30-30 Cougar bullet

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Spokerider

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I'm looking to load up a a few rounds suitable for taking a cougar for the Win 94 30-30. I'm looking for adequate killing power / penetration but not alot of fur damage, plus, don't want too much fight left in it once it's out of the tree and on the ground.

Remington makes a 55gr accelerator for the 30-30, will this do the trick? Speer makes a 100gr bullet I could load up fast-stepping, and then there is of course the 150gr factory offerings, but I think there'd be some serious fur damage with the 150's.

The lever is what I have, so a 30-30 load it'll have to be........


What'd ya think?
 
I think its a perfectly good cartidge for cougar. A guy I know from down island uses a single shot 7-30 Waters (30-30 necked to 7mm) hunting cougars with hounds with good success.

I'm not sure if the light varmit type bullets would be the best as they might blow the hell out of the fur on the far side of a smaller cat. I'd probably go with a normal 150ish grain soft point. They don't exit too big on small deer - shouldn't on cougar either. A fancier way to go might be a Nosler partition which should give you calibre sized holes in and out and mayhem in between. .
 
"...Remington makes a 55gr accelerator..." The accuracy is poor. Work up a load with Speer 110 grain TMJ's, if you're hide hunting. Commercial FMJ's(a TMJ is the same thing) are NOT the same as milsurp FMJ's. The jackets are thinner. You get the penetration but the hide doesn't get blown up.
"...don't want too much fight left in it..." I don't think having any fight left in it would be good. Stateside lots of hunters use handguns for kitty, so a .30-30 will be fine.
 
I would think the factory loaded 125 HP, by Federal would be a great kitty killer.

However exit holes might be an issue.

PS, Expanding on Sunray's suggestion on 110 grain bullets.
I remember a handload recommended by Ken Waters was: 110 grain hollow point over 27.2 grains of IMR 4198, as an accuracy load in 30-30.
This looks good, but one would have to be, a little careful, to ensure shot placement on cougars I think.
I have never shot a cougar, maybe someone else here has?

EDIT: Spokerider,I once played around with 100 grain short jacketed bullet handloads in 30-30. I could never get acceptable accuracy, at all out of them myself.
 
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sunray said:
Work up a load with Speer 110 grain TMJ's, if you're hide hunting. Commercial FMJ's(a TMJ is the same thing) are NOT the same as milsurp FMJ's. The jackets are thinner. You get the penetration but the hide doesn't get blown up
Click to expand...

non-expanding bullets are illegal for use in British Columbia
 
Dan used a cast lead bullet in his 270 for his cat. I think it was 130gr with gas check.

It went in the brisket, through the heart and stopped under the hide in between the shoulders. It had washed away to the point where it looked like a bullet pulled from a 22RF. Worked like a charm!
 
I forgot to add, the chap that took us out after the cat was in the process of getting an old winchester in a 25-20 to be his dedicated cat gun. The 86gr PSP's would be perfect!
Considering how close you are, the shot placement to hit the heart is not hard to reach so long as said nasty critter is treed as compared to shredding the hounds.

Of course, you need to remember no mateer what you hit it with there is still that bit of life they will have left when they decide what to do before sleeping. Short of paralyzing them, have a plan figured for where the shortest escape to cover is if the cat jumps out of the tree before perishing.

We did not and it almost made my sister a widow! Just my .02.
http://media.putfile.com/LookoutNugget
 
I have no doubt a 30-30 has the killing power required to do the job, I'm actually concerned that it has too much power, pelt damage and knocking it out of the tree before it's 90% dead and falling out @ unconciousness.
I saw a video once of a cat shot / knocked out of the tree with a high powered round, it hit the ground with all four legs just a givener. It was still very much alive.
Tieing the hounds is a given.......
 
Use the 170 grain factory load---slow and steady wins the race expansion will not be severe and you will have added insurance in a bayup---That theory of too much power knocking them out--seen them knocked out with a 222 loaded down it's mostly BS. Also, for what it's worth, not every cat picks a nice sparsely limbed tree to climb so somtimes the shootin is not all that easy----I use a marlin in 35 Rem with 200g bullets-- save the varmint bullets for a varmint--not many 180lb prairie dogs are there?.
 
just to add some more of the same--Look in the Records Of BC Game in the Cougar section--the man--who I know--who's name is listed more than anyone else-- Bill Watt--uses a thuddy-thuddy.
 
horshur said:
Use the 170 grain factory load---slow and steady wins the race expansion will not be severe and you will have added insurance in a bayup---That theory of too much power knocking them out--seen them knocked out with a 222 loaded down it's mostly BS. Also, for what it's worth, not every cat picks a nice sparsely limbed tree to climb so somtimes the shootin is not all that easy----I use a marlin in 35 Rem with 200g bullets-- save the varmint bullets for a varmint--not many 180lb prairie dogs are there?.
Click to expand...

I also use a 35 Rem with 200 gr pills. One of the best calibers for lions in my opinion. With the 200 gr soft points the exit hole is no bigger than the entrance. I know a couple outfitters that run Marlin 30-30's throwing 170 gr factory ammunition and topped with a red dot sight - very quick and efficient. Stay away from the varmint bullets, cats are alot bigger and tougher than most people realize.
 
If you think the "standard" 30-30 loads may be a bit much, why not try
Remington's "Managed Recoil" loads... .30-30 - 125 gr. loads at 2175 with
1313 ft. lbs. at the muzzle ... quite similar to the 25-35 - and about 70 percent of what the usual 150 gr. .30-30 churns up. Sounds like it might fit your criteria.
 
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