Will a .22 LR take a cougar?

[OregonJohnny]

I'm of the opinion that a healthy cougar would be easily discouraged by 1 or 2 direct hits from a .22, as long as he is not already on top of you trying to make a killing bite to your neck.

Now, an unhealthy, old, injured or rabid cougar might have just a bit more desperation to get some easy food. And this is most likely the type of cougar that would come after a full grown adult human. I saw a show recently on the Discovery channel about a rabid cougar that slowly walked up to a boy in broad daylight surrounded by the boy's family and just gently put a paw on the boy's shoulder and then put his mouth over the boy's head. Screaming and throwing things and panic from all the nearby adults did nothing to scare it off. An uncle grabbed his Glock (looked like a 9mm from the interview footage) from his truck and killed it. My woods gun in the wilds of northwest Oregon is a Ruger GP100 .357 loaded with 180-grain solids. It will easily handle self-defense duties from the 4 dangerous critters we have here: black bears, cougars, rabid coyotes or feral dogs, and meth-addicts. I could carry my Redhawk .44 magnum but it's not necessary.

If enough research was done, you could probably find documented cases of almost all animals on the North American continent being killed by a .22 caliber firearm. But for many of these creatures, including the cougar, the .357 is a safer choice.

 

[Virginian]

Walter Dalrymple Maitland Bell shot elephants extremely successfully with a .257 Rigby, but you can bet if I ever go to take on one I will be packing something just a mite heavier. I'm not really scared, it's just that I might not be quite as steady with several tons of bad news bearing down on me as old 'Karamojo' was.
Mr. Ruark coined a useful phrase; "Use Enough Gun".

 

[ranger335v]

"Discouraged" by a 22 RF? Perhaps.

One old African Prohunter was once asked what it took to kill an elephant. The PH answered that it could be done with a razor blade if you could find a sufficently patient elephant.

Guess you could eventually kill a cougar with a .22 too, IF he was patient enough. But, it's not for me, not while my .44 M still works anyway.

 

[surjimmy]

22lr

Did'nt read the rest of the posts, so I hope I'm not repeating anything. He's CRAZY!!!!!! I shot a pit bull at about 12yards with a 10/22 using stingers. Hit him right under the left eye. He fell in his tracks, got up and ran off, he came back later that night with no ill effect, never died. (he was my nephew's dog and was loose and my mother wanted him put down so he would'nt bite someone). 357mag or as bigger, why take the chance.

 

[rswartsell]

The good ol' boys who hunt Felis concolor with a single .22 handgun must have their reason. There is a great deal of "sport" (and adrenaline I assume) to hunting dangerous game with handguns of lesser caliber. I have heard some bold stories about hunting wild boar with handguns. I make no judgment about this other than to point out that the OP was apparently talking about DEFENSE if BEING HUNTED by old Felis. Or simply unintentionally putting the animal in a bad spot.

Unless the poster is interested in challenging himself or making the encounter "more sporting" he has absolutely no reason to limit his weapon of choice to the .22. Old Felis has long had a reputation for shyness regarding humans and elusive behavior. However encroachment of natural habitat is rapidly changing the behavior of these animals (i.e. Chicago Police very recently had to put one down in Chicago proper).

If a wounded cat of this size wants to make an issue out of his survival, I can't think of a worse nightmare. The Chicago specimen went 130 pounds. For God's sake use the magnum and leave the .22 to those that are actively seeking the experience.

 

[jaydubya]

"You get one shot at a mountain lion - make it count!"

Many of you seem to assume you would see the mountain lion before it attacked you. Why? They are ambush killers, creeping up behind their prey and springing upon it. Their favorite food is deer, a very fast, very good looker and listener -- indeed far better than any human. On another website, I mentioned that east Indian woodcutters wear masks on the backs of their heads so tigers would think the woodcutters were looking backwards. I went on to suggest that the best defense against mountain lions is a halloween mask worn on the back of the head, with a snubby backup. I was gratified with the response.

Cordially, Jack

 

[mgregg85]

The store owner told me that I "should not worry about a heavy round because a 130 lbs. couger can be taken with a .22 LR (40gr.).

That same store owner probably carries an NAA mini in .22 short as his one and only self defense piece because "thats all you need against a lousy little human".

Thats not what I would want as a primary piece against humans, or cougars(in .22 lr or magnum). Not that its a bad gun but it isn't adequate at all.

The only .22lr I would even think about carrying against a damn cougar would be an American-180.

 

[jughead2]

if a cougar is as hard to kill as feral house cats forget about the .22

 

[chriso]

i thought cougars were black my mistake.

 

[rswartsell]

.357 180 gr. Cor Bon for me.

https://dakotaammo.net/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22_53&products_id=80

 

[CajunBass]

What difference does it make? YOU have a .357. Use it. Anything you can kill with a 22 will be just as dead with a .357.

 

[jim147]

Your 158's should work as would any common personal defense round. Just make sure you can get to your weapon easily.

 

[Ala Dan]

I think the .22 LR would be OK for use on a 130 lb. cougar; but of course
other calibers would be more suitable, such as the .357 magnum for those
shots over 50 yards.

 

[rswartsell]

I was cruising the web for more info on ammunition selection for your purposes and came across this article that will do more to answer the question you posed to the shop owner. I posted in favor of the Cor Bon 180 gr hunting load due to my familiarity and it's proven success in my 6" S & W 686 on deer.

Read this article and then as Jim 147 says, most any defense oriented round might work but you will have food for thought regarding MAXIMIZING your selection. Keep in mind a wild cat is NOT the same as a human felon.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/OtherHandguns.htm


Go to this link and then choose "A Look at Cor Bon 125 gr DPX Ammunition" and read the write up. He discusses the issues pertaining to differences between Hunting and Defense ammunition and talks about the 1 shot stop.

 

[Colt46]

f you have him up a tree with dogs a .22 is fine

If he's mid leap and you don't want to lose any appendages, I'd prefer something a little heavier.

 

[rswartsell]

Your SP101 is not the same as my 6" 686 and you are not hunting the cougar, blood trails mean nothing to you.

As you say you are looking for an immediately disabling shot first time. Should you think about second shots? The recoil of the 180gr Cor Bon will be STOUT to say the least in your SP101.

You do need to think about separation of the bullet components and the effect of striking bone or over penetration. Without over thinking it you need a round that will be immediately effective and that you can shoot comfortably enough for follow up.

If the event can occur at twilight or darker you must consider the extreme muzzle flash from a full house magnum through a 3" bbl. You don't want to be temporarily blinded by your first shot. A wounded animal would have enough advantages to go to a wrestling match in a hurry. In such a case I don't favor your chances. I'm doing this because I sense that you wanted originally to think through ammo selection before the distraction of the .22 came up. Good to do now rather than after.

Many wise posters to this thread have favored keeping the ammo you are already familiar with as ballisticaly sufficient. There is much to be said for that. In the case of dangerous encounters and considering your weapon I would think well and experiment so that you don't opt for thunder and lightning over effectiveness.

 

[scrat]

wouldnt even think about it. i have several .22lr rifles and handguns. They are great for economical shooting and target practice. I hope i am never faced with that situation. but if i was i hope i was holding my Ruger Mark II target pistol and all i could say is i would be aiming for the mid section under the ribs and i would empty the magazine. as i know it would probably just bounce of the ribs or any other bones.

Otherwise you wouldnt catch me up there unless i had one of my .44s or my 45Colt as those fine pieces will shoot through the bone without any forgiveness.

 

[wyocarp]

This is crazy. The whole idea of shooting a lion with a .22 is ridiculous. Why would anyone take the smallest caliber he could think of carrying to dispatch a very dangerous animal. Do you know of the strength of these animals? I do hunt lions and bears and if anything, I error on the side of way too much gun, but isn't that the better side to be on?

I have been charged by mountain lions. I encountered four lions once a few years back and had two of them charge straight at me. Now, because I was bear hunting with my .500's, I had bullets that weren't for thin skinned animals. I put three rounds in one of them, which I was told by a state biologist, that all three rounds went clear through with one passing through the heart, one passing through a lung, and a third through a shoulder.

My last shot on him was when he was right at my feet as he was coming up a very steep hill at me. People can talk about shot placement all they want and on a lion in a tree that might be all fine and good, but when they are running at you, shot placement is hard to get when you have seconds to react.

By the way, three decent shots, although they didn't hit the brain or spine, didn't stop the cat. He mostly bled out over the next 60 feet that he ran after brushing by my leg.

I would not suggest a .22.

 

[scrat]

Wow Wyocarp amazing. amazing. Yep i guess thats why if im carrying a handgun i would not be carrying anything smaller than a .44.

 

[wyocarp]

I'm of the opinion that a healthy cougar would be easily discouraged by 1 or 2 direct hits from a .22, as long as he is not already on top of you trying to make a killing bite to your neck.

This is not an opinion with experience.

 

[rswartsell]

So between Wyocarp's post and mine, you are looking for a round not only with sufficient power, but with a bullet mounted that is designed for the anatomy of a cougar. You will need to be able to quickly follow up and hit what you are looking at.

Experiment and practice. Find the most load with the best bullet that you can reflexively hit with again and again. (In YOUR gun). You are seeking a round that will expand quickly, and retain it's original weight. Extreme penetration is valuable for a quartering shot on a moose, too much penetration without perfect shot placement in an adrenaline and reflex situation and Wyocarp will attest, things might get interesting.

 

[CSA 357]

I Would Shop Somewhere Else!

 

[Bearhands]

"I Would Shop Somewhere Else!"

and....... listen to someone who has been on the trail and encountered something larger than a chipmunk.

I'm tryin to imagine a 130 pound turkey, or grouse, or squirrel and using a 22.....

I kinda think the round you use should be at least as long or longer than the fangs of the animal.

 

[Master Blaster]

Yes a .22lr will kill a cougar dead as a doornail, no question.
About an hour after it rips you to shreds,

So to recap, cougar attacks you and yours you immediately shoot it with your .22lr, the cougar rips you to shreds, leaves your dead body on the trail, and slinks off to its lair to die.



Personally I would carry a much larger caliber, like say a .44 magnum or a .357 mag insted of the .22lr, because I would rather skip the part where it rips me to shreds and have it die right away.

 

[Diggers]

Hee hee! Another what cal. for blank animal in the woods! YAY!

For Mountain Lion defense a .22 in not appropriate, for hunting with dogs and such a .22 is fine.

.357 is a better choice.

The ammo used for a Mountain Lion seems VERY secondary to the caliber.

This is NOT a very large animal, average size is that of a small to med sized human, so pretty much any .357 ammo is going to penetrate to the vital areas.

Buzz kill reality check

Unless the animal is rabid (and the disease has progressed to the point where the animal has gone crazy, like the instance OregonJohnny sited) it is VERY unlikely you will ever see a Mt. Lion coming for you if it sees you as prey.

I saw a very interesting show on Mt. Lion attacks (on Discovery I think if you are interested), one thing all the attacks had in common was that the victims NEVER saw it coming.

That is THE trade mark of Mt. Lion predation.

This is not to say having a gun is pointless. I'm only pointing out that if you do have a chance to use it, it will most likely be from UNDER the Mt. Lion!!

Something to consider.