Mountain Lion Defensive Pistol

[PaulB47]

I talked to a fellow engineer at a company I worked at once, who told me he was out bowhunting, sitting on a log. He got this funny feeling, turned and saw a lion walking down the log toward him. He put an arrow into it, that did the trick.

There was a lion around my home (a few miles S of Hillsboro) a couple years ago. I didn't see it but a couple neighbors did. I suspect he was taken care of by one of the shooters in the neighborhood (of which we have several) because he's not here any more.

 

[etrain16]

Two words: Carl Akeley

1896, attacked by a cheetah and killed it with his bare hands. The cat had a hold of one hand and doing some serious damage to Mr. Akeley. Since he couldn't get his gun, Mr. Akeley shoved his hand further down the cat's mouth, into it's throat and choking it from the inside. He was also trampled by an elephant and survived. Known as the father of modern taxidermy. Definitely a different class of bad-a$$

 

[bbbass]

Two words: Carl Akeley

1896, attacked by a cheetah and killed it with his bare hands. The cat had a hold of one hand and doing some serious damage to Mr. Akeley. Since he couldn't get his gun, Mr. Akeley shoved his hand further down the cat's mouth, into it's throat and choking it from the inside. He was also trampled by an elephant and survived. Known as the father of modern taxidermy. Definitely a different class of bad-a$$

Can't be. Must be Photoshopped... Cheetah never attacked anyone when I watched him with Tarzan.

 

[etrain16]

Can't be. Must be Photoshopped... Cheetah never attacked anyone when I watched him with Tarzan.

Cheetah got messed up with the crack after the show ended

 

[salmonriverjohn]

And what became of Jie?
By the way, that sure looks like a young leopard in the pic, I
Could be wrong though?

 

[Garg]

I'm still laughing out loud.... shoot your buddy in the leg with a .22 and run

 

[bbbass]

And what became of Jie?
By the way, that sure looks like a young leopard in the pic, I
Could be wrong though?

That would seem more natural, but it is built like a cheetah. I think...

 

[Martini_Up]

while riding, G40.

while hiking, sp101

 

[bbbass]

And what became of Jie?
By the way, that sure looks like a young leopard in the pic, I
Could be wrong though?

I think you are right... Cheetah:


Leopards (look at the spot patterns and compare):


Just found this at The Field Museum: "It was also on this trip that Akeley would come face to face with a deadly 80 pound leopard in Somaliland. After strangling it with his bare hands, Akeley would pose with it resulting in his most iconic photo."... Sorry etrain16!

 

[PaulB47]

Wow, he strangled a leopard? That man had some hard bark on him...

 

[Stealth-X]

To OP. I have a friend who hikes a lot and wanted a lightweight weapon for similar protection. My recommendation is a Glock 33 which is the sub-compact .357 SIG. If you're comfortable with more weight, just go up in size (Glock 32 compact or 31 full-size).

.357 SIG gets my vote because I don't like revolvers and 10mm is too big for many to hold (longer round/bigger grip vs small hands). .357 SIG fits normal size grips (9mm/.40) and has the punch of one of the most trusted and proven high-power pistol rounds (.357 magnum).

Regards,
Nate

 

[best defense]

I noticed that in the original post you did not mention whether or not you already own or carry some kind of side arm.
If we were to guess that means that you do not, it would appear that you are a novice hand gunner.
I read most of the posts above and noticed that many of them suggested large caliber hand guns. While those would definitely be effective in a scenario where you are under attack from a mountain lion, they would not be the best choice for a novice shooter, especially in a tense situation.
Several years ago I had a cougar stalking me. I was able to chase it off without firing a shot. Not that I didn't want to shoot it, I did, but I didn't have a cougar tag, and I try to be an ethical hunter.
All this aside, considering that you will be carrying this weapon a great deal more than you will be shooting it, I would recommend a firearm that is light enough to carry all the time but with enough firepower to stop a serious threat. Something along the lines of a polymer framed semi auto in a caliber that many police dept.s around the world are using. My first choice would be a 9MM. I know there are larger calibers in this type of hand gun, but they all come with the mandatory recoil associated with those larger calibers. You cannot get one without the other. After that, don't just put it in a holster and go for a walk in cougar territory. Learn as much as you can about the weapon, Shoot it a lot and become proficient with it on paper targets to start with. After that, see if you can get some training in defensive shooting. I will not recommend a shooting school here. There are several around the country. Some of them are more macho styled than others, and if what you really want is defensive training, you will need to sort thru the bullbubblegum to find a class that will teach what you want, not how to be a ninja warrior with a hand gun.

I hope you enjoy your walk in the woods.

 

[aksu747]

I vote .45 LC +P or .45 ACP +P(or maybe +P+)
With a heavy bullet moving 1,000 to 1,200 feet per second,shouldn't be too hard to make quick follow up shots with either round if needed and the +P's can really put a hurting on a Cougar or Bear.(seen Bear taken with regular pressure .45LC)
Even in a lighter weight gun .45 acp is imo very easy to control and get back on target,unlike a .357 magnum with a 2" to 2.5" barrel.
I've shot some +P+ 230 grain reloads out of my 1911 and a Glock 30,you definately feel like you are shooting something powerful but recoil was still very managedable to me still felt like less recoil than .40 S&W.

 

[cmica]

dont know about down there up here, up here anything bigger than a .22

 

[Xyda Go Mon]

'Spent the better part of my hiking days in the mountains of southern Arizona. There are lots of mountain lions there. I've had several encounters with cougars and my brother was chased by one while he was running down a hill, not knowing the cougar was behind him. When he stopped running and faced the cat, the cat stopped chasing. He had a .41 magnum in his hand...never fired. Cat went on it's merry way.

My encounters with Cougars have always been very brief as they were quickly departing the scene.

In twenty years of records in the state of Arizona, there were no records of mountain lion attacks. That's not saying it doesn't happen but it's usually a case of encroachment. About 18 years ago there were some issues in the Gresham area due to lots of construction and human encroachment.

I've come to a conclusion that cats really want nothing to do with humans unless humans are feeding them or playing like a mouse (running away); after all, they're cats. The sound of a .22 short pistol or a blank-gun for that matter, would be enough to scare off a big cat... And I'm not suggesting either of these to defend yourself.

Carry whatever you would carry in town. There's really nothing out there in the woods more dangerous than your local tweaker.

Weather you're out hiking or getting groceries, it is many times more likely that you will encounter terrorists, tweakers or other criminals than mountain lions, in fact if you happen to see a lion, consider yourself lucky and take lots of pictures.

 

[brian niziol]

12 gauge shotgun. First 2 rounds rifled slugs and the last 3 buckshot. I am not up on modern pistols but I owned a browning high power in 9mm 40 years ago and I have serious doubts about the stopping power of that round. But with modern ammo who knows. Do not take short cuts when it comes to your life. You are only going to get one chance if the worst happens.

 

[michael taylor]

I do my share of hiking and was just wondering.
Considering that a mountain lion around these parts might weigh up to 120lbs, what would you suggest for an occasional day hike?

In the mountains of Idaho I spend alot of time in a huckleberry patch late summer. I carry a .45. When it comes to cats and bears a side arm is like an engine...... there is no replacement for displacement.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

Wow, he strangled a leopard? That man had some hard bark on him...

I looked him up on Google and is fairly famous and tough as nails. Was in Teddy Roosevelt's African Safari, got stomped by an elephant, practically invented the art of real life taxidermy, invented the pancake movie camera and more. Has his own wing of the American Museum Of Natural History.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Having read many, and I do mean many of the OP's posts in the past I've come to the conclusion that he has plenty of experience with handguns.
He has onces again started a conversation to get us in a conversation,, and we have all bitten upon the proverbial hook

 

[ocarolan]

In twenty years of records in the state of Arizona, there were no records of mountain lion attacks. That's not saying it doesn't happen but it's usually a case of encroachment.

This. No suspected cougar deaths in OR/WA for the past 20 years to my knowledge. Even for the "problem" states, just one or two adult attacks. So no need to worry unless you're a midget.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America

Two-legged predators, rabid critters, even angry livestock all worth carrying against though.