Feral Hog pistol in .357 magnum

"I'm with FDF. A mistake with a .357 on a hog of modest size can get you seriously injured or dead."

Several years ago I shot a very large hog for our area. It was shot a near dark while deer hunting and ran off. My wife was with me and we waited a few minutes and went to find it. While looking for it, I heard it go between us. It woofed as it passed me. I told the wife, it's too dark and we need to go, she did not hear it pass.

I went back the next morning at daylight and found the hog, it crossed very close to me.

Later I told her what I knew and where I found the hog. Her response was you shoot them at dark, you trail them in the dark, by yourself.

Lessons learned:

1. Black hogs in the dark are hard to see even with a Mag-light..
2. Use enough gun, I have killed a lot of hogs with a .357, but under the right
conditions.

We are in the woods with hogs all the time and I really do not worry about my safety. Folks dream about a hog running at them.

This year I had a hog about 200 pounds or so with an attitude. Each time I would see him he would change his body posture and walk towards me. He seemed to know that I did not have a gun at the time. This happened 4 or 5 times and I decided he had to go.

I hunt hogs with a T/C Contender 30-30, it changes the rules.

A .357 will kill hogs, I just think it's on the light side and most folks are not pistol shots.
 
"Never hunted before. I was thinking 50 yards or less. I'm not sure if I'll get a scope for it or not. I plan on going with someone experienced so I can learn. I'm not a fan of the concept of putting out food and target shooting. I want to learn how to track and actually hunt. I figure this will end up with me close. I'm choosing feral hogs as the target because I see hunting them as doing everyone and everything a big favor. Well, except the"

Finding a mentor is the right way to start.

Actually a scope can be a liability unless you get a variable scope, it limits your field of view a lot. Once the pistol fires, all vision is lost for a bit, the scope blocks your sight as it comes backwards.

Mounting scopes on pistols requires more knowledge than on rifles so they are not sheared off due to recoil.

Tracking hogs is not going to work. Hogs are either for the most part are shot over bait, or with dogs.

Hunting hogs does not really help the landownerr, removing one hog does not do much. Trapping is the favored way. Shooting a hog helps the shooter with meat, nothing else.

Hogs are the most intelligent critters in the woods, they learn very quickly when hunted.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, like I said, .357 magnum is underpowered for larger hogs when it's coming out of a handgun.

I'd steer clear and go for a 10mm or .44 magnum option.
Click to expand...

not wanting to turn this in to a 357 vs 10mm thing but the upper end of 10mm and 357 magnum are the same. Some (not me) would even argue the 357 is hotter with better SD for hunting.
 
With the right bullet and placement .357 mag should be sufficient. 200 grains of .358 cal projectile has a hell of a lot higher sectional density than a 200 grain .40 cal/10mm
 
Are the 200 grain handloads? I'd only seen 180 grain factory ammo out there. I intend to start hand loading at some point. I'm guessing next year.
I'm not thinking I'll solve the problem hunting feral hogs. We never will. But, every one taken out is helpful.
I know they're nocturnal, but why not hunt them in the day? They have to go somewhere. I figure that's where the hunting part comes in.
Good point about how smart they are, and possibly adaptive. That might be the biggest wrench in the works of all.
 
"I know they're nocturnal, but why not hunt them in the day? They have to go somewhere. I figure that's where the hunting part comes in.
Good point about how smart they are, and possibly adaptive. That might be the biggest wrench in the works of all."


In all honesty folks shoot them when they see them. I do see them during the daylight and shoot them then.

If I am going to clean one I would rather do it during daylight. I do not like trailing hogs in the dark by myself. Once you hunt them hard enough, they do go nocturnal.

If you find a sow with piglets and shoot one of the piglets, the sow will never return to that place.

I had 3 small pigs running with my cows last year. You could call the cows and the pigs would come with them. The wife thought that was cute and they were cute. You could feed the cows and the pigs would eat with them. It was not worth discussing removing them.
 
The problem with big bore handguns is accurate follow-up shots. I have never, ever met anyone who could rapid fire a .44 Rem Mag with any degree of accuracy. I am sure there are people who can do it, but they are the exception and not the rule. I'd guess that fewer than 10% of handgun shooters could put 6 .44 Mag rounds in the black at 25 yards in 5 seconds. The reality is it's assuredly less than 10% of all handgun shooters.

I have shot a Freedom Arms .454 Casull exactly three times. I put that gun down and never looked at it again. In my opinion, the .454 Casull is more of a novelty than a gun of utility.

I bought a 4" GP-100 for black bear defense. Where we fish, black bear grow huge. I have seen 400 pounders in the Eastern Sierra. Every once-in-a-while there are reports of blackies going over 500 lbs.

I use 180 grain Partitions and a maximum powder charge.

Longer barreled handguns are probably better for hunting, but they are no more accurate that 4" barreled guns, and they are not trail guns. I think that as far as revolvers go, 4" is maximum length, which is why S&W Mountain Guns come with only 4" barrels. Were a bear charging me, I need my gun out and in battery yesterday. And I need to hit a bear with .357 Mag bullets as opposed to missing it with .44 Mag bullets. Therefore, were one to ask me, if the gun were for only self-defense against hogs or anything else for that matter, .357 Mag is the biggest I'd go, with nothing larger tan a 4" barrel, and with stout 180 grain bullets.

It's one thing to talk big bore handguns, it's a whole other thing to shoot them. As for me, I shot my last big bore handgun when I shot my friend's .454 Casull. And I used to own a 6" Model 629, with heavy emphasis on, "...used to own." I sold that boat anchor after owning it for about five years. I have never, ever felt a tinge of seller's remorse.
 
I would want a longer barrel,,,

A 4" barrel .357 Mag revolver will certainly kill any hog,,,
But you will need to hit it in a small kill zone.

A 6" barrel will give you a better sight radius,,,
That will make it easier to aim the revolver.

I would have to get way too close to a hog,,,
To have a chance to make that shot with my 4" revolver.

With my 6" revolver I might be able to do it at 35 yards.

Yes, it can be done.

No, I wouldn't recommend it at all.

But that's just me.

Aarond

.
 
I'd recommend the Coonan .357 magnum automatic.

More firepower than a revolver and more stopping power as well. Since there is no barrel/cylinder gap the Coonan has higher velocities and more power.

Look them up, they're a 1911 style gun scaled up to take the .357 magnum. Sort of like a practical Desert Eagle.
 
More fire power, sounds like spray and pray hog removal, accuracy not needed only more shells.
 
Last edited:
I read where you wrote you don't like target shooting. Well to make a good clean kill maybe you need to rethink your target shooting befor you actually start hunting. Lol
 
I read where you wrote you don't like target shooting. Well to make a good clean kill maybe you need to rethink your target shooting befor you actually start hunting. Lol
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he was referring to shooting hogs over bait as the "target shooting". Some folks don't call that hunting. I almost never carry a long gun hunting any more. My gun of choice is a 41 mag with a 180 LFP home cast bullet at around 900-1000 fps. I've not had anything I've shot to get away with that combo. I don't think there is anything in the Southeast that a well placed 357 won't do the job. The challenge is putting it in the right place. I can't put it in the black at all off handed, as it has been said here, but at 100 yards I can put all six in a 6" circle. My eyes are no good so I use a scope on a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter and limit my shots to 50-60 yards. As Dirty Harry would say, A man's gotta know his limitations
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top