Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Shotgun slugs vs bears

JWP475:

You are right about Dixie Slugs.

Many people can't seem to grasp the raw power and penetration of a Two Ounce .73 caliber hard cast heat treated bullet when fired at 1200 fps from a firearm designed for rapid target engagement at defensive ranges. Maybe it is the label "shotgun" that prevents the association with short range power and penetration more than equal to .416 Rigby (400 grain Partition) at short range.

If these same .73 caliber bullets were loaded in a brass case...

Ralph McLaney

I'm gonna listen to this guy.....

Me too! Phil's shot more bears than most of the tyros on this thread have ever seen.

And btw, someone posted earlier about Stephen Herrero's book, "Bear Attacks". I recommend it as mandatory reading for anyone who spends or plans to spend time in bear country, if only for the peace of mind you will gain from your new-found understanding of bear behavior.

Recent scientific research showed that pepper spray (the kind specifically made for bear applications) is slightly more effective in stopping bear charges than firearms, and has the added benefit of not killing the bear. Killing a bear in self-defense means a LOT of paperwork in almost all jurisdictions, and in some the paper will be significant amounts of folding money out of your pocket. It is speculated that the lower rate of success with firearms is due to multiple factors, including poor shot placement, suboptimal firearms caliber/type for bear, and so forth.

Final observation: Alberta F&G officers used to be issued 12-ga shotguns with Brenneke slugs for bear control. Last few times I was up fishing in the Kananaskis the officers I encountered were all carrying/issued open-sighted 300 Win Mags, which they told me they much preferred over the slug guns.

Contrary to what I read on the internet,they didn't do all that bad in penetration back in 1982 compared to what we call the heavy hitters,I can't see how they could be any worse now?




Jayco