.223 vs. Bear, what happens?

[nick1985]

my point was that you shouldn't aim for a headshot, aim for the body. a .22 might bounce off its skull (or it might penetrate it).
but it will shred internal organs if it hits soft flesh.

a .22 would bounce off a bear skull, I believe. A steel core .223 will not.

 

[DrPizza]

Well, it'll easily penetrate a bear's skull - if it wasn't going to be a glancing blow. And, if the bear is charging you, it's going to be a glancing blow.

(Sorry, that's a brown bear; I wasn't picky about the link.)
I didn't say you couldn't get penetration through a bear's skull, I said it was going to ricochet. i.e. your .223 will ricochet off water at a high enough angle of incidence.

(and sure, you can shoot it in the mouth or nose and pray that you sever the spine in the back, otherwise it's not going to be immediately lethal.)

 

[DrPizza]

He doesnt know what the fuck he is talking about.

"He" hunts bears. But only with a bow, and on the ground - not in stands. And not over bait or with dogs or other aids.

 

[JulesMaximus]

LOL at those here who think a head shot would a good idea...or that a .223 would be an adequate round for bringing down a 400-600lb bear.

Sure, you might get lucky...but in reality you probably will miss completely.

A heart/lung shot and/or shoulder shot with a heavy caliber rifle is probably the safest way to bring down a bear. People who hunt bear generally use rounds like the .300 magnums, the .338 Winchester Magnum and the .375 H&H, as well as many others. Unless you are hunting bear in close quarters in which case you could use a shotgun with slugs.

 

[olds]

LOL at those here who think a head shot would a good idea...or that a .223 would be an adequate round for bringing down a 400-600lb bear.

Sure, you might get lucky...but in reality you probably will miss completely.

A heart/lung shot and/or shoulder shot with a heavy caliber rifle is probably the safest way to bring down a bear. People who hunt bear generally use rounds like the .300 magnums, the .338 Winchester Magnum and the .375 H&H, as well as many others. Unless you are hunting bear in close quarters in which case you could use a shotgun with slugs.

That's why I have a giant SUV, to run the bear over.

 

[JulesMaximus]

That's why I have a giant SUV, to run the bear over.

Shens, you never get out of your parent's basement.

 

[olds]

Another question on the same topic.
A bear charges you and you only have two rounds in your .300 Weatherby Magnum.
You fire one shot to the left of the bear at exactly 12" wide. Then you fire one shot to the right of the bear at exactly 12" wide.
On average, do you kill the bear?

 

[Zebo]

Depends on 223 round. Some high velocity NATO pressures stuff or TAP LEO no problem . It will rip his nervous system to shreds as it fragments going through his body. El cheapo walmart stuff. Better say your prayers.

 

[Zebo]

I've been a fan of camping for more than 40 years. I've camped everywhere from the BWCA to Banf in the North to the Okefenokee in the South and the deserts of the Southwest. I have never taken a firearm for self defense although, I have gone hunting. Direct confrontations with bears have been almost non existent. Problems with porcupines, skunks and, possums are way more prevalent.

In answer to your one in a million hypothetical situation, while bear skulls are massive, any armor piercing round will make short work of the bear providing you can hit where you're aiming.

Same here, I've been in the Yukon for 3 months goldmining... bears everywhere, and never had one make a move. My partner and I both had 30-06's though at all times, just in case.

Worst thing that happened is I ran over my dog with a bulldozer

You have a better chance of you or your child getting attacked by a Ghetto Pony aka pitbull or person in most cities. That's where you need a pistol. Wild animals OTOH avoid apex predators like humans because any injury may be fatal.

 

[0roo0roo]

shoot it in the mouth...or the nads.

 

[taltamir]

Wild animals OTOH avoid apex predators like humans because any injury may be fatal.

Unless you are a fairly small and nonthreatening looking person. or worse... a child.
Typical predator attacks is for it to ignore the human adults and go for the smallest child around.

 

[Tsavo]

I used to just walk out the back door and they'd run from me.
(They'd take my trash can with them but they still ran...)

Syrian Jungle Grizzly.

You may mock me, but you'd never mock one of those!

 

[WHAMPOM]

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.

What most likely happens is man with .223 empties rifle clip into ground, bear eats him.

 

[adairusmc]

What most likely happens is man with .223 empties rifle clip into ground, bear eats him.

I am not aware of any .223/5.56 rifles off of the top of my head that use clips. Most of them use magazines, but there are single shots and bolt actions out there too.

 

[0roo0roo]

I am not aware of any .223/5.56 rifles off of the top of my head that use clips. Most of them use magazines, but there are single shots and bolt actions out there too.

yea if the bears in your tent, fine, nothing short of a canon is going to save you. but if you unload a clip or two of bullets into a bear at a reasonable distance i think you are going to at least maim it eventually, its a bear, not the freakin terminator lol

 

[adairusmc]

yea if the bears in your tent, fine, nothing short of a canon is going to save you. but if you unload a clip or two of bullets into a bear at a reasonable distance i think you are going to at least maim it eventually, its a bear, not the freakin terminator lol

 

[0roo0roo]

<--does not care
live with it
english evolves, in common usage magazine just doesn't roll off the tongue, and no one other than nit pickers care.

 

[disappoint]

<--does not care
live with it
english evolves, in common usage magazine just doesn't roll off the tongue, and no one other than nit pickers care.

I tend to agree. For example:

Mammary glands: correct
bazongas: incorrect

When's the last time anyone used proper english for hooters? But call a magazine a clip and Captain Correcto will swoop in and scream "You should of known better!" or "Leave Britney alone!" or some such.

 

[Analog]

Depends on 223 round. Some high velocity NATO pressures stuff or TAP LEO no problem . It will rip his nervous system to shreds as it fragments going through his body. El cheapo walmart stuff. Better say your prayers.

qft

 

[alkemyst]

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.

Bren Ten was a great 10mm in it's day.

Hunting with a pistol though is moronic at best. They aren't going to have the accuracy needed from a distance. If you are the type of hunter that wants to bitch-slap it's prey ahead of time...then by all means strap on a shoulder harness.

 

[Andy22]

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

Treadwell was crazy and in no way a bear whisperer. We also don't know why the bear killed him but it could have been any number of the following things this guy did on a regular basis.

- Entering dense brushy areas and standing next to bears
- Approaching bears for photographs
- Deliberately, in a confrontational manner, challenging bears
- Crawling on his hands and knees up to bears while chanting "I love you", or singing, or reading poetry
- Having sex near areas where bears had mated
- Camping in dense brush where bear trails converged
- Attempting to pet or touch bears, even cubs

 

[0roo0roo]

Treadwell was crazy and in no way a bear whisperer. We also don't know why the bear killed him but it could have been any number of the following things this guy did on a regular basis.

oh he was a bear whisperer, he got really close to them.
but the fact is if an animal wants to turn on you, and you have no defense u are f**ked..and clearly they had none at all. as for crazy, by definition you are crazy if you try to be a wild bear whisperer.

 

[taltamir]

I tend to agree. For example:

Mammary glands: correct
bazongas: incorrect

When's the last time anyone used proper english for hooters? But call a magazine a clip and Captain Correcto will swoop in and scream "You should of known better!" or "Leave Britney alone!" or some such.

actually that is incorrect, the mammary gland is the subcutaneous glands that produce the milk and are found right under the nipple. (looks like shallow "roots" from the nipple)
The great majority of the female breast structure is not the mammary gland.

- Having sex near areas where bears had mated

Wait, what?
He actually documented himself doing that?
I am almost surprised it was "having sex with bears" at this point.

 

[Kirby]

.223 is what women and kids use for deer hunting.

fuck no i wouldn't want it.

 

[Worthington]

All the talk about not aiming for the head is correct from the bit that I know. I used to go hiking in bear country with my uncle from time to time. I forgot what he used to use as a sidearm but I want to say it was a .45. His advice was to never aim for the head as skull of a bear is so retardedly thick and solid your rounds have a very good chance of bouncing off, assuming you hit it in the first place.

Center mass shots to the heart or lungs were higher probability shots.

Granted, if people are talking about esoteric rounds that might not stand true. But for what your average camper, hiker, etc probably has on him/her....