Back-up Bear Gun

[curtis]

DuckinAlaska,

That would be pretty tough to hit one in the head if you are being charged. F-15 Avionics, huh? How do you like Alaska? My last job was Telemetry and Instrumentation on the B-2. I hope to end up in Alaska one day, but it's off to Germany for me in less than 6 months. Thanks for the input. I would love to get a big grizzly one of these days. If I end up where you are, I might just do that but I will make sure I have a buddy for backup. I like to bowhunt a lot, so I might have my buddy carry the .50 S&W on his hip, a 12 gauge in one hand and the M4 in the other. I would want him to have a .338 Win Mag slung over his back as well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I would be prepared!

 

[duckinalaska]

Roger that,
It would be hard to hit a bear in the head while charging. Fortunately, the guy was bow hunting and the bear slipped up on him. Anyway, I use the remington model 700 lss chambered in 375 ultra mag as my primary (long range) firearm. It's claimed two brownie souls so far with the 300 grain solids.My backup is a ruger super redhawk 454 casull with 360 grain cast corbons. I feel totally confident while fishing around bears with my pistol on my side.

Good luck on that assignment to Alaska, you'll eventually get it if you keep trying.
Brandon

 

[Mysticplayer]

Oops, forgot you need a password to get in.

Here is a reprint on my range test using a 45LC, Win 94 trapper, and Lee cast 325gr gas checked FN bullets. I like it.

Range Update.

Took the advice and made some water quenched bullets. Wow, what a difference.

At the same 35yd range, about 6" of dry phone book taped together and the three water filled milk jugs behind.

A solid centered hit and the first jug blows up, the second splits badly and the thirds cracks and get knocked off the stand. Bullet has made it nicely through it all. Back of the phone books shows some expansion and lots of tearing.

bottom line, the bullet stayed together way better then the air cooled wheel weights. Added another 50% in penetration and energy transfer. Very good accuracy, similar to the air cooled bullets.

Shot them off hand at 100 and 150yds. wouldn't want to be standing there. Off a rest, a deer would be a viable target for sure. Sure kicks up a lot of dust at these ranges. I think it would take any grass eater cleanly.

Water quenching is super easy. I drop the bullet on a towel. Wait about 10secs for it to really get solid. Pick it up with a spatula and drop it into a bucket of tap water. It sizzles just fine.

I don't like the idea of dropping from the mold as am afraid of splashing water onto the mold or worse, the lead pot. Also, the impact could distort the bullets a bit.

They definitely shrink as the sizing showed less of the bullet touching the die as the air cooled ones. No real issue with up close accuracy. Will do a comparison with my 308 cast rifle and see if water quenching makes the bullet distort/shoot worse.

There is little doubt for me that this combo will slow down a boo boo at close range. With the extra 9 rds in the tube, that is a lot of firepower. bonus is that you can still be effective out to 150+ yds if need be.

I love shooting this combo and am glad I am going this route instead of a slug shotgun.

325gr FP gas checked water quenched Lee bullet with liq alox coating, H110 enough to make it go 1575fps in a 16" Win 94 carbine, Starline brass, Win LP primer, Lee carbide FL sized. A sledgehammer that has very moderate recoil and accuracy to 150yds and further.

Jerry

 

[p dog shooter]

I was just wondering a back up for what. If your are going to carry something else besides your normal hunting weapon. I would go with a decent hand gun in a decent cailber 44 on up with hard cast heavy for cailber bullet.

I carry a red hawk with 310 gr hard cast at about 1300 fps. If you are doing something else and you are going to have a long gun in hand I would go with a decent rifle caliber with a heavy for calibe bullet Shotguns do not do it for me at close range they have to be aimed just like a rifle. So way not use something that works better a rifle. If you are useing buck and the range is more then you have to aim real close to hit past 10 yards or so the buck isn't going to be very effective.

A good rifle or hand gun depending what you are doing.

 

[tnolly]

Not to be effeminate, but pesky things like scientific studies of bear encounters will tell you the best thing to discourage a bear is a can of bear spray. Now if your wife looks at gun-buying like my wife, I'd also buy and pack a gun because "I need it for bears honey, you don't want me to be eaten do you?", but also take some spray. Establishing a proper grip and trigger technique under pressure is a lot easier on an aerosol can.

There's also the old joke about making sure you grind off the front sight of your handgun. That's so after you shoot the bear with it, it doesn't hurt so bad when the bear shoves it... you know.

That said, I'd favor a short barreled .45-70 lever action with hard lead bullets. That gives you 4-8 rounds in a hurry.