Expected 15-60yrd shot, outfitter likes 22-250 to .243. Current battery consists of a .50 cal inline, 7mm-08, .300 Mag & .416 Rem. Suggestions???

Thanks!
Bill

Usually around here they use 44 mags in handguns and 30-30 class rifles.

A 30-30 worked well for me with a 30ft shot.

If you are looking to buy a rifle, I'd get a 243 WSSM, why not, now you have an excuse to get that pupy. If you are going to use what you have, I would think your 7mm-08 loaded with a 140 grain bullet of decent quality would be sweet.

Having seen alot of them knocked out of trees. I like rifles. I've seen them hit with a .22/250 several times and was never impressed. You may only be 30 feet away,but you may be dealing with an animal of 150lbs or greater. Alot of guys kill smaller females with the 22/250and have good success,I wouldn't use it.



The guy I hunt with for lions,has easily witnessed at least 100 plus lion kills over the years. He stopped letting clients shoot them with a .357,even with cast bullets. The .44mag is a noticeable step up,but still not as good as a rifle cartridge. I've shot a couple of lions,with both premium jacketed bullets and keith style cast bullets. if you have to use a pistol,use cast bullets. The .44 or 45 is my minimum,you'll hear alot of asswipes talk about when they and billy bob ran lions and used a .22 mag or LR. What they don't tell you is they used headshots and when they missed,you ended up with a pissed off lion running around like a fucking raped ape.



I've seen 5 lions smacked with a .243 and cheap 100gr corelokts,they work great and they impress the shit out of even big toms. The hole is still small and easily patched. I've seen another dozen or so lions killed by people using 30/30's in the trapper model. I personally like this set up best,because of portability and the 30/30 knocks their ass out. I've killed two lions with the 30/06 and it thumps the shit out of them. You can't go wrong with any rifle chambering greater then 22 centerfire. 6mm would be my minimum. With a rifle in 99% of cases at the close range,you've taken all the life out of a lion. There's no last death grip on the tree or hang up,in which case you have to climb the tree and knock the lion out. I've seen 1 lion that even made it past the base of a tree after being hit by the rifle calibers.



Lions aren't dangerous until you get them cornered,wounded or both and then you and the dogs are going to get torn up. Use enough gun and leave the John wayne shit for someone else.



I'd go with your 7/08 and never look back. Depending on the experience of your guide,you'll probably change his mind about cat rounds,after seeing one have his ass thumped with a rifle like the 7mm at that range.

Bill,
Take the 708 with a low power scope.. or buy a winchester lever gun in 45LC and load it up

these are cats, with a highly developed nervous system... a good high vel medium or a 225 gr .451 at 1200 will do nicely


jeffe

Bill I take one, every year (almost). I dont find them hard to kill at all, but I have never used 22caliber center fires. There are a few things to be aware of... One is that they are VERY thin animals and its easy to miss a good portion of the vitals on angled shots. Another is that their heart sits back fully behind the shoulder when standing on all fours. The 7mm 08 would work good, though your 416 might do a little bit less dammage and would also be a good choice.

Bill,

Your 7MM 08 should work just fine with the 140gr. bullet. I just killed a cougar very dead with a 32 Special.

I have never hunted Mountain Lion but remember speaking to a guide who favoured the relatively old low power rounds some have mentioned here. His reasoning was that he did not want to knock the cat out the tree so it landed in with his hounds while it still some life in it. I think he used a .22WMR in a lever action and claimed the cats would die on its feet in the tree and only fall out when it was dead...

Is hide damage a consideration here? Seems some of the rounds might tear up a hide badly with the wrong bullet selection..

The first consideration would be to use enough gun to get the job done. I am surprized your guide likes the 22-250, at least with his clients shooting it. Cats are very dangerous when cornered and wounded, I agree with an earlier post, use 6mm or larger cartridges. You may have a bigger hole in your hide, if you don't.

�well not a mountain lion but still a big cat�



I was an infantryman in Vietnam. Our area of operations was up in the hills in the QueSonValley south of DaNang. We got word that there was a freaked out tiger wandering around our area that had killed a couple of rice farmers that had sneaked back out to their farms to harvest rice for the VC.

My squad was on patrol when we came across the tiger. The guy in my squad who carried the M-60 saw the cat first. It was probably out about 400-500 meters. Jim opened up the �pig� on the cat. He probably hit it with 20-30 rounds. It literally blew up. I don�t think there was a piece of hide left that was big enough to make a wallet out of.

with that said- I think the .308 (what the M-60 shoots) is just about right !







I�m the tall one- and the tiger killer next to me is Jim Brewer.

Just use your 7mm-08 with either a 120gr. or 140gr. pill.

Good Hunting,

Bob

Out of your current battery, I will suggest the 7-08 ...

Are you going to use dogs ?

Thanks guys for the advice, suggestions and relaying your experiences. I've been tossing this hunt around for a few years. I thought I had one setup for this Feb in Arizona, but now I'm not so sure. It's hard finding the right setup [for me]. I've talked with a few guides who advertise they follow the lion "on foot, truck, ATV or horseback", but after you talk for a while you realize you're going to be doing most of the hunting from the cab of a truck and the only choice is between a Silverado or an F350. And, if you are successful, you "get to" go home early. Some of you guys obviously had good hunts, I need to chat w/the guide a bit more. Thanks again. Bill

I agree with Pete E, or maybe his source.

A .22 LR (or mag) through the lungs and let it die in the tree. When it bleeds to death and falls out of the tree, no one and no dog gets hurt.

Blast it out of the tree and it's still alive when it hits the ground, especially if not hit in the head or spine.

I grew up in the Texas Big Bend country and shot many a Lion, and all but one was shot with either a 357 mag pistol or a 22 L.R. Win. M-63....With dogs it is best to shoot them in the heart with a 22 and they will hang on the tree or ledge until dead and then drop out...A big rifle will knock them out of the tree or off the ledge and they can injure good dogs before they die. Good dogs are very expensive.

The best lion hunter I ever knew ran a big cattle ranch over on the Colo Utah border. He was a partner of my uncles and he used to swear by an old lever action 25-20 with soft lead bullets. All his lions were taken over dogs and most were stock killers. The soft lead slug just tore the insides up something terrible, but didn't do much damage to the skins, which he sold to the tourists. Mind you, this was back when couger were considered vermin and not game animals. He could hunt them all year long and never had to worry about tags, seasons or bag limits.

As for me in this day and age, I'd probably use a 30-30 and 150 gr bullets. It's worked on light skinned game for over a 100 years and it'll keep on working for 100 more. Just my 2 cents worth.

Mac

Around here in the Idaho mountains, there are a lot of Mountain lions. Many of the lion hunters I know, or run into, use a variety of rifles and handguns. But one sees a lot of Win. and Marlin .30-30s and some in the pistol calibers. Also some lion hunters use pistols, from .357 Mag., up through the big boomer handgun cartridges.



My lion hunting rifles are my Marlin 1894S .41 Magnum, and my Winchester Trapper .30-30. Both have Williams 5D receiver sights on them.



Many lions are taken here as "opportunity" lions, by deer, bear, and elk hunters, as lion season is seven months long, beginning Sept. 1st, and ending March 31. Whatever rifle the deer/elk/bear hunter is carrying for that game, is what's used to kill a mountain lion. Some game Units here have a two lion limit, but usual bag limit is one.



And, BTW, Mountain lion cutlets taste like good veal, to me.



FWIW. L.W.