Will .40 S&W, specifically 180gr Hydra-Shoks out of a Beretta 96, be effective in stopping a mountain lion and/or black bear? Also, what about .380 ACP JSPs from a Bersa .380? 7.62x25 from a CZ-52? .38 +P out of a snubby revolver? .45 ACP? Other ideas/guns for under $150 that would be effective are also appreciated.
Oh GOD, not this again!
I'm no expert, have never hunted black bear or cougar, but just on the basic principle of relative size...
The typical black bear runs from 120-600 lbs (though the current record is around 800 lbs). They are sheeted in fur then fat then muscle, all of which -can- act as a sort of ballistic armor to one extent or another. They are strong and fast. They are also kinda lazy and generally NON-aggressive towards humans so if you get one that puts effort into coming after you then it's probably feeling pretty determined and that "deadly focus", while impossible to quantify in scientific terms, can significantly increase the difficulty of putting a bear down.
The typical cougar weighs in at about 150 lb (the current record holder was something like 282 lbs). They, like most cats, prefer to stalk and ambush. Although I have read many accounts of ranged kills on cougar, I have also read several accounts of contact/melee kills.
Anything that would work on a human will probably be equally as effective on a cougar. The bear probably takes a little more doing though. The possibility of -contact- combat with the cougar makes me think "six for sure" (I.E. a revolver) and trying to cover both cougar AND bear makes me think "MAGNUM".
So in summary...
.40 S&W - Cougar yes, bear...pretty Iffy but possible.
.380 ACP JSP - Nope, I don't think so but could be wrong as I don't know this round very well.
7.62x25 from a CZ-52 - Now that's an interesting one, maybe, but I don't think so.
.38 +P out of a snubby revolver - Much like the CZ, maybe but I wouldn't want to depend on it, especially against a bear.
.45 ACP - Cougar yes, bear maybe.
Other ideas/guns for under $150 that would be effective are also appreciated.
I have nothing else to add to that, if I were preparing to tangle with either/both of these critters I'd ramp my budget up a LOT (say $600-800). You may not like that answer but there it is.