Bullet Type

H

haymaker

New member
When hiking with only a handgun for protection against 4 legged furry creatures what weight and bullet type do you consider? Right now my choice of trail guns include .357mag, .45acp, or .45 colt. I think mountain lion is the biggest critter I have to worry about.
 
Although mountain lions are thin skinned and don't require a cannon to kill, my preference would still be the 45 LC. Probably something around a 250gr. hardcast bullet. Simply cause I like the round.

But all on your list would work.
I guess it would boil down to which you shoot best.
 
Flat point would penetrate farther, a hollow point would create a larger cavity. Cougars have fairly thin skin IIRC, so both would work, but i'm no expect on that.

in 45 ACP, i carry a 255gr +P hard cast bullet(HFN) from Buffalo Bore.

I carry my 45 ACP over my .357, even though the .357 packs a bigger punch. Why? Because I'm dead nuts accurate with that .45. Once i get up to that skill level with the 357, then i'll start carrying that when hiking. All three of those calibers will take care of business(in your situation) if you place the bullet where you need to.
 
Whichever you can hit best with. Odds are, the noise of the muzzle blast will be as effective as a hit for ending an encounter.

Anyhow, a hard cast bullet from the .357 will work. Natch, if a .357 will do, so would the .45 Colt.

If you're handloading for the .45ACP, odds are that the old standby IPSC load would work, with the 200-grain SWC--but maybe up a bit at 900 ft/sec.

It's not uncommon for a cougar to follow along and watch a hiker, but most of the time it's curiosity. As long as you're at least casually watching your six o'clock, no problem. An erect human is not shaped right to be obvious prey.

Most problems in Big Bend National Park have come about from a sudden encounter with a cougar who apparently wasn't listening for approaching humans. Mutual startlement, apparently, coupled with an absence of fear of humans.
 
Flat point would penetrate farther, a hollow point would create a larger cavity
Click to expand...

+1

Hollow points would be fine against a cat. Not the best against a heavier built, heavier boned animal such as a bear.
On animals such as bear you want a larger caliber hardcast bullet that will penetrate heavy flesh, crush through heavy bone and exit the bear all while staying intact and not fragment like many of the popular quick expanding SD hollow point rounds will do...

...Or...

...You want what the industry refers to as a 'Premium' bullet that has very controlled expansion, has deep penetration will retain most of it's weight and still exit the bear.

Below are a couple good reads on bullets, their designs and how they react:

www.bearhunting.com/pages/bear-hunting/info/guns-and-loads

www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.firearms
 
I've shot a lot of large critters with a 357, mostly moose. Penetration is critical. I found the 158 LSWC works best.

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In my neck of the woods, bears and mtn lions are the tops of the heap.

I use a .40 and alternate JHP and flat nose.

It's the heaviest that I shoot well.
 
I'd go with the .45LC depending on what type revolver you're using. A Colt or one of the clones might be iffy due to strength. One of the Rugers would probably be best with my choice being the 5.5" Bisley on the Super Blackhawk frame. Then you could use John Linebaugh's data from his site.

http://www.customsixguns.com/

If your Colt chambered gun is one of the weaker guns, a favored load I use is 14.0 gr. of #2400 with a 158 gr. cast bullet. (Lyman #358156.) In the .45 I use the RCBS #45-255-FN. I'm not too fond of very hard cast bullets. Straight wheel weight metal is hard enough.
Normally I carry a 4.5" Ruger Super Black Hawk in .44 Magnum using Elmer Keith's pet load of 22.0 gr. of #2400 and his 250 gr. Lyman 429241. I've taken a few deer with the .44 Mag. and that short Super B is the lightest of the bunch.
Paul B.
 
If a cougar were the largest animal I were concerned about I would use the same bullet and gun I'd use for protection against humans. The heavier bullets and hardcast wadcutters help with penetration when using a gun marginal for the job. Which all handguns are for large predators. A cougar is no larger nor harder to stop than a human, if you hit it. That would seem to be the hardest part.
 
When I was camping and scouting for elk in central Colorado, I carried a SuperBlackhawk 4 5/8" loaded with 240 grain HP handloads. Most likely encounter would have been cougar or black bear-both of which are more moderate sized than Grizzly or brown bears. That was the reason I chose a 240HP rather than JSP or hard cast.
When I was camping in Montana just north of Jellystone, I was more worried about griz and carried 245 hard cast SWC.
 
For caliber. What ever your most comfortable with carrying and most competent with. In a tight spot its all about quickness and shot placement. Having a Big bore along and unable to group its bullets under a hurried situation leave's its shooter vulnerable. In the heat of the moment I want to see my everyday carry piece in my hand. That's called confidence under pressure.
 
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