Shot a Grizzly

I played around quite a bit with the old Barnes X bullet.

Some rifles shot well, some didn't. If they shot well, they REALLY shot- (close and far.)

Many barrels copper fouled.

THere were some complaints that they didn't open well, and I personally think I lost a bear because of that.

There were some claims of high pressure, and that's valid, except it is YOU who are working up the load.

Many claimed they killed like nothing they had ever seen, and that was my experience (except for the previously mentioned bear)

The TSX is a completely different animal in my experience- Low fouling, easy to get to shoot well (close and far), opens immediately- Yet still kills like hell...

I've used lots of bullets, but not ll. I will tell you that the TSX comes as close to perfect as I have encountered, in bullets up to .30 caliber. Can't comment on larger, since I havent' killed anything with one, but they next time I use the 375 Ruger, I'll use the 270 TSX.
 
It was just this last year that I used the 140gr TSX BT's in my 270 Weatherby...

I was getting the most awesome 100 yard cloverleaf groups to say that I was thrilled is an understatement.

Then I started over the next several visits to the gun club to work out to 200 then 300 yards unfortunately my groups started opening up more than I feel they should have.

I only shot 60 or so of these loads so may need to get out and work with them some more.

GH if your saying they work for you I believe it and I would also go with the 270gr TSX if I were to try them I was loading 260gr Accubonds to 3020fps so I'm thinking 2950fps is very possible... :D

Finally read your black bear thread last night I was wondering where/when that picture of your 375Ruger/bear was and what was the story.

That was a nice looking bear and a good story.

I have another concern with the TSX over say the A-Frames the a-Frames are actually designed to retain more weight and if the front petals break off the TSX the remaining bullet would have a smaller frontal meplat area I would rather have a larger mushroom.

Yes I know the TSX cut more than push though but...

Most of the premium bullets that are now available will get the job done all we have to do is decide what amount of retention we want from a bullet and go from there.
 
If I have the inspection measurements right and with the help of a fellow forum member the skull which was boiled to clean it up comes too 23.81" which is not bad for a little mountain grizzly... :D

I will have to wait until I get the skull back from the taxidermist before I know for sure though.

I understand that the wildlife branch no longer ages the teeth that they take so will take one in and pay to find out the age of the bear.
 
Actually bear skulls are measured in 1/16ths (no decimals).....so the score would be 23 13/16. That puts it a bit shy of Boone and Crockett all-time records but still a decent bear for sure. Congrats. BC has produced some monster bears over the years, including a couple over 27" but it would still be worth taking it to an official B&C scorer though. It needs to dry for 60 days before it can be officially scored.
 
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Camp.......the B&C system, which you are using, has long resisted the metric system and continues to do so. All measurements are taken to the nearest 1/16 of an inch on skulls and 1/8 of and inch on antlers. It just makes it much easier when folks are taking about measurements.

370mm = 14 9/16
235mm = 9 4/16
Total 23 13/16
 
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Camp.......the B&C system, which you are using, has long resisted the metric system and continues to do so. All measurements are taken to the nearest 1/16 of an inch on skulls and 1/8 of and inch on antlers. It just makes it much easier when folks are taking about measurements.

370mm = 14 9/16
235mm = 9 4/16
Total 23 13/16


British Columbia requires compulsory inspection of some species, grizzly being one of them.

The inspector measures the skull in MM, not inches, which is what Cam p Cook is posting.
 
British Columbia requires compulsory inspection of some species, grizzly being one of them.

The inspector measures the skull in MM, not inches, which is what Cam p Cook is posting.


I realize that as I've been through the compulsary registration process many times in BC but as score was being talked about, I just thought I'd put it in a form that most hunters are familiar with. The ram my girlfriend killed last year was measured in millimetres as well when registered but when we talk score it was still 170 2/8.

Obviously Camp isn't that familiar with the B&C system and I was just trying to bring a little information to the topic at hand.
 
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I realize that as I've been through the compulsary registration process many times in BC but as score was being talked about, I just thought I'd put it in a form that most hunters are familiar with. The ram my girlfriend killed last year was measured in millimetres as well when registered but when we talk score it was still 170 2/8.

Obviously Camp isn't that familiar with the B&C system and I was just trying to bring a little information to the topic at hand.

METRIC SYSTEM!?!?! B&C use the metric system? Why that would be enough to make old Teddy charge up the hill again! :D
 
Sweet Bear.. and a Question

I'm a new member to Gunnutz.. I just signed up ..well however long it took me to read these 13pages of posts I signed up just before that.
Great story CC and great bear..Now I have a question that I'm sure doesnt quite belong here but I see alot of experience and expertise in those who are commenting here so I would like your opinions if you'll bear with me(no pun intended) Does Buckshot have the stopping power needed to drop a bear like CC's in it's tracks or do you need slugs?
and Q #2.. What was the swift scirocco designed to do and could someone send me a link of where all these bullet arguements take place pls...
Thx all and congrats again CC
 
Does Buckshot have the stopping power needed to drop a bear like CC's in it's tracks or do you need slugs?

You might get lucky with buck, but really you need slugs to let the air out of a bear like that.

Most testing and RW experience seems to show slugs are a preferred bear stopper by far. Which doesn't say buck won't work, just not as well.

What was the swift scirocco designed to do and could someone send me a link of where all these bullet arguements take place pls...

The scirocco is a bonded core bullet with thick walls and a high BC. It's meant to be a longer range controlled expansion round with good penetration. There are definately those who swear by it, but like all bullets there are those who hate it too.

For all the fights - pick a bullet, and do a search. I'm sure you'll find plenty :D
 
Just curious as to your thoughts about buckshot...is that from a penetration standpoint or a mass standpoint?
 
Just curious as to your thoughts about buckshot...is that from a penetration standpoint or a mass standpoint?

Well, both, depending on the circumstance. Mass is an issue depending on the range - it doesn't take a lot of range to get to the point where the pattern is open enough that you're not going to get all the pellets hitting the bear.

Penetration is certanly an issue (especially if you can get some brenneke's or other deeper penetrating slugs), depending slightly on the circumstances. But also from a 'bone breaking' point of view as well as a 'cardio-failure' point of view.

Bears have weird cardio pulminary systems. A griz especially can have it's heart completely blown away and still function long enough to get some serious 'payback' if it's close to you. We've certainly seen numerous examples of that. So shooting the heart out doesn't necessarily stop a big bear in a reasonable time frame.

A big hole can cause the bear's system to lose blood pressure faster even if the heart isn't hit, and that actually will help. Of course - no guarantee :) but a better chance. One big hole tends to let the blood out faster.

And of course, it's always better with a bear if you can break bones, that tends to disable them. (at least slows 'em down).

Slugs on average tend to be more able to break bone, penetrate a little deeper, and create a rather large 'bleeder' hole that tends to drop blood pressure in the bear a little faster than buck. Those tend to be valuable things when you're trying to stop an irate bear.

Of course, you'll notice my frequent use of terms like 'on average', 'tend' etc :) I certanly wouldn't hesitate to use buck if that's what i happened to have in the tube when a bear charged. And no gun is a guarantee regardless of what you've got in it - it's always better if you can avoid a situation where you have to shoot.
 
BTW - yeah, i figured you knew most of that, i wasn't lecturing (more answering more fully for the other reader who asked). :)
 
Just curious as to why you think slugs penetrate further....say at those self-defense ranges where people tend to talk shotguns and bears. I'd say bleeding is somewhat of a moot point too when we are talking shotguns. Bleeding out isn't like to stop a bear from mauling you.
 
Just curious as to why you think slugs penetrate further....say at those self-defense ranges where people tend to talk shotguns and bears.

Bone tends to give buck a harder time than a solid mass. Slugs also retain energy longer. Again - as i said it depends on the circumstances. If you're shooting at 20 yards it's obviously different than if you're shooting at 4 feet :)

I'd say bleeding is somewhat of a moot point too when we are talking shotguns. Bleeding out isn't like to stop a bear from mauling you.

No, not instantly thats for sure. But - assuming the bear is either partially disabled or breaks off the charge after getting a face full of fire close in, it can be a factor. The sooner the bear is dead or out of the fight, the better.

Obviously you'd rather just kill it outright, but that doesn't always work.
 
Is that you Bartell?

Don't do that dude. You can't be calling other people 'bartell'. Either someone's going to PM me with a complaint about being compared to bartell, or bartell's going to PM me with a complaint about being compared other people. Either way - i don't need the extra work. :)
 
I'm a new member to Gunnutz.. I just signed up ..well however long it took me to read these 13pages of posts I signed up just before that.
Great story CC and great bear..Now I have a question that I'm sure doesnt quite belong here but I see alot of experience and expertise in those who are commenting here so I would like your opinions if you'll bear with me(no pun intended) Does Buckshot have the stopping power needed to drop a bear like CC's in it's tracks or do you need slugs?
and Q #2.. What was the swift scirocco designed to do and could someone send me a link of where all these bullet arguements take place pls...
Thx all and congrats again CC

Welcome to the board! You're going to enjoy it here. :)

Ted
 
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