Carry Enough Gun

Porting won't reduce velocity enough to worry about, and it definitely enhances controllability. The .454 is far more powerful than a .44 Mag, any way you hack it. Controllability is IMO the most important consideration.

Cleaning the ports? Unless you really plan on shooting a lot, I wouldn't bother worrying about it.

The grip setup on the Raging Bull was definitely well thought-out. My only complaint with the package is the db level, and that's just part of the deal. TANSTAAFL. For practice with full-house loads, use both ear plugs AND hear-guards.

I've shot 300-grain hot loads from my .44 Mag Redhawk and from my .45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk. I've never shot a hog, but I pretty much figure that either of those loads would work just fine.

The Redhawk is heavy enough such that accurate rapid double-action fire was not difficult. Paper target, though, not at an irate slab of bacon. :D
 
I got charged by a wounded "pen" hog from 60 yards, and "penned" or not, the sucker had been trapped wild in Georgia, and had held on to every bit of his wildness.

Nothing so focuses the mind as 200 pounds of wounded, snarling, snapping, grunting, angry, tusk infested demon charging down on you :eek:

I had a 30-30 lever action and luckily had loaded it almost full (less one round after chambering); my last shot put it down for good.

I will never again hunt them without a fully loaded rifle and a backup sidearm as well.
 
Scrap 5000, Interesting tale! I'm still pretty surprised at some of the responses I've read here and how some seem to think that the same caliber/weapon they use to drop an unsuspecting, unwounded animal will still be just ideal when something unusual happens.

I'm curious as to whether that episode might make you more prone to carry something a bit heavier, such as a .35, .308, .358, .444, or 45-70 lever now.
Some answers seem to include "just shoot straight" and also "any caliber works fine as long as you know what you're doing". I'd agree for much hunting, but just not all circumstances, IMO. Again, interesting post. Thanks
 
pilothunter:

In all honesty it was my fault, and not the ammo, as my first shot was very, very poor & hit him in the ham (it was my first time for piggy, and I was pretty nervous since the guide said we should take off our orange vests to lower the chances of a charge, not that it's any excuse).

That sent the piggy into a 360 degree wild spin, over & over, like a dog chasing it’s tail. I had no idea what the heck he was doing; later I realized he was trying to bite whatever was causing him the pain on his backside.

I fired again, and this time missed (not surprising, as he was spinning like a top).

With this second shot, he stopped, located & faced the guide and I, and started coming at us, full steam.

Well, heck, ever try to hit an oncoming, fast moving, growling, snarling, snapping target that’s prone on ripping you to shreds, while looking through a 5x scope?

Not easy! Lol.

I fired again, missed again (3rd round).

All I could see was snarling face at this point (not an angle you want, but what could I do), so I aimed between the eyes, fired again (4th round), hit him in the bottom right tusk, blowing that off. I tell my self now I was trying to disarm him, ha.

That fourth round stopped him in his tracks & turned him broadside, snapping his jaws…my 5th round (last one in the rifle) spined him & he dropped as expected.

This was at about 15 or 20 yards, if I recall correctly.


This all happened in less than 15 seconds.


Reloaded, walked up to him, he was still trying to get up, snarling, etc, and put one final round into his chest from 6 inches. Still took about a minute to expire after that.


I learned several lessons that day:

1) Calm down & shoot straight, newbie!

2) A 5x scope is certainly not a handy tool when you’re trying to take quick follow up shots at close range. I knew this already, but knowing it and experiencing it are very different! Iron sights or a red dot would have been much better...

3) Load your weapon to 100% capacity; you never know when you might need it

4) Bring a backup you can reach quickly, just in case.
 
1) Calm down & shoot straight, newbie!

2) A 5x scope is certainly not a handy tool when you’re trying to take quick follow up shots at close range. I knew this already, but knowing it and experiencing it are very different! Iron sights or a red dot would have been much better...

3) Load your weapon to 100% capacity; you never know when you might need it

4) Bring a backup you can reach quickly, just in case.
Click to expand...
Wow. What a lousy hunter's job (or just bad luck?)! Not to say, I would have done any better in that specific situation. But there is room for improvement.
So here are some suggestions:
- get a 1-6 or 2-12 Scope or similar.
- you could also carry a 9x19mm pistol with extremely penetrating bullets like the Sellier & Bellot 100gr SP:

sb31065-nd.jpg


...or the Hirtenberger/Fiocchi "FL". These wil penetrate deep into a hog. Yet you can fire them as accurately and as quickly and often as any 9x19mm.


carry a handgun on your hip and practice with it.
 
Para Bellum, yes, it was certainly a lousy job, and it happenned so quickly that I didn't have time to power down the scope ("there he is, shoot, quick!") for neither the first shot nor the last.

My only consolation is that b/t the first and final shot, less than a minute elapsed, so it did not suffer for long.

Had it run off instead of charged, then it would have suffered for much longer.
 
Scrap... just me but I learned to keep my scope zoomed out until when I am on the critter then I can zoom in if needed and time allows... if time don't allow then you want it zoomed out anyway. Then before moving on to next target I make sure it is on low power. I have missed out on a shot for far too many small game animals with the .22 due to keeping it on 6 and above.
Brent
 
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