Bear Attack On Elk Hunters, September 2021
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 11 months ago
Tyler had a 10 mm Glock model 20 loaded with Buffalo Bore 190-grain hard cast bullets. The son had a .45ACP with a red dot sight, 15 round magazines, and hollowpoint +P self-defense ammunition. The father had bear spray, with “assault” in the name.
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The father had deployed his bear spray. The bear blasted through the cloud with no visible effect.
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No shots had hit the spine. The bear had a thick layer of fat, which acted as an armor of a sort. Two of the +P .45 hollow-point bullets were recovered under the hide, in the fat. Several hits were in the top and side of the neck going down toward the shoulders. Tyler believes the .45 bullets had not penetrated into the chest cavity, but most of the bullet paths were not followed to see which came from which caliber. They knew the side shots had been from Tyler’s 10mm. The frontal shots could have been from either shooter. The shot above the eyes had to be from the .45, because the angle would have been different as the bear closed and Tyler joined the son, shooting at the advancing bear.
The bear had been hit so many times, the investigator gave up after counting 16 holes. All of the shots were in the front half of the bear. The bear had a number tattooed on its lip. It had been handled before. It was a grizzly bear, about 500 – 600 lbs, according to the investigator and biologist.
Tyler believes his shots with the Buffalo Bore bullets were the only effective shots. I am not so certain. If the son had not shot, it seems unlikely Tyler would have been able to put shots into the bear before it reached the hunters. Both parties played critical parts. The incident shows the advantage of deep penetrating bullets.
We do not know the dynamics of each shot, because a complete necropsy was not necessary. Some of the son’s shots might have penetrated to the chest cavity. We do not know. Penetration of 11-13 inches is common with aggressive, self-defense hollow-points in a .45. A bullet into the side of the neck, from the front, angling down toward the chest, could have to travel through many inches of fat to reach the chest cavity.
And of course, an argument ensued in the comments. 10 mm is best. No, .44 magnum is best.
I don’t take this instance as justifying any conclusion of the sort. I take it as “shoot hard ball rounds when in bear country.” The father should have forced his son to carry ball ammunition rather than carrying personal defense ammunition. Penetration is king with large animals.
.45 ACP (or especially 450 SMC) should do the trick as long as it’s hard ball. 10 mm should do the trick as well, and .44 magnum should do the trick better than either of the two.
YMMV. Shot placement is important too.
On January 4, 2022 at 1:07 am, Dan said:
The take away…..Bears are hard to kill. Especially with a handgun. Whenever possible in bear country someone in the party should be carrying a rifle…30/30 caliber or equivalent at minimum. In Grizzly country 45/70 would be preferred. Because without the proper tools humans are nowhere near the top of the food chain.
On January 4, 2022 at 8:18 am, Wes said:
Thanks for sharing the article. One can put lung shots into dangerous animals and they will still have enough wind left in them to completely ruin your day. Penetration sufficient to flip the switch or at least break down major joints is key. Professionals have been using solids for a century for a reason.
On January 4, 2022 at 8:58 am, Fred said:
Hollow point ammo is carried in part to prevent “over penetration.” With a 600lb thick hide and well muscled animal over penetration is not a concern. Maximizing damage to vitals is the thing you want. I agree with Herschel, when in the bush carry hard nose ammo. Hollow point ammo is not for wild animals and bears especially are not easily deterred the way humans are.
But regardless of ammo, it’s easy to see how knowledge about bears is also important. How to avoid contact and how to appear as no threat are also important. Of course they’re bears so sometimes they just don’t care what you do.
On January 4, 2022 at 11:09 am, Drake said:
That was some fine shooting by both of them.
On January 4, 2022 at 12:55 pm, 41mag said:
I know this isn’t an ad for Tim Sundles but in essence it proves that some of Gods creatures need special ammo.
On January 4, 2022 at 1:06 pm, Dov said:
If one tends to have hollow point for public places, but traverses black bear country to get there, what .45 round is recommended?
On January 4, 2022 at 1:15 pm, billrla said:
An interesting lesson in terminal ballistics and shot placement.
On January 4, 2022 at 2:15 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Dov,
Something fast: Buffalo Bore, Double Tap or Underwood. All +P ammo, they usually sell a RNFP.
On January 6, 2022 at 3:35 pm, Red Man said:
16 hits, average 8 each in the front half during a Grizzly bear attack. These two are a couple of cool customers! I hope their personal story is out somewhere. It would be a great lesson.
On January 6, 2022 at 3:44 pm, Red Man said:
After a quick read on 10mm vs .45 ballistics, the 10mm has a higher muzzle velocity and higher foot lbs than the .45. The smaller diameter of the 10mm as well as the higher muzzle velocity sounds like the recipe for the deeper penetration needed for big mean bears. Here in central Kentucky, we don’t worry about Mr. Grizz.
On January 6, 2022 at 3:48 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Red Man,
Yes, if you’re comparing 10mm with ordinary 45ACP.
They are about equal when comparing against 450 SMC. I have carried that in my 1911 with a stiffer spring to handle the recoil without tearing up the gun.
With 230 grains flying 1120 FPS, the 450 SMC is more powerful than the 45ACP.
On January 7, 2022 at 9:08 pm, Red Man said:
Heschel, thank you for that info. Yes, I was referring to .45 ACP. Now I have to read up on 450 SMC!
On January 7, 2022 at 9:44 pm, Fred said:
Comparing the 10 mm, 450 SMC and .45 Super for Predator Defense
http://www.marksmanshipmatters.com/comparing-the-10-mm-450-smc-and-45-super-for-predator-defense/