Which gun for this senario?

[Eric Hahl]

Hi all,

I've often thought about purchasing a handgun for home protection but something has always come up and delayed my purchase. I think it's time now as I've just purchased 5 acres in the country and had a close encounter with a little wildlife the other day.

I was grilling dinner on the back patio and decided to meander a bit while the food cooked. I was scanning the wooded are near the edge of my property and something caught my eye. I wondered if it was an animal but couldn't quite tell. Then it moved. I thought "is that a coyote?", it was still in the shade of the trees and I could not make out its profile. I stepped inside, grabbed the binoculars and came back out to take a look.

"Crap, that's no coyote!" It was a young Cougar and it had stepped out into my field about 100 feet away from me and just stared me down. It was beautiful but reminded me that I am now living in their domain.

Now, ordinarily this would not bug me too much but we have a very small dog that I have to take out early in the morning and late in the evening. I am also a hobby astronomer and like to spend some time with the telescope out under the Stars by myself.

So, I started to think about purchasing a gun, or two, or three. I will have to buy just one for now though. I thought maybe a security style 12 gauge pump shotgun would be the ticket and it certainly would dissuade any Cougar (Buckshot) or would be burglar with he distinct chambering sound of a pump shotgun.

But, I can only afford to get one gun right now and I think a handgun might be the better all around choice for many activities, like hiking, camping, etc. A handgun would also be easier to carry around the property while working on the tractor and just plain easier to carry almost anywhere with a concealed carry license.

So, with that in mind, what type of handgun would be powerful enough to take down a Cougar or make it think twice about coming my way? Also, this gun would have to be small enough to be used as a concealed carry weapon. What would you choose and why?

Thanks,

Eric

[MotoSook]

Commander size 1911 .45ACP.

[porsche4life]

So you need a lot of stopping power in a small frame... Thats going to be tricky. Have to be something like a Kimber ultra carry....


Ideally I would go with a 12ga with 00 buck shot and a smaller 9mm or .40sw for a carry gun.

You can get a Mossberg 500A for ~180 at walmart BTW. They are no cadillac but the damn thing will always go boom. I have one and its a fine shooting weapon.

[vash]

one handgun? a revolver...357 magnum.

you can buy relatively cheap ammo in the form of .38 specials and shoot alot to get proficient. then for "close encounters" load up the full octane .357 and be ready to rock!!

i went pistol window shopping this past week. there are some SWEET revolvers out there! i want a 4" barrel, .357 bad.. Christmas is coming. time to drop hints to the wife.

downside..the double action of the trigger is somewhat difficult for women to work.

[Eric Hahl]

Yes, it is asking a lot isn't it?! I was thinking about a .40 or .45 for the carry and was eyeing up the Moss 500 or Remington 870.

[Eric Hahl]

.357 would be nice. Can you convince me to choose a revolver over an auto?

[rouxroux]

For an all-around weapon, I'd have to say a Remington 870. Great inexpensive piece, and much easier to hit a potentially charging animal than a rifle or handgun. Dollar for dollar, my #1 choice in this situation.

[legion]

You want to hit the cougar? I'd use a 12 gauge?

You want to hit the cougar but not your dog in its mouth? I'd just a Remington 700...

[MT930]

Originally Posted by vash

one handgun? a revolver...357 magnum.

you can buy relatively cheap ammo in the form of .38 specials and shoot alot to get proficient. then for "close encounters" load up the full octane .357 and be ready to rock!!

i went pistol window shopping this past week. there are some SWEET revolvers out there! i want a 4" barrel, .357 bad.. Christmas is coming. time to drop hints to the wife.

downside..the double action of the trigger is somewhat difficult for women to work.

This would be a good first handgun.
12 Gauge is also very effective, I like both.

Cougars are pretty tough.
They also are the other white meat

[Rick Lee]

When I'm in the bush and backstop and innocent bystanders are non-issues, I carry my SIG P226 in .357SIG. I have the SCT mags, which hold 15 rounds each, I can shoot it very well and the ballistics are excellent. Pretty sure no one makes a .357 mag in a semi-auto pistol and I think the largest cylinder for one in a wheel gun is seven rounds. No need to shoot an animal that isn't bothering you, but it's never a bad idea to be armed in the bush.

[vash]

i heard cougar is delicious..but i have never (and probably never will) tasted it.

a revolver is simple in design. simple to clean, simple to aim and shoot. there are bigger calibers out there, but a .357 is a flat out cannon. i shot a composite lightweight pistol, and it felt like somebody slapping my hands with a 2x4. you dont have to take a revolver apart for any cleaning. there are freakishly fast people out there that can reload a revolver in the blink of an eye.

autos are more firepower. fast to reload. more complicated. revolvers are very very cool.

[Rednine11]

12 Ga would be my first choice. 45 or 357 will do the job if you can hit it.
..some people are a better shot with a revolver than a pistol. My wife cant hit a barn with my 40 Glock but she can drive tacks with her 38 or my 357
( I have a pretty cool wife )

[ODDJOB UNO]

heres the drill.....................


humans are very very easy to KILL!



critters are very very difficult to kill on a good day. add rabies,well you may as well stop a freight train.


buy a 9 or .45 for bad people when ya got to hump around.


for the castle...........a 12 ga 870 is perfect.


for critters well while humping around...........a .357 cannot be beat. or if ya like bigger makes better..........a .44 mag.


.454 casull min. for large bears .460 is better(can shoot .45LC/.454 casull/and of course .460, or a ruger .480, or king daddy big POO the smith .500(please watch youtube before buying)


now if ya wanna blow to hell out of anything on the planet, buy a marlin 45/70 or a .375 H&H or bigger if thats what ya like. .500 nitro express WILL impress anyone when they go off.


as for the couger puttty tat.................go to the POUND and get a dog. mtn kitties hate DAWGS! especially pesky azzd beagles.


consider yourself lucky you got to see one.


plus a DAWG is cheap insurance to all zombee intruders and bad people, and they are warm and snuggly on cold nights and they FART! what more can you ask for.

[Superman]

Yup. Put a fence around that new house in the country and get a dog or two. Get two. Less work.

I prefer autos, but revolvers actually make more sense. Smaller and lighter with less moving parts. Also. autos are only made for short-shell ammo. There is apparently no such thing as a .357 auto. The cartridge is too long.

[Eric Hahl]

Cougar fence would cost prohibitive for me. Those suckers can jump! Really really high and far, lol.

[vash]

hey, why is a .357 a .357? isnt it a .38 caliber?

[Superman]

The fence is for the dogs, not the coug.

[Eric Hahl]

I knew that Sup, really, I swear. Guess I need some caffeine.

[Brando]

12ga & Rubber slugs. They're smart animals and learn that feeling pain when they enter your domain is not a good thing. Load the first one as a rubber slug, the rest as solid slugs or buckshot (your preference). If the first round doesn't make the kitty want a different playground, #s 2 and 3 will resolve the issue altogether.

[ODDJOB UNO]

most of you have not run a dog string going after cougars. those damn dogs are bred to git them thar katzens. they get a whiff and they go FREEKING NUTZ!


well guess what mr/miss/mrs/jr katzen does when it hears a dog???????????????



splits into the next county ASAP or the 1st big tree if the dawgs are close.


and then ya pop 'em outta the tree. wounding one is just plain BAD JU JU! cuz they tend to be very pissed and they usually will take out a dog or 2 or 3 or 4 and its real damn hard to shot one on the ground going roundy roundy without hitting yer dawgs.


the chances of a bear or a katzen ever bothering you while on your land or camping are almost NIL when you have a dawg. for that very small chance they do bother you............357 min. .44 better or a good rifle caliber as mentioned.


9mms and .45's are great for bad guys and zombeez.


.357's and above..............for nasty critters.



for nasty critters use solid lead core bullets ONLY!



and the wonderful thing about .357 and .44's you too can own a real piece of kawboy history by purchasing a MARLIN LEVER ACTION in the same caliber before remington completes its takeover in 2011 of marlin and all parts become MIM's.(metal injected molded)