Mountain Lion Defensive Pistol

[156256Hunter]

So if you were limited to a .45acp or 9mm pistols, +p rated. Do you think this ammo would be a good choice ? 4.5-5" barrels . I've been looking for some SWCs to see how well they feed. I know my LCP doesn't like SWCs but thinking they might run fine in other pistols. What do you prefer ?

View attachment 462056 View attachment 462057

I've run the 255 gr Buffalo Bore without a hiccup through a Sig P220 carry (with new recoil spring and oiled slide rails).

I'll take 255 grains in a .45 cal over 147 grains any day, although theoretically with the 9's larger mag capacity (and assuming you have time to take multiple shots) the total amount of lead down the pipe in the 9 could be greater than a 45

 

[Vendor Hidden]

I know everyone is talking about the most effective firearm for killing the attacking kitty, but my theory is threefold:

1. I usually hike with two big 125lb doggies, which I hope will act as cat repellent.
2. If the kitty attack is a surprise (the usual M.O. for cougars) and my dogs don't help, then I'll probably not have much of a chance at all, in which case it was nice knowing you all.
3. But if the kitty gives her presence away, I'll have my .45 with me, so if I can I'll shoot but still probably miss out of sheer panic, so at the very least, I want something frickin' loud, because scaring it away is probably my best shot for survival.

So if situational awareness and big dogs fail me, I'm putting my hopes in Something Loud, with a potential hit with a .45 slug as a bonus, but that's secondary because it's really all about LOUD.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I practice a "dog drill" with my handguns, where I turn and draw on a low-set target, one-handed.

I've heard from a couple of people the big cats have very thin bones and can be killed with 9mm. I'm not a hunter, so take that for what you will. I still carry .357 Mag in the woods.

I personally have seen them killed with a .22 LR to the head. I have not done so, and personally, since I always carry a 9mm, I would probably go with 9mm. Though for the one in my neighborhood at night I sometimes carry a bond arms .410 loaded with pdx1.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I know everyone is talking about the most effective firearm for killing the attacking kitty, but my theory is threefold:

1. I usually hike with two big 125lb doggies, which I hope will act as cat repellent.
2. If the kitty attack is a surprise (the usual M.O. for cougars) and my dogs don't help, then I'll probably not have much of a chance at all, in which case it was nice knowing you all.
3. But if the kitty gives her presence away, I'll have my .45 with me, so if I can I'll shoot but still probably miss out of sheer panic, so at the very least, I want something frickin' loud, because scaring it away is probably my best shot for survival.

So if situational awareness and big dogs fail me, I'm putting my hopes in Something Loud, with a potential hit with a .45 slug as a bonus, but that's secondary because it's really all about LOUD.

Well, don't forget @Ura-Ki 's story about how his brother filled one with lead while it was mauling him and Ura-Ki scraped it off him with a .308 to the head.
loud is overrated probably

 

[Vendor Hidden]

Well, don't forget @Ura-Ki 's story about how his brother filled one with lead while it was mauling him and Ura-Ki scraped it off him with a .308 to the head.
loud is overrated probably

Yep. Life is a risk. We place our bets and takes our chances.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yep. Life is a risk. We place our bets and takes our chances.

Lol, you shoulda all capped that.

 

[titsonritz]

I'd carry the same thing as usual, a Glock 19.

 

[The Heretic]

I practice a "dog drill" with my handguns, where I turn and draw on a low-set target, one-handed.

I've heard from a couple of people the big cats have very thin bones and can be killed with 9mm. I'm not a hunter, so take that for what you will. I still carry .357 Mag in the woods.

 

[Ura-Ki]

The problem with small cal pistols is not penetration, it's damage to the internals! Now combine that with a large Predator who is so focused on the kill instinct and hate and adrenalin and you are not going to be as effective and you should be, and by the time you realise your in a fight for your life, that large Predator is already chewing on you, trying to remove the parts that you need to defend your self! By what happened with my Brother, 15 rounds of 147 gr 9 MM hollow point were fired with 12 connecting with the cat, they didn't slow that cat down one bit, and while several were most likely lethal, none stopped him cold! And my Bro has some serious scars to prove the point!

 

[RVTECH]

15 rounds of 147 gr 9 MM hollow point were fired with 12 connecting with the cat, they didn't slow that cat down one bit,

Man that must have been terrifying ! When and where did this take place?

 

[Ura-Ki]

2003 up above the Ape Caves on Mt. Saint Helens! I didn't even feel any thing until the Air National Guard picked him up and was walking back to the truck with a couple of Deputies and it really hit me then! Worse was having to call his Wife and tell her the news!

 

[MrMillspecer]

Hunting Mountain Lion with a Dan Wesson 1911 - CZ-USA

This guy shot a treed cat one time with a 45acp. and said it was dead before it hit the ground.

 

[MrMillspecer]

My parents close friend lives in Homer Alaska but used to hunt Lions and Bear with hound dogs here in Oregon when it was legal. I will ask him if I get a chance. I don't think he used a cannon but not sure . His dogs has GPS trackers I remember him saying. And sounds like a wild night hunting them. He's a fun guy for sure.

 

[MrMillspecer]

The problem with small cal pistols is not penetration, it's damage to the internals! Now combine that with a large Predator who is so focused on the kill instinct and hate and adrenalin and you are not going to be as effective and you should be, and by the time you realise your in a fight for your life, that large Predator is already chewing on you, trying to remove the parts that you need to defend your self! By what happened with my Brother, 15 rounds of 147 gr 9 MM hollow point were fired with 12 connecting with the cat, they didn't slow that cat down one bit, and while several were most likely lethal, none stopped him cold! And my Bro has some serious scars to prove the point!

Glad you both survived that one. Dam !

 

[Ura-Ki]

Of the few close encounters i have had with large predators, that's the one that still gives me nightmares! Hell, the big coastal brown I dropped at 10 yards didn't frighten me near as much as that damn cat! And that bear could have ended any of us with one swat of his massive paws!

 

[MrMillspecer]

The history on how Ape Canyon on Mt. St. Helen's got it name is interesting. Miners attacked by hairy ape men n 1924.

1924 - Ape Canyon

 

[Certaindeaf]

Of the few close encounters i have had with large predators, that's the one that still gives me nightmares! Hell, the big coastal brown I dropped at 10 yards didn't frighten me near as much as that damn cat! And that bear could have ended any of us with one swat of his massive paws!

Elmer Keith tells a story about how he met a freaking uppity bobcat on a mountain ledge or something and that put the fear in him more than anything in his life.

 

[Geardo]

Hunting Mountain Lion with a Dan Wesson 1911 - CZ-USA

This guy shot a treed cat one time with a 45acp. and said it was dead before it hit the ground.

View attachment 462191

Yep. Aimed broadside fire is a lot more effective than panicked front shots.

 

[Geardo]

Of the few close encounters i have had with large predators, that's the one that still gives me nightmares! Hell, the big coastal brown I dropped at 10 yards didn't frighten me near as much as that damn cat! And that bear could have ended any of us with one swat of his massive paws!

How did the attack happen? It charged? Or sneak attack?

 

[coyote223]

I carry a .44 mag revolver. I run trailcams, and know for a fact a cougar and bears runs the same trail as me. I've never seen them. Attacks are pretty rare, but always pack some heat,,,