Hog Hunting with .45
- Thread starter Joven
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Windjammer
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Joven,
What .45 caliber are you talking about? .45 ACP, .45 Long Colt
If your talking .45 ACP, I do not think that will work well. I have very limited experience hog hunting but from what I have seen the hog hide is very tough. I think you will need some thing with more penetration than a .45 ACP. A 357mag which is stronger than a .45ACP is on the light side for hogs.
Just MHO
What .45 caliber are you talking about? .45 ACP, .45 Long Colt
If your talking .45 ACP, I do not think that will work well. I have very limited experience hog hunting but from what I have seen the hog hide is very tough. I think you will need some thing with more penetration than a .45 ACP. A 357mag which is stronger than a .45ACP is on the light side for hogs.
Just MHO
Mannlicher
New member
There is nothing in the world wrong with hoggin with a .45 ACP. I like a hard cast 230 grain LSWC over a good dose of Unique. I realize that this won't feed reliably through everyone's pistol, but my Springfield loves them.
hog hunting with 45
If its 45acp dont try it. if you do better be fleet of foot. I took a friends son bear hunting with me. Had a 175lbs black bear treed at about 20 yards it was just standing on a limb looking at the dogs wondering what to do when he shot it with a 30-30 up from below in the chest at about a 45 degree angle it exited between its shoulder blades all the it did was shudder a little and try to start down the tree. thats when a shot it with my ruger P90 with 185 grain +P gold sabre round in the shoulder thinking to break it . The bear didnt even twitch.Thought i missed so i shot it again in the neck same results nothing happened.So i shot it again in the rib cage behind front leg still nothing .Tried again in the same spot got zip for a reaction out of it.So then a figured the hell with it and sprayed and prayed missed the remander if magizine.Then someone shot it with the 30-30 again and it feel off the limb dead Took a lot of ribbing for missing all the shots.But didnt miss the first four shot at all. Found out when we skinned it i hit wear i aimed.Just that they had no effect at all on it. The gold sabre rounds mushroomed perfectly but didnt have enough power.Still have the bullets in the freezer to show how well they expanded in real meat.
If its 45acp dont try it. if you do better be fleet of foot. I took a friends son bear hunting with me. Had a 175lbs black bear treed at about 20 yards it was just standing on a limb looking at the dogs wondering what to do when he shot it with a 30-30 up from below in the chest at about a 45 degree angle it exited between its shoulder blades all the it did was shudder a little and try to start down the tree. thats when a shot it with my ruger P90 with 185 grain +P gold sabre round in the shoulder thinking to break it . The bear didnt even twitch.Thought i missed so i shot it again in the neck same results nothing happened.So i shot it again in the rib cage behind front leg still nothing .Tried again in the same spot got zip for a reaction out of it.So then a figured the hell with it and sprayed and prayed missed the remander if magizine.Then someone shot it with the 30-30 again and it feel off the limb dead Took a lot of ribbing for missing all the shots.But didnt miss the first four shot at all. Found out when we skinned it i hit wear i aimed.Just that they had no effect at all on it. The gold sabre rounds mushroomed perfectly but didnt have enough power.Still have the bullets in the freezer to show how well they expanded in real meat.
john in jax
New member
FMJ - right idea - you want penetration, but wrong bullet. I dont think hunting with FMJ is legal anywhere.
FACTORY AMMO - if you're only choice is "off-the-shelf", store bought ammo then do some research on what is available in your area and buy the hotest JSP you can get. I strongly suggest that you DO NOT try/use HP's.
HANDLOADS - - Finding and experienced handloader is by far your best option. A guy who loads his own might already have a favorite .45acp hunting load or can set you up with the hard cast bullet mentioned above or a JSP traveling at +/-1,000.
FACTORY AMMO - if you're only choice is "off-the-shelf", store bought ammo then do some research on what is available in your area and buy the hotest JSP you can get. I strongly suggest that you DO NOT try/use HP's.
HANDLOADS - - Finding and experienced handloader is by far your best option. A guy who loads his own might already have a favorite .45acp hunting load or can set you up with the hard cast bullet mentioned above or a JSP traveling at +/-1,000.
trooper3385
New member
There not a game animal, so the fmj will be legal. If your going to do it, I would go for the fmj's since they will have better penetration. I wouldn't think you should have a problem with is, if there on the smaller side. Just as one of the others said though, don't try it in the head facing you. I've seen a 7mm rem mag bounce off. I'd heard of it before, but wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. I've never been into the handgun hunting before, although I did buy a S&W 44 mag last month that I might try this year. I shot a small hog last yr (75lbs +or-) that stopped out in front of my truck while leaving the ranch last yr with a sig sauer .357 with speer gold dot hollow points. It was about 20 yards away. Dropped it on the spot. Didn't penetrate through. I wouldn't hunt with it, but the rifle was already put up. Back to the .45, it wouldn't be my weapon of choice, but for hogs, why not give it a try. Might want to have a rifle close by if your not off the ground though, just to be on the safe side!!!
john in jax
New member
Joven aren't you looking into a HD shotgun? A 12ga slug gun w/rifle sights would make an EXCELLENT hog harvester and HD weapon too. You just got to love those multi-purpose weapons.
Rich Lucibella
Staff
45 ACP for Hogs?
I regularly take 'em down with my .380. Never at more than 25 yards and always just behind the ear or in the eye socket; though I was about 3/4 of an inch off once on a running hog.....the gun probably needed cleaning.
Never wounded one; never lost one, running in agony, to die of starvation after I'd missed that eye socket or ear and busted a jaw. It's fun and ethical. Great way to introduce kids and new hunters to the "way we do things", whether it be in the field or on the Internet.....though I suggest for the kids you start them off with a .25 auto....that's great for deer also.
Rich
I regularly take 'em down with my .380. Never at more than 25 yards and always just behind the ear or in the eye socket; though I was about 3/4 of an inch off once on a running hog.....the gun probably needed cleaning.
Never wounded one; never lost one, running in agony, to die of starvation after I'd missed that eye socket or ear and busted a jaw. It's fun and ethical. Great way to introduce kids and new hunters to the "way we do things", whether it be in the field or on the Internet.....though I suggest for the kids you start them off with a .25 auto....that's great for deer also.
Rich
roger1shot
New member
Texas Hogs
Hey,
I've got to repyl to the statement on small Texas Hogs,by rapier144.
As you know Davy Crockett left Tennessee,saying to hell with ya'll I'm going to TEXAS.
Davy Crockett has been one of my hero's,so I'm not saying anything about Tennessee.
Here in Texas we have a National Forest named after him along with alot of other stuff,even a large county, and a East Texas town of Crockett.
To say that Texas has small hogs just shows how much you know.
I'm a proud Texan as you can see.
Hey,
I've got to repyl to the statement on small Texas Hogs,by rapier144.
As you know Davy Crockett left Tennessee,saying to hell with ya'll I'm going to TEXAS.
Davy Crockett has been one of my hero's,so I'm not saying anything about Tennessee.
Here in Texas we have a National Forest named after him along with alot of other stuff,even a large county, and a East Texas town of Crockett.
To say that Texas has small hogs just shows how much you know.
I'm a proud Texan as you can see.
45 acp is a little light. The 12 ga.would be much better.
That said I've seen a hog spin around in agony after taking a heart-lung shot with a 12 ga. slug. Nothing's perfect.
I took my first feral hog with a Glock 30 (45acp with a 3.78" barrel) at 25 yards. Bear in mind, at the time I was a better shot with this gun than any other handgun I'd owned. I've put tens of thousands of rounds through this gun and can hit stuff with it. With a huge hog or a gun I hadn't shot that much I wouldn't do it.
Winchester white box 230 gr. JHP was an effective, adequate load. It penetrated 10" and exited the animal. It was a little sow about 150 lbs.
It was comforting to learn that my carry gun and load were effective on an animal that size. I am fortunate to know my loads can overpenetrate and that's something I would have to consider when using my sidearm in a defensive situation. I also learned something about practicing with handloads.
That said I've seen a hog spin around in agony after taking a heart-lung shot with a 12 ga. slug. Nothing's perfect.
I took my first feral hog with a Glock 30 (45acp with a 3.78" barrel) at 25 yards. Bear in mind, at the time I was a better shot with this gun than any other handgun I'd owned. I've put tens of thousands of rounds through this gun and can hit stuff with it. With a huge hog or a gun I hadn't shot that much I wouldn't do it.
Winchester white box 230 gr. JHP was an effective, adequate load. It penetrated 10" and exited the animal. It was a little sow about 150 lbs.
It was comforting to learn that my carry gun and load were effective on an animal that size. I am fortunate to know my loads can overpenetrate and that's something I would have to consider when using my sidearm in a defensive situation. I also learned something about practicing with handloads.
Mr. Lucibella, if you think this discussion is unethical, misleading or portrays hunters/gun owners in a bad light on the internet, close the thread. It's your forum.
Rich Lucibella
Staff
In answer:
I do.
I do.
I do.
I won't.
Carry on. But know this:
TFL is proud of what it's accomplished with first time shooters and fence sitters.
REAL hunters pride themselves on quick kills and minimal suffering; knowing full well that, even with the latest and greatest Smoke-Pole-From-Hell, they WILL err (or at least I know I do....YMMV). They introduce new shooters and children to hunting with the same mindset.
Now, if you think a .45 ACP meets the parameters of a humane, quick kill on the next 10 hogs you shoot, I say "Go For It" and teach your children that hunting is done that way (right now, you're teaching others' children). But, please, invite me along on your next outing, at my own expense. I'll be more than happy to report right back here how wrong I was.
Better yet, a Real World Challenge:
I'll challenge any of you .45 ACP Hog shooters to do what you do at my hunting camp in the TX Panhandle. Food and lodging is on me. I'll report right back here....and provide video evidence of your pistol prowess and effectiveness of your 45 ACP on FERAL hogs.
Following that, we can film you doing deer with 9mm.
Any takers?
How 'bout you, Wayne? You're local. Make to to Ft. Lauderdale and I'll even fly you out by private plane.
Rich
I wasn't trying to be a smart aleck. Seriously, if this thread is destructive it should be terminated.
I never claimed "pistol prowess". That was my most familiar gun at the time, but I have never had any amount of "pistol prowess". I'm capable of making a heart lung shot 25 yards and closer, not hitting a pig in the ear canal from 25 yards. (Compared to the guys who hunt with dogs this is humane, IMO) I've never "hunted" with a 45acp. I was scouting during hunting season and walked up on a pig almost by sheer accident.
I did claim from a self defense standpoint it was a learning experience.
You made a very good point with post #14. I still believe with all your wisdom, evidenced by the quality of the TFL, if you think this thread does not promote the responsible use of firearms, you should close the thread.
I never claimed "pistol prowess". That was my most familiar gun at the time, but I have never had any amount of "pistol prowess". I'm capable of making a heart lung shot 25 yards and closer, not hitting a pig in the ear canal from 25 yards. (Compared to the guys who hunt with dogs this is humane, IMO) I've never "hunted" with a 45acp. I was scouting during hunting season and walked up on a pig almost by sheer accident.
I did claim from a self defense standpoint it was a learning experience.
You made a very good point with post #14. I still believe with all your wisdom, evidenced by the quality of the TFL, if you think this thread does not promote the responsible use of firearms, you should close the thread.
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