Close range polar bear rifle

geologist said:
I can't see firing a rifle with any muzzle brake without hearing protection, even in the field. I greatly prefer a normal short barrel/muzzle for field rifles.

LE No.5, 14" HP9-1, 20" BRNO 602, Marlin 1895GS. See a common thread in my working rifles?

Hunting rifle 24" BRNO 600.
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No practical rifle of mine will ever wear a muzzle brake, and the chances of me putting a brake on a target rifle are remote. Emergencies are funny things, they don't make appointments, so chances are you won't have time to put in the plugs and don the muffs when you have one.

Geologist, your working guns are exactly right, but I bet you know that.
 
philthygeezer said:
You reckon those Leverevolution .45-70 rounds are any good?
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No experience with them myself but I did watch some amature tests on youtube and they were flying apart like frag grenades/game kings. I asked Hornady about a heavier mono metal bullet for 45/70 and they sent me an elated email describing a new 250 grain monoflex for 45/70. Great...just what we need..another damn deer bullet!
 
Boomer said:
I haven't heard the suntan story before, but its plausible enough. The pics of the photographer and the bear was posted on here a while back, and it was determined that the incident took place in Alaska, we know it wasn't Churchill because no one here recognized the truck. Finally the truck's plate gave it away. As I recall, the fellow and the bear escaped unscathed.
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If I remember correctly, it ended with him being let into another different truck cab (not his) by an onlooker. Even then it was close, the bear was almost within striking distance, and he literally dove into safety.

Found it!

Barrow:

h ttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1102347/Chilling-game-hide-seek-hungry-polar-bear.html

There is a few images missing here. Most notably his final dive to safety.
 
How about a .73 caliber bullet that weighs 500-600grains... That would stop a bear dead in its tracks.... Oh yes - the gun - cheap and very common! Comes in pump, semi-auto, double barrel, and single shot...

AKA a 12ga slug.....
 
chrismc said:
How about a .73 caliber bullet that weighs 500-600grains... That would stop a bear dead in its tracks.... Oh yes - the gun - cheap and very common! Comes in pump, semi-auto, double barrel, and single shot...

AKA a 12ga slug.....
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The problem is finding suitable ammo. If one is using brennekes then you're golden. Fosters, which is all that is commonly available here, are another story as they are generally pure(ish) lead and dead soft causing them to expand, not penetrate very deep, and apparently fragment on bone impact.

That being said shotguns have been used in many bear encouters effectively with foster slugs. One downside is shotshell reloading isn't nearly as easy and straight forward as rifle reloading making it less desireable for custom bear loads. This is part of the reason I'm switching out from a shotgun in the field to a 45-70 or 454 casull.
 
No rifle is a good defence platform if it is wearing a scope.

I personally run a 12ga Mossberg 590SP with combat sights, Israeli Combat Systems slide grip with pat 1913 rails to which is attached surefire illumination. The buttstock is hogue - I prefer the grip. Plus if, for what ever reason, there are casualties I have 12ga starlight flares to alert medical heli-evac to my location. The 12ga shotgun has a lot to go for it. Not only for personal defence but survival applications as well.

I find the ballance point is easy to grasp and comfortable to hold (just forward of the action when loaded). This is important because if you've been fighting through the bush with a rifle that is cumbersome to hold you will feel it in your shoulders and neck at the end of the day.

Most important. STAY AWAY FROM PISTOL GRIPS AND FOLDING STOCKS!

I've put about 800 slugs through this shotgun and I've never had a failure to feed nor have any parts or pieces come loose or fallen off. I maintain it religiously, always keep it clean and the internals greased up. I've fired this shotgun in the field without hiccup even with dirt and conifer needles fouling the action. The tubular magazine capacity is 8 rounds of 2 3/4" slugs and I can chew through that amount of ammo very very quickly with this fast handling platform.

I am completely convinced that this shotgun is the best bear defence platform in Coastal British Columbia. However, I'm not sure how she would handle in extreme sub zero conditions - probably not very well - in that case I would rather have a bolt action much like yours. Certainly I would not have the Mossberg's action greased up - I'd run her dry. Worst case scenario you can attach a C7 Bayonet onto these suckers.

I hear wonderful things about the Remington 870 as well, but my experience is with mossbergs. The Mossberg is criticized because the extractor is smaller than the 870. I think this is a mute point as the mossberg has TWO extractors (one on each side of bolt). The Mossy also has a plastic trigger guard but again I've had no issues what so ever with any parts and components. Quite affordable and durable. We have walked many many kilometres in the bush together and I have complete confidence in this shotgun.

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Yours truly carrying the mossy
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ALFREDS said:
I guess it is the fear of home invasion robberies that has prompted the strict controls. On the plus side, raids on resident igloos in Nunavut are virtually unheard of, so the gun laws are clearly working.
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Here in Nunavik gun laws are not enforced. We do not have a problem with gun violence either.
 
Anyone here have experience with BPI DGS slugs? Ive got a box of 25 1 1/8 oz. sitting on the bench but still waiting on the tools to screw some together. I found a good article that tested them well, using a ballistic wax as test media. It has a much higher density than any mammal's flesh. Anyways, the most noteable point of the whole test was this: Brenneke 1 3/8 oz @ 1502 fps mv 50 yd. impact penetrated 10.5" While the 1 1/8 oz. BPI DGS loaded to 1400 fps mv 50 yd. impact penetrated 8". Not far behind considering its 1/4 oz lighter and 100 fps slower. BPI has also just released a 1 3/8 oz slug similar to the DGS. Seems we could handload brenneke equivelants.
 
A couple of years back some buddies of mine were forced to take out a Polar Bear on the Labrador coast with a .22-250. Conservation officers in the province used to tote Remington 870 pump shotguns with 18" bbls and slugs for bear defence.

Sleeping in a tent in ice bear country, I know I'd want something that I could get into action quickly and that threw a very large piece of lead or copper. My vote would be for my older Marlin Guide Gun in .45/70 Govt. using my own cast 425 gr lead bullets or one of my Remington 870 Police Magnums chock full of premium slugs.

I've used both to kill very large game in the past and the .45/70 has performed extremely well in Africa on Cape Buffalo. If they can put a Dugga Boy down they can put paid to an ice bear.

On a side note:

My family used to fish on the Labrador for decades. I remember my grandfather telling me of one of his friends who used to live there year round, fishing in the summer & trapping in the winter.

He used to carry a .44 Magnum S&W while on the trap line. He evenutally had a run in with a hungry Polar Bear. He fired several rounds of 240gr cast lead bullets at the bear's skull. They glanced off! He then put two in the bear's chest and the last two rounds at the bear's head. One glanced off, the final round hit the right eye and killed the bear. He dropped at the feet of my grandfather's friend! :eek:

IIRC, this was sometime in the early 1960s...maybe late 1950s. I think he purchased the pistol sometime before that from an American airman at Goose. I doubt if it was every registered. It sure saved his arse, but that story has always stuck in my mind.

Ruark was right when he urged hunters to, "Use Enough Gun!" :)

Rifle or shotgun with slug to be preferred...maybe a .454 Casull in a Ruger revolver or perhaps a Freedom Arms?
 
I'd be very interested to know the shot angle that resulted in those .44s glancing off the bear's head. I prefer heavier bullets myself, but even a factory 240 gr soft point will blast through a 12" spruce tree and should by rights do likewise to a bear skull. I suspect the pistolero hit a might high and the slug passed between the hide and the skull. Often when a polar bear comes in for the kill, his head is held low which gives the pistol shooter every advantage. But its dangerous to say that a bear will always behave this way or that, because the next bear will do something completely different, just to prove you wrong. If he holds his head high, it offers a shot under his chin or into his mouth. Aiming between the eyes will probably result in a miss or a graze because the head doesn't rise very high above the eyes. What is important is that Grampa's pal didn't panic, he kept his head, continued to shoot, and in the end won the day.


The first two pictures show a good opportunity for an under the chin shot . . .
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If the bear comes in with his head low, which is the most typical, it provides a target 8-10" long between the eyes at the front and the ears at the back and 2"-3" wide which is the width of the brain pan.
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Note how close the eyes are to the top of the head, any attempt to shoot a polar bear between the eyes when he's looking striaght at you will end badly . . .
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If I do not travel were there are Polar bears,would I need anything for bear defense that's the real question!Thoughts??/
 
geologist said:
For defending your remote camp in the arctic, not hunting.

What would you have in your tent?

I have worked there and keep a degreased BRNO 602, .375 H&H in my tent.

I like that it is a Mauser action CRF, has excellent quality express sights and a large 6 round magazine.

I still have a couple of boxes of 300 gr Failsafes for it.

It's a heavy carbine but it is very re-assuring to have it in the tent.

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Bring your dogs, at least then you will have a chance to know the bear is comming before he grabs you and pulls you away from your cannon.
 
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