What caliber for sharks?

A .38 Special is plenty-'nough gun. The problem is that the shark is about as primitive as a snake, and it doesn't really know it's dead. Takes a while for it to figure out it's time to quit.

Blacktips are yummy-good eating.

I have a jaw around somewhere from from a 14' Mako from my offshore days that has some .224 holes in it - pulled him off the long line, thought he was dead, and half an hour later while i was coiling up leaders he was doing the land-shark up the deck...crushed the two hand-rails into one with one bite - two stainless 1.5" tubes - and was about two feet away from my unknowing and delicious-looking ham when the skipper came flying out of the wheelhouse with his AR, shooting in my direction...which turned out to be between my legs.

That was a pre-ban Colt with some huge banana-mags...back in the pre-ban era.

/grilled Mako is better eating than swordfish.

I have had good luck with my glock 35 with 180g white box, but the 12g with cheap buck shot is a better option IMHO, the more you wreck the brain housing area the faster they stop biting everything in sight.

How about .357 Mag. or .45 ACP?

I think that the .38 is plenty of gun for shark. More importantly though you followed the first rule of a gun fight ..... Have a gun. Seriously though in beach attire a .38 is about as big as you can hide. Most carriers would have left their double stack at home for a walk on the beach, but you had your .38 ready to go. Stuff like this happens at the darndest times.
I'd love to have my full-size glock 40 with me, but in khakhi shorts and a t-shirt I'd only have my .38 too.
Good job being prepared. Good choice of gun. Good choice to have it on you. Great pictures. No one will be able to deny you that fish story.

Boom stick

Aren't boom sticks used for sharks too (in addition to gators)? I think they come in a variety of calibers, 12ga and 357mag being among them.

The trick to killing big fish (learned from halibut charter buddies) is to shoot them through the gill plate, rather than the brain. They'll bleed out in just a minute or so and be quite dead enough to drag up into the boat without any worries about them thrashing around and throwing paying customers overboard.
If you shoot them through the brain, they can keep thrashing around for a long, long time. On the beach like the picture above, just slide a filet knife behind the gill plate and cut the gills.

That 38 was PLENTY.

What kind of bullet? HP? lead point?

No bones, just flesh and cartilage...can't argue with a 12ga. slug. Just make sure you don't over-penetrate and put a hole in your boat!

/These days it might have to be lead-free! haha.

desidog

/These days it might have to be lead-free! haha.

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yeah we dont want the shark to die from lead poisoning now do we?

I've seen 2 different chamberings in 'bang sticks' .45acp and 12 ga. most of the divers favored the .45, fearing the 12ga shell may leak down deep. the .45 will do the job on all but the biggest sharks. then maybe 2-3 different bangs are needed.

What do they use on those great white sharks that are 20 feet or longer?

12 Ga. BANG STICK if you touch 'em on the noggin they're dead!

Halibut fisherman just use a .22 - you put a round or two through the gill plate and the blood will pour out like somebody emptied a bucket. The fish goes limp in less than a minute.

I've used a 357, it's all I had on the boat.

Seems to do the job a 38 would work better.

They are tasty. If you cut the tail and hang em head up, the blood and urea drain out. Cut out any blood (red) meat, and marinate in fresh water with milk overnight. I like to batter dip 1" squares and fry.

No caliber at all!!! I have been an offshore fisherman for many many years... trust me on this one...

To subdue any large gamefish the only thing you need is a large spray bottle filled with golden grain. Spray it directly into their gills and they STOP struggling within a minute or so. It really does work... goes straight to their bloodstream.

whats golden grain

We used to use a .410 before we upgraded to a .38 Special. Killed 'em dead every single time. Since there is no bone in them (except their teeth), even 158 gr lead rounds are quick killers.

Yeah What's this Golden Grain spray?

Appears to be 191 proof grain alcohol.

The idea of a drunk shark just makes me laugh.

I wonder if they're generally mean drunks or sad drunks?

Rain Dog said:

Appears to be 191 proof grain alcohol.

The idea of a drunk shark just makes me laugh.

I wonder if they're generally mean drunks or sad drunks?

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