Grizz with a 50 RB

[longcruise]

Just received my current issue of NRA American Hunter magazine and immediately noticed an interesting article.

First surprise was the publication of an article on hunting with a sidelock muzzle loader. Most contemporary hunting mags relegate the trad ml to an occasional article wherein they are "damned by faint praise". That, of course supports their advertisers of the modern stuff.

The article documents the experience of an apparently experienced Alaskan hunter who builds a Traditions Kentucky Rifle Kit and subsequently hunts and successfully takes a grizzly bear with it. I'm not sure that a 50 would be my choice for a grizz hunt but it clearly worked for the author.

I'm not sure how or if a link can be provided, otherwise I'd place it in this post.

 

[William Sublette]

If you read enough mtn man journals, they learned not to poke the bears, unless they were starving.


I get the idea they mostly had .53's

 

[Ames]

I bet he had a buddy in the bushes to finish what he started!

 

[longcruise]

@William Sublette My reads indicate the same.

Let me state, as I should have in my original post, that I'm not looking to start a brouhaha on the topic but just relating the story.

 

[longcruise]

I bet he had a buddy in the bushes to finish what he started!

Maybe, but maybe more likely he also had an appropriate sized suppository rifle at his side.

Not sure what AK regs are now, but when I hunted in 2013 the minimum caliber for all big game was either 40 or 45.

 

[Stykbow]

If I had to shoot a griz with a 50 PRB (think self defense) I’d do it, but I dang sure wouldn’t go hunting for one with it. Good for him for pulling it off.

 

[david w]

If I had to shoot a griz with a 50 PRB (think self defense) I’d do it, but I dang sure wouldn’t go hunting for one with it. Good for him for pulling it off.

If I were to shoot griz with any caliber rifle, I'd want a partner to back me up. You don't have to be faster than a ****** off griz, you just have to be faster than your partner.

 

[hanshi]

.50? Not me. No such thing as a too big a gun for ol' griz.

 

[bluemule66]

thats why your backup gun only needs to be a .22 short. Just enough to slow your buddy down!

 

[Whitworth]

Samuel Baker's "Baby" would be my M/L choice for grizzly. A 2 bore with a 1 oz. black powder bursting charge. I'd stop the bear charge only to be killed by the recoil He only fired it around 20 times over a number of years and didn't like it one bit but said it came in handy a time or two.

 

[LME]

I remember back in the fifties the story about Fred Bear taking a Grizzly with a traditional recurve bow? It isn't for me I am regular and don't need a laxitive.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

If any of you want to tackle a bear like this one with any kind of single shot, have at it.
This one tried to climb into the skiff with a couple of friends of mine. The bear was all scarred up on the face from a recent fight and was PO'd about it. It took 9 shots from 375 H&H class rifles to kill it. The fellow standing by the bear is a solid 6 footer. As I remember the bear squared out over 10 feet. SE Alaska in the mid '80's.

 

[Mangonboat]

Lots of very big bears have been taken with a single arrow shot from a recurve bow or a single round from a low velocity rifle. The trick is to shoot them in the proper spot with a projectile that will penetrate the hair before they are all riled up. When they are riled up, the bears' hormone release has it programmed to ignore blows while focusing on the perceived threat, and the perceived threat tends to be far less accurate with shot placement in that circumstance.

 

[roundballman]

I appreciated the inclusion of ML hunting story in the magazine. Unfortunately it read like any newbie to ML could buy an inexpensive kit, put it together and go hunt grizzly bears with it. Sounded a bit foolhardy to me.

 

[LarryR]

In a book about Lewis and Clarks travels and their encounters with Grizzlies, They always tried to have 3 guys ready when they would shoot a Grizzly. 2 would fire and then the 3rd would cover while they reloaded. I believe they said they never killed a Grizzly with one shot or it was very seldom. I never found what caliber they were using but they mentioned about a 140 grain bullet so very small.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I’ve seen lots over the years. Always give them a wide berth. They are usually busy and don’t pay much attention when I’m horseback.

 

[gunpa]

I read the same article. This fellar had already taken black bears with the same gun. He wasn't no pilgrim. He also did it from a tree blind over bait. Close range and careful shot placement works every time. I'd do it with my 54. But 50 worked. I was pleased to read about a traditional muzzleloader hunt for a change.

 

[MN284]

Back in the '60s Sports Afield ran an article about a teenage native Alaska girl who killed a huge brown bear with one shot from a .22 short. Bear was following her and another woman. They hid and she shot it in the ear. From the picture the gun was an Armalite or copy.

Tom

 

[TCMonts]

JMHO Its ALL about your skills as a hunter to get close enough, and your confidence in your ability to put that single shot where it needs to be. Most of the time if you have to ask "is this enough gun" for whatever your hunting, the answer is not for you. The caliber and power of the gun required is 90 percent dependent on you. If you don't have absolute confidence in it, and your abilities including your ability to NOT take any questionable shot don't use it.

 

[waksupi]

I live among grizzly bears. I'd feel pretty naked going after one with a .50 with round ball on purpose.