Novice Black Powder Hunting and Large Game

[Dphar]

58 caliber. 270 grain ball.

Made for a friend you also hunts in occupied Gbear habitat and is a also a crack shot with pistol or rifle.
But this is best used with a HARDENED ball like WW alloy.
Dan

 

[BigBoreBLR]

Not to beat up on you here. But, you will need a pistol permit to use that gun. If you don't have one, you going to have to worry about some big brown bears in orange suits for a few years.

what are you going to be doing with this setup? Smells like long term survival kind of tin foil stuff.

For a few days in the woods of camping and general backwoods fun. I like something of the smoothbore nature.

Overall, it's fun to be scared a bit in the woods. I wouldn't worry about anything over in CA far as things in the woods. Much more likely to drown swimming, bit by a snake, or die in a car accident than to meet a bad guy or bad animal.

Bring whats appropriate to the season. A capable long rifle or modern rifle during big game season. An appropriate small game firearm for small game season.

45 or 50 cal blackpowder rifle will be just fine.

If I lived in Ca, I'd play around with making zinc roundballs. I'm sure someone out there makes them. affordable plinking, although not the best. I'd use the appropriate bismuth or whatever the non-lead roundballs are for hunting.

If you area allows it, primitive people of the land fared much better from the waters than the woods for food. Keep some fishing supplies with you.

If legal to do so, the best firearm to bring with you on a long camping weekend is something you can target shoot in the woods.

Pistols and hunting don't mix well. Literally, you'd do just as good with a bow and arrow. Soda cans aren't all that easy to hit at 25 yards with a handgun. To hit a squirrel past 25 yards, you got to be a real good shot.

Rifle is the way to hit what you aim for. A handgun is only a good choice when you don't have a rifle next to you, and that's it.

 

[htredneck]

All you need is a .22 and a hunting partner.
When the big, bad man-eater attacks, shoot your partner in the knee and run...

 

[eaglesnester]

you do not want to do that. Back in the day when muzzle loaders were widely used and you were hunting grizz there was usually more than just you doen the shooten and this was with big bore rifles.
A pistol in black powder even a 44 walker just does not pack enough muzzle energy to do a job on a large brown.

 

[azmntman]

Fight may end up a draw at best I believe :idunno:

 

[eaglesnester]

Even with modern center fire rifles hunting grizz is a dangerous undertaking with firearms such as 375H&H, 338/378 Weatherby Mag and 416. These animals have been known to become bullet sponges. Once they become wounded adrenalized and enraged you have a huge pucker factor to contend with. They will run off into the thick, backtrack you and set you up for an ambush. They will actually hunt you. Not a good thing when you have to go into the thick devils club to find em and you cant see 1 foot in front of your face and all yur holden is yur johnson. My advise to you is get yourself some books and study the taxonomy, range, and habits of the grizzly bear. They rate right up there with the African big five in danger factor. In fact some would say that a wounded grizz is more dangerous than mbogo.