Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Necessary penetration for coastal brown bears?

All the penetration one can get.

Id' never shoot head on into a bears thoracic cavity unless it was a charge situation or wounded etc. Broadside makes way more sense.

That said, only enough penetration to get to the CNS in a charge or vitals, and each scenario can be different, hence the above answer all you can get.

...several times.

I would not hesitate on a front on shot... And aim for a rear wheel hip socket. I have put quite a few into big bears going in each direction and have never caught a 270gr Barnes from a .375 or .375AI. That includes full-length through several truly big bears.

On the other hand I have never seen an Accubond exit a bear... And I have seen them used...

I can tell you what was adequate on a frontal shot for me...
First one (26 4/16) at 16' with 400 grain .416 soft round nose Interbond. Knocked the sucker down, rolled over and died there. Into the chest on the right side facing and stopped against the rear, offside femur. Projectile weighted .357 grains after recovery.

Second one similar except the center of the chest and full body penetration. Bbl. was stuck in the chest of the bear and shot. It fell out of the tree and rolled over and died. Second shot at 5 yards was not needed though taken. Both were 275 grain Swift A Frame in .338 caliber. (25 13/16)

I have no problem shooting head on with these or any other critters. A diagonal shot is best if can be achieved but you do what you need do.

All others were taken in a "more civilized" manner😉

Front half (third?) holds alla the important stuff.

Yep

Of course, I'm never right... LMAO. Whatever. BUT you don't easily get both lungs on a frontal shot. Taking both lungs is important to me.

If its a wounded/charge thats another story totally, but any animal with only one lung out of commission can go a LONG way. Deer certainly can I can only imagine a big bear.

But yes, one could take out CNS or the heart and it be all over, I know I certainly could but I simply won't. Low percentage shots just don't do it for me and not on larger more dangerous game.

Of course I'm probably overly picky on my shot choices, yet I rarely have problems once I pull the trigger, and rarely rarely ever shoot twice.

Again if wounded all bets are off and I"ll run every bullet through and through as often as I can from whatever angle.

Arrows CERTAINLY do not need to be put frontal in an attempt at thoracic cavity if one knows much about arrows.

YMMV.

Don, you should not otta tempt bears like that....

IIRC, and I have the right incident/person, that tree bear was about 14 feet up. Brown/griz. Everyone knows they can't climb trees. Good jumpers tho.

A friend took (DLOP) what he could get - a front wheel socket for his first shot with a .30-06 at @30 yards. .No question of the bear's intent. Next 3 went in sideways, two of them lung hits, one gut.

At the time, and maybe still, the second oldest brown bear on record - 31 years. 9'2". Mouth full of rotten/broken teeth, Memorial day weekend - 4 inches of fat on the sucker. Just a sore toothed old curmudgeon. The bear.

I helped skin and pack it out 8 miles.

18 inches plus

Phil, you've been a Campfire member for over 14 years now. Haven't you realized that you're not supposed to actually answer questions?

There is a concise answer at least

Careful gentlemen, the adults have entered the room🙂

Another thing is, having actually shot bears, his information would be suspect....

As to the title: "Now, where's this Eskimo woman I'm supposed to wrestle?"

That made me laugh.

I've done head-on and broadside. Head-on was a 180gr Partition through the pocket of the front shoulder/brisket to opposite hip. Another was when he dropped his head and I drove one through the top of the spine at the base of the skull and through the chest. Most of the others have been broadside.