roklok said:
The man that shot the polar bear is a good friend of mine, in fact, I helped him build that particular AR-15 from a parts kit. It is indeed a .223, and he was using 55 grain soft points. Just wanted to clarify that. I know on the beartooth forums, there was discussion as to which caliber the rifle was. It is a .223 or 5.56. He uses that rifle for everything, and no it certainly would not be my choice for going in the brush after a bear. I was actually involved in the shooting investigation with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Heh heh!
The Natives on the north slope used to use a lot of small HV stuff out on the ice for seals and whatever else comes along, 22-250 is/was popular I have been told.
A few years back 5-6 maybe, some guy killed a Gbear on the Russian River while fishing salmon with a 9mm handgun. Range was feet. F&G cleared it as a good shooting. Doubt he shot the bear in the chest with a 9mm. Why the 9mm? Its what he had.
I once shot a big beaver in a trap with a 22 CB cap from a 4" revolver. It simply made a white spot between the eyes. The next chamber had a LR in it and these don't bounce off beaver skulls.
But we are confusing some here with things that really happened rather than theory and stories from Field and Stream.
Head shots are all about the angles. If the shooter screws up the shot, angle is wrong, its possible to have "problems".
The first time I lived in AK back about 1976 some idiot broadside chest shot a Brown Bear at the Knik River RR bridge with a 357. Bear ran down the right of way about 50 yards and dropped dead. The shooter was about 50 yards from the bear out on the bridge when he fired. Idiot probably panicked when he saw the bear. All I know is what made the newspaper really.
I do know that even on a kill floor hot loaded 158 gr 357 HPs will not reliably kill buffalo fired from a 6.5" barrel with headshots. I suspect a hard cast SWC would be better but didn't have any. If the angle is not perfect there are problems. 10MM works better according to the guy with the 357 (my son). But the bison has a *much* harder head than the bears do.
Years ago a friend of mine in Wis. used to use #4 buck from a full choke gun to whack problem black bears at close range. Said the buckshot from a full choke just cut about a 1" hole in the bears skull.
Its in the angles.
I think I related a friend of mine who killed a bear in the mountains around Ft Rich/Anc with a Colt Woodsman. Said he was shooting for the mouth and hit the eye. Why a 22 pistol? Its what he had with him and he ran afoul a sow with cubs.
I do not consider the head shot to be the best option for shooting a big bear. But if one has a close encounter of the worst kind chances of stopping the bear at close range with anything but a headshot is remote. If I had time I would likely shoot in the chest (situational decision) if I had something with decent power. But sometimes things fail to go as planned.
With this thought and the bears killed with headshots, in mind it is impossible to dismiss the head shot. It works remarkably well with a wide array of firearms if used right. Sometimes its the last resort/only option.
Dan
