I learned my lesson about hogs tonight! (dead animal picture inside)

I have to agree that if 147gr FMJs were used it likely would have punched through the skull. And of course there's 9mm +P ammo as well.

I also agree that right tool for the job is a must! Glad to hear that the hog didn't "get you". :)

Cheers,
Oly
 
The .41 Magnum is a great pig gun. I think it's slightly better than the .44 only because the recoil is slightly less and you can get back on target faster. That's mighty important when that tusked freight train is bearing down on you.

A 210gr solid at between 1250 and 1300 fps will usually penetrate the skull and then some. Looks like the pig ran straight into an anvil. A hard case 220gr LSWC-GC at 1200 fps works too, even through the sides if you do your part.
M57L_1086M.jpg

Never underestimate the toughness of a pig. Treat it like you would any carnivore. A friend of mine used his Ruger SA .44 on a hunt and found a nice pig just out of the brush at 20 yards, slightly downslope. He fired and the pig jerked, ran six feet, fell over and stopped. As soon as ol' Duane stepped out of the brush, Mr. Piggie jumped up and charged. Duane couldn't get off a shot - forgot it was a single action - and ended up in a tree. :D After his hunting partner put the pig down, they found Duane had missed his shot (he was sighted in at 50 yards, not 20 and had never fired downslope before). The next year Duane's hunting partner was gored in the thigh after approaching a pig he hit in the head with a 180g .357 round around 30 yards out.
 
The bare minimum handgun for hogs IMHO is a .357 Magnum loaded with heavy (180grn or more) non-expanding bullets or a 10mm Auto loaded similarly. I would feel much more comfortable with a .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, or heavy-loaded .45 Long Colt and more comfortable still with a .45-70 lever-gun with hardcast 405grn+ bullets or a 12ga shotgun full of hardcast slugs.
 
Well...

I absolutely agree with all of you that a hardcast 9mm bullet "probably" would have done a better job of penetrating the skull. I strapped on the 9mm before the hunt as more of an afterthough than really esxpecting to USE it. It was loaded with my typical defense loads; I didn't buy anything specifically for this situation.

Now, seeing as my new Redhawk will be my hog defense gun, it will indeed be loaded with hardcast bullets, loaded HOT.

If I can find some cheap hardcast bullets, I'll buy some and do a little test with my next kill. If anyone wants to send me a few just for this test, feel free! :^)

Todd
 
...it will indeed be loaded with hardcast bullets, loaded HOT.
Click to expand...
No need to load it "hot". Anything much over 1200fps serves only to flatten trajectory and beat up the shooter unnecessarily. Like I stated before, no need for scorching velocity or heavyweight cast bullets for good eatin'-sized pigs under 200lbs. Standard weight hardcast bullets do fine, 173-180gr for the 357, 240-260gr for the .44 and .45Colt. They're not armor-plated but it's good to know that their brain is very small and not exactly the easiest target to hit. I once shot a hog's face all to hamburger meat (6-8 times) because I forgot where the brain was in my rush to put my sandwich down, draw my Bisley .44 and bust a hog as he rushed through. Placement is paramount!
 
I have dipatched quite a few hogs with .22lr. Then again it was a downward shot through the head. I have also had to put a few 12 ga slugs into the side of a few that people that did not know any better shot in the head with various calibers of handguns.
Personaly if I am hunting hogs with my bow I also bring a largebore handgun as a back up. I was chased up a tree by a sow when I was in highschool and at that moment would have traded $1500 worht of archery equipment for a cheap magnum revolver. I was pinned in that tree for over a half hour before she finaly left.
 
note to self- the 45 might not be enough, hunt near trees. Don't move after hog plays dead.
thanks for the tips guys :D
 
A perfect 9 for hogs.

I read on another thread (can't remember exactly which one, sorry) that there is a very good 9mm cartridge for hunting dangerous, thick-skinned game.

9 x 57 Mauser.

Lost Sheep
 
Sounds like hunting hogs from a tree stand might be a good idea- going up a tree because I want to would be easier on my ego than being chased up a tree by a mad pig.
 
Oh there are so many nay-sayers that have implied that I am crazy for discounting the 9mm etc. for defensive stopping of hogs. If I take a guy to try his hands at shooting a hog, I don't care how good he is with his trusty .45-70, my butt is toting a shotgun with slugs.

Nothing leaves a warm fuzzy feeling in yer drawers like facing down a mad hog that is chopping his jaws which is actually sharpening the "cutters" :eek:

I feel safe enough with the bulldogs that we don't even take a firearm when runnin' dogs. I have had a few close calls with "runners" in the dark but luckily I waited until the last moment to spook them and they always turned off. If you spook them from farther away, they have time to size you up to determine if fight or flight is best.
Brent
 
As I've said I don't hunt piggies. but given my experience with how big and tough domestic hogs can get, I'd definitely would want a rifle or shotgun over any handgun.

While I'm on the domestic pig topic. We went to the county fair this weekend and saw some nice 4H animals. If you guys get a chance go bid on one of those kids pigs, or cows. Get some nice hand raised meat and support the kids.
 
A couple 2 or 3 years ago, my daughter had a pig in the fair show... we we helping the transport of the hogs and one persistent little hog got loose in the fair barn. Was not cooperating with getting herded to the pen... lil miss.hogdogs told the ag taecher we could bring a dog to "catch" the pig. He asked "Oh a curr dog?" She said "No, a catch dog..." He asked if it would do any damage, She said... well it might lose an ear...:D He declined the offer...
Brent
 
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I've shot through hog skulls before with a .45 ACP and a .22 LR but not at a head on angle. I'm surprised that the nine didn't penetrate. I guess the skull must be thicker in the front and the slope probably makes the shot more difficult.
 
I have an M&P 45 that i use to carry with me untill last year when i downd a hog with my 7mm mag broke both front sholders, droped her right there. i Walked up an realized how big the pig was and to find it still alive. the pig was around 400 the biggest hog ive ever taken and ive shot alot. I pulled my M&P and put a round in its head at about 5 feet, if its two front sholders wouldnt have been busted up ida been hurt cause the hog tried to get up an just plowed towards me with its rear legs. I fired again and struck the pig in the spine. I was later abel to pull both balls out with a pair of neddle nose. They both fully mushroomed just under its thick skin.

I now carry a 7 shot .357 mag and am looking into getting a .44 mag. Me personaly i would carry something with a higher velocity and a big ball.
 
And i must also add that my "go-to" dispatch weapon for a penned hog is my Gamo 1,000 fps .177 pellet rifle. I just put some slop in the trough at night, when they put their face in to eat, "POP"... They drop on their knees instantly and twitch as any creature that has had the CNS destroyed will do. when I skin the skull I find nice deep .177-.2 hole in the bone... Under controlled situations any thing from my .117 on up is adequate... it is for those "all other" situations where I advise against anything under .45acp (that is questioned by me and prefer to feel a .44mag is minimum with a .45 colt being fine too. But slinging a 20 on my shoulder loaded with slugs makes me happier:o I have seen too many opened knees, thighs and bellies from getting bowled by a mad hog to want less.
Brent
 
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