I don't think he knew it was a .223 . But I didn't know if I hit him good enough until later. There wasn't a bunch of extra blood and he took off like I had flat out missed him. He went into some brush with a blown over tree top covering him. I didn't really want to send dogs in because I figured he was hurt but could probably still hurt a dog. I waited about twenty minutes and then finished him off. You could tell the bullet hit the heart but it didn't do much damage. The cat was facing me when I shot so it didn't get lungs. Same shot with a 30-30 drops them in their tracks.
As I mentioned before I don't shoot pistols all that much and I am personally more comfortable with a rifle. Even though it isn't exactly a far shot, I can't hit anything with a pistol if it holds still.
Although your 22 is not legal in most states probably more lions have been killed with them than just about anything. ( Same goes for humans.) Not exactly the proper tool but it will work on much larger game than that as I have personally witnessed. Your 30-06 is good for anything if you can stand to carry it. If you wish PM me and I can give you some outstanding data for the 06 that will make it a friendly lion gun with plenty of safety factor.
As the famous Jeff Cooper said, Not much a man can't accomplish with a good four wheel drive and a 30-06. LOL!
Although your 22 is not legal in most states probably more lions have been killed with them than just about anything. ( Same goes for humans.) Not exactly the proper tool but it will work on much larger game than that as I have personally witnessed.
What bigger then a lion have you killed with a .22? I'm just amazed the .22 is that effective but I've never shot anything bigger then a coyote with it either.
My son killed his first deer with a .22 this year and other hound doggers used to only shoot bears with a 22. We use 223 alot, we have killed a lot of elk and bear with them. Also I used my 22-250 to kill bear too and deer. I like the smaller calibers because they dont cause a lot of damage. Growing up we was taught to make sure gun was aligned and only to shoot in the head. So for me it is not an ego thing, more of just how i was raised.
ferjr wrote:If you cant put the bullet were you want it at 20-30 yards at the most, you probably have no business shooting anything anyway!
AMEN!
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hank taught me just how to stay alive, you'll never catch out the house without my 9 or .45. i got a big orange tractor and a diesel truck and my idea of heavens chasin whitetail bucks...
Old TC Contender Hammer Springs need periodic replacing with a fresh hammer spring.
Contender hammer springs fatigue over time and should be replaced periodically. If the headspace is correct, the ammunition is good, and the lockup is complete, misfires suggest it is time to replace the hammer spring. Or there was just a plain load of crap between the firing pin and frame. I am somewhat partial to tcs,there are pro's and con's to every gun. I however have done plenty of trigger work and mods to mine to know the working. The easiest thing to do is replace the trigger spring with a heavier one,that way if you want to put on a hammer extension it won't slow down the hammer moving forward.
Tcs are fun, reliable, and have never failed with right precautions...
The statues of limitations have run out so I can say i have killed deer. whitetail and mule deer, elk, black bear, and full grown horses and cattle with my 22 Woodsman. I still have and although most of the blueing is worn from it it still shoots perfect and although it is not the right tool when you thread that tiney pill in excactly the right hole, it does wonderous things for it's size.
For those of you who may be readers of great outdoor stories some of the very best were wrtitten by Russell Annabel about the Alaskan wilderness. Rusty sourdoughed with some of the wildest old characters in the bush and wrote about his adventures in numerous outdoor magazones and now Safari Press offers his many fine books for excellent reading. He extolls the merits of the 22 handgun in Alaska, and like every other hunter and guide of the period he was armed with his trusty Model 70 30-06 but the real meat and potatoes gun was that 22 pistol on his him that kept them in groceries and fur money.
Dale Lee never used any handgun but his trusty Colt Woodsman 22 for bounty lions. He lost in on a wild chase one time and Clell his brother lent him a new Ruger Single Six and Dale couldn't hit a dang thing with that six shooter. He shot up every shell in his chap pocket on a treed lion on Black River one time and cussed that gun as the lion got away and vowed he would not use a pistol again if he couldn't find his Colt. Well he never found it and he spent most of his later years with either a Model 94 Winchester 30-30 or his favorite bear gun a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington firing a 200 Gr. Remington Core Locts.
Dale said with the Woodsmen 22 just shoot them behind the leg and it wouldn't knock them out and just wait a little bit and they fall out on their nose stone dead. That has been my experience as well. But it is not legal in most states so why risk a fine just get a good quality 357 Nagnum which is plenty for any lion use a good jacketed soft point bullet. Practice till you can hit a beer can consisitant at 25 yards and you are in business. Or put up with the weight and bulk of a centerfire rifle and use a decent deer bullet and you will be set. Stay away from the hyper velocity V-Max loads becasue I have seen more messes with them and frangible varmint bullets on lions than you can imagine. Had one guy shoot a dang lion 5 times with a 22-250 almost point blank and still another guy had to chase it down with his 44 Redhawk and kill it and the dang thing was shot all to pieces Bullets going in a few inches and blowing up. It was a nasty and embarassing deal for the hunter and one fine old female hound lost and eye over it.
As it has already been said it isn't legal in most states, but there have been more deer, bear, and hogs killed with a .22lr in my area than all other calibers put together I would say. It is all about shot placement and being comfortable with the gun you are using. It is much cheaper to shoot a .22 so it is easier to get used to shooting one, thereby often making it a very effective caliber.
i have shot thousands of coon with 22long rifle and 100 or so with 22magnum .the magnum numbs them so much quicker it isnt even funny .bear i use the 375 winchester . so my opinion is use common sense and stay safe .
Coonsbware wrote:+1 I like an extra margin of error to allow for the human element of things. I've never understood the point of using a single shot for modern rifle hunting either. We make mistakes and therefore limiting ourselves to one shot does not make any sense to me. Just my opinion.
Ever heard the saying " one shot, one deer. Two shots, maybe one deer. Three shots, no deer"? I think it applies to any game. If I think it's going to take me more than one shot, I won't bother with the one. I'll get closer or get a better angle whatever the case may be. Except with coon hunting, it better not take more than one shot while hound hunting. Or the person shouldn't be hunting at all. That's just my opinion. I think a 30-30 is a GREAT all around gun for bear and lion hunting. But a .22 is enough for lion and bobcat hunting. Dead is dead.
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Don't buy the hype.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows, will plow for those who do not." - Thomas Jefferson
I carry a .308 Youth Model 7 Remington. It shoots a little larger bullet but also a little slower so it doesn't blow big holes in anything. Its also short and can be packed on a pack or carried easy in the woods, its lighter than alot of 44s with 7 inch barrels also. I have a 4 power scope and it makes it hard to miss if its 70 yards!
. But I didn't know if I hit him good enough until later. There wasn't a bunch of extra blood and he took off like I had flat out missed him. He went into some brush with a blown over tree top covering him. I didn't really want to send dogs in because I figured he was hurt but could probably still hurt a dog. I waited about twenty minutes and then finished him off. You could tell the bullet hit the heart but it didn't do much damage. The cat was facing me when I shot so it didn't get lungs. Same shot with a 30-30 drops them in their tracks. 
