Armed Man Uses Uberti 1866 Rifle to Stop Black Bear

by
posted on August 18, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
uberti.jpg

Bill Williams was recently forced to shoot and kill a 250-pound black bear with his Uberti 1866 Yellowboy carbine—chambered in .45 Long Colt—that invaded his Colorado cabin at 3 a.m.

“It sounded like an explosion when he slammed the window open,” said Williams. “I grabbed the Yellowboy and walked to the opening from the bedroom to the living room. We don’t have a door to separate the rooms. With the front porch light coming through the windows, I could see the bear on the couch, just 42 inches from me. I cranked off the first round and hit him. He jumped down from the couch and stood up in front of me about three feet away. I shot him twice more and he fell back to the other side of the room.”

Williams could see the bear was still moving and was forced to shoot several more times. After reloading, his wife Stephanie handed Williams a flashlight, and he put a final round into the bear, ending the threat.

Williams lives in Conroe, TX, but he and his wife, Stephanie, summer in the small, 400-square-foot cabin in Colorado. “Ninety six percent of this county is national forest land,” he said. “In the 23 years we have had this cabin, we have never had any problems with animals. Although, we have seen signs of them passing through our property.”

The bear lingered around the structure the night before, which prompted the cowboy action competitor to load and hang his gun just in case it came back in an aggressive mood. It proved a lifesaving move for the couple.

“That rifle saved our lives,” said Stephanie. “I blow it a kiss goodnight every night before bed. It was one of the scariest things I have been through, but we are slowly getting back to normal.”

American Rifleman featured the Yellowboy as its NRA Gun of the Week in mid-July 2016. Law enforcement and wildlife officials have ruled the shooting self-defense.

Latest

French Charleville Ihtog 1
French Charleville Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: The French Charleville Musket

One of the most important military arms ever made, the French Charleville musket saw use in the American Revolution and armed French troops throughout the Napoleonic Wars.

CVA Endura Series: The Modernized Muzzleloader Of 2025

CVA built on the success of its Paramount muzzleloader to create the Endura, a design that the company calls "the most advanced muzzleloader series CVA has ever built."

Review: FN 15 Guardian

FN America has sought to bring its legendary quality and reliability to an AR-15 that lists for just $999, and we believe that it has done this well with its 15 Guardian carbine.

Springfield Armory Hellcat Now Available In .380 ACP

Despite the extensive number of Hellcat models in its lineup, Springfield Armory has only offered the pistol in one chambering, 9 mm Luger, until now. The .380 ACP model offers similar capabilities with softer recoil.

Arms Of The Mail Guard Marines

While difficult to imagine today, brazen armed thefts of the U.S. Mail in the 1920s became all too common and beyond the abilities of mail personnel to handle. Enter the U.S. Marines—armed to the teeth.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 13, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.