Dinosaur Hunting Guns: Taking Down T-Rex and Other Extinct Reptiles

[Cervus elaphus]

Ok sounds like a tall story to me....taking out their eyes and ears with 410 or 20 with birdshot so can get in close to finish it....and finish it with what?...

finish it with the shotguns, I saw the pics, I spoke to the guide, saw the bear skins, the bears, the fishing, the damage one big brown did to the camp. Had no reason to doubt the guide. If I could remember the name of the guide you could check it out yourself, otherwise contact someone like Chappie Chapman or Malcolm Bell of the Canterbury Flyfishing Club for verification.

 

[spike.t]

I just cant see guides going into bear country where they have obviously had confrontations before with bears armed with 410 or 20 bore shotguns, and bird shot to protect clients or themselves...bit like nobody here in their right mind would take either of those into an area where they know they possibly will have issues with lions....

 

[spoonieduck]

T. rex? Why always T. rex? There were certainly far larger dinosaurs but let's stick with T. rex. An adult was about the size of an African bull elephant but with a much smaller brain. Brain shots may not be ideal although very large crocodiles die quite suddenly with a brain shot. Maybe it's better to think of T. rex as a 6 ton hen turkey [female Tyrannosaurs were larger than males]. A heart-lung shot might be preferable using at least a .375 H and H with a solid bullet. Death would be certain but not sudden with this kind of shot.

The great whales are far larger than T. rex but were routinely killed by a puny man with a harpoon and lance.

T. rex would have no fear of man. Presently animals, even large dangerous animals, have been educated over hundreds of thousands of years over the danger of bipedal primates. Almost always, if given the opportunity, they avoid us. T. rex never had this 'racial' experience. They would either regard humans as insignificant, non-food or they might regard us as a potential snack. Consider the latter. A desperate wounded 'charge' is unlikely but, even dead on his feet, he might still try to feed until he pitched over.

 

[Ike85123]

I believe a hunters safety and hunting ethics would be key in taking a large dinosaur.
I see hunting a t rex similar to leopard hunting. But maybe a tree stand for safety.
Then to ethically kill it quickly ? Penetration and expansion might be needed? Maybe a jokingly larger round like a 950 ?
The industry might have to create new rounds for the ( giant five) ?

 

[VertigoBE]

I believe a hunters safety and hunting ethics would be key in taking a large dinosaur.
I see hunting a t rex similar to leopard hunting. But maybe a tree stand for safety.
Then to ethically kill it quickly ? Penetration and expansion might be needed? Maybe a jokingly larger round like a 950 ?
The industry might have to create new rounds for the ( giant five) ?

Liked that “Giant Five” @Ike85123

What would you consider to be in the Giant 5?

 

[Ike85123]

Liked that “Giant Five” @Ike85123

What would you consider to be in the Giant 5?

I would have to research all the dinos to get the ( giant five ) . Lol

 

[VertigoBE]

I would have to research all the dinos to get the ( giant five ) . Lol

Actually, the "Giant 5" might be more applicable for the Whooly Mammoth, Sabre tooth cat, Giant Cave Bear, etc.

"Mega 5" for the dino's , so each period has its 5 something

Btw, with everyone in lockdown, now is the time to do research

 

[Chickenfarmers]

my 20mm rotary toy comes mounted on my hunting vehicle

View attachment 34313

Best to come prepared.

 

[Ike85123]

If nothing else, would be a good justification to the wife to buy new guns !
U know, have to have the dino assortment.
4 gauge, .700ne for sure. Haha

 

[Ike85123]

What happens when the tank gets stuck?

Thats when you call in for an air resue/assault !
If u can afford a tank for hunting, u can afford a back up helicopter!

 

[Viral_SIGness]

What is the appeal of Double Rifles? Hell I don't even like Double Shotguns, and they look the same to me. I'd much rather have 4 or 5 shots in a reliable bolt action. I just do not get it.

 

[Ike85123]

What is the appeal of Double Rifles? Hell I don't even like Double Shotguns, and they look the same to me. I'd much rather have 4 or 5 shots in a reliable bolt action. I just do not get it.

Ut oh. You just started the age old debate again ! Haha

 

[Newboomer]

What is the appeal of Double Rifles? Hell I don't even like Double Shotguns, and they look the same to me. I'd much rather have 4 or 5 shots in a reliable bolt action. I just do not get it.

I think the same way. I fail to see the overall advantage. People say you have a quick second shot. What if that second shot fails to end the problem? To me, they are heavy, way overpriced, extremely limited capacity and are too damn finicky with loads. If it can't get the load it likes you're dead in the water with a very pricey club. Viable range is quite limited, too. For the price of even a cheap one I can get a top quality custom bolt rifle and have ammo capacity enough to amount to something. Ammo is not a problem. It will run about anything you stuff in it. With a good bolt gun I can get off a couple good shots pretty quick . After that it's up to the PH to back me up. That goes for a double, too. But, to each his own.

As a side note, you say your governor is incompetant. Here in NV ours is TOTALLY incompetant. Must be a democrat trait.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I think a 500 Jeffrey or A-square with 570 CEB solids wound be fine.

 

[Captain Munro]

In the Jurassic Park Novel, the game warden/hunter actually uses a LAW rocket launcher with a special tranquilizer projectile to try and knock out the T-rex. He also uses it against the raptors, thus removing the legs from one of them. Having done some dinosaur paleontology, this thread is near and dear to me haha.

 

[Captain Munro]

Dinosaur Hunting Guns: Taking Down T-Rex and Other Extinct Reptiles

Written in April 9, 2013 by John B. Snow

View attachment 34239

Over the weekend I took my two children to see Jurassic Park, which has been re-released in 3D to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film’s introduction. I find it impossible to watch without putting myself in the shoes of the professional hunter whose job it is to somehow manage the beasts once they escape.

His firearm of choice is a Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun, which has the ability to work both as a semi-auto and a pump-action. The extended magazine tube, oversized foreend and skeletonized folding stock give it some serious bad-ass cred and it’s hardly surprising that it has appeared in numerous films, including the Terminator, the Matrix, RoboCop, and Snatch—not counting a whole host of utterly forgettable action films. (Blastfighter, anyone?)

But I digress. The real question is what is the ideal gun for the job as head game ranger on an island full of dinosaurs?

T-Rex
View attachment 34237
A full grown T-Rex is 40 feet long, stands 13-feet tall at the hips and weighs somewhere around 6 tons and is estimated to have the most powerful bite of any terrestrial animal in earth’s history, generating more than 15 times the chomping power of an African lion. Making matters worse, conservative estimates put its top speed at 25 mph while some scientists believe it could truck along at 45 mph, which is faster than either a charging grizzly or a lion.

If the movie is accurate, then one slight blessing is that the animal’s sight cues in on movement, so, in theory, if you stay still it should have a more difficult time finding you.

Needless to say, a shotgun isn’t worth a warm bucket of spit against an animal of this stature.

Being over-gunned is an impossibility against a T-Rex, but with a true charge-stopping rifle, like a Merkle double, you’d at least have a chance. Personally, I wouldn’t go any lighter than a .458 Lott. The .470 NE, .500 NE and .600 NE would also be good contenders. I would probably opt for a double-rifle with a red-dot sight on it. I’d want that red dot for precise bullet placement as the only shot that makes sense is a broadside shot that takes out either the hip or smashes the knee. Take out the leg to put it down and then finish it off with a double lung shot or a shot in the neck.

The open sights that are usually on a rifle like this, meant to stop a charging animal, would be worthless against a charging T-Rex. With a puny brain inside a massive skull the chances of turning off the switch with a head shot are minimal. Of course, the only bullets worth using on a T-Rex are solids. I’d be curious to see how Federal’s new safari load would fare.

Velociraptor
View attachment 34238
As any self-respecting first grader knows, the velociraptors in Jurassic Park were not accurately depicted. True velociraptors stood about a foot and a half high at the hip, were approximately 7 feet long from nose to tail and only weighed about 33 pounds. I wouldn’t underestimate the little monsters, but a good semi-auto shotgun loaded with buckshot should settle their hash without much difficulty. So I’ll go with either the Remington Versa Max Tactical or an FNH SLP Mk1 Tactical.

Deinonychus
View attachment 34240
This fearsome predator is more akin to what Spielberg was going for with his “velociraptors” in the movie. These larger cousins of the smaller true velociraptors grew to 11 feet long, could weigh as much as 160 pounds, and were, by all accounts, very smart pack-hunting animals that used the large curved talons on their feet to deadly effect. Picture them with the speed and agility of a leopard and the killing power of a lion and you’ll get some idea of what they could do. It probably wouldn’t require a lot of gun to take one down, but woe to the hunter who only wounds one. A semi-auto shotgun loaded with slugs might serve well, but I’m going with a Springfield Armory M1A Socom 16 for this job. I’d put either an EOTech optic up front on it or something like the Trijicon SRS. Mount a SureFire X400 combo weapon light/laser and you’ll be good to go.

Editors Note:
I thought an article about firearms for dinosaurs would be a bit too silly for the actual Articles thread. I would also like to hear what thoughts on this subject. Personally, I can talk about dinosaurs and other extinct animals for hours on end as family and friends can testify. I'd also like to hear your ideas of calibers and firearms suitable for extinct fauna.

Unfortunately for any hunter transported back to the Cretaceous, T-Rex probably had the eyes of a hawk and could see movement. They were also most likely ambush predators as well as opportunistic feeders, much like a modern day lion. They would wait until some poor critter wandered along close enough to get within striking distance. Or they would use their size to scare off the little guys. T-Rex was also pretty smart for a theropod dinosaur and had good sense of smell. This is based on studies conducted on the skull anatomy relative to modern carnivores. One would need to adjust their hunt accordingly, or they might find themselves in a Rex's belly.
Forgive me for nerding out here, I am a geologist.
I would use the .577 Tyrannosaur for the name. Haha

 

[Viral_SIGness]

Ut oh. You just started the age old debate again ! Haha

I wasn't trying to, I just don't get it.

I think the same way. I fail to see the overall advantage. People say you have a quick second shot. What if that second shot fails to end the problem? To me, they are heavy, way overpriced, extremely limited capacity and are too damn finicky with loads. If it can't get the load it likes you're dead in the water with a very pricey club. Viable range is quite limited, too. For the price of even a cheap one I can get a top quality custom bolt rifle and have ammo capacity enough to amount to something. Ammo is not a problem. It will run about anything you stuff in it. With a good bolt gun I can get off a couple good shots pretty quick . After that it's up to the PH to back me up. That goes for a double, too. But, to each his own.

As a side note, you say your governor is incompetant. Here in NV ours is TOTALLY incompetant. Must be a democrat trait.

You took the words out of my mouth. No offense to those who have them, I see Doubles as more of a "I have money to burn" status symbol, than I do as a useful tool.

 

[Captain Munro]

I wasn't trying to, I just don't get it.

You took the words out of my mouth. No offense to those who have them, I see Doubles as more of a "I have money to burn" status symbol, than I do as a useful tool.

I see that too, but I do wish I had that kind of money to burn haha.

 

[Viral_SIGness]

I see that too, but I do wish I had that kind of money to burn haha.

You and me both brother!

 

[Ike85123]

I wasn't trying to, I just don't get it.

You took the words out of my mouth. No offense to those who have them, I see Doubles as more of a "I have money to burn" status symbol, than I do as a useful tool.

I hear ya.
I only have 1 double. My reason for buying one wasnt the normal reason, i dont believe.
Growing up left handed, i always shot right handed rifles. I wasnt as fast at it as a righty of course.
Then when i finally got a left handed rifle, it felt funny.
I finally got a dr in like 2014. Works great for my situation.
I also prefer the range days in winter. So i can wear a jacket. Lefties shooting a right handed rifle will get alot of brass burns in semi autos. Always have to tuck the right elbow under the mag. Its very uncomfortable!
But growing up a lefty in my time will screw u up !
Im a lefty, but due to what i could find? I still throw baseballs with my right ( never could find a glove as a kid ).