Some people say the fastest way to continue firing when your gun runs dry is to grab another gun. It is called a "New York reload". It happened to a woman protecting her children in northern Idaho, not far from the scene of the famous Ruby Ridge case.
The blue arrow points to Moyie Springs, where Barbara Casey shot the grizzly bear. The Ruby Ridge shootings occurred near the red arrow about 15 miles SouthWest.
Barbara Casey did not want to shoot a grizzly bear. She wanted to scare it off her property, and she almost succeeded. She knows that shooting a grizzly can be a life changing experience, because of federal and state law. She and her children tried banging pots and pans. Then she emptied a .22 handgun in the air, then grabbed a .45. After a few more "warning" shots, the .45 jammed. She grabbed a third gun, a .22 rifle. From spokesman.com:
She yelled at her kids to go down the hill to a neighboring home. They did. Her .45 jammed. Casey grabbed her other gun, a .22-caliber rifle.The bear was a two year old male. Males trying to establish new territories are a common source of bear-human encounters. The bear had been trapped and released three weeks earlier, but was not known as a problem bear.
The bear stopped. Casey stopped shooting, and it was quiet, she said.
Then Casey’s dog barked. The bear, who had turned away from Casey, turned around and charged, she said. Casey shot it twice from about 20 feet away, once in the gut. The bear ran down the hill, where a neighbor later shot it in the head.
“I’m still shaking really bad,” Casey said a day later. “It was the most horrible thing.”
It is not clear if the rifle were a centerfire or a rimfire, but the most common .22 caliber rifles are rimfires, chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Dogs can chase off bears, and dogs can attract bears.
An interesting case where backup guns proved useful, warning shots did not have the desired effect, and a .22 that worked was better than the .45 that jammed.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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5 comments:
She's lucky.
Had it been me, screw the law!
Attacking bear, I'd of unloaded the .45.
Then switch to a .22!
I hate to see wildlife put down without reason, but for food or protection, that changes!
That is the most important reason I like revolvers, I have never had a revolver jam, Two six shot revolvers is better than a ten round automatic. and If the two revolvers run empty my 12 shot lever action 357 comes out. If I haven't stopped a bear by then out come five 12 gauge slugs. any years ago there was a grizzly that came down out of Canada to the Prescott Arizona area. It was killing cattle for fun I hear the bounty went up to 25k and someone killed it with a high powered rifle. I' still looking for a 308 or 3006 I can get into for a reasonable price. Yuma gun show here I come.
I have had plenty of revolvers jam.
Backing out of the ejector rod on the early Ruger Security Six was a common problem.
Get any debris under the ejector star on most revolvers, and you cannot close the cylinder.
Sometimes overheating and an insufficient barrel/cylinder gap will result in a cylinder that will not turn until it has cooled.
Heavy bullets with insufficient crimp can move under recoil and jam the cylinder so it will not turn.
Revolvers are pretty reliable mechanisms, and they are less sensitive to ammunition problems than semi-autos, especially if the are kept clean.
I like revolvers, have several, often carry one.
But they are mechanical devices, and do jam on occasion.
For people who do not shoot much, I recommend revolvers, as the mechanism is a bit more easily understood.
Well the only revolver I have ever had a problem with is my 1851 black powder .36 cal, navy reproduction. the expended caps tend to jam and after about 24 rounds they really need to be cleaned. Pyrodex helps.
Yes, the expended percussion caps causing a jam was a known problem with that design. Fixed cartridges and cleaner burning powders solved most of the fouling problem with revolvers.
I found it to be accurate though. Just slow on the reload. As you mentioned, that is solved by carrying more than one. It was commonly done in the percussion era.
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