this might be a lightning rod but here goes

http://espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/s/h_fea_bear_brown_...un_J.Oltersdorf.html

what is your take on the account?

should the guy have used a 45-70 like his buddy who got the job done?

Never having hunted bear of any kind, I will, nevertheless, offer my opinion; you may make of it what you will...

Any animal that soaks up 12 rounds before dying ought to be hunted with something more powerful than was employed. Just because we can do a certain thing does not mean that one should do it!

On the other hand, I will say this...he set up a good stalk, got "up-close," and that says a lot. But to do it "right," I think a more powerful weapon capable of killing more humanely should be used.

friar

what hangun/bullet combo should he have used?

i say he needed a hard cast or solid with a big meplat for bone breaking and penetration. the 45-70 bfr revolver with nosler partitions or north forks would have been good too.

it seems the 45-70 did its job. i say the guy didnt shoot right or used a wrong bullet

I am at a loss. It takes 1 arrow through the lungs and it is good night but it takes 12 rounds between a 500 smith and a 45-70? If they would have given the bear time on the first one he would have died with less rounds. Most animals when hit by the first shot really do not know what happen even at close range so the adrenaline does not start pumping. But when the hail of gun fire starts then they know what is going on and the pump turns on. I would also say that an animal deserves a little more respect then a hail of gun fire to bring it down. As for the comment that he bet his life on the 500 smith I think that is just to make the story sound good. People bet there lives everyday they hop in the car and turn the key and drive 75 on the interstate. To me the odds of getting killed in a car accident are 50 times higher then getting killed brown bear hunting.

"Two men carried .338s, while another cradled a 45/70 with a 22-inch barrel and peep sight. The pilot and I carried the .500 handguns. Weapons loaded, we proceeded to hike the mile to the hill by the river...

"In the end, the bear had been shot 12 times. Two bullets found their mark from the 45/70 rifle and there were 10 slugs from the pair of .500 handguns."

In reading more closely, the 500 carries about 2500 ft. lbs of energy (from an 8 1/4" barrel). Most 45-70's are in the 2300 ft/lbs range, no? Which leads me to wonder if penetration was also comparable?

In the end, though, I think the points about shot placement & giving the animal enough time to succumb to the first shot would have made a more humane kill. And I also suspect that ESPN went out and found some nut just for a good story...certainly sounds like a nut from the way he writes!

friar

friar...45-70 more like 3,600ft.lbs

http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#4570

The second bear only took three shots.

And I personally would not hold my fire on a bear to let the first shot "take effect".

the 500sw can do it but it needs the right bullet i wonder what he used

I must have missed something in the story.
The Registered Master Guide Glenn Alsworth shot first? If he paid Alsworth as a Guide, Alsworth broke the law. The Guide cannot shoot a clients bear untill the client shoots. The Guide is then required by law to do what ever it takes to complete the job.
The story is the biggest bunch of bull shit I've read in a long time.
Couple of quotes....
"10 slugs from the pair of .500 handguns."
"The .500 had done its job well."
" had been shot 12 times...."
This guy gets paid to write this crap?

TJ, I agree with you. It sounds like a lot of fabrication and BS.