African Elephants with a .22LR

[Multigunner]

I can add two methods used by Africans to kill Elephants.

The Pygmy hunters would find a trail through a wooded area that they knew Elephant used, they dug a hole in the middle of the trail, the hunter would lay in the hole which he or a companion would cover carefully.
When the Elephant strolled down the trail the hunter would strike upwards with a slim spear head to pierce the heart then try to get out from under before it fell or could grab him with its trunk.

Another method involved running at an Elephant as it passed the hunters place of concealment, and slashing a hind leg with a hatchet.
A deep hatchet wound would imobilise or at least slow down the Elephant and it would bleed out fairly quickly.

As for Black Bear their brain is not situated in the same orientation in the skull as other bears. The Black Bear Brain sits much lower and farther forwards in the skull, due to its specialized sense of smell. The olfactory nerves run straight to the brain from its large nasal passages.
The best way to hit a Black bear in the brain is to fire into its open mouth or through the nose. Bullets can sometimes bounce off its fore head, and from the side its jaw attachment points are pretty thick and can deflect a bullet.
Not sure if a shot through the ear would actually reach the brain, or just waste energy in bone.

PS
The Grizzly Bear Old Moses was found to have three healed over bullets in his brain. They were .38-55 bullets fired straight into his maw by one of his victims. They had found the shattered rifle and skull of that victim decades earlier. Old Moses had caught the man, who was a professional hunter, in his bed roll and the hunter got off three shots from his lever action before the Bear came down on him like the wath of God.
Old Moses had more than one hundred healed bullet wounds including musket balls.

[Clark]

Dan McCarthy shooting elephants

That 500 N.E. rifle cost Dan $30k.

I hunt deer in the USA with a $500 rifle, because I am a cheapskate.

[snowwolfe]

Dan McCarthy shooting elephants

That 500 N.E. rifle cost Dan $30k.

I hunt deer in the USA with a $500 rifle, because I am a cheapskate.

Totally false information. Article stated rifle used was a Searcy Field Grade 500 NE. In the last 3 years or so the price of the Searcy Field Grade has ranged from $9,000 to the current price of $10,500.

[HarryT]

Walter Bell killed 1011 elephants with a 7X57 (.275 Rigby) rifle firing 173 grain military cartridges. The locals in Africa use .303 to kill elephants. Great White Hunters from America and Europe use $10,000 forty plus caliber rifles to do the job.

[9.3X62AL]

Hey, Clark--good to see ya again. I don't know how much double-rifles cost, but DO KNOW I can't afford one. That's enough for me.

Ahem......22 LR has its place, certainly. One little experiment I wanted to try with 22 LR before the Great Ammo & Component Shortage of 2008-10 took hold was a comparison of CCI Mini-Mags vs. the CCI SGM (Small Game Bullet) to see if bullet shape could improve terminal performance on little critters. Maybe now that the supply chain is filling back up I can start that music without further delay. Jackrabbits have been pretty thick locally, and they get obnoxious when not fired upon regularly. They are known to form gang memberships--observers have noted "jump-in" ceremonies occurring with increasing frequency.

[bkbville]

Sounds like one for "Mythbusters", but I could see the Peta folks out for that....

[Shooter6br]

Ever shoot a woodchuck with a 22 LR? Tough critter. i can only imagine onre the size of an elephant LOL

[snowwolfe]

Walter Bell killed 1011 elephants with a 7X57 (.275 Rigby) rifle firing 173 grain military cartridges. The locals in Africa use .303 to kill elephants. Great White Hunters from America and Europe use $10,000 forty plus caliber rifles to do the job.

Large calibers are used now because most, if not all countries in Africa require .375 or larger calibers for elephant. Laws apply to residents and great white hunters equally.

If you can afford the price of the hunt, last thing you would be concerned with is the price of the rifle. But it would be pretty easy to find a .458 Win Mag or .375 H&H for about $1,000.

[HangFireW8]

Walter Bell killed 1011 elephants with a 7X57 (.275 Rigby) rifle firing 173 grain military cartridges. The locals in Africa use .303 to kill elephants. Great White Hunters from America and Europe use $10,000 forty plus caliber rifles to do the job.

Yes, that is right. Meat hunters stalk and shoot from cover, and then track.

Trophy hunters try to provoke a charge, and only take head shots at less than 100, usually much, much less, as it is part of the sporting code.

So, each is using equipment appropriate for their role.

Many, however, rent a $1,000 bolt action .458 Winchester Magnum in country.

-HF

[Clark]

Hey, Clark--good to see ya again. I don't know how much double-rifles cost, but DO KNOW I can't afford one. That's enough for me.

As snowwolfe is pointing out, I don't know ANYTHING about double rifles, I do get regular email from Dan McCarthy and HangfireW8, who are knowledgeable about lots of gun stuff.

The biggest thing I have killed with a 22LR is rock chucks. They don't make it back to the hole with Quickshock type 3 way splitting bullets.

I do know about being a cheapskate. I just killed 3 deer over a period of 2 weeks. That hunt cost me less than $1k. I slept in my vehicle and complained about bugs where Lewis and Clark camped and complained about bugs.

I have never ever heard a cost figure yet, on pulling the trigger on an elephant, that would temp me.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I keep my 22 for culling viscous rabid bull rabbits and such.

[DrNick]

i have eaten elk that was killed by a .22lr, and a hunting guide in canada told us about a moose that tried to climb into his boat that he killed with a .22 pistol.

Huh...pistols have been rigidly controlled in Canada since the 1930's. It's HARD to get a permit to carry one, even in the wilderness. I know of a few guides that do and their choice is not a .22 for sure

Having said that, it sure would be nice to be able to carry a .22 pistol when I'm out hunting deer...I have to make do with a .22 air pistol to put grouse in the pot

[DrNick]

Uh I watched the video of Howard Hill killing one with a bow and I KNOW a 22 will out penetrate a bow so... If the bullet gets to the heart the critter will die EVENTUALLY. I sure wouldn't want to hang around in the near vicinity waiting for it though!

Actually a bow has incredible penetration power. A 600 + grain arrow combined with hardened cutting points. Most .30-06 rounds won't penetrate a 5 gallon bucket full of sand (I guess that's why the army is so fond of sandbags...) but an arrow WILL penetrate it...it'll go right through it.

[wmitty]

Penetration of the .22 LR has proved to be entirely adequate on the armored north Texas armadillo; which leads me to assume it would be just the thing for shooting thru the skull of an elephant or the horn boss of a Cape buffalo. Totally useless on the dreaded wild hogs around here, though.

[x101airborne]

Penetration of the .22 LR has proved to be entirely adequate on the armored north Texas armadillo; which leads me to assume it would be just the thing for shooting thru the skull of an elephant or the horn boss of a Cape buffalo. Totally useless on the dreaded wild hogs around here, though.

many armor-dillos have taken the fall to my 22 lr. But hogs get it too. I once was squirrell hunting in march and found a group of 150 - 200 pounders walking in a single line toward me around 15 feet apart. I shot the first behind the eye and it simply went down. The second saw her and laid down next to her. I shot the third and it went down. The second got up, and i put it down. The rest ran. Rifle: Browning Buckmark Carbine. Ammo: Remington golden bullet hp. Distance: 10 yards.

[Molly]

I have no idea where or when I read it, but I HAVE read that the biggest grizzly bear ever taken in a western state (don't recall which one) was shot by a squaw running a trap line. IIRC, she found the bear with ONE TOE caught in one of her traps. She walked up to it and shot it in the eye with a black powder .22 short. The bear fell over dead as a doornail, so she rolled it onto a travois or sled (don't recall details) and took it into town, where it created quite a stir.

You tell me: Author's embellishment, primitive urban legend, or fact?

[Arisaka99]

Sounds plausible.

[camerl2009]

I have no idea where or when I read it, but I HAVE read that the biggest grizzly bear ever taken in a western state (don't recall which one) was shot by a squaw running a trap line. IIRC, she found the bear with ONE TOE caught in one of her traps. She walked up to it and shot it in the eye with a black powder .22 short. The bear fell over dead as a doornail, so she rolled it onto a travois or sled (don't recall details) and took it into town, where it created quite a stir.

You tell me: Author's embellishment, primitive urban legend, or fact?

them natives can do crazy things some times

[bowhunter]

i don't know about elephants but here in the part of s.c. where i live it has always been wide open as far as caliber of gun to use to deer hunt with. back in the 50s 60s my father only had a 22 a rem. 550-1 auto. a friend of his had a win. model 62 pump, that is all they used to hunt all critters with, my dad would only use lr solids. him and his friend when they could not get a head or neck shot on deer they would shoot the deer behind the shoulder. i have skined deer shot with those solids they will break ribs on entrance and the boolits will flaten out on the skin on the other side of the deer. when the lungs are collapsed a deer will not go much over 50 yards. these men killed hundreds of deer with these 22s i know the number of deer sounds made up but it is the truth, you have to remember we have the longest deer season in the world here in my county (colleton) it runs from aug.15-jan1 on private land and now our buck limit is 4 per day. back then it was unlimited. then in the 60s-80s he used a 22 hornet, trust me they will kill deer dead. the boolits will go in one side and out the other, a deer hit with one will not live over 50 yds. a lot of times instant kills are the norm. i know our deer are a little small compared to northern deer, but they will get 200+ pounds. the average is around 125 lbs. shot placement is still best no matter what gun is used.

[camerl2009]

i don't know about elephants but here in the part of s.c. where i live it has always been wide open as far as caliber of gun to use to deer hunt with. back in the 50s 60s my father only had a 22 a rem. 550-1 auto. a friend of his had a win. model 62 pump, that is all they used to hunt all critters with, my dad would only use lr solids. him and his friend when they could not get a head or neck shot on deer they would shoot the deer behind the shoulder. i have skined deer shot with those solids they will break ribs on entrance and the boolits will flaten out on the skin on the other side of the deer. when the lungs are collapsed a deer will not go much over 50 yards. these men killed hundreds of deer with these 22s i know the number of deer sounds made up but it is the truth, you have to remember we have the longest deer season in the world here in my county (colleton) it runs from aug.15-jan1 on private land and now our buck limit is 4 per day. back then it was unlimited. then in the 60s-80s he used a 22 hornet, trust me they will kill deer dead. the boolits will go in one side and out the other, a deer hit with one will not live over 50 yds. a lot of times instant kills are the norm. i know our deer are a little small compared to northern deer, but they will get 200+ pounds. the average is around 125 lbs. shot placement is still best no matter what gun is used.

i got my first deer with a .22 hornet with some soft point ammo
i droped it in one shot right where he stood
here in ontario the deer are much bigger(body wise) then down there but
and as long as the gun your using is center fire your good to go