Would 9mm deter a Cougar?

[MuleyBuckFever]

I hope I’m posting in the right category, and sorry if I am not. But last Fall I was muzzleloader hunting and I was down in a canyon and came face to face with a cougar about 20 yards from me. Having never seen a cougar in 32 years of hunting in this area I was quite surprised and obviously unprepared as I only had my muzzleloader on me. Luckily the cougar was as discouraged as I was of a confrontation. With that said I will not be muzzleloading without a side arm any longer. My question is would a 9mm pistol deter a cougar if I were to be attacked? I understand a larger caliber would likely be better but the reason I ask is I am looking to purchase a firearm I can use with my CPL and I’d like to kill 2 birds with one stone if I can and not buy a larger caliber that I only use when I go hunting. I think I want to get the Springfield Hellcat RDP before the new ban goes into effect on July 1. Thank you for your responses, and again I apologize if this is not the right forum for this type of question.

[emac]

First off you should of blazed the cat with your muzzy and I also believe a 9 would work just fine at close range just keep pulling the trigger.

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[bobcat]

I think it would do a good job on a cat as long as you're using a good bullet that's designed to expand quickly.

[elkrack]

First off you should of blazed the cat with your muzzy and I also believe a 9 would work just fine at close range just keep pulling the trigger.

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[buckfvr]

I wont even go into shootability, accuracy etc., but I will mention law requires a 4" barrel for hunting and if you expect to encounter a cat, have a tag and a legal weapon so you can keep the animal.

Yes a 9mm will do cat all day long but the likely hood of a bear encounter is generally far greater than a cat encounter and 9mm is not my choice for bear.

Focusing on edc concealed carry and the gun you mention is a compromise for a woods gun.

[Iveexcaped3]

Yes, a buddy of mines brother in law smoked one with his .380 setting up cameras. Basically just unloaded on it, maybe there was a lucky shot in there but it did work so yes a 9mm will work. But that’s also about as large of a predator you’ll get with it.

[nwwanderer]

The problem is if it wants you it is unlikely you will see or here it before you are down.  Should work great if you are very fast and it is very slow.  Be careful out there

[Fidelk]

A 9mm should be more than enough to kill them. I've read that they are fairly easy to kill. You could always upgrade to a 10mm......Glock 20, etc. if that fits in with your concealed carry plans.

[pickardjw]

My understanding is that bullet choice is important. Hollow point self-defense type rounds intended for use against soft fleshy humans are going to be less effective against hairy, thick skinned animals. Not enough penetration before they expand.

People have successfully taken down griz with Buffalo bore hard cast 9mm. Obviously not ideal for that animal but it lends me some confidence towards its effectiveness against black bear and cougar. So That’s what I carry around here. The +P in a 17rd mag. I’m comfortable with that setup.

[Stein]

I would go with the same bullets you CC with.  Cats aren't that thick or heavy boned, penetration will be more than enough with anything other than a frangible bullet.  Expanding bullets are so much more effective from the tons of data on 9mm hitting people.  It's not even close.

BUT, if you are concerned with bears as well that would likely steer me to a more sturdy bullet.  For cats and people, it's a proven self defense bullet in my opinion.

[jackelope]

I would say that people are killing cougars every year with .22 cal centerfire rounds. A 9mm should be more than ample. Adrenaline will be a factor.

[Woodchuck]

I would say that people are killing cougars every year with .22 cal centerfire rounds. A 9mm should be more than ample. Adrenaline will be a factor.

It's hard to shoot with crap running down your leg.

[Oldguy]

I don't think the 4" barrel for handgun hunting would apply if it was used for protection. And I would agree that the 9mm with
 ammo would work fine.

[Stein]

If you shoot one with a 4" or larger barrel in season with a tag you get to take it home.  If not, I would imagine it necessary to call the warden and report what happened and likely not take it home with you.

[rainshadow1]

They are not particularly thick skinned. They are very 'electric' and more difficult to switch off, but that has more to do with bullet performance and 'shock power' than the firepower numbers. They do have some massive bones, but you'll have lots of rounds to sneak one in there! 9mm is fine, don't expect them to crumple, and a front leg bone will likely keep a bullet out of the ribcage. but skin, muscle, ribs, no problem. And it'd keep you from getting scratched up and gnawed on!