Cougar: 308 or 243 ?

[Mathews2000]

Between 308 or 243 for cougar/mountain lion when using dogs? What bullet? Only these two please. I’m trying to be deadly without destroying the fur for a mount.

I’m thinking a monolithic bullet.

 

[IDLassie]

Way over kill for lion in a tree.
If you only have that choice .243.
We used .22 mags.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Def. .243

 

[KurtR]

243 85 tsx try to not hit bone.

 

[WhatToHunt]

Depends if it's a Large Black Cat I suppose.

 

[MattB]

Depends if it's a Large Black Cat I suppose.

They only appear at night so he is safe.

 

[Ralphie]

They only appear at night so he is safe.

That’s because night time is when folks are dreaming

 

[Legend]

22 cal pistol with hollow points....Not joking at all.

 

[Ralphie]

I’ve only shot one, used a 6mm rem. With a 70 Nosler ballistic tip. So very close ballistically to your 243.
Mine wasn’t in a tree.


Of the two choices you asked us to consider theres little doubt either will work fine. I’d take the easiest one to carry on a lion hunt with dogs.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Only shot one about 25 years ago. We used a 357 revolver with 38spcl rounds in it. My dad had a good friend who was big into hunting those, had all the dogs and a truck with a built in dog cage thing. That guy always just took a revolver too.

 

[PathFinder]

They're about equal. Mono isn't necessary but it will work fine. Don't over-analyze it too much.
But definitely ignore the 22 rimfire guys. That BS pops up every time this question is asked. I'd venture few if any have ever killed a lion, much less over their own pack of dogs they spent years building.

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[IDLassie]

Well PathFinder, ran hounds for years and never had a problem with .22 mag. But as with anything shot placement is the key. Weight is a big factor going up mountains and in knee to waist deep snow. Lions are not that hard to kill. Most of the old timers in Idaho all packed pistols and usually .22 mags. You know the tough type guys that didn't have computers, million dollar trucks, tracking equipment and so forth. These were the old guys that turned loose and stayed with the hounds until they caught something sleeping out at night under the tree with nothing but a fire to keep them warm. Colorado must have either some awful big lion or terrible shooters?

 

[Rich M]

I never desired to hunt cats but had always heard/read they had thin skins and died easy.

Read some of the old outdoor life or sports afield or field & stream articles, most were handguns or levers i suspect.

Plain old 38 sp hp would probably a better choice and only make 1 hole in the hide.

Have a fun hunt, hope you get one.

 

[Reburn]

pistol or 22 mag.
If you like me and cant shoot a pistol well a mares leg is the ticket.

Mare’s Leg .22 S/L/LR | Henry Repeating Arms

Back in the heyday of the TV Western, Steve McQueen, the star of "Wanted: Dead or Alive," rode across black-and-white screens toting a sidearm like nothing any lawman or outlaw had carried before. A cut-down, modified version of repeating rifle, this recognizable shootin’ iron could be holstered...

www.henryusa.com

I'm thinking this OP doesnt have a hunt lined up yet. Most dog guys I know are pretty specific #1 and #2 they have their weapon of choice in case you wound the cat. They will generally tell you not to attempt a shot on the ground because you will hit a dog. Especially with a gun that my pass through the cat. If you guide hasnt told you what to bring ask him. If you dont have what he wants you to bring buy it or ask if you can borrow one.

 

[PathFinder]

Well PathFinder, ran hounds for years and never had a problem with .22 mag. But as with anything shot placement is the key. Weight is a big factor going up mountains and in knee to waist deep snow. Lions are not that hard to kill. Most of the old timers in Idaho all packed pistols and usually .22 mags. You know the tough type guys that didn't have computers, million dollar trucks, tracking equipment and so forth. These were the old guys that turned loose and stayed with the hounds until they caught something sleeping out at night under the tree with nothing but a fire to keep them warm. Colorado must have either some awful big lion or terrible shooters?

I agree with you on a couple points. A 22 mag can definitely kill a cat, and it's not a hunt to be packing a heavy rifle.
However, things don't always go as planned. If the cat is in a bad spot and not in a tree, it better die fast. And if it comes out of the tree with any life in it, whoever pulled the trigger will be following up on their own because my dogs won't be doing it.

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[SuperDUECE22]

Neither in my opinion, most hound hunters I know recommend a smaller caliber because they don't want you to blow the cat out of the tree and then have to deal with a pissed off lion on the ground.

 

[Reburn]

I agree with you on a couple points. A 22 mag can definitely kill a cat, and it's not a hunt to be packing a heavy rifle.
However, things don't always go as planned. If the cat is in a bad spot and not in a tree, it better die fast. And if it comes out of the tree with any life in it, whoever pulled the trigger will be following up on their own because my dogs won't be doing it.

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Your going to allow a noob to pull the trigger on a lion/bear/hog with your dogs on the ground. Yea sorry I call BS. I would never allow someone to shoot a pig on the ground with my dogs. We packed up and left clients over this. Sorry bud but this is spoken like someone that dosnt have gritty dogs with 3 years in them.

 

[PathFinder]

I think you misunderstood what I was getting at. I agree with not shooting anywhere near the dogs. But if the cat is in a hole or out on a cliff face where we can get the dogs out of the way and leashed, then sure. They get leashed back before shooting a cat out of a tree as well. My rule is that they don't get released again until the cat is dead. That's why I hate the idea of a 22 rimfire.
The entire point of my post was to not accommodate a noob. I'm not a wildlife pimp so I'm not guiding imbeciles. Nobody who isn't a close friend or family will be shooting a lion over my dogs, much less on the ground with them.
Sorry to the OP for the typical bickering exchange that goes with all caliber threads. Take whichever of the two rifles is shorter and lighter.

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[MattB]

"The entire point of my post was to not accommodate a noob. I'm not a wildlife pimp so I'm not guiding imbeciles. Nobody who isn't a close friend or family will be shooting a lion over my dogs, much less on the ground with them."

Those are some of the most incongruous consecutive sentences I've read in a long, long time.

 

[Dioni A]

I killed my last cat with a 243 using accubonds. About anything works. Get the toughest bullets you can to save the hide. Like many are saying a hollow point rim fire is the standard for most hound hunters I know. I packed the 243 in case I got a crack at coyotes since I usually see a few where we hunt.