what calibre for bulls?

Don’t know never shot a cow, 270 would probably do it, but just to be safe go with 50 MBG

difficult... I would probably go with a 45-70 or something similar.Nearly caused the extinction of the buffalo...Seems like it would take care of the odd bull?

The humane way would be tranquilizer dart gun then take them cows to humane society or local butcher shop they know how to do it right

The humane way would be tranquilizer dart gun then take them cows to humane society or local butcher shop they know how to do it right

Click to expand...

This is my preferred method for whitetail hunting as well.

Okay I am trying to figure this one out. I run a butcher shop most of my life and just how big a bull you talking about here. I have done many of them with a 22 long rifle if they are not much more then a year old but once they get a bit older their head seems to get harder. I have used a 22 Hornet with great sucess but believe me shooting one in a closed in buliding is a treat. I also use a Blitz gun with no faliures but of course you have to touch it to its head to work.
If your out side and useing stocks also then a 12 gauge works as good as anything also.Since a 22Hornet works then anything else works as well that is bigger except for some reason the reloads a freind gave me for a 44Mag that have cast lead bullets in a Ruger Super Blackhawk. Was amazed that they didn't work well but in a rifle they work fine.

22 LR that’s execution style shot, right down the ear, but it works… I just like pistol for that kind job, 9mm. I think what interlock is looking for is long shot, with 22 LR you need to get close and dirty.

KenWP not trying to call you out or anything, but the .44 mag didn't do it? Were they light loads?

I done ascribe to the scientific brew ha ha, but I do have practical experiance.

I brain shoot Caribou swimming in the river with a shot of Remington .22LR
Ive shot hundreds. Its not easy shooting a moving Caribou from a moving boat. My wife really has the skills that kills ......between the ears and its Sudden Death. No sick, no wounded , none get away that you want, its a harvest....and fall time at that.

Fact is Caribou bunch up while crossing water and shooting them like that keeps bullets from passing through the head and wounding others, as we have looked them over and decided which ones to harvest. it also keeps the ricochets to a minimum, if your hunting with two boats.


Ive seen several cattle in Montana killed with a .22LR in the same back of the head shootin'.
The Bull Bovine I saw shot were in a pen, eating grain, heads down.
I eat Beef because I HATE Cows.

Long shot??? .223 in the proper place is deadly enough to use on Humans, the apex predator........Eskimos do just fine with that round, it is very popular here.

Then there is "The" Round that all cartridges are compared to....the 30-06..........

If you cant kill it with a 30-06, you should hide.

22LR will do it

We butcher 4 steers every year and shoot them in the head with a 22 LR. Just make an X between the eyes and the ears and shoot at the intersection. They drop like a sack of potatoes.

If you cant kill it with a 30-06, you should hide.

Click to expand...

LMAO! pretty much says it all there!

The butcher who picks up our beef every year shoots them between the eyes and up an inch with a 22wmr, for bulls or cows that just won't stand still or are agressive he head shoots them with a 30-30. I asked about body shots and he said if you heart shoot a full grown beef it will run just like a deer for 50+ yards and destroy fences and barn walls. Its amazing how fast a cow will hit the ground with its feet in the air when he head shoots them with that 22wmr.

I am writing a polict about use of firearms for humane dispatch.

Click to expand...

Humane dispatch would suggest shooting them in the head, not with a 140 grain 6.8 expanding bullet in the body.

I agree with the .22 to the head as I've seen my dad dispatch a lot of butcher cattle & hogs with his .22 WRF Winchester pump. That is dependent on getting a shot straight-on from above, and would not work so well from the side or at a glancing angle.

Once when I was a boy, we had an outbreak of hoof & mouth in our area of Kansas.
Large herds of Hereford cattle were slaughtered and buried in large pits with D-8 Cat's to prevent the disease spreading out of control.

Those guys, mostly gov. veterinarians, all used Model 94 30-30 Win's, and one head shot each dropped them DRT right where they stood.

Thats about as humane as it can get.

rc

.45-70 Or .500S&W, head shot.

since they seem to be fond of dropping landmines all in the field. (just kidding) If you don't have to worry about backdrop, use hardcast of fmj to the head. I just had 2 158grain .357 semijacket soft point bounce off a gators head when hit with a bangstick. The 38 special fmj went straight thru.

Not sure what you mean by humane dispatch. I have had no experience killing cattle, but some experience running from them when entering their pasture. Damn they are fast.
If you mean killing one in a pen then I think the subject has been well addressed by those with experience. If you mean killing one that is roaming free with a bad temper, then I would feel more comfortable with more than a 22 hornet. I would use a 270 minimum.

45 colt with a 255 grain slug and 40 grains of BP is proven for bull from a peace maker.
for an unhappy bull, the only thing that will work in a shot to the brain that destroys the maximum amount of brain tissue in the shortest time possible. therefor, it needs to be big, messy, powerful and easy to aim when your trying to relearn muscle control in squishy pants with a 1200 pound bull trying to kill you.

I think the .45-70 would get the job done just fine. Using a .30-06 or .308 would probably be overkill...I don't understand why the .44 magnum wouldn't work...

Humane dispatch would suggest shooting them in the head, not with a 140 grain 6.8 expanding bullet in the body.

I agree with the .22 to the head as I've seen my dad dispatch a lot of butcher cattle & hogs with his .22 WRF Winchester pump. That is dependent on getting a shot straight-on from above, and would not work so well from the side or at a glancing angle.

Once when I was a boy, we had an outbreak of hoof & mouth in our area of Kansas.
Large herds of Hereford cattle were slaughtered and buried in large pits with D-8 Cat's to prevent the disease spreading out of control.

Those guys, mostly gov. veterinarians, all used Model 94 30-30 Win's, and one head shot each dropped them DRT right where they stood.

Thats about as humane as it can get.

rc

Click to expand...

+1

I would prefer larger than 30-30 in a pasture setting. For a Bull then I would prefer a 45-70 or 338 win.

Cattle kill more people per year than bears. Keep that in mind.

if a .22 behind the ear doesn't work, a 357 bang stick like they use for gators will work just fine

Just the thing:

http://www.nrvoutdoors.com/HUMANE KILLERS/BANG.htm

interlocks criteria include "enraged bulls", which are thus presumably *charging you*. We're not talking about slaughterhouse kills. Therefore the parameters should probably be about like any other dangerous game parameters, or a smidge less - something like minimum of 350 grains of hardcast lead moving at least 2,300 fps, with at least 4,000 ft-lbs of energy. Give or take. And 2 barrels or controlled feeding.

Thinking about it, a charging Bull actually presents quite the "Human Dispatch" target.........between the eyes and an inch up, eh?

Thats about the only time a .22lr would be viable in defence against such......... Also a larger set of balls in your shorts than that Bull has would help. .......alot....

If it were a flanking shot, and most likely would be, my M-39 Mosin with 147 gr Czeck LPS FMJ's, would be the choice, and Id bust his neck.

I opine that "Human Dispatch" and "enraged Bull" arn't even on the same page.
"Humane dispatch" is only a gentle way of saying that I'm a Human, doing the killing

Why are 30-06 shells so damn expensive??

I thought of the caliber and I think 12 gauge riffled barrel shotgun with 385 grain sabot slugs in 3” shell which produce 1900 fps muzzle velocity this load will put down any bull or cow, if it requires there are semi auto shotguns, since these are riffled barrels accuracy is guaranteed to 150 – 200 yards

An older friend of mine grew up on an extremely large ranch in the south east during the 1950's-70's. The property was (and still is) famous for its cattle and crops. My friend's father was the foreman for the ranch, so he had full access his entire, young life. From the time my friend was a teenager, he worked as a cow hand on the property. Part of his job was feeding the owners family, guests, and employees. When hunting season was not in, they relied heavily on "wild" cattle. Typically, these wild cattle were steers or bulls that had seperated from the heards. Most of these animals very seldom saw people and were as wild as cattle can get. The ranch was comprised of many "pastures" ranging in excess of over 20,000+ acres in size each. This can be considered large, by even Texas standards and its not anywhere near Texas. If the pastures had a fence, it was only on the borders. There were no cross fences, so they cattle pretty much had a huge range.
Now remember, my buddy was a cow hand that just worked on the property and did not have much money to spend on guns when he was a teenager. After hunting these cows for years, his gun of choice was a model 700 in .270 Win with a 3-9 Redfield. Not your typical "DG Gun" but its all he had and it worked very well for over 20 years. His bullet of choice was the good ole' Remington 150 grain, round nose core-lokt. According to him, he killed over 100 of these wild steers and bulls and never had a problem with his combination of caliber and bullet at ranges from a few feet to a hundred yards or so. He says the round nose, .270 penetrated very well and always smashed the vitals. I could go on about charges, close encounters, and other stories but my buddy says he had the time of his life doing this and still is convinced that he had the "perfect" setup.
As we banter back and forth over the ideal cartridge combination, remember something like this. Its all my friend had and he made it work well for a long time.