I just watched Ruger Adventures and the CEO of Ruger explained how he was using a solid for the first shot on his bear followed by softs. He said it was important to break the shoulders. He appeared to be a bit of a newbie to hunting and he had scope cuts all over his forehead. I am curious if any guides agree with this practice?????

I'm no guide but no I absolutely do not agree!

Shoulders on a brown bear can be broken with even a medium bore expanding bullet.

I'd really rather not be the fellow responsible for going into the willows after a brown bear I shot thru and thru with a solid and I last saw rolling and bouncing his way out of view and into the brush.

A .375 TSX going something more than 2000fps and expanding to a .495 dia certainly will make a lot more bloodshot meat, break more bone and leak more vital fluids out of the body on a bear than a solid ever would.

I'd like to try a solid on a bear just to try it but it'd be my last round not my first.

I was thinking the same thing. I forget what rediculously large scope he had mounted on his 375, but I didn't feel terribly bad after he was raped by the scope. Anyone who's using a high magnification scope on a 375 that they have to or may have to shoot prone is an idiot. Luckily he did seem to shoot well.

Brett

Just a question, cause I don't know--- but are solids even legal for bear hunting in Alaska? Every state that I have hunted big game in has always had a notation that expanding bullets had to be used.

A solid will kill a bear just like they kill Cape buffalo but are completely unecessary and in fact the wrong choice for brown bear. I wonder where he got that info? I have to say some of these dudes on these videos appear to have very little hunting knowledge or experience plus they must get some shit advise from their outfitters.

Mark

I agree, that with today's premium bullets, solids are not necessary.

But when I first moved to Alaska in 1980, solids were definitely in the conversation when talking Brown Bear hunting. Many articles (not all) on brown bear hunting recommend "anchoring" the bear with your 1st shot (breaking a shoulder,) then finishing it off with vital shots. Before Nosler Partitions, TTXs & Swift A-Frames, solids were a good choice over C&C bullets. I remember loading some solids when I got drawn for a Kodiak hunt around 1984. I wouldn't do it today.

You know, I wouldn't be surprised to find out some old timers still carry solids into the field. I wouldn't recommend it, but doubt you could talk them out of it.

I just got back from my Brown bear hunt.

There is no way you need solids. I was shooting a 330 Dakota (250 A frame at 2700), and of the 7 shots I got on him, the first frontal shot hit in the shoulder and was recovered in the opposite back leg just under the skin, the rest all penetrated fully through. They are not "thick skinned", but will take quite a bit of damage before they give up. My guide shot a 338 RUM with the same bullet. The bear had both shoulders broken, one femur broken, the initial bullet track looked to me like it took out a lung and the heart in addition to the shoulder and leg. This bear still tried to ambush us as we went after him.

I would think with how well they absorb shock, using a solid will not help in the least, and a decent sized premium soft will do anything you need.

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:
I forget what rediculously large scope he had mounted on his 375, but I didn't feel terribly bad after he was raped by the scope.

Burris 4-12x ........need I say more.

Brett

No one has less respect for the hunting shows than I. Ridiculous affairs, and I quit watching a long time ago. Same goes for the gun magazines these days, whether a TV show, or gun magazine, most are full of bunk.

In fact, this chap on Ruger Adventures seems to have it ass backwards anyway! I never even heard of the show, much less seen it. And from hearing about the scope in addition, it really looks like they would do a bit better on this!

No, bears do not require solids, and certainly not on shot number one. I do concur with all this. Todays premiums will do a fine job for sure, and I have been there done it.

But, let me give you a bit of a different perspective on this.

In 2006 I was testing some bullets on a quick 5 day shoot in South Africa with a prototype rifle in 50 B&M--.500 caliber. I had tested all the bullets before hand, but not yet on game and at the velocities that could be run in a rifle. Years of shooting buffalo, standard load out is expanding on top, first shot, followed by solids. I figured this might be a good idea for this mission I was on too, since I was primarily testing bullets, then if for some reason I had a failure, then I could sort it out with a solid. There was no big game on the menu, not as we would think anyway, no buffalo, elephant, hippo, the cartridge had not developed that far yet. Thin skinned species, zebra, wildebeast, eland, impala, and even giraffe was all taken with various bullets. At the velocities I was running the test bullets, and the fact that I had tested before hand, I had no failures or unexpected surprises, but I followed up each shot with solids regardless.

Well, this had worked very well. I kept developing the cartridge, and proper bullets for the .500s and now today have some really super bullets. But from that shoot in 2006 I figured there was little downside to backing up all shots with solids from then on. Never one to shoot and see what happens on the first shot, I shoot until I can't shoot anymore, or the problem is solved. So I have it figured like this, if one takes that first shot with a good, premium expanding bullet, then follow up with a good flat nose solid that also hits hard up front, but penetrates great, there is no real downside to this. Let's say your shot was not perfect, as none of us are perfect in the field and sometimes there can be an issue, more likely than not your animal is going away from you, a good solid up the rear might just save some hard follow up hunting, or even a lost animal in the worst case scenario.

While today we have the finest premium bullets ever known in our history. And a huge variety of them to boot! While it obviously is not necessary to have solids for thin skinned animals such as bear, or others, even moose, I can't see a downside to having some proper flat nose projectiles as backup. I have since that time hunted this way and while in many cases never needed, I was always assured that if I did happen to have that very tough shot, either severe raking shot, or a shot from the rear, I knew I had the right bullet in which to do so if required.

While I agree completely, it is not necessary, I can't see the harm having that capability for larger thin skinned plains game, bear, lion, elk, moose and such animals. It works well for me and I think it's a grand option, and a good tool to have, one might just find yourself in need of a deep diver to reach the vitals sometime.

Michael

I also just got back from my coastal brown bear hunt. One 370 grain North Fork from my 416 Remington was all it took. Complete pass through. Bear stood straight up at the shot...spun around about twice and fell over dead in the creek. Golf ball size holes on both sides.

I once shared a moose camp with a guy shooting a .300 Weatherby (wearing a huge 50mm scope) who got two scope cuts while checking his rifle zero, then another cut a few days later when he shot at, and missed, a wolf. When he decided to "collaborate" on another hunter's moose the next day, he got cut again (and missed the moose, which was already down). Every evening he doled out more information than the rest of us could stand to hear from his vast repertoire of hunting and shooting lore.

Kinda hard to take advice from a guy all covered up in half moon cuts.

I agree with the others - ya don't want a solid on large bears. While "up close & personal" makes you wish you had a still larger rifle regardless of what you're using, I still want an expanding bullet in the chamber. Mainly NorthForks or Partitions come to mind. Don't think I'd wanna be hunting with a guy that was using solids even for the first shot.
As to hunting shows, I think they are the most stupid thing on TV and I never watch any of them. As far as I'm concerned, none of those guys are hunters and couldn't survive in the Ak. wilderness if they had to.
BTW, if you wanna talk about a real hunter, check out the lady from Fairbanks who just filled her Grand Slam on North American sheep. She's the only woman who has done it with a bow. Congrats to her.
Bear in Fairbanks

I've killed 2 Brown bears on the peninsula. The first was with a .375 H&H and 270 gr Barnes X. Broke both shoulders. The second was this year with a 370gr North Fork out of mt .416 Rem that broke him down and exited.I wouldn't recommend solids.

I have tried solids and there is no reason to use them in my opinion. Just get a Partition, TSX, Swift, North Fork, Kodiak or whatever other premium bullet you like.

Another vote for Partitions on BB.