221 Fireball vs Cougar

[GlennGTR]

Im thinking of using a 700 lv sf to shoot a Cougar with. All shots would be within 150 yards or treed.I dont want to blow the hide to hades and back and I always wait for the perfect shot.Ive read that even the lowely 22 mag has killed lion.

 

[chuckw2]

Bad idea, you need something in a 30 cal. The Fireball does not have the terminal energy you need to smack a cat

 

[Eddie Harren]

A Glock pistol in 357 Sig does when the cat is treed.

 

[Flybuster]

My friend has shot a few cougars. He told me he would never shoot another cougar with the 221 F.B. He was out bobcat hunting and saw a cougar just before legal shooting light ended. All he had was his 221 F.B. with a 40 grain v-max. He took the shot,under 100 yards. He said it was a very uncomfortable situation tracking a cougar that was shot in the head with this combo. He found it and shot it again, killing it.

 

[SF340Driver]

I think bullet choice would make a big difference here. The V-Max is designed as a soft tissue varmint bullet and not designed for head shots on medium sized game. I have shot dozens of coyotes with the 221 FB and all have dropped where they stood -- head shots. I would recommend a 55 grain bullet designed for expansion like the Sierra GameKing.

I would personally use a 6.5mm or larger for cougar.

 

[Tommie]

Hunting a dangerous predator with a .221 Fireball would make a great video for youtube.com!

In other words: get a bigger gun.

Tom

 

[AndyW]

Your description of either being treed or 150 yards is the issue here. If the cat is treed then I say no problem with the Fireball, aim behind the shoulder like a bow shot and you will have a very dead cat very quickly. For the 150 yard shots I would want at least a .243, and if you are worried about the hide use the 85 grain TSX, no problem on big deer so should be no worries on a cat.

As far as needing a 30 cal? there is no species in North America that you NEED a 30 cal for.

 

[Linefinder]

Just a thought......

In the case of bullet failure, sudden errant wind, sudden movement of the target, or you plain old botch the shot,it can happen), you may wind up with a bad hit and a wounded puddy.

And it turns out, the blood trail ends without the cat laying in the middle of it. Your best efforts to locate it end in failure.

Now you have a bad scenario. And the family camping two canyons over don't have a clue a wounded cat is in the neighborhood.

Mike

 

[shoot44]

Here's one for you to ponder. I've got a couple of friends here on Vancouver Island that hunt cougars all winter long and get quite a few of them. They use hounds and tree all of them. One of 'em told me that he started shooting the treed cat with a cutdown .22 rimfire rifle. He chest shoots it, and waits for it to fall out of the tree. He said the low noise of the .22 doesn't startle the cat into doing something unexpected and it takes less than a minute for the cat to die.

At 150 yds I'd use something bigger than a .221FB.

Good luck

 

[countrygun]

Here's one for you to ponder. I've got a couple of friends here on Vancouver Island that hunt cougars all winter long and get quite a few of them. They use hounds and tree all of them. One of 'em told me that he started shooting the treed cat with a cutdown .22 rimfire rifle. He chest shoots it, and waits for it to fall out of the tree. He said the low noise of the .22 doesn't startle the cat into doing something unexpected and it takes less than a minute for the cat to die.

At 150 yds I'd use something bigger than a .221FB.

Good luck

 

[countrygun]

Here's one for you to ponder. I've got a couple of friends here on Vancouver Island that hunt cougars all winter long and get quite a few of them. They use hounds and tree all of them. One of 'em told me that he started shooting the treed cat with a cutdown .22 rimfire rifle. He chest shoots it, and waits for it to fall out of the tree. He said the low noise of the .22 doesn't startle the cat into doing something unexpected and it takes less than a minute for the cat to die.

At 150 yds I'd use something bigger than a .221FB.

Good luck

Have shot many cougars with a 22 rimfire, no longer legal in this state. They are an easy animal to kill but hollow points will not penetrate the skull with a frontal shot. Solids will penetrate and do little damage to the pelt.

 

[AckleymanII]

"Im thinking of using a 700 lv sf to shoot a Cougar with."

Things don't get more screwed up than this statement. What the Muck are you thinking, anyway?