Euthanasia Load?

[snakeman32]

I would recommend the 158 gr JSP. I have never shot a cow with one but alot of hogs have met thier demise from these bullets.


snakeman

 

[walnutred]

If I was in the market for a truck gun that had enough oomf to penetrate large animal skulls I'd buy a CZ52.

 

[Dan Cash]

The standard 158gr. MC 38spl will do everything you need to drop a bull when fired into the brain.
For a do-everything load I would go with a 357 158gr hard cast SWC.
Stay away from any light weight high speed rounds for cattle killing.
And don't even think about hitting a bull in the head with a glaser safety slug!

+++++++++++++100 what Jeb says. You need some penetration to put down a cow. The skull is hard and thick. Years ago, a neighbor undertook to kill a cow for my dad with a head shot from a .38 S&W. The cow was in a chute when he shot. Botched the job and the cow left the chute. Took an -06 to put her down then.

 

[skeeterbait]

Taking a lesson from the masters of skull shots, I think there is a reason they use monolithic solids for elephants. Heavy, solid, and relatively slow is the way to go.

 

[HayesGreener]

Taking a lesson from the masters of skull shots, I think there is a reason they use monolithic solids for elephants. Heavy, solid, and relatively slow is the way to go.

Roger that. When growing up in the Midwest we had a friend who ran a slaughterhouse who had been in the business for 40+ years. I was fascinated with the process and hung out at his shop from time to time to learn. When a customer brought an animal in he asked, "do you want the brains?" A lot of folks saw them as a delicacy. If the answer was yes, they wanted the brains, he killed the animal with a .22 rifle from about 2 feet. He also had a butcher knife in his hand when he shot and immediately stepped in to cut the jugular when the animal dropped to its knees, to be sure. If the answer was no to the brains question, he used an old Colt in 45LC. He told me about times when the .22 didn't do the job and had been injured a few times by steers that had to be shot multiple times. Something about his many years killing cattle told him the big fat old .45 slug was best. Nowadays the big processors use a pneumatic bolt gun in large caliber.

 

[safearm]

I have no experience in dispatching cattle, but I have had to disptach dogs. I won't use anything less than a .45ACP or .45 Colt; they are clean one-shot kills. Additionally, for a "truck gun," they work pretty good on two legged vermin.

 

[Treeman]

If I was in the market for a truck gun that had enough oomf to penetrate large animal skulls I'd buy a CZ52.

An excellent suggestion.......but if it is for youthinasia wouldn't the Type 51 Tokarev copy be more appropriate? ;^)

 

[SteveA]

I've put down a lot of horses and cattle over the years. My preferance is something hard cast or full metal jacketed with a diameter over .4. Probably the fastest was a mare I put down last fall with a .45 Colt and the RCBS 270SAA. Had too much penetration, going through the skull, neck, withers, exiting behind the shoulder and reentering the hind quarter (her neck was at an angle on the shot). That being said my brother is a vet and uses a .22 most of the time, though he admits .44s and .45s are much more effective.

 

[sabashimon]

FWIW, we used to use a 22-250, and never needed more than one round.

 

[38-44HD45]

Huh. I first thought that this thread was about provisions for the elderly in congress' new health care bill... Back in my previous life, I killed a few cattle. I've used a .38 with a 140gr. Speer JHP over a max. load of 2400, a .357 with 158gr. cast, and a 9mm with 115gr. JHP. From the right angle, all will easily penetrate to the brain. The butcher we took cattle to for our own beef always used a .22 rifle. One interesting phenomenon I noticed over the years is that it is a whole lot easier to kill a healthy or relatively healthy bovine than one that is badly injured or very ill. No "shock" value for the sick ones, I guess.

 

[sabashimon]

Reminds me of a story.....
Years ago, before I left the captive world and gone off to work in Africa, I was in charge of all the carnivores (20 cheetah, 9 lions, 5 tigers, 3 wolves, and 5 brown bear <okay, so they're omnivores>) at a beautiful safari park, and we got most of our meat from the local farmers and ranchers.
They'd call us when a horse or cow had an ailment too serious to fix, and I, like the grim reaper would show up to do the dirty deed.
I received just such a call one day from a guy who said that one of his momma cows had a pinched nerve from calving, and although he'd tried valiantly to help her by raising her with a tractor every day to massage her rear legs, and keeping her watered and fed where she was lying.....it had been two weeks since she'd been able to stand on her own power.
He had reluctantly given upon her, and rather than kill her and bury her on the farm, he'd rather she go to a good cause, such as feeding our animals.
It was about an hour and a half drive for me to get to his farm, and as I walked up to Bessie with my rifle on my shoulder, I gave her a kick in the rump and said "well old lady, here's your last chance", and I'll be damned if she didn't jump to her feet and calmly saunter off. The farmer was stunned, and effusive in his apology for bringing me all the way out for nothing, but I told him heck, I was thrilled that he got his cow back, and that I didn't have to shoot her.
I guess the old lady was just happy to have a vacation from the herd, content to just laze around getting her daily massage and "breakfast in bed", and didn't know how close she'd come to having her vacation extended permanently.

 

[HoosierMike]

Go with a heavy bullet 140g+. And If I were in your shoes I would forget the handgun and opt for one of the many nifty .357 cal lever action carbines on the market these days. Much more useable in wide open spaces IMHO.

 

[Dan Cash]

The standard 158gr. MC 38spl will do everything you need to drop a bull when fired into the brain.
For a do-everything load I would go with a 357 158gr hard cast SWC.
Stay away from any light weight high speed rounds for cattle killing.
And don't even think about hitting a bull in the head with a glaser safety slug!

+1XXXXXXXXX. 158 to 170 grain hard or soft in a .357. The bovine skull is an amazing creation.

 

[durco]

My vet uses an old ruger single action with factory 250-255 gr. .45 Colt loads. He says it is very humane - kills instantly and never fails.
Mike

 

[c.marsh]

ruger blackhawk

A-MEN durco.nothing beats a 45LC IN THE brainpan.a good bullet would be from BUFFALO-BORE..............