Buckshot and bears

In this case he is taking a shotgun for two reasons

1). He wants a dual purpose gun for taking the occasional grouse. He only wants one gun.
2). Hes getting it for free, and its a gun passed down through the family

And as you say, its an excellent cabin gun.

Ardent said:
I'm honestly a little confused by the overwhelming preference for 12 gauges in Canada as bear guns. I carry one daily at work and have had to use it (with CO approval) on problem bear; it is not my first choice by any means, even with slugs. The guys in Banff in all truth likely aren't experienced hunters, and protocols are often followed for no good reason. A .338 Win Mag or .375 makes a 12 gauge slug look abysmal for effectiveness on large, amped up animals. I've shot a big male from inside ten yards with a slug and watched it run a good ways pissed off the whole way, and it was alive for far longer than the bear would need to kill you. The shot had ripped the back side of the heart apart and I was stunned to find they could go that far, that fast, with so much internal damage.They are not the instant stoppers we often view them as, and are actually shamed by a good magnum rifle for lethality (and shot placement, and range abilities). I carry a 12 gauge still as I work remote and they will dispense flares, bear bangers, bean bags, bird shot for food gathering, or kill large animals if need be. It's a Leatherman gun, but if purposely following up bears for destruction or trapping / darting it would not be high on my list of choices. But, they're cheap, the shells readily available, and likely an excellent choice for a cabin.
Click to expand...
 
The shotgun is chosen for bear protection primarily for two reasons, its cheap to buy and cheap to shoot. Just look at the guns primarily seen in this role, M-88 Mavericks, 500 Mossberegs if the gun is a new one, and old worn out 870s if its older. You won't see a $2000 Benelli in the bunch, yet these are the guns that supposedly intelligent people choose to protect their lives. The individual who goes out of his way to buy a shotgun for bear defense, where the use of the shotgun is not mandated by law or by company edict, is unlikely to be gunny. They're the folks who visits bear country to work or for recreation, and believe that the simple presence of a firearm will keep them safe, but deep down they don't really believe they might ever have to use it as a life saving tool. Some of us have a somewhat different opinion, and only choose the shotgun in circumstances where either the use of "less lethal" rounds should be a sufficient deterrent or where the penetration of a big rifle bullet could prove to be a greater danger to others than the bear.

The issue is confused by old camp fire tales where the first round of bird-shot would blind the bear which was subsequently killed with buck or ball. I'll just kill him with the first shot thanks (if I can). Then there's the old wives-tail that you don't have to shoot as well with buckshot to get a killing shot. Of course if we work on the premise that the diameter of the pattern from a shotgun barrel increases by 1" for each yard of range, a 5" pattern still must be placed with some degree of precision if the shot is to be effective, and at a range of 15 feet, it had better be. If the range is longer, some pellets will be off target, and the load becomes less effective, so if your shotgun is loaded with buck, don't shoot early. About this time some genius will point out that a bird-shot loaded shotshell can be cut just above the brass and used like a giant Glaser Safety Slug. Why wouldn't you just have the appropriate ammunition with you? Given the way some folks treat their guns in the field, the chances are those guns won't (read can't) function correctly, and the fact that they've never bothered to learn how to shoot (or load, or unload, or carry, or or bring to bear, or swap out ammo) correctly, never becomes an issue.
 
Last edited:
Personally I often use a shotgun but load with 600 gr brenneke golds. However in your friends case buck shot will work just fine for across the room defense. It may or may not drop the bear right there but ill bet it stops it from continuing thru a Window. I've used a marble and slingshot to fend off dump bears that are not scared of ppl and guns are prohibited. Every time a truck pulled in the bear would jump into the truck and rip the garbage up. One day he wouldn't get off the trailer so I smacked him in the ass with the broom handle and believe me when holding a wooden stick at a growling 300 lb plus bear within striking distance you feel like a #####. So I retreated to the cab and pulled out my Diablo 2 pro slingshot. As the bear came forward on the trailer I sent a marble his way hitting him on the snout. His expression was hilarious. He rolled off the trailer and ran up the sand bank making squeaking sounds and watched me get the rest of the garbage off the trailer. Every time after when that bear saw me the truck or the trailer he left the dump and sat at the edge. I sent a marble at a smaller bear on the hood of a car as well. Only I hit it in the ass. It got it moving and that bear avoided me from then on.
Wild bears are different no doubt but a blast of buck shot at 10 yards or less is a great deterent and very lethal.
I know of a bear that was shot with trap load in a living room and fell over. Rolled around for a few seconds then died. The guy used what he had

Either way buck or ball get the guy out for a lot of practice and practice hitting moving targets.
 
bearkilr said:
:D


http://thumbs.newschoolers.com/index.php?src=http://4.bp.########.com/_75kPlt46UAI/TUCNNwcuaOI/AAAAAAAAAC8/eHmzNFBxpws/s1600/1_tonne_polar_bear.jpg&size=400x1000
Click to expand...

I've been to Kotzebue. I should have brought my 40mm grenade launcher.

That photo isn't real is it? Or maybe the guy is a midget?
 
"Would a load of 2 3/4" 00B do the trick on a black bear at 10 paces?" Short answer, yes.

If anyone, novice or experienced hunters / shooters, were confident that they could keep their cool in said situation, enough to be certain of a brain shot, I'd say slug.

Regardless of ammo, lets say the brain / head is missed, and most likely will not be kill the bear with that one shot. A slug will penetrate the animal's body, expending it's energy inside the animal. Now, the buckshot won't penetrate as deep as a slug, but it will produce a wider swath of energy to the front of the animal, surmising that the animal is facing the shooter. So you have a deep burning within vs a heavy impact to the front. I think the latter will be better at stopping the bear.

I'm an experienced hunter / shooter with a pump gun. In said situation, I'd have a slug first, with the remaining shells in 00 Buck. In a single shot, 00 Buck all the way.
 
I have shot black bears with both 00 buck and slugs. No comparison, slugs make a much more positive impression. At very close range, i.e. 10 yards and less, buck is great, but a slug (especially a challenger or the like) is much more effective.
 
I have two friends who like to tell the story of their grandfather who shot a charging black bear back home in Labrador, using a single-shot bolt action .22 with a broken extractor. He had to shoot, open the bolt, pull out the spent casing, chamber a new cartridge, close the bolt, fire, repeat. Got it in the end, though.
 
Mr. Lahey said:
I have two friends who like to tell the story of their grandfather who shot a charging black bear back home in Labrador, using a single-shot bolt action .22 with a broken extractor. He had to shoot, open the bolt, pull out the spent casing, chamber a new cartridge, close the bolt, fire, repeat. Got it in the end, though.
Click to expand...

Sounds fishy. If you've ever been charged by a bear, you know the charge takes and lasts about 2 seconds. A really long one, 3 seconds. Sounds a lot like he wanted to shoot a bear with his broken .22, and did, just as most charging bear kill stories likely go in reality. Most bear charges are mock charges, they are explosively fast and over as quick as they began. A real charge is usually initiated from even closer, such as a surprised bear, and goes even quicker. You'll rarely get the time to shoot more than one shot, unless you're a bystander and not the object of the bear's attention. Hopefully you don't shoot as well, as it's all just a bad mix of human understanding and bear communication the vast majority of the time. A predatory bear is steady and methodical, and can't really be called a charge, they follow like a hungry dog, intensely focused. This is possible for your grandfather, though unlikely, a charge where he fired and reloaded a broken single shot .22? Hmm...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom