Need recommendations for a gun?

[Lizza]

Hello All,

We need a new gun. Mostly because of the previous thread about our cougar problems but we've been meaning to get a new gun for months.

What size/type of gun can we get at the local sporting goods store (thinking around $300) that could take down something like a cougar? We just need a basic, for protection, kind of gun. I should have paid more attention to the gun articles in Backwoods Home!

Thank you VERY much for any help! We are going to go tomorrow.

[vicker]

As a rule I usually recommend a .22 rimfire, but in your case I would recomend a 20 or 12 guage shotgun. But, you must shoot it enough to know how it works and to expect and deal with the recoil. You'll want to load it with buckshot.

[Old Vet]

Advising what kind of gun is almost imposible. What you need to do is go to a shoting range that rents guns and try it. One gun is not for everybody. It fits you or it doesn't. You can go to the local gun shop and see what is avalible in the price range and then go to a gun range that rents what you want to try out. Don't be afraid of asking for severial to see with one fits you.

[homesteadforty]

A .270 or .30/06 will take down a cougar. Ammunition and guns are available at most any sporting goods store. If you can't handle the recoil of these larger calibers you could go with something in .257 or even .223

While a 12 gauge shotgun with 00 buck or a slug will take down a cougar, you have much less range. You'd have to let the animal get to within 30 - 50 yards... don't know about you but I wouldn't want a cougar that close.

OTOH, if your property already dictates the 30 - 50 yard range (thick brush/heavy woods) then a good load of buckshot in the 12 gauge is a great close range weapon.

You should be able to find a gun in any of these caliber/gauges in the $300 range.

Whatever you get, be sure to practice with it a couple of times a year... nothing is going to work if you can't hit what you're aiming at.

[Lizza]

Thank you! Exactly the information I needed. I would like one that I can use as well as my husband. My BIL had a arsenal of guns that we used and one was his big .30/06. I've never shot it but my husband said it had a lot of recoil and I'm not sure I want that much recoil. The only gun I've ever fired in my life is a small pistol and that was only at the side of the mountain so my husband could show me how to load it and shoot it while he was away. I want to learn how to use whatever shotgun we get though. Thanks again!

[Old John]

Like Old vet said, "It's hard to tell anyone a 'right choice', of weapons".
There are so many "right choices". There is No "one-size is the best".

For me, a good 30/30 lever action carbine would be the right choice for Cougar. They are thin-skinned & not overly large. A 30/30 carbine is just handy and quick. They've killed many Cougars.
A .30/06 or .270 is fine too. But they're a little heavier.
Likewise, a 12 ga. pump with buckshot would be good, up close, out to
30 or 40 yards.
There are lots of good choices.

[THETOOLMAN]

Originally Posted by Old Vet

Advising what kind of gun is almost imposible. What you need to do is go to a shoting range that rents guns and try it. One gun is not for everybody. It fits you or it doesn't. You can go to the local gun shop and see what is avalible in the price range and then go to a gun range that rents what you want to try out. Don't be afraid of asking for severial to see with one fits you.

That si SOOooo true .. I am gun poor I have every thing from a tommy gun to a BB gun rifels, pistols & shot guns.... I also need more ... so any one with a rabbit ear side by side , I need one for the fire place

[watcher]

Go with a 12 ga shotgun with a short rifled barrel then add a 'red dot' aiming system. These are usually sold as 'deer' shotguns. Taking the plug out you can get five rounds in it. I'd load it with a mix of saboted slugs and buckshot, the mix would depend on what kind of terrain you have and when you could expect to see the cat. With a saboted slug you should be able to hit a cougar at 100 yards. The buckshot would be for 10-30 yards.

Two other things. One, if you are worried about recoil you can add a recoil pad and weight (lead in the stock).

Two, you need to know just how the weapon shoots the buckshot. What you need to do is take some large sheets of paper and place them about 20 yards away and fire some rounds into it. Google 'pattering a shotgun' to see what I'm talking about. Different size buckshot and sometimes even different brands of ammo will shoot differently. For something like a cougar at that range it isn't probably not going to matter but seeing as how it could be a life or death shot you want to be positive!

Ok, three things. A shotgun isn't a magic weapon that you can just point in the general direction of a target and hit it every time. You have to aim.

Ok, ok, four things. Its dang hard to shoot when you are scared! Your heart is pumping, adrenaline is pouring into your blood and the odds are you have just ran from where ever you were to where ever the weapon was stored and back to where ever the cat is so you are breathing hard. Added to the fact you are scared and hitting something the size of a car is sometimes hard, much less something as small as the vital area of a cougar. But if you practice and practice a lot your brain will remember what to do and make things easier.

[Macybaby]

A word about recoil - a 12 gauge is going to kick worse than most 30.06 will, unless you get an auto-loader.

I've got 30.06 bolt gun and the recoil is not near as bad as my 12 gauge double gun. The 30/30 lever gun has very little recoil.

I've always been a bit freaked out by recoil. Heard "kicks like a mule" way too many times. I've been kicked by a horse, and I have yet to find a gun that kicks anywhere near that hard - maybe if you held it a few inches from your shoulder before pulling the trigger.

I was afraid to shoot several of our guns because of that, but I liked my 12 gauge double. When I finally got up the nerve and realized my 12 gauge is one of the worst!

Cathy

[wilded]

You might like to read this article on my blog. ET
Choosing the Homestead Firearm
http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2008/05...d-firearm.html

[netexan]

As Old John said a cougar is thin skinned and is also light boned so you don't need heavy slugs to deal with them. A 150gr or 170gr hollow point from a 30/30 is nearly perfect medicine for such critters and there's hardly any recoil. If I were you I'd give the Marlin lever action, I believe it's the model 336, a good long look. JMO

[Lizza]

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate it! Nice blog article Wilded.

[watcher]

Originally Posted by Macybaby

A word about recoil - a 12 gauge is going to kick worse than most 30.06 will, unless you get an auto-loader.

I've got 30.06 bolt gun and the recoil is not near as bad as my 12 gauge double gun. The 30/30 lever gun has very little recoil.

I've always been a bit freaked out by recoil. Heard "kicks like a mule" way too many times. I've been kicked by a horse, and I have yet to find a gun that kicks anywhere near that hard - maybe if you held it a few inches from your shoulder before pulling the trigger.

I was afraid to shoot several of our guns because of that, but I liked my 12 gauge double. When I finally got up the nerve and realized my 12 gauge is one of the worst!

Cathy

I need to point out that your double gun is probably the second 'hardest kicking' type of shotgun there is. A single shot would be #1. Most felt recoil is based on inertia and the heavier the weapon the greater the inertia. Hold a double in one hand and a pump in the other and notice the weight difference. You can cut some of the recoil by adding stock weights.

Also being a slightly paranoid big bullet type I wouldn't suggest depending on a double when facing a cougar.

[billooo2]

I don't know....just asking.....if the range exceeds that of a shotgun, would a Swedish Mauser (6.5) be worthy of consideration? Supposedly they are extremely accurate, and they are not very expensive.

Just wondering.........

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by billooo2

I don't know....just asking.....if the range exceeds that of a shotgun, would a Swedish Mauser (6.5) be worthy of consideration? Supposedly they are extremely accurate, and they are not very expensive.

Just wondering.........

Yes. anything from a 223 to a 50 cal will work. That is why you or aybodys else can sit their and pick out the prefoct weapion for somebody else. Any thing that will kill a deer will kill a cougar even the .22 but you have to be a real goood shot and let it get close to you. I would like to kill a cougar from at least 75yards but you don't always get the perfict shot.

[pheasantplucker]

I vote .12 or .20 ga. shotgun with slugs or buckshot. Besides they are cheaper to shoot. You can buy (at the end of deer season) boxes of slugs for a few bucks. Price some 30.06 ammo and your jaw will drop!

[lwj2]

Your price range is going to limit your choices. Flat out.

You may wish to check the local gun shops for used guns -- 30-06 has been recommended, .308 (7.62 NATO) or 7.62x39 (Russian standard) are likely to be less expensive as they are the current military rounds.

12 gauge -- I'd get a Remington 870 or the Mossberg equivalent and stack it with slug/00buck/slug/00buck.

Whatever you get, practise with it. Not once a year, once a week. Practise in different light conditions. You won't be able to pick the time a cougar will arrive.

Talk with your local game warden about a nuisance permit -- might be called something else where you live. There are areas where cougars are protected -- I live in one of them. You don't want to find you've just incurred a huge fine for shooting it.

One last thing -- cougars are at the top of the food chain in North America -- other than man, they have no natural enemies. While they're shy, they have no compunction about attacking a man (or woman) perceived as a threat. And when they attack, they play for keeps. As the late Bill Jordan commented on gunfights -- there are no second place winners.

[Wolf mom]

Here we go again.

There have been so much written on this topic. The result is that everyone has their own opinion.

You need to go try out some guns from friends, etc. Find one that fits you, that you can handle.
You need to consider the cost of bullets as you appear new at this & will need to practice, practice, practice.

Thinking about a Mauser? (Great gun but heavy!) Many have been altered. They're WW2 guns. Need to know about guns to know what you're buying there.

Shotgun? I can shoot a 20 ga. but a 12 ga. has to much kick for me to handle. 5'5" 135# 60+ years old. See what I mean about getting one that fits you??

[ArmyDoc]

If you want a rifle, I'd go with a 30/30 lever action. As mentioned above a Marlin 336 would work well, and be in your price range. It has a mild recoil, and the benefit of a quick follow up shot if needed.

A 12 Guage shot gun would be another good option, and add versatility. The kick on a pump would be significantly more though. If you stretch your range though, you could get a Beretta 391 from WalMart for about $550 - some times less if it's on sale. It is a gas autoloader and has a milder recoil than the pump. (but probably not quite as mild as the 30/30.

If you go with the shotgun, you have the added option of using slugs for distance, and a third round of buck shot if you miss the first two and the critter is still coming towards you. (More likely it'll be going the other way though!)

For dangerous game, I think a the ability to have a fast follow up shot is important. For this reason, I favor a semi-automatic. A lever action, pump action would be better than a single shot or bolt action also. (Yes, there are many who can operate a bolt as fast as a pump - but none of them are beginners!)

I'm planning on getting a .308 Win semi auto for this reason. It has just about the same power as the 30-06, but less recoil than a bolt action rifle. But this is probably out of your price range.

What ever you get - be sure to go practice with it!

Good luck.

[Lizza]

Well, my husband ended up borrowing a gun from a friend for now while we shop around. Ya all have made me realize maybe it's not like buying a coffee pot. Since I want to be able to use it well, I think I should be the one to try some out. I am the least experienced.

Thanks again for all your help! I really do appreciate it and I've printed out all your responses to go over more carefully. So I don't look like too much of an idiot as I look over guns.