Here is and article with pictures that shows that shot placement is more important then caliber. And such a large caliber was used.

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2...take-1953-world.html

I grew up in Alberta, hearing this story from time to time. I never got much detail and never knew if it was really true.
Now I know! Thanks for posting the story.

A good story, but reminds me that while 23 pitchers have pitched perfect games in baseball, no one has done it twice.

Cool story.Gutsey lady.When I was younger,after I got out of the military,I lived in Three Lakes Wi.In the middle sixties, bear were considered vermin.You could shoot them in a special early season the first week in September with a small game license.A bunch of guys from Tennessee used to come up and we would run them with dogs in the National forest.The majority were shot with a 22LR between the eye and ear.We carried 357 mag revolvers and only had to finish off one bear with the revolver that I can remember.Thats why it cracks me up on what some guys think they need to use for hunting bear.OB

My dad and uncle were some of the last bear trappers in Wis. they had a dozen or so New house bear traps

Dad said when they would come up to a trapped bear they would head shoot them with a 22LR.

I still have his last bear trap wish I could use it one more time.

I also heard this story as a kid. I have a .22 single shot Cooey just like the one pictured but with a better stock. My dad bought it in Canada about the time I was born.

7mm-08, 140 gr. Accubond





seems to have worked!


ya!


GWB

quote:

I have a .22 single shot Cooey just like the one pictured but with a better stock

Most likely wasn't used by a native women on a trap line for years.

I found most natives to be very hard on their firearms.

quote:

Originally posted by Geedubya:
7mm-08, 140 gr. Accubond





seems to have worked!


ya!


GWB

Along with many others types and calibers well do the job.

We tend to underestimate the 22 L.R. because someone said so and it must be true..Ive seen a few 1800 pound bulls , horses, and I know of a Cape Buffalo all shot with the .22 with both solids and HPs...Why then would it not kill a grizzly, not my idea of a good day, but I know it can be done..My dad leased a big ranch in Mexico, his lease included fencing the whole shebang,of over a 100,000 acres. He hired a crew of 20 Mexicans. The place had never been hunted much and had more deer than Ive ever seen in my life, both Mule and what they now refer to as Del Carmen Whitetail. He gave the local Forrestals a 100 pounds of suger and a case of shotgun shells and 10 cartons of 22 L.R. in return for total hunting rights that works pretty well under the "mordida" system of Mexican law, we call it graft but they don't and it works pretty darn well and no red tape BS....

My job all that summer was to shoot deer to feed the camp, my gun was and still is a Win. mod. 63 auto..I would ride out of camp and shoot a deer twice in the shoulder and ride on to another deer and do the same, never chased them just left them, I would make about a mile or two circle back to camp and pick up some help and return to pick up the deer, about 4 or 5 on average,and mostly does..It worked, they would lay down if you left but if you approached them after the shot they would run off Im told by the Mexican that taught me the secret..I would also take a couple of deer to the nearby towns, and trade the meat for several hundred cleaned quail and was I ever popular in town..The locals had no guns at all and were under strict gov. controlled by chicken thieves who called themselves Banditos..The federals would seize whatever they wanted...The local kids trapped the quail, (Blues) by herding them into a wire pen..The used a rock in both hands and a kid on each side of the covey as the birds ran they clicked the rocks and kept them in a almost straight line to the catch pen..It was amazing how accomplished they were. then pull off their heads, take them to there mother who cleaned them put them in a sack and added a gallon of picco to the deal...I was about 10 or 12 at the time..I made enough money that year to buy a slightly used Win. 94 25-35 for $30.00 as I recall..boy did it kill deer like a lightening bolt!! Man, I was shitt'en in tall cotton..

Not trying to be a jerk. However, in the spirt of honest debate, please note how many 22 caliber holes it took to make essentially one big caliber hole.

quote:

posted document.write('<nobr>'+ myTimeZone('Fri, 09 Jun 2017 11:51:27 GMT-0700', '09 June 2017 23:51')+'</nobr>');09 June 2017 23:5109 June 2017 23:51Hide PostNot trying to be a jerk. However, in the spirt of honest debate, please note how many 22 caliber holes it took to make essentially one big caliber hole.

If you read the story the bear dropped and lay then quivering on the first shot.

That is a common reaction on brain shot animals I have seen it many time.

The rest of the shots were insurance. When dealing with large dangerous game.

As one famous African hunter said always pay the insurance.

I firmly believe in that practice.

I believe in back up/insurance shots as well. But I would rather have bigger holes per shot than one big hole after a lot of shots.

Things like this were more common practice when pics were in black and white. Still somewhat common in rural areas. 22 ammo being cheap easy to carry and plentiful. I do not judge the huntress by today's standards of caliber to game. She shot well and cool headed. She was without a doubt more hunter than I.

However, I do not believe these historical accounts of small caliber in this case rim fire on large animals holds much value. It is a historical account of what can be done and where to put the bullet. Yet, with the expense, life of the professional with a family, and my own life potentially depending on the performance of not only myself but the rifle and bullet I want all the horse power I can handle.

No, a shot in the guts from a 500ne is not going to make for a good day, but catching only one lung or having to power through muscle and spine on a in bound bear that large caliber rifle is going to keep things under control. The big(er) bore will keep a bad day from happening. More than likely that second insurance shot is going to be asked to break the pelvic griddle, punch through the intestines, and rupture the stomach before smacking the vitals.

Therefore, give me more bullet and a bigger gun. Take a look at Mr. Cal's post of a wart hog he killed with a 600. He killed it with one shot to the hip of all places it is posted in the hog sub forum.

The debate will go on, but Bell and this lady were the exception rather than the rule. Of course, North America did not really develop truly huge/bore rifles for her few really big animals. The black powder single shot and large lever action cartidges employed against bison were really BPE rounds deer and soft skin predator rifles across the Atlantic. Historically, N. America kind of jumped the gun from BPE to small high velocity cartidges. I believe this is because when the US Gov. finally got around to wanting a smokeless cartidge thus making demand for smokeless rounds the N. American game had bee hammered pretty hard comming out of pionner times. So, there was no need to convert the old 40, 45, 50 cal black powder rounds to true big bores in the modern since.

Fast coward to the 20s and in the few places where more power was needed the 375 HH took hold. With those not able to purchase ammo and rifles relying on small calibers and more or less making it work.

My take on things.

What has to be remembered about this, is that it wasn't a case of someone deciding to go out and shoot a Grizzly with a .22RF for the fun of it or to prove anything.

It was a case of all the right conditions coming together for the human and all the wrong conditions coming together for the bear.