I live North of 60 where I work with international film crews out on the land. It is now impossible to get pepper spray and crack flares on many aircraft. It is not a big deal to get an unloaded 12 gauge, and a separate box of shells, on any aircraft here. Given this, and the workplace safety requirement that one person has to have a firearm for bears, I am looking at getting a folding stock, recoil-compensated (Cop-stock) 12 gauge pump-action shotgun, to fire rubber slugs, HP lead slugs, 00 buckshot, and 12 gauge flares and bear-cracker noise shells. I may have until May to get this together.
Cost and light weight and compactness are critical considerations. To avoid theft and raised eyebrows it has to be carried discretely in boats, on ATV’s and in light helicopters and bush aircraft without looking like a gun in a gun-case. Unlike what I read about HD guns, it has to be as un-threatening looking as possible. It also has to be able to cross the US border, so 18 inch plus barrels are what I am looking for.
While I keep a clean camp, keep a bear-resistant (Kevlar sacs) food cache 200m/yds from the tents and use a bike-pump refillable air horn, and have had considerable training through the national parks (Parks Canada), and hope to have a portable electric fence by the spring, I may still have to accurately deliver bear cracker noise shells just in front of a Grizzly or Black Bear, and, during the fall nights and maybe winter, fire off 12g white flares for night-time illumination for bear location. In the worst possible case, if all else fails, I might have to shoot slugs at the feet of the bear, or (gulp!) shoot the bear. I would really try to avoid that...
Past experiences show that I am a rotten shot. So, I will have to train to be able to hit a bear-size target with lead slugs at a maximum range of 25M/yds, preferably closer. I might have a go with rubber slugs at 50M if I have the time, and if a crack flare hasn’t worked. Hence an 8 shot magazine tube.
I am a slightly-built chap, so recoil has to be tamed, and the arm itself must be lightweight but reliable. I cannot be taking it apart every time it gets covered in rain or condensation. I can sometimes wipe it off. In the field I will carry it “cruiser ready” with the magazine tube loaded but with an empty chamber. I can also rotate shells out of it every night for a second set of shells, so that the shells don’t get deformed by the magazine spring. For ten months of the year it will likely be locked-up, unloaded and dis-assembled.
Anyways, I am interested in suggestions for my strategy, which is:
1) get the permitting process started (local experience says 6 months!)
2)-buy 9 12 gauge snap caps for checking the function of 2nd hand arms and practising pumping the action with or breaking in any new action (see if I can scrounge some dummy rounds up locally)
3)-find a source of reduced-recoil slugs, and 00 buckshot
3) over the winter, buy 2nd hand, locally available:
-Remington 870 and have gunsmith cut barrel put on sights, 8 shot tube
-Mossberg 500 have gunsmith put on steel safety tab, trigger guard, sights, 8 shot tube
if that doesn’t pan out,
Buy New by mail order:
-Mossberg 590A1 or Mariner
And if a film crew arrives with little notice and they are in a Big Hurry (!)
Buy New, locally: (ouch! $800 Canadian!)
-Remington Marine Magnum (paint front bead with red nail polish)
Note: I will fit whatever I get with a Cop-Stock. If I can get one in Canada...
Questions:
Moving shotguns inside heated shelters after being cold-soaked outside to even fall temperatures of -10C/+10F means condensation inside of everything metallic, ice actually forms on metals when they come inside from winter -40C/-40F, what arm is best to avoid rust in these circumstances?
I cannot always wipe off the outside, nor can I be run ragged dis-assembling the thing to get the moisture off the inside... Mossberg says that their Marinecote finish on the Mariner extends to all metal parts, which sounds good to me... is there an easy-to-apply spray finish I could put on a 2nd hand gun to give better corrosion protection---I have no-name rust paint in flat black!
What shotguns are most easy to handle wearing gloves, or contact gloves worn inside of mittens? No tiny fiddly buttons please!
What lubricant works best in cold conditions, such as -40C, as winter work is growing here?
(I will be replacing plastic safeties and trigger guards with metal to avoid cold breakage problems...)
I am right-handed but with a left master eye. I probably won’t get a great cheek-weld on the wire stock. What inexpensive light-gathering, (ie: fibre optic) sights are rugged enough to survive being dragged through the bush on a bear gun? Is it worth the expense and fragility of going the Red Dot sight route?
How can I mount a cracker shell and a flare shell on a Cop-Stock equipped over-the-top folding stock shot gun? Is there anything better than rubber-banding the shells to the outside of the wire stock with dead bike inner tubes?
From what I hear it is nearly impossible to import a Cop-Stock. So, I am considering going the Mossberg or Remington 870 route, and then getting an extra-long stock-to-receiver attachment bolt made up, maybe with a wing-nut head, so that I can easily take the stock off for transport.
For practice, I will tape foam over my shoulder, I guess...
Can the Mossberg plastic stock be cut down to fit me if I have to go that route?
Again, if I do my job right, I should never have to shoot a bear; at worst, fire off crack flares, still....
Let me know what you think!
Cost and light weight and compactness are critical considerations. To avoid theft and raised eyebrows it has to be carried discretely in boats, on ATV’s and in light helicopters and bush aircraft without looking like a gun in a gun-case. Unlike what I read about HD guns, it has to be as un-threatening looking as possible. It also has to be able to cross the US border, so 18 inch plus barrels are what I am looking for.
While I keep a clean camp, keep a bear-resistant (Kevlar sacs) food cache 200m/yds from the tents and use a bike-pump refillable air horn, and have had considerable training through the national parks (Parks Canada), and hope to have a portable electric fence by the spring, I may still have to accurately deliver bear cracker noise shells just in front of a Grizzly or Black Bear, and, during the fall nights and maybe winter, fire off 12g white flares for night-time illumination for bear location. In the worst possible case, if all else fails, I might have to shoot slugs at the feet of the bear, or (gulp!) shoot the bear. I would really try to avoid that...
Past experiences show that I am a rotten shot. So, I will have to train to be able to hit a bear-size target with lead slugs at a maximum range of 25M/yds, preferably closer. I might have a go with rubber slugs at 50M if I have the time, and if a crack flare hasn’t worked. Hence an 8 shot magazine tube.
I am a slightly-built chap, so recoil has to be tamed, and the arm itself must be lightweight but reliable. I cannot be taking it apart every time it gets covered in rain or condensation. I can sometimes wipe it off. In the field I will carry it “cruiser ready” with the magazine tube loaded but with an empty chamber. I can also rotate shells out of it every night for a second set of shells, so that the shells don’t get deformed by the magazine spring. For ten months of the year it will likely be locked-up, unloaded and dis-assembled.
Anyways, I am interested in suggestions for my strategy, which is:
1) get the permitting process started (local experience says 6 months!)
2)-buy 9 12 gauge snap caps for checking the function of 2nd hand arms and practising pumping the action with or breaking in any new action (see if I can scrounge some dummy rounds up locally)
3)-find a source of reduced-recoil slugs, and 00 buckshot
3) over the winter, buy 2nd hand, locally available:
-Remington 870 and have gunsmith cut barrel put on sights, 8 shot tube
-Mossberg 500 have gunsmith put on steel safety tab, trigger guard, sights, 8 shot tube
if that doesn’t pan out,
Buy New by mail order:
-Mossberg 590A1 or Mariner
And if a film crew arrives with little notice and they are in a Big Hurry (!)
Buy New, locally: (ouch! $800 Canadian!)
-Remington Marine Magnum (paint front bead with red nail polish)
Note: I will fit whatever I get with a Cop-Stock. If I can get one in Canada...
Questions:
Moving shotguns inside heated shelters after being cold-soaked outside to even fall temperatures of -10C/+10F means condensation inside of everything metallic, ice actually forms on metals when they come inside from winter -40C/-40F, what arm is best to avoid rust in these circumstances?
I cannot always wipe off the outside, nor can I be run ragged dis-assembling the thing to get the moisture off the inside... Mossberg says that their Marinecote finish on the Mariner extends to all metal parts, which sounds good to me... is there an easy-to-apply spray finish I could put on a 2nd hand gun to give better corrosion protection---I have no-name rust paint in flat black!
What shotguns are most easy to handle wearing gloves, or contact gloves worn inside of mittens? No tiny fiddly buttons please!
What lubricant works best in cold conditions, such as -40C, as winter work is growing here?
(I will be replacing plastic safeties and trigger guards with metal to avoid cold breakage problems...)
I am right-handed but with a left master eye. I probably won’t get a great cheek-weld on the wire stock. What inexpensive light-gathering, (ie: fibre optic) sights are rugged enough to survive being dragged through the bush on a bear gun? Is it worth the expense and fragility of going the Red Dot sight route?
How can I mount a cracker shell and a flare shell on a Cop-Stock equipped over-the-top folding stock shot gun? Is there anything better than rubber-banding the shells to the outside of the wire stock with dead bike inner tubes?
From what I hear it is nearly impossible to import a Cop-Stock. So, I am considering going the Mossberg or Remington 870 route, and then getting an extra-long stock-to-receiver attachment bolt made up, maybe with a wing-nut head, so that I can easily take the stock off for transport.
For practice, I will tape foam over my shoulder, I guess...
Can the Mossberg plastic stock be cut down to fit me if I have to go that route?
Again, if I do my job right, I should never have to shoot a bear; at worst, fire off crack flares, still....
Let me know what you think!
if it is your job to protect and possible save someones life using a firearm be damned proficient and very familiar with its operation. Sounds like your looking to be the Rambo type needing an 8 shot mag with a cop stock and all. 
