Pros & cons comparing rifles w/ shotguns using slugs?

[Jago668]

Just use one of these.

http://www.tacticalimports.ca/gm6-lynx-p-3.html

[Jusme]

Just use one of these.

http://www.tacticalimports.ca/gm6-lynx-p-3.html

Yeah.., I think I'll just avoid bear country. Buying that, and then getting enough ammo to be proficient, would definitely put me over SWMBO "gun budget" money.

[Greybeard]

I would especially question the use of #1 Buckshot, or even 00. Just not enough weight there to get sufficient penetration on a big, thick bear.

[The Annoyed Man]

I've noticed Alaskan State Troopers carrying two different kinds of long guns into the brush on that TV show - either a 12 gauge shotgun, or a Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70. I think it would be a toss up, depending on range to the target. I also notice that they only unlimbers the AR15s when its a human contact they're worried about.

[Pawpaw]

I would especially question the use of #1 Buckshot, or even 00. Just not enough weight there to get sufficient penetration on a big, thick bear.

I don't think most people understand just how tough bears really are. Years ago, when I was about to be stationed 150 miles inside the Arctic Circle, the USAF took great pains to brief us on what a person is up against in a confrontation with a polar bear. I'm fairly sure any other bear would be simply scaled down from that.

A polar bear's skull is so thick a 30.06 round will just bounce off. You could try to get in through an eye socket, but that's only about the size of a dime. In other words, shooting one in the head is pretty much out if all you have is a rifle.

You could go for the heart, but even that isn't much help. A polar bear's heart only beats 8 times a minute. That means after destroying his heart, he'll still have about 20 minutes to do whatever he wants to you.

The only way to stop one in a timely manner is to get a solid CMS hit. Most anything smaller than one of those heavy slugs has almost no chance of succeeding.

[puma guy]

I've noticed Alaskan State Troopers carrying two different kinds of long guns into the brush on that TV show - either a 12 gauge shotgun, or a Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70. I think it would be a toss up, depending on range to the target. I also notice that they only unlimbers the AR15s when its a human contact they're worried about.

I read an article on the internet something to the effect "the 10 best Alaskan bear defense weapons". The first four or five were pistols or revolvers - .44 mag, .454 Casull, .480 Ruger, .460 and .500 SW, 10mm. 12 Ga SG (Mossberg 500 or Rem 870 with short bbl loaded with 00 Buck, a Marlin 1895 Guide Gun lever action in .45-70 and a Ruger Guide gun in .375 and and .416 Ruger. In a defense situation with a bear the encounter has a high probability of being sudden with shooting action likely to be fast and furious. There are pros and cons to all those choices and any could be effective, so it would come down to what an individual prefers and feels comfortable with. Personally I still think I'd like a short shotgun with a round of 00 and then slugs.

[ELB]

... A polar bear's heart only beats 8 times a minute.
...

OK, I had to question that one. Googling around it appears their heart rates range from 60-90 bpm during normal activity, down to 40 when sleeping, and up to 130 bpm when they are chasing people who didn't bring a slug-loaded shot gun.
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MCarn ... DetPhy.htm

But I'm not going to sneak up on one with a stethoscope just to check...

[The Annoyed Man]

I would especially question the use of #1 Buckshot, or even 00. Just not enough weight there to get sufficient penetration on a big, thick bear.

I don't think most people understand just how tough bears really are. Years ago, when I was about to be stationed 150 miles inside the Arctic Circle, the USAF took great pains to brief us on what a person is up against in a confrontation with a polar bear. I'm fairly sure any other bear would be simply scaled down from that.

A polar bear's skull is so thick a 30.06 round will just bounce off. You could try to get in through an eye socket, but that's only about the size of a dime. In other words, shooting one in the head is pretty much out if all you have is a rifle.

You could go for the heart, but even that isn't much help. A polar bear's heart only beats 8 times a minute. That means after destroying his heart, he'll still have about 20 minutes to do whatever he wants to you.

The only way to stop one in a timely manner is to get a solid CMS hit. Most anything smaller than one of those heavy slugs has almost no chance of succeeding.

I've heard all that stuff before about .30-06 bouncing off the skull, etc., but other well informed people have put it to me this way: "it can happen. But if you drill the bullet straight in at 90º to the slope of the skull, that bear is going down." Also - and this is well worth noting - back in the day, the Inuit people used rifles chambered in .22 Hornet to take polar bears......which they accomplished by running up to the bear, thrusting the barrel into its mouth, and pulling the trigger. Death was quick for the bear, and sometimes less quick for the shooter, but in all cases requiring stones the size of boxcars on the part of the hunter(s).

Hunger will make you take big risks.

[Pawpaw]

... A polar bear's heart only beats 8 times a minute.
...

OK, I had to question that one. Googling around it appears their heart rates range from 60-90 bpm during normal activity, down to 40 when sleeping, and up to 130 bpm when they are chasing people who didn't bring a slug-loaded shot gun.
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MCarn ... DetPhy.htm

But I'm not going to sneak up on one with a stethoscope just to check...

Then I stand corrected. However 8 bpm is definitely what they told us. Back then it was difficult to look it up to check. It was before Al Gore invented the internet.

[WTR]

For hunting bear my friend took his with a .338 Win Mag. He said most of the guides carried a .300 Win Mag. Many guides also preferred and carried a .460 pistol. For a weapon preferred to kill a rushing bear at close quarters the 12 ga shotgun with buckshot and slugs was the weapon of choice . As far as the natives who chased polar bear with snowmobiles the Rugar Mini 14 was the most used weapon.

[ELB]

... It was before Al Gore invented the internet.

Heh.

I noticed the briefings I got in the USAF didn't always correspond to reality.

[LeonCarr]

For Hunting: .338 Win Mag with 250 Grain Nosler Partitions would be the bottom rung on the latter for me, some guides up there are using .458 Win Mag or similar to absolutely positively stop one before it eats the client who used poor shot placement.

For Defense: A Pump Shotgun (I like either the Remington 870 or Benelli Nova) loaded with Brenneke Slugs. Brennekes are used by the Alaska Game Wardens and the Alaska State Troopers. The only buckshot I would even think about loading in a shotgun used for bear defense would be Dixie Slugs Tri-Ball. Google it or go to http://www.dixieslugs.com. It is an impressive shotgun shell.

As mentioned if you are engaged in bear defense it will happen fast, and the pump shotgun will put ounces of lead down range in a relatively short amount of time. Most rifles cartridges suitable for Big Bears are chambered in bolt action rifles which are slower to operate.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[flechero]

Range. Shotgun with slugs is a more devastating load, most times. But it's a relatively short range option. If you were hunting bear, you'd use a rifle and preferably shoot from a bit further out.

Up close you want a sledgehammer, not a dart... it stops things a lot faster.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Well, this has been a very enlightening discussion.

Jason812 mentioned that a <standard?> shotgun slug = 437.5 grains.
Someone else mentioned that the Brenneke (sp?) slugs = 602 grains.

A .45 ACP is fairly heavy for a pistol round, but is only 230 grains.

So, a standard slug of 437.5 grains would = 1.90 .45 ACP rounds in weight.
A Brenneke slug of 602 grains would = 2.62 .45 ACP rounds in weight.

Given the various stats provided on this thread, I now consider myself
schooled on why so many people prefer a shotgun for a home defense firearm.

SIA

[Pawpaw]

Well, this has been a very enlightening discussion.

Jason812 mentioned that a <standard?> shotgun slug = 437.5 grains.
Someone else mentioned that the Brenneke (sp?) slugs = 602 grains.

A .45 ACP is fairly heavy for a pistol round, but is only 230 grains.

So, a standard slug of 437.5 grains would = 1.90 .45 ACP rounds in weight.
A Brenneke slug of 602 grains would = 2.62 .45 ACP rounds in weight.

Given the various stats provided on this thread, I now consider myself
schooled on why so many people prefer a shotgun for a home defense firearm.

SIA

Actually, for home defense, it's simpler than that.

One 00 buck round delivers 9 (typically) .33 caliber (53.8 gr) balls, totaling 484.2 grains and delivering 2.41584849 square inches of wound trauma.

One #1 buck round delivers 15 (typically) .30 caliber (40 gr) balls, totaling 600 grains and delivering 3.327615 square inches of wound trauma.

Now you know why most shotgun fights only last a very few seconds.