# What weapon should I use to hunt a Tyranosaur? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2002, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410 "2002-09-14T09:29:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/61 "2002-09-15T05:42:39Z")
Hydrostatic shock isn’t much of a proper killer, anyway. It’s the Permanant Wound Channel that does the most of the killing. Preferably through several important organs. Nothing man-portable is going to have the kind of energy to shatter organ meat via shockwave. It’s the crushing, tearing disruption of bodily tissue, and the profuse bleeding from the same that kills most often, unless a vital organ is destroyed first by that disruption. Even heart-shots aren’t always fatal, as there have been documented cases of people actually plugging heart wounds with their fingers, and the patient living (_very_ rare, mind you!). And don’t bring up Cecil’s column on the subject. Even Cecil gets it wrong sometimes, and that was one of the few. ---
**Author:** ![flertbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@flertbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flertbert)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/62 "2002-09-15T06:57:57Z")
Personally, I’d be more worried about a **tyrannosaurus** than a Tyranosaur. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/63 "2002-09-15T12:38:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Triskadecamus \* > \*\* > > OK, if the thunder lizards are running around in tanks, I want an A10! > > Tris \*\* Hehe. Well, the quote I was replying to mentioned 20mm cannons as anti-tank weapons, and I was just adding a reply to that. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/64 "2002-09-15T12:39:57Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Turbo Dog \* \*\*the hamsters seemed to have eaten my first attempt at this. The 20mm is actually a rather effective weapon against armor, depending on what ammo you are using. Er, no. 20mm cannons with APDS-T or APDS-DU rounds can rip up a lot of IFVs and such, but they’d still have no chance against modern armor - even a flank or rear shot. If you’d like, I can dig up modern 20mm penetrations vs modern tank armor. > [@](#): > > If the requirement is an individual rifle, I’ll take a 20mm sniper rifle\*\* What sort? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/65 "2002-09-15T12:43:39Z")
That was supposed to be… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Turbo Dog \* > \*\*the hamsters seemed to have eaten my first attempt at this. The 20mm is actually a rather effective weapon against armor, depending on what ammo you are using. \*\* Er, no. 20mm cannons with APDS-T or APDS-DU rounds can rip up a lot of IFVs and such, but they’d still have no chance against modern armor - even a flank or rear shot. If you’d like, I can dig up modern 20mm penetrations vs modern tank armor. > [@](#): > > \*\* > If the requirement is an individual rifle, I’ll take a 20mm sniper rifle. \*\* What sort? ---
**Author:** ![InsaneGenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7bcc69/32.png) [@InsaneGenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsaneGenius)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/66 "2002-09-15T14:35:28Z")
Whatever works on an elephant will work on a T Rex. Elephant hunters NEVER go for head shots, but heart/lungs which drops them in their tracks. T Rex has a heart and lungs in the same approximate location and cannot function without them. I would bet a T Rex steak would be mighty tasty. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/67 "2002-09-15T15:03:08Z")
all of this talk reminds me of a certain Far Side cartoon where there is a picture of a downed Mammoth with an arrow sticking out of its butt and two cavemen looking at each other, one saying “Maybe we should write that spot down.” or you could just do what those kids in the first Jurassic Park did and use a flashlight :smack: . I mean, how stupid could you be? Maybe if the dinosaur was epileptic and you kept turning the flashlight on and off… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/68 "2002-09-15T18:31:31Z")
Quoth **Trucido** : > [@](#): > > A non-brain head hit on a bull is thought to be enough to knock the elephant down. If this is true, then it’s not a man-portable weapon. A target would be knocked over by the momentum, and the momentum in the slug will be the same as the momentum in the kick of the gun. And **flertbert** , a tyrannosaur is a Tyrannosaurus. The former is the common English name, and the latter is the Linnean genus name. Note the capitalization, by the way: A genus name is always capitalized. ---
**Author:** ![flertbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@flertbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flertbert)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/69 "2002-09-15T18:56:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*Quoth **Trucido** :If this is true, then it’s not a man-portable weapon. A target would be knocked over by the momentum, and the momentum in the slug will be the same as the momentum in the kick of the gun. > > And **flertbert** , a tyrannosaur is a Tyrannosaurus. The former is the common English name, and the latter is the Linnean genus name. Note the capitalization, by the way: A genus name is always capitalized. \*\* Yes, but in the thread title and in most of the posts it’s being spelled with **one** “n,” which is a variant of the spelling I can’t find on [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com). ---
**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/70 "2002-09-15T19:15:05Z")
Regarding **Chronos** ’s well-founded skepticism about the power of the .460 Weatherby Magnum, I have a few qualifications to add. First, the muzzle energy is around 8,000 ft-lbs. It really does abuse the shooter, but recoil absorption pads and muzzle brakes, combined with the different impulse on the shooter as compared to the target, the person firing the weapon can sort of ride the shot. Think of it this way: 8,000 ft-lbs delivered through a thumb-sized chunk of lead, or 8,000 ft-lbs acting through 220 lbs of shooter and gun after mediation through muzzle brake and padding. Nevertheless, it takes a very stout person to fire a big game rifle like that. Now consider the target: an African elephant weighs from 11,000 to 14,000 pounds. I can shove it with 8,000 ft-lbs (that’s 10.85 kilojoules). With that kind of oomph, you may not actually physically shove the elephant to the ground, but you may convince him he needs a brief lie-down before he gets on with things. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/71 "2002-09-15T20:09:40Z")
Use the Thagomizer. Named for the late Thag Simmons, of course. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/72 "2002-09-15T23:18:17Z")
I’d want a BFG. The old version, not one of those pansy auto-fire versions. Or possibly a Redeemer. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/73 "2002-09-15T23:49:46Z")
The end of the mesozoic era… A-10 pilot **Triskadecamus** is unusually jittery! He now knows he has more to fear than Tyrannosaurs! Now he faces an even Greater Danger… **[TYRANNOSAURS IN F-14’S!!!](http://www.calvinandhobbes.com)** ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/74 "2002-09-16T01:59:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElvisL1ves \* > \*\*Use the Thagomizer. Named for the late Thag Simmons, of course. \*\* Amazing how many of my relatives got honorable mentions by Gary Larson … Flertbert has a good point, by the way. Nothing ticks off a T-Rex like somebody misspelling his name. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/75 "2002-09-16T02:30:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Gaspode \* > What about that thingie Bruce Willis used in the new version of _The Jackal_? It was a ZSU-somthing from a Russian fighter plane. I going to place my vote for any of the Barrett Rifle company’s .50 cal rifle products: the [http://www.barrettrifles.com/](http://www.barrettrifles.com/) They’re portable and they can shoot through a school. Perfect weapon of choice for those young Turok’s out there. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/76 "2002-09-16T02:48:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*[Ah-Nuld]Plasma rifle with 40-watt range.[/Ah-nuld] \*\* “Hey, pal, only what ya see.” There was a very bad movie a number of years back, some sort of idiot 80’s science adventure movie, in which three idiots successfully kill a tyrannosaurus with a grenade launcher. While a tyrannosaurus is a big bastard, I would imagine a grenade launcher would make a pretty big hole in one’s chest. Screw the head shot; aim for center mass. The world’s biggest dinosaur can’t move without a functioning heart and lungs. Anyone else remember this film? ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/77 "2002-09-16T04:06:22Z")
“Use your harpoons and tow cables…go for the legs! It may be the only hope we’ve got of stopping them…!” ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/78 "2002-09-16T06:02:36Z")
**RickJay** : Would that be [My Science Project](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0089652)? ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/79 "2002-09-16T06:17:46Z")
Meteors have a history of working against a wide variety of giant reptiles, with (discounting the Loche Ness=dino theories) 100% effectiveness. BTW, anyone have a link to the .50 Browning **I Am Spartacus** mentioned? The one Navy Seals use? I’m familliar with the Browning .30 cal (which I think ceased common use after the Korean war), and I’m familliar with the M2 .50 cal, I have even some familliarity with the Barret .50, but I have never seen this Browning .50 cal before. How is it light enough to be a SEAL weapon? Is it a crew served weapon or what? On a serious tip, a LAW would do it I’m fairly certain. Hell, all you need to do is take out one leg and the thing will thrash about a bit and die. The idea of using a grenade launcher I’m a bit skeptical on, most grenade rounds are not designed for penetration, and while T-Rex hide might not be armor plate I’m sure it’s tougher than leather armor. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410/80 "2002-09-16T08:27:39Z")
Well, if you’ve got the agility and acrobatic skills of Lara Croft (boobs optional), you can apparently take out one with nothing more than a pair of pistols. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-weapon-should-i-use-to-hunt-a-tyranosaur/128410.md?page=5)