what kinda gun

[Miltonchix]

Be careful! When I lived in Reno cougars were protected. Them and the FERAL horses are the reason there are pretty much ZERO deer left in Nevada.
A rifle is your best bet. .223 or larger. .223 has little recoil.

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
I've hit cats directly in the face at close range with pepper spray.
Cats love it. Tastes like chicken to 'em. Had absolutely NO effect on them. Except that they licked it off and seemed to enjoy it immensely.

 

[ranchhand]

Do you have to have a license to own/buy a gun? I know some states will not allows minors to buy a gun.

 

[newchickmom09]

The first thing you should do is take a hunting course they will teach you how to aim, shoot, hold a gun, clean your gun, the list goes on and on. Call your state game and fish department they take care of all of that. Then after you take the class you get your huinting license. I know here you have to have a hunting licences to hunt anything/kill anything. Also a cougar you have to buy a special tag here it only $14 for a tag. Look into all of that first. Ask what the age is to buy a gun. Here it is 18 for a rifle and 21 for a handgun. Your parents should go with you also for all of this

Then you can go check out guns. I would suggest a .243 rifle. I have one and love it. It doesn't kick that much at all. It is large enough to take down big game and get the job done. I got mine brand new from Walmart for $300 and it came with a scope, not the best scope but it works. Got my first deer with that gun.

Pistols and shot guns aren't as accurate as rifles for long shots so that is something to think about. I personaly don't like pistols at all, plus they hurt my ears. I wouldn't want to be close enough to a cougar to shoot it with pepper spray.

For now a fog horn would work to scare them or a loud barking dog. Pepper spray can be very nasty if you get the mist in your eyes from the wind blowing and some people it makes them rash out where ever it touches.

Your aim is only going to get better from practicing and going threw some rounds. You have to get a feel for your gun and how it shoots. Also if there is a scope you have to adjust that until it is right on.

 

[cappy]

Air horns and pepper spray are good "for the moment" deterents but animals like coyotes and foxes will continue to return until a more permenant solution is found. I assume a cougar and bear would do the same. You need to consider your options like shooting, trapping, poisons, predator control specialists etc. Are you rural, suburban or city? What are your neighbors like (tree huggers or mountain men or in between)? We all have different circumstances so no one solution works for all. Where I live a 7mm magnum is my solution to coyote problems.
Ken

 

[wombat]

I'd consider shooting a cougar to be a last resort; scare it off if you can. However, if you need to shoot one, and since that's what you actually asked about:

A shotgun will work fine at close range, and would take less practice to be able to use effectively. There's no reason why an adult of any size could not handle a 12 gauge; I had one when I was 14 years old. If you do find a 12ga too large for your liking, a 20ga will work fine for cougar as well. Get a short-barrel open choke self-defence weapon, load two rounds of buckshot and then alternate slugs and shot. Another advantage to a shotgun is that the rounds will not travel so far downrange, which can be a consideration. Shot will travel a shorter distance than slugs, but either will travel less distance than a rifle bullet. If you're smaller, you can get a self-defense model with an adjustable stock, or get a gunsmith to cut the stock down for you if you are not comfortable with that sort of a task.

A shotgun's fine if there's a cougar at the barn door and you need to kill it. A shotgun's not a good choice of you have a cougar that's been hanging around and you determine that you need to hunt it down and kill it. You're not likely to get close enough to use it without using dogs for assistance.

If you opt for a rifle, anything .270 or larger is fine. As others suggested, you can get used .30-30 or .30-06 rifles inexpensively, as they are rather common. Again, as with the shotgun, there's really no reason why an adult would not be able to handle a .30-06. Handling recoil is largely mental; it does not require size or strength.

A rifle's the choice if the cougar must be hunted down.

A handgun has the advantage of being easier to carry about with you, if that is legal where you are. On the other hand, using a handgun effectively at anything other than extremely close range requires more proficiency than using a shotgun or rifle, and a handgun will have somewhat less stopping power. I would recommend a .357 (has the advantage of using cheaper .38 special ammo for practice) or a .45. Revolvers are somewhat easier for most novices to learn to use, in my opinion. Again, handling recoil is a matter of training and practice, not physical size.

The general rule is that the best gun is the one you can hit your target with. One could go on all day arguing the relative merits of one cartridge over another, but the difference between practicing or not far outweighs any difference between a .270 and a .30-30. Get something that fits you well and practice with it.

If you are new to firearms, get proper instruction. Your state likely offers a hunter's safety course, and you can check with your local firearms dealer or sportsman's club for local resources. You can also check for NRA safety courses.

 

[skywatcher]

Since you are a beginner a probably recoil senstive go with a .223 caliber rifle. this will let you shoot game with open sights out to 300 yards with no kick and ammo is cheaper in this caliber than most others. This is the caliber our Troops use in combat. Forget handgun anything past 10 feet that isnt as big as a door a beginner can't hit,the reason is the blast to your ear drums& short site of a short barrel. Had 5 dogs slaughter my flock 1 left the yard alive was using a bolt action.223 that holds 5 shells.

 

[gaited horse]

Quote:
I think my neighbors are inbetween I don't know what they are lie when it comes to that. I am i between suberban and middle of no where.