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

[Onomea]

..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...

This is the old Jack O'Connor vs Elmer Keith discussion. Been going on for a while.

I think, as you say, shot placement is what it's really all about.

I would not want to try to shoot an unhappy tiger with a handgun, but, if I had to, a 44 mag would be a good choice...

 

[pownal55]

charging tiger = 12 ga. 00 buck, easier to hit with and hurts like hell!

 

[HHank]

Thanks to all! You have really answered all my questions. I have recently obtained a S&W .44 mag 29-5 Classic with a 5" barrel. It came with pachmayer (sp?) grips, but I changed them to checkered cocobolo.

NRA Member

 

[S.B.]

Originally posted by pownal55:
charging tiger = 12 ga. 00 buck, easier to hit with and hurts like hell!

I know a ISP trooper who had occation to, in the line of duty, shoot an armed woman using 00 buck and he told me that he would never again use buckshot but instead use a deer slug?

 

[slymule]

Cats are pretty easily killed with good shot placement. I've lion hunted for many years and I've seen a number of mountain lions, after being treed with hounds, shot and killed with .22 magnums. Most of the lion hunters I've hunted with prefer smaller caliber pistols. The reasoning behind this is the larger caliber guns will blow them out of the tree, and when they hit the ground they are often full of fight til they die. A double lung shot with a .22 magnum will not dislodge them and they'll stay in the tree til they bleed out and die. That way when they hit the ground you don't get dogs cut up. My preferred gun is my Model 16-4 in .32 mag. I carried a model 48 for many years until the day my hounds treed one back in a cave, I felt a little undergunned that time and decided I better move up to a little larger caliber. :^)

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Time has made the details a little hazy, but I remember about 30 years ago some moron in NYC intentionally got into the enclosure with a polar bear. The bear, of course, did what bears do; it started munching on the guy. Killed him, I believe. The first police officer on the scene killed the polar bear with one round of .38 Special round RNL. Probably some luck involved, but obviously a well placed shot.

IIRC, the cop understood how things really are, he was more upset about having to kill the bear than he was about what happened to the moron.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

Originally posted by HHank:
Thanks to all! You have really answered all my questions. I have recently obtained a S&W .44 mag 29-5 Classic with a 5" barrel. It came with pachmayer (sp?) grips, but I changed them to checkered cocobolo.

NRA Member

Hoping you ain't got a tiger by the tail....

 

[Blackcloud2]

Posted 31 December 2007 08:21 PM Hide Post
quote:
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...

Yeah, but from earlier threads we found out this tiger couldn't speak english....presumably the language of the shooting officers. In those other countries, I'm sure all involved, both tigers and victims can communicate!

 

[pangris]

Originally posted by animalmother:
If you are able to hit the tiger, yes a 44 Mag will do the trick.

+1

This isn't a ballistics issue as much as a "hitting a moving target" issue - IIRC, a tiger can run the 100 in less than 4 seconds.

FWIW, I carry a .357 at the zoo - again, HITTING a fast mover the bigger problem.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

All this talk about various calibers, stopping power shot placement and hitting a moving target are all fine, well and good academic discussions on the board, but the only foolproof method for stopping a charging tiger is to take away his credit card.



Rn Awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

 

[pangris]

bad man!

 

[MTS Cop]

Originally posted by Gearhead Jim:
Time has made the details a little hazy, but I remember about 30 years ago some moron in NYC intentionally got into the enclosure with a polar bear. The bear, of course, did what bears do; it started munching on the guy. Killed him, I believe. The first police officer on the scene killed the polar bear with one round of .38 Special round RNL. Probably some luck involved, but obviously a well placed shot.

IIRC, the cop understood how things really are, he was more upset about having to kill the bear than he was about what happened to the moron.

Knowing NYC cops fairly well, he probably was more upset about the bear than the idiot. The longer I do this job the more I like animals and hate people.

 

[Rob96]

I think these just found out what happens when you bring a sling shot to a tiger fight. There would have been no need to dispatch the tiger had the kids not done anything. But that is just my humble opinion. Rant off.

 

[Sgt BB]

Is it even legal to pack a gun to that zoo?
What is the chance of someone having been suitablly armed and responding in time to make a difference.
Check the LION Video: see how long it took an armed policeman to respond to the "man mauled by lion" call!

 

[pangris]

Originally posted by MTS Cop:
Knowing NYC cops fairly well, he probably was more upset about the bear than the idiot. The longer I do this job the more I like animals and hate people.

MTS, that isn't specific to your profession.

 

[Rob96]

Is it even legal to pack a gun to that zoo?

I packed when I went to the Philly Zoo. I didn't see any signs that stated no concealed weapons.

 

[marvin knox]

Depends on how lucky he is!

Did you already fire 5 shots or 6?

"Do you feel lucky? Well......Do you *****?"

 

[budrichard]

Originally posted by 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?

A polar bear in the water can't really move that fast and with the natives being practical as well as economical, a 22lr would be fine.
Bob Peterson of Peterson Publishing took up the 44 Magnum/Polar Bear challenge many years ago. A S&W 6&1/2" Nickel 44 Magnum was used. It took 5 rounds to kill the bear. Since he was shooting the bear on the ice, he had a 375H&H with a guide as backup. Bob was not dumb. http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story...ecid%3D1198098376868
If you think that a 44 Magnum will protect you from any dangerous animal(homo sapiens sapiens excepted) think again and take out a large life insurance policy!-Dick

 

[rburg]

Originally posted by budrichard:
and with the natives being practical as well as economical, a 22lr would be fine.

I thought in my reading the Alaskan native preferred .219 Zippers or .22 Hornets over rimfires. I know they did a lot of reloading. Any one got any insight? What did Sarah P use? OK, so she's not a native.

 

[conchmariner]

Originally posted by 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.

NRA Member

From what I read of this story the only unfortunate one was the tiger that had to be put down.