100% agree... Marlin 1895SBL (6 shot)... extra rounds never hurt;
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/bigbore/1895SBL.asp
BLR for bear
- Thread starter Bush pilot
- Start date
100% agree... Marlin 1895SBL (6 shot)... extra rounds never hurt;
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/bigbore/1895SBL.asp
Specifically for bear I either pack my 44 ranch hand with 300 grain hard cast, or if in grizzly country, the double barreled coach gun with challenger slugs. My dads 45/70 with 405 grain Remington rounds had similar or less penetration that the shotty with brenneke or challengers.
- Location
- Lumby Town!!
Over the last few years i've carried a Guide Gun in 45-70, it was a take down custom, that was the best one, but alot of $ to tie up in a gun that doesn't get used much. A short barrel 12g. A take down BLR 358 win. And at present, just a plain old Jungle Carbine Enfield, a cheap screw driver takes the butt shot off for packing, and she holds 10 in the mag....which makes you feel good if that's all you get out of the A/C with. With the 303 and the 12g you can get ammo anywhere....
Pitched
Pitched
Apparently most of you have never been in a light plane crash, you cannot put the buttstock on an enfield carbine nor would you be able to put a takedown together. The adenaline has you shaking so bad you cannot light a cigarette for an hour, if you can even find and pick up your rifle you're doing good. Now shucking one into the chamber is a serious chore, and takes all the concentration you have. Looking for a mag or ammo is totally out of the question, even trying to get a takedown out of it's case and assembled, load the mag and insert is probably out of the question. If you are not in immediate danger then you might be OK but within the first 90 minutes after the crash you are pretty much f****d, I'm talking from 3 very real experiences. You cannot control the adrenaline shakes nor the disorientation that happens, I don't care how cool you think you are.
Two hours after I crashed my 205 my blood pressure was still 180 over 120 and my system was still full of adenaline. I wasn't hurt much at all only a few cuts and bruises, 20 stitches fixed me up like new but I could barely hold a fork and knife to eat my steak 4 hours after the crash. You need something simple, assembled and loaded if your life depends on it in the first 10-120 minutes.
When I dumped my 205 I walked out 2 miles to the closest mining operation, on a bear trail in May and never even took my survival rifle out of the plane. It never even dawned on me for the first mile what I was doing.....walking down a bear trail in a blizzard in May covered in blood!! I was more concerned with trying to stop the bleeding from my hand and head and get to safety before I passed out, being in grizzly country never even crossed my mind till I realized I was following a large set of tracks up the creek on the bear trail in the snow, which had only started about 3 hours earlier.
Two hours after I crashed my 205 my blood pressure was still 180 over 120 and my system was still full of adenaline. I wasn't hurt much at all only a few cuts and bruises, 20 stitches fixed me up like new but I could barely hold a fork and knife to eat my steak 4 hours after the crash. You need something simple, assembled and loaded if your life depends on it in the first 10-120 minutes.
When I dumped my 205 I walked out 2 miles to the closest mining operation, on a bear trail in May and never even took my survival rifle out of the plane. It never even dawned on me for the first mile what I was doing.....walking down a bear trail in a blizzard in May covered in blood!! I was more concerned with trying to stop the bleeding from my hand and head and get to safety before I passed out, being in grizzly country never even crossed my mind till I realized I was following a large set of tracks up the creek on the bear trail in the snow, which had only started about 3 hours earlier.
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I kinda strayed from the topic with that story, but my point is that thinking and priorities are anywhere but on your survival rifle, in the first hour or two after the event. That and having lived and worked in grizzly country for the past 35 years, I'm just not that paranoid about them.
Keep it simple, keep it functional, keep it loaded and above all keep it with you.
Keep it simple, keep it functional, keep it loaded and above all keep it with you.
Wow BMI, crazy! I haven't had a wreck (knock on wood) but I can't imagine how you must have been feeling after it. Thanks for sharing your experience. The only real time I needed a gun in th bush was back in 2003 I was flying into a small logging camp at the head of bute inlet. I had made one trip from the dock to the camp (about 1km) on a gravel road. It was early spring so it was just me and the cook there and very little else around. On my way back to the airplane I noticed that for about 250 M there was cougar paw prints in my boot prints on the soft sandy road moving in the same direction! Needless to say I was very uncomfortable. I did the rest of my work with the hatchet out of the survival kit from the back of the plane on my belt. I spoke to a friend of myne who hunts cougars regularly and he said the cougar was probably following me, trying to decide if I was worth the effort. Thankfully I had been on a Kraft dinner diet all winter and didn't look too appetizing. For situations like that I definitely want a small, light and quick to fire gun. Too bad wilderness carry permits are so hard to get.
too bad it's $2300!bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Rem 870 with a 14" or 18.5" barrel, bead sight. Bring along Challenger or Brenneke slugs and some bird shot. That'll have you covered for self defense and survival. Unless of course you just want to cart around a really cool gun, then go with the above. Bring ear plugs, you'll need 'em. 
I have ruled out shot guns based on research, here is a little snippet from chuck hawks on the detractors of using a shot gun;
Of course, while powerful rifles are the best defense against bears, other choices are possible. The possible alternatives are shotguns shooting "rifled slug" loads or powerful handguns, usually in the form of magnum revolvers.
Let's consider shotguns first. Frankly, I can see no point to buying any sort of shotgun for dedicated bear defense. A shotgun is just as heavy as a rifle, just as long and costs just as much, so it has no advantage in either size or weight. A shotgun shooting slugs is markedly less accurate than a rifle and bullet placement is the single most important factor in stopping power. It is no easier to carry a short-barreled shotgun in the field than a short-barreled rifle, so you might as well tote the superior rifle.
Despite the claims of those selling special shotgun (i.e. slug type) ammunition or special barrels to shoot slugs, the reality is that almost any heavy for caliber, high powered rifle bullet, particularly the premium bullets typically used for stopping big bears, has far more penetration than a 12 gauge shotgun slug. Such rifle bullets will reach the vitals of a brown bear from practically any angle, which a shotgun slug is unlikely to do.
The reason is that, while shotgun slugs pack considerable short-range wallop, they are seriously lacking in sectional density (SD). Sectional density is defined as the ratio of a bullet's weight (in pounds) to the square of its diameter (in inches). SD matters because, other factors being equal, a long, thin projectile penetrates better than a short, fat projectile. When you think about it, that should be obvious.
Cutting to the chase, for stopping a bear you want a projectile with a high SD. Examples of common calibers and bullets that are recommended for shooting the great bears include the .30/220 (SD .331), .338/250 (SD .313), .35/250 (SD .279) and .45/350 (SD .238). By comparison, the common 12 gauge/437 grain (one ounce) rifled slug has a SD of only .117, which is woefully inadequate. (It is actually inferior to a 45 grain .22 bullet, which has a SD of .128!) For more on shotguns for protection in the field, see the article of that name on the Shotgun Information Page. However, for our purposes here, shotguns are out.
The rest of the article is here,
http://www.chuckhawks.com/firearms_defense_bears.htm
Of course, while powerful rifles are the best defense against bears, other choices are possible. The possible alternatives are shotguns shooting "rifled slug" loads or powerful handguns, usually in the form of magnum revolvers.
Let's consider shotguns first. Frankly, I can see no point to buying any sort of shotgun for dedicated bear defense. A shotgun is just as heavy as a rifle, just as long and costs just as much, so it has no advantage in either size or weight. A shotgun shooting slugs is markedly less accurate than a rifle and bullet placement is the single most important factor in stopping power. It is no easier to carry a short-barreled shotgun in the field than a short-barreled rifle, so you might as well tote the superior rifle.
Despite the claims of those selling special shotgun (i.e. slug type) ammunition or special barrels to shoot slugs, the reality is that almost any heavy for caliber, high powered rifle bullet, particularly the premium bullets typically used for stopping big bears, has far more penetration than a 12 gauge shotgun slug. Such rifle bullets will reach the vitals of a brown bear from practically any angle, which a shotgun slug is unlikely to do.
The reason is that, while shotgun slugs pack considerable short-range wallop, they are seriously lacking in sectional density (SD). Sectional density is defined as the ratio of a bullet's weight (in pounds) to the square of its diameter (in inches). SD matters because, other factors being equal, a long, thin projectile penetrates better than a short, fat projectile. When you think about it, that should be obvious.
Cutting to the chase, for stopping a bear you want a projectile with a high SD. Examples of common calibers and bullets that are recommended for shooting the great bears include the .30/220 (SD .331), .338/250 (SD .313), .35/250 (SD .279) and .45/350 (SD .238). By comparison, the common 12 gauge/437 grain (one ounce) rifled slug has a SD of only .117, which is woefully inadequate. (It is actually inferior to a 45 grain .22 bullet, which has a SD of .128!) For more on shotguns for protection in the field, see the article of that name on the Shotgun Information Page. However, for our purposes here, shotguns are out.
The rest of the article is here,
http://www.chuckhawks.com/firearms_defense_bears.htm
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
Quick question: So are you saying to always keep the rifle loaded in the plane? In the magazine, or one in the tube?
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Chuck Hawks,eh? Yeah,that guy's got an opinion on everything. Experience? Not so much.
Pinpoint accuracy matters little in a defense situation, it's going to be very close range. I've shot bear at point blank (under 10 yards) with numerous calibers up to 458 Winmag and slugs have the most apparent effect on body hits. With headshots they all work equally well. Buckshot is next to useless.
But let's not turn this into a bear defense thread, the search function should bring up a plethora of threads.
If you want a new lever rifle that's fine, my opinion is just that a shotgun can be more versatile.
Pinpoint accuracy matters little in a defense situation, it's going to be very close range. I've shot bear at point blank (under 10 yards) with numerous calibers up to 458 Winmag and slugs have the most apparent effect on body hits. With headshots they all work equally well. Buckshot is next to useless.
But let's not turn this into a bear defense thread, the search function should bring up a plethora of threads.
If you want a new lever rifle that's fine, my opinion is just that a shotgun can be more versatile.
Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.
