Polar Bear Cartridge

Lots of good advice here, but I worked at the GSC for 30 years - Not as a field person, but I knew most of the geologists, as well as the firearms trainer.
She will have to take the Survey's gun course, and she will have others there (in the field) armed with the TFSS's issue .30-06 and 12gauges.

As to the Inuit that successfully stalk polars with .30-30's, etc. the big difference here is that the bears are stalking YOU, not minding their own business.
That said, I knew a few guys that would only take bangers and pepper spray - others that carried .44 mags on their hip.
Most of those guys stopped when the paperwork got to be too much to handle.
A sidearm was only to get you to the shotgun in case of emergency.
OP - worry not, your wife ought to be in good hands.
(Though there ARE a few stories about encounters that would've been....exhilirating)
Big Also:
Shooting polars is to be avoided if at all possible, as the RCMP has to be informed, etc.,etc. (stories there, too)which is why some stick to bangers and spray.

Much truth here. My bio friend has been part of investigative teams that have looked into whether or not defensive shootings of polar bears was justified. And as has been hinted at earlier, I don't think many of us realize just how big they are. He once emailed me some pictures from one such investigation (and I wish I had had the foresight to keep them) in which his hands were in the bear's mouth. I was shocked by the size of both the mouth and it's anatomical parts...canines n particular.
 
there is no need to spread a resume about what is good or not.

experiences in the field will give some good points.

- depending on which communauties you are and who made the shot there is no need for RCMP or COs on site. paperwork for sure.

- i ve seen myself only one polar bear shot it was a sow she was not big and it was with a 7 mm magnum 160 grains bullet it worked but not what i will recommend.

- i had reports with 30/30, 303 british, 300 savage and 222 rem all worked not again my recommendations.

- again in Svalbard there are using 30-06 caliber (they are good shooters well trained) and Greenland sets up shortly (before the closure) the 30-06 as mini caliber for sport hunters.

30-06 is the mini ill use even if i ll prefer bigger one.


i didnt see very closely the big boars that the old men are talking about but the small ones i ve seen had all my attention and bring a 375 ruger with short barrel in my hands. im no more close to them (polar) but i still keep a lot of respect for any bears and we still have around nice population of grizzlies and black bears.

a 9,3x62 or 375 ruger or hh is good answer when you are pro-efficient and accurate and your firarm is reliable under any conditions.
 
...Main thing is practice and more practice,both in shooting and being familiar with the gun and the bangers.
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x2 about practice (with anything), but my point is about the bear bangers - you'll want to practice with those too. First time I used one I had not practiced with it and it went POP - whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (flew overtop of the bear) and then went BANG behind him(!). If I had practiced with them I'd have known better than to deploy the banger is such a way that it went bang behind the bear and scared him towards me. So don't do that. Next time I gave someone one I insisted that they practice with it. They did, and a piece of it fell in our zodiac and melted a hole in it. So the lessons are practice so that you understand the trajectory, and don't do it near an inflatable rubber object! lol! Also, make sure that you know the difference between bear bangers and flares in the kit that you get. Once they're out of the box it's hard to tell the cartridges apart. You don't want to get mixed up at the last minute and let off a pretty red plume of smoke instead of a loud bang. Not that I have personally been careless enough to make that mistake............. ;-)
 
The best advise I can give you and your wife is to give this job a pass!!
The lady has an ear problem and no amount of practice or "getting used to recoil" is going to change that. If she becomes disorientated at the first shot, any follow-up shot could very well be impossible. Any bear charge without the possibility of a follow-up could very well result in her being bear shiit on the ice the next day, to put it bluntly.

I suffer the effects of Vertigo as well and the effects of any movement/action can be very unpredictable, from slightly dizzy to totally incapacitated ...recoil is not your/her problem, dizziness is. If she can't control it, she is just tempting fate.
 
The best advise I can give you and your wife is to give this job a pass!!
The lady has an ear problem and no amount of practice or "getting used to recoil" is going to change that. If she becomes disorientated at the first shot, any follow-up shot could very well be impossible. Any bear charge without the possibility of a follow-up could very well result in her being bear shiit on the ice the next day, to put it bluntly.

I suffer the effects of Vertigo as well and the effects of any movement/action can be very unpredictable, from slightly dizzy to totally incapacitated ...recoil is not your/her problem, dizziness is. If she can't control it, she is just tempting fate.

The job sounds like a huge opportunity, and almost certainly she will not be expected to personally deal with problem bears. To pass on your whole life because of one minor aspect of the job (bears aren't the biggest risk in the north, far more people are killed or injured by the transportation) is ludicrous. The odds of her having to shoot a Polar Bear are similar to her being struck by lighting on the job. But this is a gun forum, and we like to over analyze and beat subjects to death- wouldn't be fun if we didn't!
 
I carry a Chiappa Trapper Skinner lever gun in 44 mag. 16" Barrel. 7+1 capacity. It hits the target hard, not the shoulder. I barely feel it. Would likely work well for her. If she has an armed guard it wouldn't hurt for her to still carry even if she only gets one shot off. Like any gun if she can make the first shot count that is what is important.
 
Just how recoil sensitive is your wife? That will ultimately determine the best calibre for her bear defence. The Innu/Inuit along the Labrador coast have killed aggressive Polar Bears with a broad range of "less than ideal choices," including .303 Brit, .22-250, .223 and. 243 Win. IIRC, a guy on the NE coast shot an aggressive bear that came ashore last spring with a sporterized Lee-Enfield. Put the bullet in the right place and calibre almost becomes irrelevant; almost...

That said, I couldn't recommend any of them for your wife. She'd probably be best served with a large cylinder of bear spray in a belt holster and a yaffle of bear bangers. And be trained in their use. However, if she really wants to go armed, I'd suggest a quality semi-auto shotgun with a bbl. in the neighbourhood of 18.5-22" The semi-auto action will tame a fair bit of the felt recoil. You want reliability above all else, so something like a Benelli or Remington VersaMax tactical model would strike a good balance. Some biologist friends went armed with pump Remington 870 Police Magnums when they were doing research on ice bears a few years ago. Not an ideal choice for a recoil-sensitive lady, although ammo makers are also offering lower recoil slugs these days.

A quality recoil pad like a Limbsaver will work for both the shotgun or centerfire rifle option, if she goes that route, and it will help tame felt recoil even further. Unless she is a skilled handgun shooter, however, I wouldn't recommend this option. Handgun marksmanship is a perishable skill. Factor in the extreme stress of a close encounter with a predatory polar bear and chances of a positive outcome is extremely unlikely.
 
I dont think the GSC requires staff to purchase their own firearms. There are shotguns, maybe rifles, that are issued to field camps/geologists. I will get hugely flamed for even suggesting this, but with others in the camp more capable of shooting a firearm, if that is indeed the case, she may do better with a very large can of bear spray on her hip. And, as Ardent stated, there are lots of other things that can take you out North of 60, namely charter planes and helocopters.
 
I dont think the GSC requires staff to purchase their own firearms. There are shotguns, maybe rifles, that are issued to field camps/geologists. I will get hugely flamed for even suggesting this, but with others in the camp more capable of shooting a firearm, if that is indeed the case, she may do better with a very large can of bear spray on her hip. And, as Ardent stated, there are lots of other things that can take you out North of 60, namely charter planes and helocopters.

I fear Zodiacs in rough weather and cold, cold water more than I fear bears or aircraft.
 
Many folks choose the 12 ga option, usually a pump, for their bear gun because the guns are inexpensive compared to a rifle anyway, because they are usually reliable and effective with the right ammo - sometimes they're effective with the wrong ammo, dangerous bear encounters are usually, though not always, a short range gig, negating one of the ballistic components of the rifle, and because they provide the option of choosing less lethal ammo. But I don't think a pump 12 bore is the correct gun for everyone, particularly not for a recoil sensitive shooter. If facing a dangerous bear, they shouldn't be thinking, "This is going to hurt me more than its going to hurt you." The down side of the 12 ga is recoil, and excessive bulk and weight of both the gun and it's ammo.

Sometimes you don't have a choice, and the 12 ga is mandated by legislation or by company edict, in which case one does the best one can. If the individual is upset by recoil, a gas gun can help, and provides the additional benefit of never short stroking in a high stress environment. But for the semi-auto shotgun to be a good choice, care must be taken in its selection, price alone cannot be the over riding consideration. While shopping it is wise to consider why the gun is being purchased, and if you're inclined to balk at the price, consider the reason you are making the purchase. It is to save your life, so what is your life worth? A good semi-auto shotgun will be more expensive than a pump gun of similar quality. To remain a viable life saving device, it must be given some basic care in the field, and although a good gun does not need to be babied, neither should it be abused. All shotgun barrels and magazines are thinner than their rifle equivalents, and a shotgun that falls over on a rock will surely suffer a dent which may interfere with cycling or firing, or both. Shotgun ammo is subject to rust and corrosion, faster than a rifle cartridge. I make a habit of swapping mine out every 30 days. A Sidesaddle provides the advantage of having extra ammo on the gun, particularly if you intend to carry more than one type, but this ammo, as well as the ammo in the magazine should be checked each night, wiped down, then replaced in the Sidesaddle and the gun reloaded. Another thing I like about the Sidesaddle is that it replaces the trigger group's cross pins with machine screws and nuts, just make sure you don't pinch the receiver so tight that the gun can't function. If one is going to carry more than one type of ammo on the gun, say slugs and buckshot for example, the magazine should be loaded with slugs, and the individual should regularly practice drills which put a buckshot load in the chamber. The Benellis are good in this respect, due to their ability to work the charging handle without releasing a subsequent round from the magazine. Thus the chambered round can be ejected, the buckshot round is trapped between the fingers of the support hand and the recess along the forend, then as your hand slides back, the round drops through the ejection port, you release the bolt handle, and the gun is back in action, without ever taking it out of your shoulder. That feature alone has be considering an upgrade to an M-4 from my 590. If one stays in a tent, it might be prudent to load the gun with buckshot once back in camp, should other tents and people be nearby.

Gun fit, be it rifle or shotgun, is as important a consideration as the gun itself. If the gun's LOP is too long, felt recoil increases dramatically. If the gun fits perfectly whey you're wearing a T-shirt, it will be too long when you've dawned polar fleece, Goretex, and a parka. Some folks are taken with the idea of a folding stock, which is particularly attractive to anyone who travels by small plane or helicopter. These stocks are always too long, and the seldom have a suitable comb to acquire a good cheek weld; the top folders particularly can give you a nasty bruised or even a cut cheek under recoil. My advice is to steer clear. The LOP must be correct and the comb must be at the correct height for quick sight acquisition, and a repeatable cheek weld. One additional element to consider is the size of the trigger guard. Make sure your can comfortably insert your finger in the trigger guard while wearing gloves, without inadvertently firing the gun.
 
If one stays in a tent, it might be prudent to load the gun with buckshot once back in camp, should other tents and people be nearby.

When I worked for the GSC in the Keewatin, it was SOP to setup your camps tents in a line, doors set into the lee direction of the prevailing wind. This allowed safer sight lines in case you needed to shoot a problem bear in camp. It also was safer in case of a tent fire (they happen, always have a knife handy when you sleep in a tent - my prospector mentor Johnny always taught us this).

Photos from the Svalbard bear attack showed that their tents were arranged in a circle. Poor training perhaps.

Svalbard.jpg


Correct as long as their food storage and cook tent are at least 100-200m away from their sleep tents.

camp_1-468x313_zps698df82d.jpg
 
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She being female, and working an environment frequented by bears, I'd give it a shot at getting one of those elusive permits to carry a large caliber ported handgun. Seems like she fits the parameters to get one.

As long as her employer, the GSC signs off on her application, she is 100% guaranteed to be cleared for her ATC. She'll need an RPAL, a range test and lots of practice with the handgun that she plans to carry.
 
The job sounds like a huge opportunity, and almost certainly she will not be expected to personally deal with problem bears. To pass on your whole life because of one minor aspect of the job (bears aren't the biggest risk in the north, far more people are killed or injured by the transportation) is ludicrous. The odds of her having to shoot a Polar Bear are similar to her being struck by lighting on the job. But this is a gun forum, and we like to over analyze and beat subjects to death- wouldn't be fun if we didn't!

you could be right...but then you could be wrong as well, but its her shiit in a sling not yours...
she has two strikes against her right off the bat, #1 she is a woman and women menstruate, #2 she has an issue that may impede her ability to act appropriately. strike #2 makes #3 only a heartbeat from reality.
I realize a bear attack is as likely as a lightning strike but with strike #1 she is carrying a lightning rod that will attract a bolt from quite a distance away, making strikes #2 & 3 a distinct possibility.
 
Is nobody suggesting a 45-70 Marlin lever? You have the choice of low-pressure trapdoor loads, which recoil very very little IMO. Much less recoil than a slug gun and more than enough knockdown power for a grizzly or polar bear.
 
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