Finally! Proof of the perfect bear round ...

Register to hide this ad
I wonder if he'd have fared better if he'd used an AK-47 instead of the lighter caliber AK-74.

If I had to rely on a Russian rifle, I'd use one in 7.62X54R.
Do US ammo makers still offer hunting ammo in that caliber?

Are Dragunov (sp?) sniper rifles available here? I know that oodles of Moisin-Nagant bolt actions are here.

Bet that no one factory loads Nosler Partition bullets in any Russian caliber! I'd want those for bear. Just one advantage of the .30/06 over the 7.62mmX54R

Alas, no Noslers in .303 British, either.
 
Last edited:
Texas Star said:
I wonder if he'd have fared better if he'd used an AK-47 instead of the lighter caliber AK-74.

If I had to rely on a Russian rifle, I'd use one in 7.62X54R.
Do US ammo makers still offer hunting ammo in that caliber?

Are Dragunov (sp?) sniper rifles available here? I know that oodles of Moison-Nagant bolt actions are here.
Click to expand...

TS ... The VEPR line of rifles is excellent. The 54R models are particularly nice, and can be had in a variety of barrel lengths. The 54R ammo that I have seen is all imported, but still reasonably priced. With a change of furniture, the VEPR 54R can be turned into a Dragunov clone fairly easily.
 
My son and his men in Iraq were on the receiving end of Dragunov fire on occasion, and they did not like that. It fires an effective round.

With suitable bullets, I'm sure it's effective on most game that one would take with a .30/06. The key term is "effective" bullets on large game. Some softpoints may not cope well with shoulder or chest shots on big bears or moose or elk.

Peter Hjortberger, President of the famous Fallkniven knife firm www.fallkniven.com told me that he used 6.5X55mm rifles on moose wih full confidence. But when brown bears began appearing where he hunts in Sweden, he got a 9.3X62MM.

BTW, my son took out one Dragunov rifleman inside a building with a single round of 9mmNATO ball ammo. That worthy had just been firing at him a few minutes before. I don't know which is worse: incoming bursts of AK fire or single shots from a Dragunov in the hands of a competent marksman. My hat is off to our troops who have had to face either.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think that most of the 7.62x54R hunting ammo comes from overseas. There is a 203gr SP load but again, is SP the right thing for a bear? Personally I think the 182gr FMJ (standard Heavy Ball) is a better load for a head on shot as it WILL penetrate. For more info, see here. 7.62x54r Ammunition Evaluations
 
Then there's the woman who defended herself from a Grizzly with a 25 caliber pistol:


/Users/sidlindsey/Desktop/Screen shot 2013-08-03 at 7.21.56 PM.png
 
How about one of these? (Assuming you would want to lug it around)

Want to See The World?s Biggest Caliber (.905!) Rifle in Action? | Video | TheBlaze.com

1st-JDJ-shooter.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top