Mountain Lion

[Lovethat10]

I was happy to find this forum and thought maybe someone here might be able to help.
I'm planing a mountain lion hunt and looking to use my G20 for the job. I have put a few upgrades into it, Zev trigger, KKM bbl and Trijicon RMR, it's very accurate at my self imposed max distance of 50 yds. The load I currently use for deer is the Underwood 200 gr. XTP, my thought was to use the same load. I just wanted to ask if anyone had any actual lion hunting experience with the 10mm and what load??
Thank you.

[Rojo27]

Welcome to the forum and good luck on your hunt!

I've never met anyone with lion pistol hunting experience! 

I have used my Glock 20 and Underwood 200gr XTP to cleanly take deer and big angry boar and can attest to it's performance in those applications.  Never hunted lion but don't think there is anything about its physiology that would be problematic for the set up and ammunition combination you're considering if you put the bullet where it goes.  People have used them to successfully take black bear and they can be much bigger and more powerful.  I have used the exact set up you specified as wood defense side arm when camping and hiking in areas cougar and black bear were present (thankfully I didn't come face to face with any lions on those occasions) and would carry it again without hesitation.   

Good luck!  Post pictures and the story if it happens please!

If I were going to go cougar hunting with an semi-auto pistol; the set up your considering would be my choice. 

[tommac919]

and don't miss, as those cats can be fast ! 

[Lovethat10]

Thanks for the input and confirming my thoughts. Hopefully I'll post some pictures after the big event which right now is about a year away.
From now till then it's practice, practice, practice!

[blaster]

is it a hunt with hounds? shooting a treed cat will be a lot easier to get the vitals.  I've never shot a mountain lion but have been up close to our Fla. panthers. (same animal)  they are not heavily built like a bear and I have heard they are relatively easy to kill with a pistol. I would think an expanding hollow point bullet would be better than a fmj or hard cast. of course if its treed, you might want to go with a head shot so you don't ruin the pelt. then it won't matter what bullet you use. one hunt I read about on another forum, the guy shot his lion with a .380!

[Lovethat10]

Definitely with hounds, not too worried about the pelt, that's what the taxidermist is for.  I've read quite few occasions where they're taken with 22 lr and 22 mag. If I was worried about power I'd go with my 44 mag or 454 Casull. I just like the ease of carrying the G20, light, accurate and enough to get the job done.

[Squints08]

I shot a Jacob's ram a few weeks ago with Underwood 200 grain XTP through my Glock 40 and the bullet damage was fast and evident at 50 yards. I wouldn't doubt that rounds ability on a cat for a second. If this website would allow me to put my pictures up (keeps saying the file is too big) you all could see the animal and damage the round itself did to both sides of the ram. Good luck!

[Lovethat10]

I've seen what it does to deer, but I'd still like to see the pictures....Great round! Thanks...

[Trapper6L]

Lions in Texas are an easy kill. The trappers here are required to use nothing more than a 22LR and all shots must be lung shots. No head or heart shots for them. The head and heart are used for research and must be harvested with zero damage. Most normally the cat will run about 50 yds and lay down. Give him 10 minutes and he's dead.

[Roguer]

I got a big Tom hanging around, mostly he's on the other side of the road. But he's been snooping around our area. I SAW him at the beginning of beer...er deer season and he was giving me a funny look so whipped one of my larger chopper blades at him and nicked him. Never saw him personally around any more but his tracks are every where still. I won't begrudge a healthy cat his deer dinners, even the road kill been disappears fast besides the wolves getting them.  The bald eagles have to get their road kills more along the main highways now. But I will draw the line at being a cat's dinner if ill and think slower humans are easier dinner. Glad I got my glock 40 I keep on me in the woods.

Years ago a young tom who must of been starving hunted me twice. Once I saw it off the old trail on a rock, I was checking deer tracks and saw a shadow that was never there before on that rock. Sure enough the super redhawk scope showed a young tom eye balling me. He leaped away before I shot. I did a second loop on the trail to check for tracks on deer I kept up...and there he was again hunkering down behind the rock eye balling me again. Once was probably but he returned after getting shot at so he heard the click of the hammer going back and bolted as I fired. Missed but he ran away. Later next year in a cold February with a looming blizzard I went where the ravens where gathering to see what was in our swamp. I saw two bloody blotches on the muskeg and first thought two deer. Then I kicked around and kicked up about a 3 foot cougar tail.  From surveying the area I guess he caught a deer heading to the neighbor's feeder. Then the wolves caught him as he was feeding, the broken black spruce trees I could still smell, showed me the 8 times he tried to jump in to a skinny tree that broke till that one big bloody spot where I kicked up the tail from where he landed. I liked wolves before but then I really liked them. Around there they keep the woods safe.

From my experience with cougars I treat them like bears, each one is totally different from the other, but I trust them a lot less if I see one.

I figure a deer load will take a cougar any day and or time.

[slowgun45]

my grandson killed lion in Colorado last fall legal behind dogs using Remington 10mm, their guide service  in meeker have taken several lions with the 10mm. good cartridge,180 gr and 200grsolids

[Lovethat10]

That's great, what outfitter did he use? I'm looking to go to Colorado also, a friend of mine went there and got a really nice cat.

[slowgun45]

Buffalo horn ranch meeker CO

[Ekaphoto]

My grandfather killed a lot of lions back in the day. I have a little experience. In short your 10mm will be fine. They are not hard to kill. If hunting with hounds listen to the guide and make sure the dogs are tied back when you shoot.

[gnappi]

I met a guy years ago that hunted them with dogs and dispatched them with a .22 magnum, a 10 should not be an issue.