I am going to hunt a mountain lion this winter and was wondering how a 45/70 would perform on a treed lion.

I'm considering the 45/70 as the rifle it is chambered for is my only stainless steel rifle and it has a Brockman peep. I thought this would be a good combo for a winter rifle considering temperature changes and snow.

Any problems with the 45/70 on a cat?

Being a thin-skinned cat, not overly tough, and stationary in a tree at 10-20 yards, just about any cartridge will work.

I work with 3-4 guys who run lions every winter, and my daughter-in-law's uncle outfits for them. They all believe that anything 357 Mag. and up is great for them. The hardest part of the hunt is the running, and several of them like 10" Contenders in a shoulder holster.

quote:

Originally posted by Blank:
Being a thin-skinned cat, not overly tough, and stationary in a tree at 10-20 yards, just about any cartridge will work.

quote:

was wondering how a 45/70 would perform on a treed lion.

It'll work just fine on the lion. But you may not fare as well running after hounds in the snow with dragging a 45/70

A .22 short HP kills treed or trapped lions dead pretty well too.

Yeah, the weight is a factor, but my concern is really the size of the exit hole.

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:
Yeah, the weight is a factor, but my concern is really the size of the exit hole.

Are you planning on a rug/full body mount?

Full body mount.

I know two accomplished lion chasers/killers who lend an older Win 9422, .22 magnum to their clients to use. Works fine.

Doesn't take much to kill a lion thats stationary up in a tree or in rocks. But it does take a cool head and some marksmanship at times as the angles can be weird, dogs in the way, lion moving around ,etc.

IMHO your 45-70 is much more than is needed.

FN in MT

.38 pistol may be a little easier to carry??

I carry a .357 but only because of the high numbers of bears and pot growers in the area....

IV

just get a glock 21 and load it w/ 230 gr JHP's.

OK, two more options include a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 mag or a Glock 37 in 45 GAP.

44 mag

The Ruger SB would be my choice, and more than enough for the cat. Probably a lot easier to carry for a long ways too.

Can you hit a paper plate at 50 feet with it, after running or climbing and the heart beat is up there? If so, you are set to go.

Good luck.

cats bones and skin isnt so tough that you need a big caliber to kill them, its just that the payback for poor hits is a possible thrashing. say on the order of 100 stiches every second hes on you.
i dont care if you hit him wrong with a 50AE its not gonna be more effective than a 38 SPL.
however a good hit with a 45 acp or a 357 is going to be as effective as a 454 casull.

for reference consider some one throwing a running lawnmower at you. you can hit the muffler with and caliber you want and its not gonna stop the blades.
a 45 ACP is controllable and cheap to practice with. the glock is durable, light and packs easy and points well even without sights.
i would prefer a pistol w/ those features PLUS a 13 round mag were the cat to come in to use me as a scratching post.

Anything under 41 Magnum or 243 in Wyoming would be illegal.