12g slugs for stopping Grizzlies and Polar bears

[stephen426]

I hope you don't let the bear get within 25 yards. Those suckers are fast and a charging bear could probably reach you before you get a few shots off. Besides, when it comes to big bears like Polar Bears and Grizzlies, it may take a few shots to do the trick (unless you are really that good a shot under a lot of stress). Maybe you could bring a dog with you to alert you if a bear is nearby. Just make sure you keep the dog close by so it doesn't end up as a bear snack! This is especially true if you have one of those crazy agressive dogs that will go up against a bear.

I know mist people like the idea of a shot gun but the main advantage of a rifle over the shotgun is better accuracy at greater distances. I'm not sure how accurate the brenneke slugs are out of an 18" smoothe bore but that isn't much barrel for stabilization.

Good luck and be careful!

[bclark1]

just to play devil's advocate, i'll admit i don't know what i'm talking about here... but outside 25 yards... depending on the terrain, foliage, etc, there's a chance you might see a bear coming at you fast and hard and want to shoot... let's say you're over 100 yards though, where you might start to argue that there will be a difference between rifle and shotgun slugs favoring long accuracy. do you think a game warden would buy that as necessary self-defense if you whack this bear a ways away, or can you even judge the intent of a bear that far? i guess it's better to error on the safe side, but i don't think you want to shoot an animal just because it's intimidating, there needs to be a reasonable certainty that you're in danger as well.

doesn't matter i guess though, everything mentioned in here will do the job in able hands.

[expeditionx]

The .50 bmg might be heavy to cart around but as far as a fmj .50 BMG not having a real effect against a bear because it does not expand, hmmm, I would wager $20,000 that it would drop A grizzly, brown, or polar bear with FMJ. Ive seen soft point ammo for that caliber too http://www.rbcd.net/50%20BMG.html . A friend that used to be in the Reserves said he learned to file off the tips of FMJ to achieve expansion. Either way the Bear is going down.

Something more like this would be great too but is expensive per round
http://www.accuratereloading.com/700ne.html

[KWBSales]

Actually, there is another alternative: Bear Repellent #40

[SeekHer]

expeditionx The .50 bmg might be heavy to cart around but as far as a fmj .50 BMG not having a real effect against a bear because it does not expand, hmmm, I would wager $20,000 that it would drop A grizzly, brown, or polar bear with FMJ. Ive seen soft point ammo for that caliber too http://www.rbcd.net/50%20BMG.html . A friend that used to be in the Reserves said he learned to file off the tips of FMJ to achieve expansion. Either way the Bear is going down.

Something more like this would be great too but is expensive per round
http://www.accuratereloading.com/700ne.html

I'LL TAKE THAT BET...

Heavy, you carry 35 lbs around and try getting your gun up to aim--can't do it too quickly--too damn heavy—SO, drop down to the ground, open the bipod and then what...granted in a stress attack with seconds to spare you could do it from the hip, but there goes your accuracy...

That picture at the Accurate Reloading site of the Austrian rifle…I mean I like big bore rifles, .416 Rigby, .425 WR, .458 Lott, .500 NE but I’d be damn scared to shoot that one…the recoil has to be massive…

I’m just wondering, have you ever fired a .50 BMG say at a shooting meet at 600, 800 or 1,000 yards ranges…I’ve done it a goodly number of times, when I’ve visited the US as, like I said before, because they are ILLEGAL in Canada, where this person hails from…

Filing the tips off the end of Full Metal Jacket bullets is against the Hague Convention Rules of Warfare and is a big NO-NO, you should tell your friend…Oh, and by the way, it doesn't work worth beans, take it from someone who has tried it, with all the military calibers from 5.56 to 38/9mm and up to 7.92 besides...

Most hunting locales have banned the use of FMJs for the taking of big game animals, because, like in war, they wound, why, because they don’t expand…I’m not talking solids that you would use for Rhino or Elephant…

I’ve also seen expensive, expanding, hunting rounds go right through an animal and never be found because the hunters were too close to the animal with rifles of too much velocity…you can read about incidents like that in all the hunting, shooting magazines as it is a fairly common occurrence…that is why so much research is going into developing new hunting rounds---that will perform the same way in all conditions, at all ranges and in most all game animals…

Yes, you can get custom target rounds and hunting rounds for the .50 BMG but they go for about $15.00 to $25.00 each...a little expensive to use just to protect yourself...like I said for the $2,500.00 price tag of the .50 BMG I can get a lot of off the shelf rifles or shotguns and have a lot left over...

I not complaining about the price, that is quite reasonable, as I have many rifles and shotguns that cost a lot more, but this gentleman is looking to provide himself with a inexpensive (he mentions Mossberg), defensive weapon that he can handle effectively…

Ah, like me a lover of the obscure, English rounds; the .700 Nitro Express, only one double rifle made for it by Holland & Holland and weighs about 14 pound and at the tune of about $150,000.00 and the shells, last time I checked, were going for about $50.00 each...I mean both of my main hunting rifles are Westley Richards custom bolt actions, circa 1953, and in their propriety chamberings of .318 WR and .425 WR, talk about obscure…

OneInTheChamber how about the .416 rubgy round. I saw one at the range.... it's around 400 grains

The .416 Rigby is a superb cartridge but it does require an extra long magnum action to chamber it, so there is a very long bolt throw but Ruger builds both their bolt action and single shot in it and CZ makes a boltie for it also and both makers can be purchased for a reasonable amount…if I didn’t have my .425WR I would carry a .416 Rigby…

[Bender711]

im just wondering what would... say a beta c-mag full of 5.56's do aginst a bear?

[expeditionx]

The legality of .50 BMG in Canada I wasnt disputing. The filing off of the tips of .223 fmj made a gallon of water explode pretty good, however, he does take quite a bit of copper off. Ill agree that expanding bullets always make more damage but even a FMJ kills/incapacitates. .50 BMG with the newer muzzle breaks recoils softer than .3006 from what everyone has told me.
The sound from the muzzle is whats bothering because its much louder than without a muzzle break. Aside from the Canadian legality of not being able to use a .50 BMG, my point is the recoil is less than a comparably suitable caliber and will get the job done. Heres a website that suggests using a .50 BMG for BROWN BEAR http://www.alaskahunts.net/alaska/brownbear.htm
We really don't want guys asking to bring their 7mm's or 30-06's into brown bear camp, and yea I have heard all about the great numbers of bears taken with the '06, and no I am not impressed by those stories. I am impressed by the numbers for the .50 caliber BMG, and if you could handle shooting this I would prefer you bring it into camp.

Heres a cute review from a hog hunter that used a .50 BMG FMJ on a hog hunt.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=681054
Bubba Boddington of Honobia, OK
Rating:
Date Posted: 11/25/2005

Review:
One fine hawg huntin' shell!!! Managed to line-up two big tuskers in the lonesome Upper Kiamichi River country of Lil' Dixie (S.E. OK). The .50 cal. steel core went thru the first hog like he was a bacon grease, hit the second of the two 300 pounders and sailed off into a 12 inch diameter southern pine, pentrating it completely! About five seconds of kickin' and it was over. Like I said, one fine hawg huntin' shell!!!

Heres a very large Brown Bear shot 6 times with a .338 win mag
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/bearhunt.asp

Heres a fast slug shooting 12 gauge gun that recoils soft and handles breneke slugs fine. In a bear attack this could come in handy.
http://www.toiminta-ampujat.net/pict...J_saiga_02.mpg
But its most likely illegal in Canada. It suppose to be semi-auto.
Bump fired fast. Some one from http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showforum=2
says he can unload 5 shots in 3 seconds into targets.
For the 922 U.S. compiant modified Saiga-12's there is soon to be 10 round magazines.

[Alaska338]

In my 870 we use Breneke Slugs in Alaska.

The Tatical Barrier slug from Breneke works great breaking both shoulders of a grizzly.

No BuckShot.........period.........reserve this for man and deer at close range.

The Brown bear on the previous post shot in Alaska 8 times was not shot with a 338 Win.........it was shot with 7mm Rem Mag browning Bar at close range on a creek bed by the Airman.......and most of the shots were not killing shots. His first bear.

[44 AMP]

Welcome Alaska338!

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