Situational Awareness

[wgoforth]

Remember not to be distracted in public.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmhvdtX7 ... r_embedded#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;!

[apostate]

He's lucky the bear had no interest in chasing him.

[FishInTx]

Now, what if. I told the bear to stop, drew my .380 and pumped six rounds into him center mass. Would he still eat me after decapitation? Or just chew and play with my skull like a vollyball? He is a city bear.

[Beiruty]

Now, what if. I told the bear to stop, drew my .380 and pumped six rounds into him center mass. Would he still eat me after decapitation? Or just chew and play with my skull like a vollyball? He is a city bear.

with .380 you have no chance, he will chew you like a gum!

[matriculated]

Now, what if. I told the bear to stop, drew my .380 and pumped six rounds into him center mass. Would he still eat me after decapitation? Or just chew and play with my skull like a vollyball? He is a city bear.

with .380 you have no chance, he will chew you like a gum!

I think if a couple of those rounds hit the head he will have a chance. "Center mass" probably wouldn't do much good, but a headshot is a headshot, bear or not.

[jmorris]

Now, what if. I told the bear to stop, drew my .380 and pumped six rounds into him center mass. Would he still eat me after decapitation? Or just chew and play with my skull like a vollyball? He is a city bear.

Well, he might stop and sit down in confusion, trying to figure out what kind of fly was biting on him. That would give you time to get away.

[srothstein]

I think if a couple of those rounds hit the head he will have a chance. "Center mass" probably wouldn't do much good, but a headshot is a headshot, bear or not.

One of the interesting problems with headshots is that the skull is actually a pretty thick bone. It varies how thick and hard depending on the part of the skull and the animal. I don't know if the bear has a thicker skull than a human or if a .380 would pierce the skull or not.

But I have had to sit on (well wrestle down and restrain) prisoners who have been shot in the head. In one case, the .22 round hit him once between the eyes and traveled under the scalp to exit behind the ear without breaking the bone. A second round had hit him in the mouth, breaking his front tooth. He spit the round and tooth out and kept fighting.

Headshots, like all others, are not always the final answer.

[G26ster]

I think if a couple of those rounds hit the head he will have a chance. "Center mass" probably wouldn't do much good, but a headshot is a headshot, bear or not.

One of the interesting problems with headshots is that the skull is actually a pretty thick bone. It varies how thick and hard depending on the part of the skull and the animal. I don't know if the bear has a thicker skull than a human or if a .380 would pierce the skull or not.

But I have had to sit on (well wrestle down and restrain) prisoners who have been shot in the head. In one case, the .22 round hit him once between the eyes and traveled under the scalp to exit behind the ear without breaking the bone. A second round had hit him in the mouth, breaking his front tooth. He spit the round and tooth out and kept fighting.

Headshots, like all others, are not always the final answer.

Head shots for bears, with any caliber, is a generally bad idea. Here's a typical statement from one state's (MD) dept. of natural resources - "Head shots are not recommended either since a bear skull is very dense and its blunt, rounded shape can cause bullets or arrows to glance off ineffectively." I know from many years flying folks around the Alaska bush, and guarding against bear myself, that this principle is accepted by most. Of course there are also "stories" of head shots with bears that worked, including the native Alaskan that put a .22lr through the eye of a polar bear. He was one lucky dude, if I must say.

[TexasGal]

Just wait until you see the whites of his eyes, aim carefully and put one in the eye socket. Simple. Plan B is play dead. Note, resort to plan B first if you keep putting off range practice

[Excaliber]

Just wait until you see the whites of his eyes, aim carefully and put one in the eye socket. Simple. Plan B is play dead. Note, resort to plan B first if you keep putting off range practice

[Keith B]

I think if a couple of those rounds hit the head he will have a chance. "Center mass" probably wouldn't do much good, but a headshot is a headshot, bear or not.

One of the interesting problems with headshots is that the skull is actually a pretty thick bone. It varies how thick and hard depending on the part of the skull and the animal. I don't know if the bear has a thicker skull than a human or if a .380 would pierce the skull or not.

But I have had to sit on (well wrestle down and restrain) prisoners who have been shot in the head. In one case, the .22 round hit him once between the eyes and traveled under the scalp to exit behind the ear without breaking the bone. A second round had hit him in the mouth, breaking his front tooth. He spit the round and tooth out and kept fighting.

Headshots, like all others, are not always the final answer.

Not sure if this is what she means, but my wife tells EVERYONE that I am VERY thick headed.

Seriously, head shots are not a panacea. The frontal bone on a male homosapian has a thicker ridge area just above the eye line, a female doesn't have as thick at portion. Shots to that area or below in the maxilla or zygomatic bones around the cheeks and eyes may be deflected if they strike at an angle. I saw the after results of this where a individual had been shot with a .38 round nose bullet just below the left eye (in the zygomatic area) and it shattered the bone, but was deflected off the face.

Now, take a look at a bears skull shape and you will see a mush more elongated maxilla. That just gives MORE opportunity for a bullet to be deflected by the bones.. Additionally, the frontal bone on a bear is more sloped than a human, so that may also tend to allow a deflection of the bullet.

Bottom line, there are no magic 'kill shot' areas. Some are potentially better than others, but when you are up against a bear, I would want to be carrying a baseball bat (.45) versus a fly swatter (.380).

[matriculated]

Just wait until you see the whites of his eyes, aim carefully and put one in the eye socket. Simple. Plan B is play dead. Note, resort to plan B first if you keep putting off range practice

Something like this?

http://teamsuperforest.org/superforest/ ... attack.jpg

[speedsix]

...the word bear in the same paragraph with the term .380 sets off all kinds of alarms...even the Guvnah knows THAT!!!

[old farmer]

All I can say is " we need bigger guns..."
Can you say "RUGER ALASKAN 454 CASULL". A gun made for a bear in the woods..

[recaffeination]

File off the front sight if you carry a .380 for bears so it won't hurt as much.