Author Topic: Sharps performance on Grizzly? (Read 832 times)

Rum River · « **on:** October 26, 2004, 01:56:19 PM »

Does anybody have any documented stories of .45 caliber Sharps being used on grizzly?

zrifleman · « **Reply #1 on:** November 01, 2004, 06:37:03 PM »

In the late 19th century Winchester loaded a 45-100-600 cartridge for the singe shots. Someplace I read the testimonial about how effective it was on grizzly bears. Basically it was a Sharps .45 2 7/8 or 45-100-550. I shot one for a few years---its a big step up from a 45-70. In BP cartridge matches it ruined steel targets that everyone else dinged all day long. It compares well with some of the British double rifles used at the turn of the century in Africa and India for dangerous game. Natives in Canada hunted big bears routinely with trapdoor 45-70's at point blank ranges at turn of the century. If it was effective on 1200 lb+ buffalo, it should work on 1000 lb bears.

fffffg · « **Reply #2 on:** November 06, 2004, 07:12:41 PM »

some guys on accurate loading forum like to give pistol hunters a bad time who ask about hunting big bear.. most of the good advice comes from experinced alaska hunters who have shot big bear.. go to http://www.accuratereloading.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat= and then click on alaska hunting forums and read all there is on bear hunting.. they dont think the 45-70 is adequate in any way or form, and the 44 mag is a good way to get killed from what i see.. they feel 3000 ft lbs is the energy you need for big bear.. there are small grizleys and big grizleys so i guess you would need to be ready for a big one.. dave..

fffffg · « **Reply #3 on:** November 07, 2004, 05:22:40 AM »

good news,, i just was reading up in fadaldos black powder book for you.. the 50 140-3 1/4 has a 3200 ft pound smokless load in it.. you can also get larger bullets i believe up to 600 grains.. with a little work and chrono you can have your big bear busting gun in a sharps.. dont get it in a carbine!!!.. any way it will be a realoading toughy,, but well worth the trouble.. what im saying is accuracy wont come cheap.. all black p0wder guns have a lot of work to do to get accuracey..especially first time out.. if you want to use smokeless you can use a quality 45-70 sharps with smokelss and get 458 velocities with carfull loading and barns bullets and yes then youll have a bear gun with that.. but sorry i assumed you were intereseted in black, which is what most use the sharps for.. and i also realized you asked for stories,, but i seem to ahve to get my nose into everything, thats why its so darn short, it keeps getting cut offf.. dave.

Rum River · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2004, 04:21:02 AM »

I could have been a little more helpful with some info up front.

The wife and I are taking a trip to Alaska fall of '05 on an unguided caribou trip. We're not hunting bear, but want to be ready in case.

The main thing we want to accomplish is to take caribou with a .54 Lyman Great Plains Hunter, as well as an 1874 Pedersoli Sharps in .45-120. The first load I developed (the only load so far, but that will change, you gotta start somewhere) is a 535gr Lyman LRHP bullet with 105grs Goex FFg. We're using 'real' powder in the front stuffer too. This first load is OK, but I have to get rid of some 4 and 5 inch flyers at 100 yards, and shrink my group below the 2 1/2 to 3 inches I'm currently dealing with. Like I say, it still needs a lot of work.

Bottom line, we're still trying to decide if the Sharps will be the daily backup to the muzzleloader. We might opt for carrying one of the blackpowder rifles daily, and have our .300 Weatherby along every day for backup. We also will be carrying .45 Colt Rugers with 335gr LBT bullets at a documented 1100fps.

There are tons of stories describing smokeless victories over Bruno, but few if any using blackpowder. I am hoping I can find some of the latter.

In a little over a year, it's possible we might have some of our own!

Thanks for the responses so far.

dlemaster · « **Reply #5 on:** November 08, 2004, 05:32:39 AM »

Rum River
There is a picture in one of my books by G. A. Custer that shows him with a Grizzly that he took with a .50/70 Remington Rolling Block rifle on the 1874 expedition to the Black Hills in the Dakota Territory. I don't recommend the .50/70 for the Grizzlies, and we all know how Custer could throw caution to the wind to get the thrill of the chase, but it could be done. But I also read or heard of someone slipping up on a sleeping Grizzly and shooting it behind the ear and killing it with a .22 rifle. No one will argue that a .22 is a good rifle for Grizzly.

Regards, dave

crashresidue · « **Reply #6 on:** December 12, 2004, 06:44:21 PM »

Cheers,

From talking to the "old timers" I've met in the Rockies and Alaska - they never expected to do a "one shot - one kill" with a Grizz. The first shot was ALWAYS to break them down. That means disableing(sp?) the bear to where you had a chance to have a second shot.

What they told me was always shoot for the shoulder, and then try for a head shot, from behind, or a heart shot.

If it took two shots to stop the bear, then you shot the other shoulder. It wasn't a pretty kill, but it was a kill.

When I flew up in AK, I always had a "shot-gunner" with me - and most of them felt that the first thing they needed to do was blow "sh*t" into the bear's eyes to disable it. What most of them talked about was "barking" them with the first round - which gave them the time to get into position to do a another shot. Now these "boys" were using the hotest round made for 12 guages - so - I listened, and then quitely hid my .357 without anyone seeing me do it.

Long, long time ago, the fella that got me into BP, wanted more than anything else in the world - to take an AK brownie with a smoke pole. We shot for years together, and one day, he approached me about "shooting second" for him on a hunt. He had the guides set up, the permits, everything. All I had to do was purchase my airline tickets and we were a go.

Well, after a couple of beers, I finally asked the MOST important question -"Kenny, if you've already shot the bear and it's my turn to shoot - who do I shoot - you or the bear?

I changed helicopter company's about then and never got to do the hunt he wanted - so I don't know how it went. BUT, I remember all that advise - about "breaking them down" with the first shot.

I think it's something that you should keep in mind! I know that you don't want to end up with all the pepper spray and bear bells that's already in his stomach.

With that in mind - a 45/70 should work - it sure beats the 45 Hawken we were gonna' carry!

It ain't a pretty kill, but it's a KILL.

Gentle winds,
cr