Is A Push Feed Responsible For a Bear Mauling???

[Lawdog]

Talked to my brother in-law last night and he told me about a guide that got mauled by a Brown Bear toward the end of last month.  Here is a link to the story.

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/042804/loc_brownbear.shtml

Question is, was the guide getting mauled due to him using a Push Feed instead of a Control Round Feed?  The guide(Scott D. Newman) was using a custom Sako in .416 Remington Magnum and it jammed when he short stroked the rifle when the bear charged.  I admire a man that has the guts to follow a wounded Brown Bear into the brush of Alaska by himself.  I know it’s the job of the guide to take care of any problem(a wounded Brown Bear classifies as a PROBLEM first class) that comes up but I think he should have waited till the next morning instead of going in alone.  Opinions??  Small groups and tight lines to all.  And to all Mother out there, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.  Lawdog
     

[Geno]

my guess is no. The story indicates he got off a shot and hit the bear as it charged from 15 feet away. that sounds pretty miraculous and fortunate in itself.  I would guess the bear is responsible for the bear mauling. The guide was responsible for his client. A bear not to eager to give up and die, and possibly a less than perfect first shot from the client were contributing factors. IF the gun did jam on the guide, that is just one of them unfortunate things that can happen that turns the hunter into the hunted with dangerous animals.  :cry:

[Yukon Jack]

The push feed action may have been responsible for the jamming of the rifle, from which the guide was responsible for short stroking the action, but the bear didn't maul the guide because he had a push feed rifle.

The guide made a few mistakes which he admitted too.  He's a very experienced guide and he let his guard down, made a few decisions that he knew he shouldn't have and paid the cost.

I do believe that a CRF actioned rifle makes a better dangerous game rifle than a push feed rifle, but I'm not sure if in this instance he would have had time to clear his mistake from a CRF rifle or not.  If he would have had time to work the bolt again, he may have gotten another shot off.  With his push feed rifle, he didn't have that opportunity.  My guess is that he would not have had time to recycle the action though.

[Siskiyou]

Fifteen feet at the time of attack!  How fast can a charging bear cover fifteen feet, about one shot worth from a bolt action.  If you have a spray-and-pray gun you might get off two plus shots. (I am thinking about a .338 BAR)

The functioning problem may have come about because the bear was over powering him.  

Try a simulation and you will be amazed how fast a heath human can cover fifteen feet much less a bear.  No fair using your 96 year-old mother-in-law.  For those that have had LE training, fifteen feet from an attacked with an edge weapon is an extremely critical situation.  Now a bear has approximately 20 edged weapons not counting teeth.  (Remember the charging Lion video)

[Yukon Jack]

At 15 feet, that first shot was his only shot.  Good thing he was in the "zone" when the charge occured, or he might not have gotten off that first one!

Sounds like the rifle ended up a good distance away from him too, so he wouldn't have had time to cycle the action while the bear was on top of him.

Scary stuff.