.223 vs. Bear, what happens?

[Gibsons]

Based on a few threads, some recent some old, I got to wondering about the following scenario

You've got your fully loaded AR15 or equivalent, loaded with whatever .223 rounds you like. A largish black bear, say 400 lbs, decides he want to eat you. (It's coming right for us!).

You can get off three (just three, no more, no less) well aimed shots. All three hit center mass or close. Flat ground, so you're probably hitting head and shoulders, maybe legs or glancing the back. The bear doesn't get spooked.

So, what happens? My initial thoughts are that unless you get lucky and hit an eyeball or something, he rips you apart.

just to add - yes, I know if you really are expecting a bear, you should have something like a .300 Winmag or bigger... I'm just wondering.

 

[taltamir]

well... i think there is a good change he would be spooked.
But if not, then I have no idea. I guess he will rip you apart but I am not expert of bear anatomy or the damage done by .223 rounds.

I am curious though, hope someone here specifies.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Some days you eat the bear and other days the bear eats you. I don't see a problem here.

I have no problem with hunting, but every time I see a story about a hunter getting gored, killed or eaten I just chuckle.

If you want to play, you got to pay.

 

[taltamir]

Some days you eat the bear and other days the bear eats you. I don't see a problem here.

I have no problem with hunting, but every time I see a story about a hunter getting gored, killed or eaten I just chuckle.

If you want to play, you got to pay.

Has the notion of self defense occured to you? people can go camping without wanting to hunt anything and be attacked by a hungry grizzly.

Do you know how the bear whisperer died? a hungry bear ate him. The bear was not sick, the man made no errors or provocations, he was called the bear-whisperer for a reason... no, the bear was hungry and he was there.

http://www.wolfsongalaska.org/news/Alaska_current_events_815.htm

 

[Colt45]

14.5x114, for when you have to be sure.

 

[QuantumPion]

A black bear, maybe.

A brown bear will take the gun from you and beat your ass to death with it.

 

[taltamir]

A black bear, maybe.

A brown bear will take the gun from you and beat your ass to death with it.

I think I recently saw a video of a man hunting and killing a brown bear with a bow and arrow.

 

[adairusmc]

I wouldnt want a .223 to fight off a large brown, polar, or grizzly bear but it would sure beat a sharp stick.


12ga with slugs.
/bear

 

[taltamir]

I wouldnt want a .223 to fight off a large brown, polar, or grizzly bear but it would sure beat a sharp stick.

12ga with slugs.
/bear

what caliber would you prefer?

 

[HappyPuppy]

Has the notion of self defense occured to you? people can go camping without wanting to hunt anything and be attacked by a hungry grizzly.

Do you know how the bear whisperer died? a hungry bear ate him. The bear was not sick, the man made no errors or provocations, he was called the bear-whisperer for a reason... no, the bear was hungry and he was there.

http://www.wolfsongalaska.org/news/Alaska_current_events_815.htm

When you go camping the bear has just as much right to eat as you do. I have no problem with campers defending themselves, but sometimes the bears win. It's just a fact of life.

 

[adairusmc]

I think I recently saw a video of a man hunting and killing a brown bear with a bow and arrow.

Polar bear hunted with a bow -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzh2Wl9SfGQ

 

[glenn1]

Based on a few threads, some recent some old, I got to wondering about the following scenario

You've got your fully loaded AR15 or equivalent, loaded with whatever .223 rounds you like. A largish black bear, say 400 lbs, decides he want to eat you. (It's coming right for us!).

You can get off three (just three, no more, no less) well aimed shots. All three hit center mass or close. Flat ground, so you're probably hitting head and shoulders, maybe legs or glancing the back. The bear doesn't get spooked.

So, what happens? My initial thoughts are that unless you get lucky and hit an eyeball or something, he rips you apart.

just to add - yes, I know if you really are expecting a bear, you should have something like a .300 Winmag or bigger... I'm just wondering.

People hunt bear with bow and arrow, and I've even seen stories about killing bears with knives (http://neveryetmelted.com/2006/07/23/55-year-old-ontario-man-kills-bear-with-knife/) so you can certainly kill one with a couple .223 FMJ rounds. It wouldn't be my first choice if a bear was charging me though - even with 3 center mass hits, although the bear would likely die, I'd think he'd have plenty of energy to get to you before expiring. Heck, you'd probably bleed out before the bear did.

 

[amddude]

bear kills you, then dies

so I guess bear wins

 

[taltamir]

People hunt bear with bow and arrow, and I've even seen stories about killing bears with knives (http://neveryetmelted.com/2006/07/23/55-year-old-ontario-man-kills-bear-with-knife/) so you can certainly kill one with a couple .223 FMJ rounds. It wouldn't be my first choice if a bear was charging me though - even with 3 center mass hits, although the bear would likely die, I'd think he'd have plenty of energy to get to you before expiring. Heck, you'd probably bleed out before the bear did.

if a bear mauls you then you'd probably die before hitting the ground. You wouldn't have time to bleed out.

 

[adairusmc]

what caliber would you prefer?

I said in my post, 12ga with slugs. Preferably a mossberg or remington 870 with a large magazine capacity. Most Alaskan guides I have met prefer that for protection, with either a .44mag or higher revolver as a sidearm.

Though a couple of guys I know have started carrying glock 20's in 10mm auto, with buffalo bore or double tap ammo. Same ballistics as the .41 magnum, but with 15 rounds in a semi-auto handgun. I saw Ted Nugent on his hunting show drop a cape buffalo with his 10mm and buffalo bore ammo that charged him after a misplaced shot with his bow. That's what caused me to buy a 10mm for myself.

 

[taltamir]

what about a .50 AE cal desert eagle instead of the revolver? (a shotgun is a bit harder to carry around)

 

[adairusmc]

Speaking of bears -

 

[nick1985]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.500_S%26W_Magnum


/thread

 

[adairusmc]

what about a .50 AE cal desert eagle instead of the revolver? (a shotgun is a bit harder to carry around)

A .50 AE is a pussified excuse of a round for how much hype it has. A 10mm semi auto would be cheaper, smaller, more reliable than the POS desert eagle, and have plenty of firepower if you arent wanting a revolver.

The only .50 caliber handgun round worth owning or mentioning is the .500 S&W. Not pussified like the .50 AE, though I prefer the .460 S&W better (since you can also shoot .454 casull and 45 long colt in the .460 revolvers if you want a lighter practice load).

You could always do the paperwork and get a shotgun like my serbu super shorty.

 

[taltamir]

You could always do the paperwork and get a shotgun like my serbu super shorty.

Those are legal? damn, nice gun.

A .50 AE is a pussified excuse of a round for how much hype it has. A 10mm semi auto would be cheaper, smaller, more reliable than the POS desert eagle, and have plenty of firepower if you arent wanting a revolver.

I do not object to a revolver, I am just not sure why have both revolvers and pistols, surely one of the two is better?

The only .50 caliber handgun round worth owning or mentioning is the .500 S&W. Not pussified like the .50 AE, though I prefer the .460 S&W better (since you can also shoot .454 casull and 45 long colt in the .460 revolvers if you want a lighter practice load).

Why is the desert eagle pussified? what is the difference between the .500 S&W and the .50 AE?

 

[Perknose]

Has the notion of self defense occured to you? people can go camping without wanting to hunt anything and be attacked by a hungry grizzly.

Do you know how the bear whisperer died? a hungry bear ate him. The bear was not sick, the man made no errors or provocations, he was called the bear-whisperer for a reason... no, the bear was hungry and he was there.

http://www.wolfsongalaska.org/news/Alaska_current_events_815.htm

With all due respect, you obviously don't know the whole story of the intrusive loon you call the bear whisperer. He damn well did cause the demise of both his g/f and himself with his careless and provocative hubris.

The guy was a messianic idiot. Read his whole story before you respond, please.

In the wild, Bears will generally avoid confrontations with humans unless you happen upon them and startle them or a mother is protecting her young, or, possibly, it's mating season.

 

[taltamir]

With all due respect, you obviously don't know the whole story of the intrusive loon you call the bear whisperer. He damn well did cause the demise of both his g/f and himself with his careless and provocative hubris.

The guy was a messianic idiot. Read his whole story before you respond, please.

In the wild, Bears will generally avoid confrontations with humans unless you happen upon them and startle them or a mother is protecting her young, or, possibly, it's mating season.

Yes, he was a messianic idiot, yes he caused his own death and the death of his girlfriend.

do you understand what the word "generally" means? Bears GENERALLY avoid humans, they GENERALLY don't eat humans... sometimes they do.

 

[nick1985]

Why is the desert eagle pussified? what is the difference between the .500 S&W and the .50 AE?

.500 S&W

Several manufacturers currently produce the Smith & Wesson 500 cartridge, with some of the top-performing rounds delivering over 3,000 ft·lbf of energy with a 350 gr (23 g; 0.80 oz) bullet traveling at 602 metres per second

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.500





.50 AE

The rounds with this cartridge are generally around 300 grains and have a muzzle velocity of around 1,380 feet per second (with a 6-inch barrel). This gives the bullet 1,260-plus foot pounds of energy, placing the cartridge well above the .44 Magnum in terms of power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.50_AE




Um yeah....Its pretty obvious which round would be better at taking down a bear.

.50 AE is just not practical for the performance it "delivers". This isnt Counterstrike. If you are going to go for a semi-auto handgun, there are many better options out there.

 

[ew915]

12ga Slugs FTW, the rest is just going to piss the bear off

 

[nick1985]

12ga Slugs FTW, the rest is just going to piss the bear off

Not true. There are plenty of rounds that will take out a bear