[fisherman66]

I've been saving for a used .357 for years, but I've always have some expense come up just before I hit the goal. Well, thanks to a poker tourny that has changed.


Last year we were filling some feeders at the property when my father in-law saw a cougar walking away from a watering tank. At the end of the season one fella took a bobcat (I'm not near as worried about bobcats.)

Well, how comfy would you feel toteing a .357 mag vs. perhaps a .44 mag. A .357 in a 6" medium frame SA cowboy shooter was just under my comfort level a few years ago when a friend brought his collection. I prefered the 38s.

My original plan was to get a GP100 4" and shoot 38s then carry 357 mag cartridges out in the boonies, but that lion was huge. It's paw prints swallowed my palm. I don't care to come in undergunned. I have no experience with 44's. Is it correct to assume all 44 mags can digest the 44 specials? If I go 44m I'd be looking at a much larger RedHawk 9". I apologize for the subjective Q, but I'd like a frame of reference for the recoil data. I'd opt for rubber grips. This gun would triple duty for sure as a home defense gun and possibly a medium game hunting wheeler. I prefer to plink with rifles and particularly .22lr, so I'm looking for pure function, but I'd need to be comfortable enough to practice occasionally.

TIA

[jc2]

Stick with the .357 Magnum. You'll be fine (and it's a better choice for home defence). I've seen the occassional cougar on our place and am perfectly comfortable with a three-inch .357 Magnum stoked with 145-grain Silvertips (though in deer season, it's usually a four-inch stoked with 180-grain Winchester Partition Golds).

[Ala Dan]

for we had a former member (unsure of status now?) from the great state
of Oregon that shot a big cat six times in the stomach area with a .357
magnum, and the cat was still able to attack him. He survived, but then
started carrying a .41 magnum while hunting. Safe to say, I'd go armed
with at least a 5" barrel .44 magnum. :D

[steveno]

that is a shot placement problem and not a caliber problem. a 357 should do just fine. you do not want a deep penetrating bullet because even the biggest cougar is barely a foot thick at the front shoulders

[Vern Humphrey]

You'll notice that people who are likely to have to shoot to save their lives tend NOT to carry big, heavy-recoilling pistols. Controlability is a key issue when the chips are down. For that reason, the .357 Magnum is a better bet -- you'll be able to shoot it better, and get off repeat shots if you need them.

That cougar -- as big as its tracks may be -- is no bigger than a man. Experince with hunting lions convinces me that mountain lions are easier to kill then men (a lot of guides use .22 pistols on treed cats.) And the .357 is a proven man-stopper.

There's nothing wrong with shooting .38 Specials in a .357 Magnum revolver -- I probably fire a hundred .38 Specials for every .357. Just clean the chambers well every now and then, to prevent fouling build up that can interfere with chambering a .357.

One more point -- get adjustable sights. Very few guns will shoot to the same point of aim with both .38 Specials and .357s.

[Wedge]

I would probably say .357 Magnum. It is the caliber I always wished I had purchased as my first handgun.

I have to make the disclaimer that I have never shot a .44 Magnum, but I do have a .45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk that I have shot some very stout loads with and I don't find the recoil that awful - however, I wouldn't want to sit down and shoot them all day either. If you are not a reloader I would not even suggest the .45 Colt though...most of the factory loads are pretty lame (power and accuracy wise).

Accuracy kills not the power of the catridge, so whatever you decide to purchase practice often! A nice .357 mag will serve you for a very long time.

[Vern Humphrey]

More and more these days I tend to carry either a .22 handgun or a .45 Colt when afield. Personally, I like the .45 because I can handload it to virtually any level I like and still have a fairly effective cartridge, even in a plinking load.

But the only handgun I've ever used when my life was at stake was a .357 -- and it did the job very nicely.

[fisherman66]

Thank you for the thoughts. I think I may opt for the .357 6" barrel, not for the juice, but for the sight radius; in leiu of the 4"er. I dropped by a few used and new shops today and found a 10 to 1 ratio of autos to wheelies. Nice ones are hard to find. I think I will have to go new, but I still have a few places to scope out.

Thanks again for the thoughts.

[jc2]

Yep, anymore you have to be in the right place at the right time to pick up a good used revolver. They go fast.

[rick_reno]

I'm not worried about cats - up this way they keep expanding the grizzly bear habitat and I worry about running into one of them. It's no wonder their habitat expands, they keep breeding and appear to have no predators. I just picked up a Ruger Alaskan (45 Colt/454 Casull) for carry - I'd been carrying a 5.5 inch Redhawk in 44 magnum but didn't like the size or weight. We ventured into one of their habitat zones yesterday picking huckleberries and I carried the Alaskan with some FA ammo I have with their 260 grain bullet. My in-laws who live on the edge of that bear protection zone have been warned about avoiding a sow and 2 year old cub that wanders around up there. The little gun carries and shoots great, it's very accurate. It'll be easier to carry once my holster gets here from Simply Rugged in Alaska.

[Standing Wolf]

I'd prefer not to encounter a cougar at all. If I have to, I hope it'll be on a day when I'm carrying a .44 magnum. Sometimes, more is just plain better.

[Vern Humphrey]

I'd prefer not to encounter a cougar at all. If I have to, I hope it'll be on a day when I'm carrying a .44 magnum.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but the way to be sure you'll have it when you need it is to always carry.

[grey9551]

I think I would go to an indoor range that rents revolvers and try out a few different combinations. From what you are saying though I think I would go with the M610 and practice with some 40 S&W and then move up to the 10MM. I would get one with an unfluted 4 inch barrel and it will give you plenty of wight to make shooting very comfortable.

Gary

[Stainz]

I think that the best 'carry' piece for the woods would be the largest revolver caliber with which you are both comfortable and proficient. A particular favorite 'style' is the 'Mountain Gun' series from Smith and Wesson. My first S&W was my 625MG in .45 Colt. While I really love that revolver, I reload - so the .45 Colt rounds are easy for me to find, a definite problem if you don't reload. The .44 Magnum 629MG is a fine choice - you can shoot lower power .44 Specials - and even .44 Russians - from it as well. They are currently available new from S&W dealers - locally ~$570.

The 629MG weighs 39.5 oz and has a tapered 4" tube over a partial lug, is made of SS, and has chamfered cylinder edges so it won't drag if carried in a coat or backpack. Many are offered for sale after six shots - with a partially full box of .44 Magnums... they are a handful with hot loads. I bought a Hoque backstrap-enclosing grip from S&W Accessories ($35) that actually comes on the .500 Magnum (It fits K/L/N/X-frames.) - great addition, my 629MG now launches controllable 180gr SJHP UMC .44 Magnums without my screaming like a girley-man banshee, although the lite nose still rises. I usually keep mine stoked with .44 Special 200gr Gold Dots - available locally from 'Academy Sports' for $12.86/50 - or GA Arms new Starline brass loaded with the same bullets for ~$19/50.

If you feel most comfortable with a .38, by all means get a .357 Magnum - at least a 4" K-frame like a S&W 66. You can stoke it with 158gr LSWC .38 Specials for plinking - the infamous +P rated 'FBI' load 158gr LHPSWC for carry. They should be fine for the cougars, too - with decent shot placement. I bought my first .357 Magnum two years ago for $360 new - from CDNN - a 6" 66. I have seen a few more recently in like new shape at dealer's in gunshows in the $400 range. Another, actually slightly larger, half lug is the new 620 - actually the 66's replacement. These are L-frames with 7-shot cylinders & 4" barrels - ~$490 locally new. Good luck!

Stainz

[Colt46]

Bullet selection would make all the difference. Go for a big game type bullet or hard cast. The .357 might be a little light for larger bears, but mountain lions don't get all that big.

[fisherman66]

A cougar was killed in the adjacent county to our property last year that was over 300lbs (verified by a local newspaper). I'd bet the one we saw was at least half that size and maybe near 200lbs.

As much as I'd like to have a 44 mag when/if I see it; I think the 357 will be more conducive to follow ups.

I appreciate the input.

[CAS700850]

I think it was Clint Smith who said (paraphrasing) that there is no gun too small for carrying, and no gun too big for fighting.

I know it's not real handy, but you might want to think about a long gun. One of the Marlin lever guns in .44 should do just fine.

Of course, saying that, I relied on my 6" Smith 586 last time I was in cougar country. Didn't need to use it. Glad it was there. (It's the biggest handgun in my safe.)

[fisherman66]

I've been carrying a 30/30 near carbine length, but hate to do so to fill feeders or fish. How often do you set your rifle down when doing those type chores? I do all the time. I don't know much about cat behavior, but if I were one I'd wait til my prey stopped moving and turned it's back (that's usually when I am putting the rifle down.)

In addition I'd eventually like to handgun hunt. I think the general consensus (not a foregone conclusion) that a 357 will do fine assuming the hunter does too.

I don't have any hand guns at this point, so it will be a SD/HD one too.

[happy old sailor]

i have never killed a cougar nor do i know anyone who has, but i have killed some housecats, with reason, i love cats. the best medicine is a 12 guage. the .22lr is a powerful little round up close, but is no match for a feral housecat and the cougars i have seen looked like king sized housecats to
me. i was glad they were at distance and going the other way.

there are a few "panthers" around here and i carry a 4" SnW M29 ,44 mag
when out and around. mama bears with cubs is much more likely than cougars. i hope not to try my luck with bear or cat.

not making recommendation one way or another, i just think matching handguns with large carnivors is not good unless it is all you have, remembering both bear and cat are ambushers and you wont get a clear and clean shot. a killing shot does not mean immediate death either.

[countertop]

remembering both bear and cat are ambushers and you wont get a clear and clean shot. a killing shot does not mean immediate death either.

What he said

[black bear]

Much has been say here about the 357 Magnum for cougar and I agree with most of it.
But also agree with happy old sailor, and I have put away my Colt King Cobra 357 with the 4 " barrel to carry a Colt Anaconda 4 " barrel .44 Magnum when I am in the woods.

The reason that many guides prefer to shoot a cougar that is up in a tree with a .22 is that they don't react to the shoot the way they do when they are shoot with a .357.
They fall from the tree and polish one or two dogs before they die!!!

But shoot in the lungs with a .22 they grab the tree and stay put until the lungs are full of blood, and them they die.

We don't have many cougars here, but a few have been sigthed in the Adirondacks where I camp.
I am more concerned with black bears and I protect my campsite with a perimeter alarm and a driveway alert, early warning of their approach is the best way to deal with them.

This is my Bear repellent kit.
By the way, the flashlight is not the regular Maglite 3 D with 39 lumens but my modification that output 951 lumens
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=125447&page=3
When you short circuit the eyes (and brain) of a dark adapted animal with such a powerful light, they don't move (they stop and try to regain visual as they can not move when they are blinded) aumenting your opportunities for a cool deliberated shoot.
Same as when you are approaching a deer in the middle of the road with your car, and the same technique that poachers use, massive amounts of light!!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bearkit.jpg

And if you are considering hunting for Deer with your 357 Magnum you will find here plenty of hunters opposed to such idea.

black bear

[Stainz]

I wanted an Inova T4, which produces a whopping 100 lumens from a super LED powered by a Li-ion battery pack. It comes with a 120VAC and a 12VDC charger - recharges in 3 hr. The battery lasts over 2 hr if fully charged. I found it available from several E-Bay sources for <$100... and it is made in the USA. Unfortunately, comparing it with the 951 lumens of that hopped up MagLite makes it look like a keychain lite!

I don't hunt any more... and most of my camping is behind me. My second bride thinks that 'roughing it' means a queen size bed in a hotel/motel/condo instead of a king size. I have seen black bears before while I was afoot... they are neat animals. Stay away from a momma and her cubs, and you'll probably be fine. Large cats want to chase their prey and knock them down, grabbing their neck or head. Make lots of noise - and look menacing - hands held high. Additionally, if chased, you don't have to be the fastest... just don't be the slowest (I'd miss my wife...).

Stainz

PS Hey, Ala Dan, do you guys carry Inova lights??