just be ignorant, but both are monometal bullets that will retain nearly 100% of their weight. They will penetrate very well, and being somewhat lighter for length than a C&C equivalent, will have somewhat higher high muzzle velocity. At the same time, from what I've seen, they will tend to produce extremely narrow wound channels: minimal expansion, zero fragmentation. Some reports I've read suggest that they can produce only calibre-sized wound channels.

Again, I have no personal experience with mono bullets, but my gut feeling is that they were born out of regulatory necessity, rather than terminal performance. I THINK you could probably maximize their performance by driving them to the highest impact velocities you can achieve (even by going light-for-calibre, knowing that the bullets will hold together).

In any situation where you might genuinely demand the kind of performance that you'd get from something like an A-Frame (trophy moose would be a good example, where you need to guarantee penetration), I think a mono in those situations would do quite well.

Partitions are great bullets in many ways and they certainly were one of the pioneer "premium" bullets. And I've killed lots of animals with them but haven't used them in years. The front blows apart and you get lots of bloodshot meat, the shank penetrates but sometimes less than you think it will. With Nosler I would take an Accubond now. Better BC and the bonding doesn't make as much shrapnel while the rear end holds together than the Partition.

Some people love monos some people hate them but I've had lots of very fast kills with them, some end to end shots. I've also seen lots of organ soup from Barnes indicating they did expand, did create a sufficient wound channel and did create massive damage. Plus there isn't shrapnel in your meat. But yeah, a more frangible bullet often kills faster as the bullet expands rapidly sending lots of shrapnel through the animal.
 
I thought the OP asked about shotguns .... ??

We should be talking about shotgun slug penetration ....

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/threads/unofficial-12ga-slug-penetration-comparison.1635960/
This link provides some interesting comparisons. I'm a little confused by the outcomes from the Federal Trueball. It states it is a foster slug at 1600 FPS and the images of the recovered slugs are consistent with that. It also mentions Federal Deep Penetrator which is copper plated and the current offering in 12 Ga 2, 3/4" lists a velocity of 1350 FPS. That is not consistent with the stated velocity or images. Was this study conducted with 3" slugs or has the external ballistic data changed in the last 8 years? Thanks
 
This link provides some interesting comparisons. I'm a little confused by the outcomes from the Federal Trueball. It states it is a foster slug at 1600 FPS and the images of the recovered slugs are consistent with that. It also mentions Federal Deep Penetrator which is copper plated and the current offering in 12 Ga 2, 3/4" lists a velocity of 1350 FPS. That is not consistent with the stated velocity or images. Was this study conducted with 3" slugs or has the external ballistic data changed in the last 8 years? Thanks


DogTazmania, there are different Truball slugs available from Federal and with different velocities. From my tests ... the one with the most penetration and the most accurate is the 1600 FPS one .... but that is also the one that kicks the most.

Here are just 3 examples ....

Federal_Law_Enforcement_TruBall_Slug.jpg


Federal_TruBall_Slug.jpg


Federal_TruBall__DeepPenetrator_Slug.jpg
 
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I trust fellow Nutz regarding individual testing and results. I also asked Federal this question: I am hunting black bears in heavy cover at close range (50 yards and under). Average weight is up to 250 pounds with some boars 500 pounds or larger. I will be using a new12 Ga 2.75" or 3" chamber with 18 inch barrel. I have read recently on hunting forums that the Federal Truball 1600 FPS Part # PB127 RS penetrates better than the TruBall Deep Penetrator Rifled Slug, 12 Gauge, 438 Grain, 2-3/4 in, 1350 fps Part # PB127 DPRS. Please reply and comment regarding this claim and your best recommendation for a slug in this specific circumstance. Thank you.

Here is the answer Federal provided:
Thank you for the e-mail.Our Truball Deep Penetrator rifled slug will have deeper penetration and is our recommendation.

As stated, I trust Nutz are truthfully stating their findings. I believe this is due to variances in testing conditions including range, environment & firearm used impacting external ballistics & testing medium being fired into. Unless/until somebody replicates the anatomical structure of a big bear at various ranges inside 50 yards, I think I'll go with what the Federal engineers and ballisticians have designed for this use: Federal Deep Penetrator 12 Ga 2.75" at 1350 FPS. Thank you to all Nutz for your experience.
 
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I trust fellow Nutz regarding individual testing and results. I also asked Federal this question: I am hunting black bears in heavy cover at close range (50 yards and under). Average weight is up to 250 pounds with some boars 500 pounds or larger. I will be using a new12 Ga 2.75" or 3" chamber with 18 inch barrel. I have read recently on hunting forums that the Federal Truball 1600 FPS Part # PB127 RS penetrates better than the TruBall Deep Penetrator Rifled Slug, 12 Gauge, 438 Grain, 2-3/4 in, 1350 fps Part # PB127 DPRS. Please reply and comment regarding this claim and your best recommendation for a slug in this specific circumstance. Thank you.

Here is the answer Federal provided:
Thank you for the e-mail.Our Truball Deep Penetrator rifled slug will have deeper penetration and is our recommendation.

As stated, I trust Nutz are truthfully stating their findings. I believe this is due to variances in testing conditions including range, environment & firearm used impacting external ballistics & testing medium being fired into. Unless/until somebody replicates the anatomical structure of a big bear at various ranges inside 50 yards, I think I'll go with what the Federal engineers and ballisticians have designed for this use: Federal Deep Penetrator 12 Ga 2.75" at 1350 FPS. Thank you to all Nutz for your experience.

DogTazmania, thanks for this post, much appreciated.

Question: would you be willing to contribute to the combined knowledge of this community?

All you would have to do is buy a box of both ... the Deep Penetrator and the 1600 FPS version of the Federal Truball slug. And shoot both from the same distance into a tree .... and measure how far they penetrated. And report back here.

Personally, I believe that the Federal Deep Penetrator is a marketing gimmick. But I have not yet compared the Depp Penetrator with the 1600 FPS version side by side. All I know is that these TruBall slugs do not expand ... not in ballistics gel nor in my tests with wood boards. And having examined the Deep Penetrator's copper plating .... it is so thin ... that I doubt it will make any difference ... except for preventing the barrel from leading up. That is the only reason why I would use the Deep Penetrator ....

But I have not compared both side by side ...... and maybe I am wrong.

So, would you be willing to contribute to the general knowledge .... ?

p.s.: Has Federal offered any evidence (test reports) that the Deep Penetrator actually penetrates further than the 1600FPS version?
 
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DogTazmania, thanks for this post, much appreciated.

Question: would you be willing to contribute to the combined knowledge of this community?

All you would have to do is buy a box of both ... the Deep Penetrator and the 1600 FPS version of the Federal Truball slug. And shoot both from the same distance into a tree .... and measure how far they penetrated. And report back here.

Personally, I believe that the Federal Deep Penetrator is a marketing gimmick. But I have not yet compared the Depp Penetrator with the 1600 FPS version side by side. All I know is that these TruBall slugs do not expand ... not in ballistics gel nor in my tests with wood boards. And having examined the Deep Penetrator's copper plating .... it is so thin ... that I doubt it will make any difference ... except for preventing the barrel from leading up. That is the only reason why I would use the Deep Penetrator ....

But I have not compared both side by side ...... and maybe I am wrong.

So, would you be willing to contribute to the general knowledge .... ?

p.s.: Has Federal offered any evidence (test reports) that the Deep Penetrator actually penetrates further than the 1600FPS version?
Thank you for the laugh. I'm still trying to source alternatives and might have a lead on one. "No tree is safe from DogTazmania and his shotty prowling the woods."
 
Another option is to buy a 7/8oz lee key drive mold and load your own. You can control the hardness and therefore penetration and expansion.
Brobee did some good testing of slugs including my cast lee slugs
I carry them when carrying a shotgun for bears
 
brybenn, thanks for the reply and info. It is helpful but I'm not currently and not planning to shoot handloads. I know there are occasional quality problems and recalls on factory ammo but for the most part I find it good quality, consistent and doesn't void my warranties on firearms. Supply, however is a problem. Does anyone have experience with Challenger 12 Ga 2.75" "Magnum" slugs used on bears? Thanks
 
Those Lee's are my average casting. I do cast some very hard and they can be reused as they dont expand. I dont have pictures anymore but brobee has this video. He tested a variety of slugs. Definitely worth watching his short vids about danger close

The benefit of casting your own is once you're set up I can cast several hundred in a couple hours so when I really want to practice I can take several hundred rounds to a buddies farm and have a full day of shooting for not alot of coin. I shoot into sand trap pails and reclaim the lead to recast the slugs
Doing so with factory ammo would bankrupt me quick
 
Please have a look at the images I've attached. I'm curious regarding opinions about what is most suitable in your view for large Ontario Black Bears at close range, 50 yards and under? These are just some examples of 12 Ga rounds I can actually locate and buy, here. Still learning....
 

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