This may be an urban legend, but...

[Yoda]

I've heard a story, which may not be true, but it's a good example of "oopsie."

Allegedly, a small town in upstate New York realized that a single black bear was rummaging through trash cans and wandering through yards. The town fathers concluded that it would only be a matter of time before the bear hurt someone. However, they didn't have the heart to hurt the bear, which so far, hadn't done much more than just look for food.

The town lawman proposed a solution. "All we need to do is give it a fear of man. Then it will stay away on its own. I can shoot it with some rubber bullets, which should get its attention without actually causing any harm."

The town fathers approved that solution.

A few days later, a report came in that the bear was digging through a dumpster. The city cop responded, and several of the town fathers and local paper and TV representativea were able to get there about the same time.

With everyone watching the cop took out a bolt rifle, showed them how he was loading four rubber bullets. Then he took out a FMJ round, "Just in case he charges," and pressed it into the magazine.

Everyone now primed to watch the magic of the humane rubber bullets, the cop carefully took aim. "I'll just pop him in the butt. That ought to do the trick."

Some of you will have already guessed what happened. The last round loaded was not a rubber bullet, but was the FMJ round. So, the cop shoots the bear in the butt with ball ammo, the bear is running around in a panic, and all the cop has left in his gun is rubber bullets! Fortuneately, the bear ended up running out of town, and he hasn't been seen since.

I dunno, but 'd guess a 30.06 jacketed round in MY butt would give me a "fear of man!"

As I said, maybe it's just a story, but gosh, it's a good one.

- - - Yoda

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[dagger dog]

Urban myth, so far as I know all the rubber bullets I have seen are loaded in shotgun ammo, never seen it loaded iin 30-06.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well unless as he heard the story there was a mistake, and the officer was using a pump shotgun instead of a bolt gun (you'd get the same results) and of course there are bolt-action shotguns. He may have merely written ".30-06" as he heard it was a bolt-gun.

It's entirely plausible. Had some officers try to put-down a deer that was hit in the middle of a large interstate clover-leaf/exit complex..., the fact the injured deer was surrounded by concrete didn't seem to matter, and it made for some interesting trajectories as the buckshot pellets bounced around.

I actually saw in 1990 an officer go to shoot a rabid racoon that had goneup into a tree on a street adjacent to the interstate. I offered to let the officer have a shell loaded with #7.5 shot, but I was told to mind my own business while he fired upward with the 00 buck. Of course it did the job but he was also dropping 00 buck pellets onto the adjacent highway.

LD

 

[mgregg85]

There was that cop in texas that shot a rattle snake out of a tree. The bullet that hit the snake kept on going to kill a little boy.

 

[paintballdude902]

ive seen both wood and rubber bullets in .308 so its possible

i would have used rubber buckshot if i was the cop

 

[Double Naught Spy]

ive seen both wood and rubber bullets in .308 so its possible

It isn't an issue of being possible. Many things are possible. That is part of why they are urban myths. Who makes 30-06 rubber bullets for the police (or anyone) to use?

Yoda, just what makes your story a "good story." What is good about it? Is it that the portrayed cop is an idiot for not understanding his gear? Is is that the bear was inhumanely wounded in a serious manner and the public danger was increased by the bear running around in a panic? Was it that the portrayed cop was then unable to do anything about his inhumane mistake and so the bear had to continue to suffer?

 

[RX-178]

There's a story I know of (and have shared here) involving a newly elected Sheriff with newly purchased armored patrol cars (not sure if they were new cars, or if they were just back from an armoring job).

Then decided to impress the appropriations committee (and others) by 'testing' a car using a Steyr AUG on full auto.