.22lr Kills biggest land predator.

[Paul at Fechan]

Something's a bit fishy about the whole shooting elephants with .22's? Ak 7.62x39 rifles and ammo are far cheaper to use out there!

 

[private fraser]

22's can be lifesavers. Just read this, I'm sure it's true .....


"This just shows what can be done with a cool head and a steady aim.

This is the event in the girl's own words....

While out hiking in Alberta Canada with my boyfriend we were surprised by a huge grizzly bear charging at us from out of no where.

She must have been protecting her cubs because she was extremely aggressive.

If I had not had my Ruger .22 pistol with me I would not be here today!

Just one shot to my boyfriend's knee cap was all it took……. The bear got him and I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace."


fraser

 

[JTO]

When my last bull was due for slaughter, they turned up with a Winchester Model 63 22lr. One shot in forehead, straight down!

 

[Schiehallion]

A lot of farm stock for one reason or another has succombed to a .22rf.
I once shot a big dairy bull many years ago for a farmer friend with a HV .22 lr round.
S.

 

[liongeorge]

I saw a programme about eskimos in greenland I think. They used .17HMR for hunting seal shot to the head. These seals were pretty big.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Just realised how old this thread is that's embarrassing !

Don't beat yourself up as web-based forums are no different from hard copy journals in having a very limited life cycle determined by both subject matter and subscriber.

Just as there is only so long that a Photographer's Magazine may defer yet another lecture on the importance that is the "rule of thirds" so must the Disciple of the Grooved Bore endure no less an assured cycles of mediocrity.

K

 

[re'M'ington]

I'll second that, .22lr to the cranium of pigs and sheep.... Plenty gun. Although, professional slaughtermen tell me nothing slows down a captive bolt like pig fat.

Maybe that's why Boar carry lead so well...:idea:

Where exactly are they placing the 'CB' for fat to make a difference?

 

[Mungo]

Thats right , Poachers were taking elephants with 22`s in Africa for a good while in the late 70`s ( and probably still are today ) untill the authorities found out how they were being killed.
The poachers were getting close in and shooting the elephants in the soft skin area behind the front leg, this would penetrate into the heart and the beast would take off, after a short while the elephants could be heard coughing and spluttering, eventually sucumming to the shot it would collapse and die

Having grown up in Africa during the height of the 1980s poaching boom, I think that's *extremely* unlikely. First, as someone else has said, AK 47 ammunition was much more plentiful and effective. Second, elephant skin (even the 'soft skin' behind the leg) is extremely tough - it's very unliklely that any .22LR round would make it through the skin and then through the roughly 12 inches of tissue to the heart. Having had .22 rounds frequently fail to exit hares on chest shots, the bullet doesn't seem as if it would have anywhere near enough energy. Even if it did, the shot would need to be taken from within about 10m - and anyone taking that shot would almost certainly end up dead. I am prepared to be corrected by someone who has actually seen it done, but I'm certain that it's actually impossible. I've seen elephants walk away from .303 and .338 shots as if nothing happened, so you can understand my scepticism.

 

[Heym SR20]

Having grown up in Africa during the height of the 1980s poaching boom, I think that's *extremely* unlikely. First, as someone else has said, AK 47 ammunition was much more plentiful and effective. Second, elephant skin (even the 'soft skin' behind the leg) is extremely tough - it's very unliklely that any .22LR round would make it through the skin and then through the roughly 12 inches of tissue to the heart. Having had .22 rounds frequently fail to exit hares on chest shots, the bullet doesn't seem as if it would have anywhere near enough energy. Even if it did, the shot would need to be taken from within about 10m - and anyone taking that shot would almost certainly end up dead. I am prepared to be corrected by someone who has actually seen it done, but I'm certain that it's actually impossible. I've seen elephants walk away from .303 and .338 shots as if nothing happened, so you can understand my scepticism.

I spent a lot of time in the Zambian bush in the early 1990's and I certainly came upon several remains of poached elephants shot by AK47 and plenty of cartridge cases lying around. The other weapon of choice was the RPG. This was at the time of all the Angolan bush war, Mozambique renamo, and South African ANC - there were plenty of " bandits" around and hundreds of weapons, especially AKs or FN's in 7.62 NATO. All the ammo is military solid which has very good pentration. For one of our camps I employed a former poacher as a guard, with his trusty old muzzle loading musket. He had used this to take elephants as well as other game. Remember that these guys have superb field craft and infinite patience and getting close to elephants is not an issue. Put the bullets in the soft bit behind the foreleg, through the ear or back of the head and then track them till they drop. Or in the zambezi valley, drive them into the minefields left by the Rhodesian bush war. Before guns they would use a spear. Whilst the ivory was valuable so too was the meat - the real scary bit was chopping the carcass up putting it on drying racks and waiting for it to dry enough before it could be carried out. Sitting in the Zambezi, Luangwa or Kafue valleys guarding several tonnes of drying meat surrounded by lions and hyenas cannot have been a lot of fun.

Some of meat was used locally, most though was being carried through the bush 500 or so miles to Angola to feed the rebels.

I wasn't in the tourist area of Luangwa valley, but was working on Mozambique / Zambian border and also in the Zambezi valley which on the Zambian side was just beginning to be opened up after being closed for 20 odd years due to the Rhodesian war.

 

[Mungo]

I spent a lot of time in the Zambian bush in the early 1990's and I certainly came upon several remains of poached elephants shot by AK47 and plenty of cartridge cases lying around. The other weapon of choice was the RPG. This was at the time of all the Angolan bush war, Mozambique renamo, and South African ANC - there were plenty of " bandits" around and hundreds of weapons, especially AKs or FN's in 7.62 NATO. All the ammo is military solid which has very good pentration. For one of our camps I employed a former poacher as a guard, with his trusty old muzzle loading musket. He had used this to take elephants as well as other game. Remember that these guys have superb field craft and infinite patience and getting close to elephants is not an issue. Put the bullets in the soft bit behind the foreleg, through the ear or back of the head and then track them till they drop. Or in the zambezi valley, drive them into the minefields left by the Rhodesian bush war. Before guns they would use a spear. Whilst the ivory was valuable so too was the meat - the real scary bit was chopping the carcass up putting it on drying racks and waiting for it to dry enough before it could be carried out. Sitting in the Zambezi, Luangwa or Kafue valleys guarding several tonnes of drying meat surrounded by lions and hyenas cannot have been a lot of fun.

Some of meat was used locally, most though was being carried through the bush 500 or so miles to Angola to feed the rebels.

I wasn't in the tourist area of Luangwa valley, but was working on Mozambique / Zambian border and also in the Zambezi valley which on the Zambian side was just beginning to be opened up after being closed for 20 odd years due to the Rhodesian war.

My point exactly - military weapons or home made muzzle loaders firing slugs, NOT .22LRs! I vividly remember the drying racks and the endless carcasses in the bush.

What were you doing in that area? We were living in Chipata at the time, and my father worked for the Parks Dept in the Luangwa and surrounding area (Richard Bell - you may have encountered him).

 

[Cascade]

Thats right , Poachers were taking elephants with 22`s in Africa for a good while in the late 70`s ( and probably still are today ) untill the authorities found out how they were being killed.
The poachers were getting close in and shooting the elephants in the soft skin area behind the front leg, this would penetrate into the heart and the beast would take off, after a short while the elephants could be heard coughing and spluttering, eventually sucumming to the shot it would collapse and die


"Robbobsam" Why is that name ringing very loud alarm bells ????????


Bob

Whilst I can`t claim to have been brought up or, lived in any part of Africa, I have hunted in SA and whilst I was out there I distinctly remember reading an article in a Hunting magazine refering to the above quote entitled "The Silent killers"

This was a comprehensive and detailed report with photographs by a Government body, backed up by reports from rangers who spent weeks and weeks solving the problem, as I remember it, the problem they had was the obvious one, not being able to hear any sound of weapons being fired.

The actual facts of the artical are a bit dim in the old memory bank ( 10yrs ago ) but I do remember reading it and thinking Lil`old .22 dropping an elephant is a bit of a tall order, but why would they print it if it were not true ?????????



Bob

 

[Sharpie]

In 1953 Bella Twin shot the (for the time) world's largest grizzly bear with a .22 rimfire.

There are various stories about the incident, here is one:

"On a spring day back in 1953, 63-year-old Bella Twin and her friend Dave Auger were hunting grouse and picking berries near Lesser Slave Lake in the Swan Hills of northern Alberta, Canada. As the story goes, they were walking an oil-exploration survey line when they ran into a humongous grizzly bear following the same line toward them. The two feared that if they ran, the grizzly would notice them and give chase, so they hid in a brush pile and hoped the big bruin would pass without any trouble.

Unfortunately for the bear, it was intent on getting its share of berries and came very near Twin and Auger. Frightened by the close encounter, Twin raised the rifle she was carrying and fired. Her aim was dead on. The grizzly was struck in the head and fell dead.

Bella’s bear was no ordinary griz. Its skull scored 26 5/16, placing it at the top of the list of Boone and Crockett world’s records where it stayed for many years. The bear currently ranks number 30 among the all-time records and still stands as the longest-reigning provincial big-game record in Alberta.

In the half century since Twin killed her record grizzly, many differing accounts of the incident have been given. However, all of them agree on one thing: little Bella Twin killed that 1,000-pound-plus griz with the humblest of all rifles—a single-shot, bolt-action, .22-caliber rimfire. With just one long-rifle cartridge, this petite Cree Indian grandmother finished off one of the biggest grizzlies ever documented and earned remembrance as one of the world’s truly legendary hunters."

Here is a photo:

Bruno Engler: Photography - Bruno Engler, Vra Matrasová-Engler, Susan Engler Potts - Google Books

 

[pheasant sniper 1]

In 1953 Bella Twin shot the (for the time) world's largest grizzly bear with a .22 rimfire.

There are various stories about the incident, here is one:

"On a spring day back in 1953, 63-year-old Bella Twin and her friend Dave Auger were hunting grouse and picking berries near Lesser Slave Lake in the Swan Hills of northern Alberta, Canada. As the story goes, they were walking an oil-exploration survey line when they ran into a humongous grizzly bear following the same line toward them. The two feared that if they ran, the grizzly would notice them and give chase, so they hid in a brush pile and hoped the big bruin would pass without any trouble.

Unfortunately for the bear, it was intent on getting its share of berries and came very near Twin and Auger. Frightened by the close encounter, Twin raised the rifle she was carrying and fired. Her aim was dead on. The grizzly was struck in the head and fell dead.

Bella’s bear was no ordinary griz. Its skull scored 26 5/16, placing it at the top of the list of Boone and Crockett world’s records where it stayed for many years. The bear currently ranks number 30 among the all-time records and still stands as the longest-reigning provincial big-game record in Alberta.

In the half century since Twin killed her record grizzly, many differing accounts of the incident have been given. However, all of them agree on one thing: little Bella Twin killed that 1,000-pound-plus griz with the humblest of all rifles—a single-shot, bolt-action, .22-caliber rimfire. With just one long-rifle cartridge, this petite Cree Indian grandmother finished off one of the biggest grizzlies ever documented and earned remembrance as one of the world’s truly legendary hunters."

Here is a photo:

Bruno Engler: Photography - Bruno Engler, Vra Matrasová-Engler, Susan Engler Potts - Google Books

Nice one Sharpie..

That grizzly is absolutely ginormous

Thge other pictures are good aswell

 

[375 mag]

Looking at the skull it had 9 shots to the head not just one !

 

[bobt]

making sure?