9mm load for mountain lions-for use in Shield/G43/G26

[JTROKS]

Adult male mountain lions can weight up to 180 lbs depending on their health. A 9mm is better than spit and screams if it's me I'll pick a load that will penetrate.

[Citizen_B]

I am getting ready to purchase a subcompact or compact 9mm (Shield 9, G43, or G26). Along with CCWing it for work and pleasure, I want to use it for defense against possible mountain lions, which are a very real thing where I hike and mountain bike.

Is there a 9mm load (+p, +p+, etc) that will be adequate for a mountain lion encounter? If so, which gun would be my best bet? I'm not sure if the Shield can handle even +p.

I'm going to the range soon to test all three. I want to see which one I like to shoot. I'm a Glock / Sig guy, but SO MANY people are betting their life on a Shield, I thought I should consider it

A 10mm Glock 29 or 20 would be ideal for large animals, but I am not ready to buy a 10mm.......yet. ;-)

If it were me.. I'd go with a deep penetrating FMJ, perhaps in +p because you lose some velocity with a short barrel. The Xtreme Penetrator comes to mind. Underwood has them in standard, +p, and +p+ versions:

https://www.underwoodammo.com/9mm-luger-p-115-grain-xtreme-penetrator/

Also nothing wrong with using top rated SD HPs.

[AreWeFree]

Thank you for the responses. Mountain lions freak me out just because there was one that killed and literally ate a mountain biker, and injured another mountain biker, on a trail I was on the day before it happened.

I would like to get some of the +P++++ that gun toting monkeyboy mentioned above.

Here you go, it's awesome stuff: https://www.underwoodammo.com/10mm-a...-hollow-point/

[ChuckDizzle]

Chemical deterrents like pepper spray are more effective than firearms against wildlife.

[teflondog]

I'm not sure if lions have a tough hide.

If they do, then I would go with a 147gr bullet. Either a bonded JHP or flat nosed FMJ for maximum penetration.

[gc44]

Yup....

Sorry, but no. If you have a cat that is being aggressive towards humans, you shoot it. Pure and simple. Even the F&G laws are pretty clear about defending yourself against big cats. If you run into one that is aggressive, and you just scare it off, what happens the next time when it is hungry, and runs into somebody smaller or less well-armed?

-Mb

Yup- Them big cats can be pretty dangerous. But a little pu*sy never hurt no one...

[cwilliams]

Usually lions attack from behind and above, so by the time you are aware you have a problem, you're already dead. Similar to a great white, but different in that a white will bite to see what you are. The lion has already decided he's going to eat you while the white shark usually thinks you taste awful....but you still bleed out.

Maybe a motorcycle helmut with pepper spray coating would be better.

I have to agree with this. An independent cat like a mountain lion is an ambush hunter. Not far off from your average house cat stalking its prey. Once they don't feel like they have the upper hand (or have been discovered) in their attack they usually decide not to.

There was a video posted not long ago where a hunter stumbled upon a mountain lion and they had a brief stare down. The lion eventually went about his way like nothing happened. Had the lion actually been stalking him for a meal...no chance.

[Carcassonne]

... I want to use it for defense against possible mountain lions, which are a very real thing where I hike and mountain bike.

Any 115, 124, or 125 grain FMJ will work. No need for hollow-points. Penetration is better than expansion on wild animals.


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[Monster]

Chemical deterrents like pepper spray are more effective than firearms against wildlife.

NOT Mountain Lions.

[KrisDSA]

147g FMJ

[plumbum]

I'm going to second the FMJ suggestion - nothing short of a hail-Mary headshot is going to drop a hungry/angry critter, and I'd rather hope for multiple blood holes and possible bone breakage. You aren't going to outrun anything on 4 legs, so hope that he noise and pain is enough to deter an attack.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

You don't need tons of penetration. They just aren't really built like other big cats. Think of them as more along the lines of the largest Small Cat out there, instead of a small Big Cat. They are designed to be ambush predators that hunt mule deer and pronghorns. Not something designed to fight it out with wildebeests and Cape Buffalo. They are not bears, that can shrug off lots of damage, and keep attacking long after they have received a fatal wound. They are more like finely-tuned sports cars than tanks. It doesn't take much to shut them down or drive them off. Yes, they are stronger than humans. But they can't take damage the way that we do. How many times have we seen somebody get shot, and keep going, often not even noticing until later? Yeah, mountain lions are not like that. Not at all.

And for the record, it isn't "+P++++" ammo. It is +P++P+++, with extra lightning, just to be sure.

-Mb

[Subotai]

Any of the rounds here are good enough. They ain't grizzlies.

[stormvet]

My Shield 9mm is my dedicated MB gun, fits my frame bag perfect. I carry 124+P golden saber bonded in it. With a spare mag on the set tube, I have spent years riding and carrying a handgun. Started out with a snub nosed .38, I've experimented with different means of carry on a bike, have yet to find a really fast way to get the gun into action. Settled with the frame bag, while not the fastest it is ok. I use to carry it on my person, one good wreck was all it took for me to stop that. Had a huge bruise the shape of a gun on my side for a month and a half.

By the way, I also own a 43 and prefer it over the shield. It is my back up gun for other activities. Tried carrying my 27 for awhile, too thick and bulky for the bike. If I was going to buy a gun for the bike now, it would be a 43. But because I have a Shield, I decided to make it the official bike gun so it didn't just rot in the safe.

[Garand Hunter]

As an aside here, regards these cats being stalkers and coming from behind, my brother in law Tom was hunting on a ridgeline above the Moklumne River Mid Fork Canyon back in '99 when he heard a stick " snap " behind him. He turned back to see what it was and saw a cat ( Mtn Lion ) crouched low and creeping towards him about 11 to 15 ft away. He hit her first with a 30-06 Rem 740 and she flipped over and again he hit her same rifle just before she would have pounced. Chemical spray would have been useless !

We checked the site out next day and the brass was 11 feet from where the
blood splatter was on the ground. I and his son and my daughter and cousin
thanked the Lord and never hunted that ridge again without much eye balls on every part of that ridge.

Otherwise use a heavy bullet of your choice in your 9mm.

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