{"id":114803,"date":"2021-08-02T11:47:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T15:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=114803"},"modified":"2025-11-10T04:51:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:51:48","slug":"hunt365-the-11-year-old-grizzly-slayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-the-11-year-old-grizzly-slayer\/","title":{"rendered":"The 11-Year-Old Grizzly Slayer: Elliot Clark and his Remington 870"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The
Superman is my personal favorite superhero. However, 11-year-old Alaskan Elliot Clark could beat down the Man of Steel without breaking a sweat. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a world awash to its gunwales in\nmake-believe spandex-clad superheroes, sometimes it is cool to hear about the\nreal thing. Alaskan brown bears are some of the most formidable predators on\nthe planet, the apex hunters in their natural world. When an Alaskan youth named\nElliot Clark faced one of these enormous beasts intent on eating him and his\nfamily, this young stud stood his ground, lifted his Remington 870 20-gauge,\nand put the monster down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Scary are Bears Really?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Richard White met his end while trekking alone through bear country in Alaska. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In August of 2012 Richard White, a 49-year-old\npharmacologist from San Diego, California, was hiking alone through the vast\nexpanse of Denali National Park. Denali is one of the most pristine tracts of\nunspoiled wilderness on the planet. It is also home to some legendarily huge\nAlaskan brown bears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Bear spray is a particularly intense version of pepper spray formulated to dissuade an angry bear. I\u2019d personally sooner pack a decent gun. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Richard was an experienced hiker who had hiked Denali solo before. However, he carried neither firearm nor bear spray. On his application for a backcountry permit, he listed his primary bear deterrent as a whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
A mature grizzly bear in a foul mood is a sight to behold. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fellow hikers happened upon a bloody\nbackpack near the Toklat River and notified park rangers. The rangers found a\nlarge boar grizzly standing guard over White\u2019s remains. The big\nbear had partially eaten and buried the man. As they lost the light the rangers\nfired on the bear twice but missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Alaskan brown bears get really big. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The following day rangers found the bear\nstill guarding White\u2019s body and dispatched the animal from a\nhelicopter. A necropsy of the 600-pound mature male proved that they had gotten\nthe right bear. They found White\u2019s undamaged digital\ncamera nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
A grizzly can hit 35 mph in a sprint. By contrast, Usain Bolt, the world\u2019s fastest living human, can only make 27. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

White had photographed the bear that\nkilled him twenty-six times in less than eight minutes. He began shooting\npictures at a range of approximately forty yards, but the bear was on him\nquickly. Richard White left behind a wife and young daughter. Brown bears are\nremarkably efficient killers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Most Extraordinary Young Man\u2026<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Rural Alaska is a place of spectacular beauty and wondrous natural grandeur. The fishing and hunting are unsurpassed. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Five years later, 11-year-old Elliot Clark was walking along a trail headed to a familiar fishing spot on Game Creek just south of Hoonah, Alaska, on Chichagof Island. Elliot\u2019s uncle and grandfather were in the lead. His cousin pulled up the rear. Three family dogs screened the flanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Elliott kept his 20-gauge Remington 870 close at hand. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Young Elliot was already an experienced\nAlaskan and fully acclimated to firearms. His uncle slung a serious rifle on\nhis back. Elliot carried his slide-action Remington 20-gauge at port arms.\nElliot\u2019s dad was away at the time but had planned on installing a sling on\nthe shotgun when he returned. This becomes pertinent in a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
A 20-gauge shotgun has a bore diameter of .615 inches, substantially wider than the bullet in a 50BMG round. A typical 20-gauge slug throws a \u00be-ounce lead projectile at a modest velocity. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elliot carried his shotgun with a round\nof birdshot in the chamber followed by slugs. The young man had asked his dad\nthe week before for permission to remove the plug from his gun that limited the\nweapon to two rounds in the magazine. Elliot\u2019s father agreed\nthat he was ready for the upgrade, so his gun packed a full four slug rounds in\nthe tube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
A charging brown bear is a chemical formula for horrifying. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An enormous brown bear appeared without\nwarning and charged the small party. The gigantic animal tossed the two adults\nclear with ease before focusing on Elliot and his young cousin. Any normal kid\nmight have run or simply frozen in place. Elliot, by contrast, stood his ground\nbetween the charging grizzly and his unarmed relative, raised his shotgun, drew\na bead, and fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Here we see Elliott with the bear he killed. Note the perfectly placed entrance wound on the animal\u2019s snout. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That first charge of 20-gauge birdshot\nhad no discernible effect on the enraged bruin, but young Elliot cycled the gun\nin an instant. His first slug struck the bear squarely in the nose and tracked\ndown into its neck. Cycling the action again Elliot put his second slug into\nthe animal\u2019s shoulder at bad breath range. The muzzle blast from this third round\nwas close enough to leave powder burns in the giant bear\u2019s mouth. This third\nshot knocked the animal down, its momentum causing the creature to slide past\nthe two kids. Elliot stepped over to the panting beast and killed it outright with\na third slug delivered at contact range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Elliott Clark, shown on the right, saved his family with a youth model Remington 20-gauge and an unnatural excess of manliness. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I lived for three years in the Alaskan interior. It is a beautiful though unforgiving place of frightening weather and simply breathtaking predators. Firearms are background clutter. Most everybody outside the immediate environs of Fairbanks was typically armed. At an age when most young men are trying to survive sixth-grade social studies, Elliot Clark used his pump-action 20-gauge to singlehandedly save his family from the jaws of Alaska\u2019s apex predator. What a freaking stud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Assailant<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Grizzlies vary widely in size based primarily upon their habitat and food sources. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Alaskan brown bear (Ursus arctos\nhorribilis) comes in a variety of flavors. The largest of the lot live in the\ncoastal areas and can attain veritable prehistoric proportions. While I am sure\nto offend the purist, we shall heretofore refer to all brown bears as\ngrizzlies. A fully-grown peninsular grizzly feeding on clams, salmon, and sedge\ngrass can top out between 800 and 1,200 pounds. This makes the Alaskan brown\nbear one of the largest land<\/a> predators on the planet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
It is tough to visualize just how big these animals can become. I have personally seen them in Alaska that taxidermied out to more than nine feet. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Coastal grizzlies can become truly epic\nspecimens. The world record example was killed in 1948 near Cold Bay. This\nmonster was freshly out of hibernation and was therefore devoid of any extraneous\nfat. It nonetheless weighed in excess of 1,700 pounds and stood nearly ten feet\ntall. Biologists estimated that this particular bruin would have weighed 1,850\npounds by the end of the following summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
While grizzlies will eat almost anything they can catch, they are remarkably efficient against man-sized prey. As this unfortunate drunken soul found out the hard way, jumping into the bear paddock at the local zoo on a dare is reliably stupid. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Grizzlies are omnivores, meaning they will eat almost anything. These tremendous animals do actually consume a fair amount of grass. Additionally, it seems the entire state of Alaska is covered with a thin patina of berries. Bears devour these delectable morsels by the basketful. What really makes the animals enormous, however, is fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Grizzly bears really like fish. They are remarkably efficient at catching spawning salmon. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fish-fed grizzlies have raised angling to\nan art form. They catch spawning salmon in mid-air or pin the slippery fish\nwith their claws. When I worked and wandered deep in the Alaskan bush it was\nalways unsettling to encounter the copious remains of bear-slaughtered salmon\nlittering remote riverbanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gun<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Remington 870 is truly America\u2019s shotgun. In service for nearly seventy years, there are millions in circulation. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Remington 870<\/a> slide-action shotgun is the most popular shotgun ever made. Since its introduction in 1950 more than 11 million copies have been produced. Offered in 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410 gauges, the 870 has been sold around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The 870\u2019s simple and rugged design has ensured worldwide distribution. This classic slide-action Remington is a popular military and police weapon. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

L. Ray Crittendon, Phillip Haskell, Ellis\nHailston, and G.E. Pinckney designed the weapon. The gun features right-sided\nejection, twin action bars, and a tubular magazine underneath the barrel. Depending\nupon the configuration this magazine can carry 4, 5, 6, or 7 rounds. Extended\nmagazine tubes can make that number even larger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Remington 870 is readily accessorized to meet a variety of missions. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Given the 870\u2019s widespread\ndistribution it is no surprise that the gun has been extensively accessorized.\nSundry barrels, stocks, forearms, sights, widgets, and ditzels litter the\nlandscape. Most any version you might want is readily available right here on\nGunsAmerica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
12-gauge on the right, and 20 on the left. An inexpensive adaptor lets you mix and match stocks between the two platforms. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Early 20-gauge receivers accepted the\nsame stocks as the larger 12-gauge versions. However, since the late 1970\u2019s the 20-gauge guns\nhave used a proprietary stock mounting architecture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
This 20-gauge stock adaptor runs about $30 online. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Adaptors that allow 12-gauge stocks to fit 20-gauge receivers are readily available and cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Norinco HP9 is a Chinese copy of the Remington 870 shotgun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The basic 870 design has been widely copied.\nThe Chinese Norinco<\/a> Company produces an unlicensed version titled the HP9.\nThese foreign knockoff guns are typically quite inexpensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal Connection<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
This modified short-barreled 870 12-gauge formed the basis of my first gun article some 25 years ago. I never shot a bear with it, but it has claimed more than its share of Mississippi water moccasins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I packed a short-barreled 870 12-gauge for bear defense<\/a> when I lived in Alaska. In fact, this gun formed the basis for my first gun magazine article back a quarter-century ago. This particular weapon began life as a standard 870 Express that was a birthday present from my precious wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
A legal BATF Form 1 conversion on a Remington 870 makes for a fun and economical DIY gun project. I cut this barrel down with nothing more than a hacksaw and a Dremel tool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I did a BATF Form 1 on the gun to legally\nshorten the barrel. Back then a Form 1 turned around in a couple of months as\nopposed to the better part of a year they require today. Once the paper came\nback approved I shortened the tube with a hacksaw and dressed the muzzle with a\nDremel tool. Installing a new front sight bead was a simple chore with a drill\npress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The top-folding Law Enforcement Only Remington stock is lyrically inefficient, but it looks just cool as heck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I tracked down an original Law\nEnforcement Only top-folding stock and mounted up a sling. That original stock\nis insanely uncomfortable, but it looks undeniably cool. Thusly configured I\npacked the gun with sabot slugs and kept it handy when I fished, flew, and explored\nout where the Wild Things roamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruminations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
These craptastic unwashed reprobates wouldn\u2019t last a week with Elliot Clark in theater.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elliot Clark is clearly one serious young\nAmerican. One can only hope that he aspires to become a Navy SEAL or Army\nRanger. Once he hits puberty we could just put him in a loincloth, give him a\nknife, and let him HALO into central Afghanistan. He would have the Taliban\ndefeated within the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
A long-time native Alaskan veteran of countless moose and bear hunts advised against the use of Dragon\u2019s Breath 12-gauge rounds for bear defense.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I once asked a lifelong Alaskan buddy his\nopinion of those 12-gauge Dragon\u2019s Breath\nflamethrower rounds that launch copious flaming magnesium as a possible bear\ndeterrent. He pondered my question and said, \u201cNope, son, I wouldn\u2019t do that,\u201d stroking his ample\nwhiskers before proceeding. \u201cThe only thing I can think of worse than\nbeing charged by an angry grizzly bear would have to be being charged by an\nangry grizzly bear on fire.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That seemed like sage advice to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Here\u2019s my son\u2019s short-barreled Remington 870 20-gauge. We built it up legally together as a Form 1 project when he was about Elliot Clark\u2019s age.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
A properly customized Remington 870 makes a splendid general-purpose survival arm. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n