"Will a .44 mag kill a Siberian Tiger?"

[HHank]

I'm sure that most of you have heard the terrible story about the attack of the Siberian Tiger on the three unfortunate young people at the San Francisco Zoo a few days ago. (another testament for concealed carry) My question is twofold: "what caliber handgun might be used to kill such an animal? Also which weapon and what ammo did the police use to kill the tiger? Anyone know? These kinds of maulings are usually caused by bears. Is a handgun up to such a task? Not many of us walk around with slug loaded shotguns or rifles.

NRA Member

 

[HHank]

I'm sure that most of you have heard the terrible story about the attack of the Siberian Tiger on the three unfortunate young people at the San Francisco Zoo a few days ago. (another testament for concealed carry) My question is twofold: "what caliber handgun might be used to kill such an animal? Also which weapon and what ammo did the police use to kill the tiger? Anyone know? These kinds of maulings are usually caused by bears. Is a handgun up to such a task? Not many of us walk around with slug loaded shotguns or rifles.

NRA Member

 

[powerkicker]

A .44 can do it. .40 s&w pistols were used by the police based on the reading I've done on the 'net.

 

[rburg]

Sure, even a 22 will do the job....provided the kitty is tied down and you can stick the barrel in his ear.

 

[s&wchad]

Welcome to the forum. Here's a couple of links.

And yes, It'll take a tigers head clean off!

http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/500103904/m/1531078962

http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/500103904/m/3291035962

 

[Jellybean]

Yes, eventually.

 

[Spotteddog]

My Dad while stationed for a time on the outer islands in the Aleutian chain during WWII, told of the locals elsewhere doing in Polar Bear with a .22 in the ear from a kayak, at only an oars distance. Steely nerves and being a great shooter (along with being damned lucky!) would indicate that quite likely a .44 Magnum would, with several .44's being better!? Hardly any load is "enough" when poorly placed. Even a .50 BMG won't stop him/her if it only hits them in the lip?

 

[TNDave]

A 44 magnum will kill a whole lot of things. I can't remember the name of the old govt hunter who killed hundreds of mountain lions. His gun was a Colt SAA in 38-40 which is a ballistic twin of 40 S&W. He was shooting them after they had been treed by dogs.
Lion vid
Here is a vid of a guy killing a lion with what looks like a K frame and is probably a 38 Special.

I good hit with a 44 is quite a hit.

 

[Wyatt Earp]

I think a bigger issue is hitting a tiger that is running around pissed at everyone and jacked up on adrenalin and instinct.

 

[m629]

....from my limited experience but 'lots' of reading, thin-skinned creatures the size of a tiger are not all that hard to kill.....IF you can manage to hit the 'off' button with proper terminal ballistics....

The large creatures with thick hides and a lot of volume generally require the penetration of heavy rifle calibers for sure results with minimal exposure to wounded prey issues.

Until I watched a mobile butcher put down my buddies yearling feeder calf it was hard to understand the nuances of 'proper bullet placement'...

...one magic shot from a 22LR dropped that 400# beef like flipping a light switch.....

 

[pownal55]

cat weighed 350-400 lbs. a head shot at close range with a .357 or bigger should do it. would'nt want to be the guy that missed.

 

[Klatuu]

You can kill a tiger with a sharp stick, with proper placement and penetration. I'm sure a 44 mag will do the trick.

My question is "what is the tiger going to be doing while I'm shooting him?". The answer is probably "very nasty things that I don't want done".

44 Mag compared to 45-70 and .444 Marlin. 45-70 compared to 30-06 and 416Rigby.
44 Mag ~ 1000 ft lbs @ muzzle, 416 Rigby ~ 5000 ft lbs.

I think the 416 would by my LIGHT rifle if I were to go after tigers on purpose.

Recap:

The 44 magnum is better tiger medicine than a sharp stick, but a 416 Rigby would be better than a sharp whole tree.

 

[NT430]

An old Park Ranger responsible for maintaining the elk herd on Jackson's "National Elk Refuge" in Wyoming used a .220 Swift to provide immediate kills when thinning the herd. For actual hunting situations he would use a .264 Winchester Magnum. His theory was that "velocity" vs ft lb's of energy was a swifter and more humane method of dispatching large game. That the hydaulic effect created by the velocity was far more devasting than a heavier/ slower bullet.
But as someone mentioned earlier, shot placement is "king" / there has been far more animals killed by a .22 caliber bullet than any other.

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

Originally posted by Klatuu:

.

Here kitty kitty kitty

BOOM From a 500 mag.......OOOH, the poor kittys not moving anymore....

 

[rburg]

Where's Bettis when we need him?

My unprofessional opinion is tigger needs a teeth cleaning session. Anybody know if Bob swims?

 

[still442]

Luckily, if you don't cage and then taunt a tiger, there will be no need to shoot it.

 

[A10ACN]

Luckily, if you don't cage and then taunt a tiger, there will be no need to shoot it.

There's probably some scarred people and remaining family members in India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia who'd debate that with you...

 

[AKAOV1MAN]

All cats, including the big cats are thin skinned, with strong but not necessarily thick muscle structure. Many Cougar/Mountain Lions have been taken with 22LR. The energy required to penetrate to a vital area of the cat is easily within handgun capability. Of course you have to place your shots properly, a decent handgun load will break a big cat down if it is a shoulder/leg hit, and of course heart and head shots are usually terminal. The spine of a big cat is easy to hit and any spinal hit will put the cat down if not out. Given all of the above, a 12 GA. slug or A 45/70 would be my preference for a POed big cat.

 

[S.B.]

I'd say it depends on if the tiger was charging or just passive when the shot is taken? Adrenalin can be a huge motivator.

 

[animalmother]

If you are able to hit the tiger, yes a 44 Mag will do the trick.