Handgun Hogs

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
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the 357 mag with an 8" barrel has consistently proven to be both accurate and has more than adequate power/penetration to hunt hogs at under 100 yards with a hard cast 158-180 grain bullet,
powders like h110, 2400, and 296, and even blue dot work well in most of these hunting handgun cartridges
check your handload manuals for detailed loads
these bullets are cheap to make and accurate


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a hard cast gas check bullet like these linked below ids very effective in skilled hands in a 357 mag revolver
powders like H110 and 2400 are preferred


now Ive hunted hogs in florida for 5 decades plus,
using a handgun, I've used a 357 mag , 41 mag and 44 mag revolvers,
on many hunts, and a 45 acp and 10mm semi auto pistol,
on dozens of hunts
if your a decent shot they all work, but I vastly prefer the 41 and 44 mag revolvers,
the 158-170 grain hard cast gas check bullet from a 357 mag with an 8" barrel is about ideal,
and the 44, and 41 mags , using hard cast gas check bullets from similar revolvers ,
loaded with those heavy for bore diameter hard cast bullets ,
are very popular from what I see my friends have used, and continue to use.
a single hit in the correct location is lethal, but don,t expect instant incapacitation ,


do you cast and hunt with bullets you made | Grumpys Performance Garage

if you prefer non-gas check bullet designs , in a 357 mag revolver, this is a well proven option
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=35-168T
if you want to use a 10mm pistol with gas check bullets
a 6" aftermarket barrel is vastly preferred in a glock mod 20 /10mm or something similar
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=40-200B

heres where you get 10mm gas checks, Id check 3-4 load manuals first,
pistols and barrels are different ,
and 8.5 grains of blue dot powder might be close to max in some pistols
Id start with about 8.5 grains of BLUE DOT powder ,
and work up in 2 tenths of a grain stages,
you can probably get near 9.4 grains max in a 10mm ,
with a 6" aftermarket
barrel I know several guys with 10mm revolvers ,
use hotter than 8.5 grain loads with a 10mm 200 grain bullet

https://www.sagesoutdoors.com/40-bss-caliber-caliber-gator-gas-checks/
 
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more than a few guys I hunt with vastly prefer a pistol caliber carbine over a handgun,
(most just find its a hell of a lot easier to hit well consistently with a carbine than a handgun,)
mostly because few handload and practice frequently
 
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this may interest some of you gentlemen, its several hunts with a glock, in several calibers
now I hunt a good deal with handguns and watching the results,
I have to compare those hunt with what Ive seen using my,
magnum revolvers, 44 mag, 445 DWSM, 357 MAG and a buddies 500 S&W,
and the results I see in the video, are much more similar to my 357 mag revolver with a 8.375" barrel
than what I see with the larger caliber revolvers
with any handloads in any revolver make sure you use a good strong crimp
your giving up significant velocity if you select less than a 6"-7.5 " barrel
and it , (longer barrel length) aids effective use of iron/open sights thus ease of aiming
,(which are noticeably more rapidly effective.)
now keep in mind his glocks were 100% effective and are lethal, and theres zero question,
the handguns , and calibers selected would be effective in the self defensive roll,
but in my opinion they are a bit light in the power range to be ideal as hunting weapons,
but obviously if you can kill an elk or a deer with a single or two shots you can't argue they are not adequate.
but looking back on 50 plus years of hunting, experience, ID suggest
a 8"-to-10" barrel 44 mag or 445 DWSM, Revolver with a 300 grain bullet easily outclasses the glocks in lethality.
and a 480 ruger or 500 S&W revolvers , properly loaded,
is in a WHOLE QUANTUM LEAP HIGHER CLASS,
but again the glock's are not truely designed as hunting handguns,
they are being pressed into service as such,
and while they are demonstrably up to the challenge they are, at least in my opinion,
better used as personal, and concealable defensive tools (thats why I carry a glock 20, 10mm)


related info worth reading:like:






 
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I've hunted with various caliber handguns for 5 decades,
lots of you guys may have more experience, or different experiences,
but don't for a minute think a handgun in the hands of an experienced hunter is not rapidly lethal.
in most cases I've use,
revolvers like my 8.375" barrel, 357 mag revolvers,
10" 44 mag,
a 1006 semi 10mm,
10" 445 DWSM
and a 7.5" 500 S&W
and the one thing you notice very rapidly is that its precise shot placement,
not just power level alone,
and a rather heavy for caliber bullet,
pushed to near max safe velocity for the handgun you select,
that provides deep penetration that maters.
yes a 44 mag and larger calibers do provide noticeably more impressive results,
on initial impact than a 10mm or a 357 mag,
but all handguns are lethal if you shoot well.
you can shoot large hogs, deer, and even ELK in the heart/lung area and they tend too run ,
even with a 100% lethal hit, the elk I killed with a 44 mag, ran about 40 feet,
stopped looked confused and after about 30 seconds fell over,
bullet destroyed all the arteries over the heart and cut lots of shoulder muscle on one side.
many shots were made at under 80 yards, most under 50 yards,
.I try hard to punch through the shoulder into the spine , with a bullet that punches through and exits ,
after breaking all the bone and cutting vital nerves/blood supply etc.
a 300 grain bullet from a 44 mag over 21 grains of h110 is very effective,
but a 478 grain bullet in a 500 mag , loaded over 21 grains of blue dot, carries a lot more power and potential.
and the animals hit through the shoulder and spine, where the bullet exits,
tend to drop where they are hit.

in a BEAR attack, your going to have extremely limited time,
and ranges will be very short in a defensive handgun confrontation
so the number of shots in a cylinder or magazine capacity is in my opinion not a huge factor,
you'll be lucky to get off more than 1-2 shots.
I've been charged once by a large hog,
I used a model 29 44 mag with 300 grain hard cast bullets,
I could not even see the hog in the tall grass until he was about 20 ft away,
I had maybe 1-to a max of 2 seconds to respond,
but I could see the saw grass parting like the wake of a boat as he charged,
I remember firing once, but there were two bullet strikes and two empty cases in the cylinder,
one hit the shoulder and exited lower in the opposite side ribs,
one shot hit between the shoulders and exited lower rear between the rear hams.
I had fired both shots double action at under 10 feet.
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the smallest caliber ID be comfortable carrying would be a 41 mag revolver with hand loaded hard cast 240 grain bullets,
in at least a 6" or better yet 8" barrel revolver,
but upgrading power with a 44 cal,45 cal mag or 500 mag certainly would not be un-welcome,
if a confrontation at bayonet ranges was mandated.
if you only have time to get off one or two shots
at bad breath ranges,

it does you little good to pump a couple shots into a hog or bear that will be 100% lethal in 2-3 minutes
if that bear or hog can be fully committed too, shredding your carcass during that 2-3 minutes he has left
t
he bullets damn well better get your point across to the bear, causing massive internal damage ,
or hog or bear, thats about to join you ,near instantly:worried::relieved:.

having a 10-17 shot mag 10mm may seem comforting, but again,
I doubt you'll get off more than two shots in the time and at the distances your allowed
keep in mind handguns are basically defensive,
if you were assuming you would be charged ,and your life is at serious risk,
a semi auto 10ga or 12 ga with slugs would make more sense


heres an article (link below) about defensive use of handguns on bear attacks
linked to handgun calibers used defensively
the distance and time allowed to react, had an effect on results

9mm
--4 cases, all successfully stopped the attacks.
.357 Mag--3 cases. 2 were successful, 1 was not.
.40 caliber--3 cases. All were successful.
10mm--1 cases. It was successful.
41 Mag--2 cases. Both were successful.
44 Mag--12 cases. All were successful.
45 caliber--4 cases. All were successful.
45 Super Pistol--1 case. It was successful.
454 Casull--1 case. It was successful.



over several decades I've, used revolvers and pistols, generally with revolvers, 6"-10" barrel length,
and pistols shorter 4"-5" barrels
Ive used a 357 mag, 45 ACP , 10mm, 41 mag, 44 mag, 454 cassul, 445 DWSM and 500 S&W mag ,
now Ill grant you I rarely try shots over 70-80 yards and while that might be a limitation in many guys minds I can say ,
that generally as the bullet mass and energy increased with cartridge choice so did the effective and immediate noticeable results,
and generally depth of projectile penetration, a 41 mag and larger works very well on deer, a 44 mag is marginal, but still 100% lethal on elk.
I found the 445 DWSM and 44 mag work on everything, and the 500 mag is exceptionally effective,
but of course its heavy, loud , expensive and has to much recoil to be easy to use for many people
even a 45 acp, or 357 mag will kill deer and hogs,
but as always shot placement and a knowledge of game anatomy,is critical to getting fast results.
don't be surprised if game runs, after bullet impact, that does not indicate a bad hit,
handguns don't always drop game in their tracks very often, but they are lethal.
shot placement is critical to getting good results

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/def...#axzz7EDZwk600
 
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I messed up in deer season I had the perfect opportunity to use my pistol and didn't think of it my shot was 15 - 20 yards and I was carrying my EAA 10mm with a 170g SWC
 
hogs can be hunted the year around, in florida, but the terrain and close/ dense foliage growth,
generally almost mandate you hunt at almost bayonet ranges . many guys seem to be amazed,
I get by using a 45 acp , 10mm or 357 mag on hogs. remember/keep in mind ,
even archery equipment is regularly successfully used on hogs
from what Ive seen for decades hogs rarely exceed about 140 lbs, most are under 90 lbs, ranges are short ,targets move fast,
and you don,t want to use a handgun in "SPRAY AND PRAY" mode on a hog ,
that might be inclined on discussing your lousy shot placement on your legs/calf's with his tusks, at bayonet ranges.
your average shot might be out to maybe 35 yards max in many areas if you choose to go hunt where the hogs are .
now when I originally started hunting dense cover I found the marlin lever action carbines in calibers like 357 mag ,44 mag, 45 acp or 10mm or 44 mag,
or similar chambering in handguns worked, rather well. but theres an extra sense of accomplishment using a handgun, rather than a carbine in my opinion.
contrary to what most people seem to think, you don't generally require a great deal of power in the weapon you select,
yeah, it takes some skill and experience, and yeah I found most 40-45 caliber pistols like a 44 mag or 10mm, can be used.
but you do require precise shot placement. and yes at least around here, carbines like the SKS or AR15,
seem to be very well represented.\ AND used more than handguns,
but thats mostly because most people cant consistently hit a moving target out at 25-35 yards,
with a handgun nearly as easily as they can with a carbine.
ranges tend to be short in florida brush
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you might be amazed at the results that you get with a 357 mag, 41 mag or 44 mag revolver, with 6"-10" barrel lengths,)
these have consistently been ,very effective at reasonable ranges (70 yards and closer)

when used in skilled hands with hard cast gas check bullets
(every bit as effective, on hogs and deer,

as most guys using shotguns or pistol caliber carbines in my experience)
and yeah, (shot placement is as always critical.)
the 158-170 grain 357 cast bullets,
220-245 grain 41 mag,
and the 280-310 grain hard cast bullets in the 44 caliber revolvers

and 170-200 grain 10mm bullet designs
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S&W 1006 10mm
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my eaa 45 acp and my S&W 686 357 mag get used rather often on local hogs

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a 440-510 grain hard cast in the 500 mag,
can provide impressive and consistent results
but the larger diam of the 500 provides more shock effect on game,
simply due to its larger surface area destroyed.
Id also point out that you really don't need this power level,
but it never hurts if you have access and required skills
a good shot using a 44 mag with 310 grain hard cast bullets,
can shoot through an elk and have the bullets exit,
after destroying the games vitals.

44 caliber
www.midsouthshooterssupply.com

Double Cavity Mold C430-310-RF

Double Cavity Mold C430-310-RF by LEE RELOADING PRODUCTS430 Grain 310 Grain Round with Flat Requires Gas Check handles and sprue plate are included with mold
www.midsouthshooterssupply.com
www.midsouthshooterssupply.com



50 caliber


www.midsouthshooterssupply.com

Double Cavity Mold C501-440-RF

Double Cavity Mold C501-440-RF by LEE RELOADING PRODUCTS.501 Diameter 440 Grain Round with Flat Requires Gas Check Handles and sprue plate are included with mold. Produces a .501 diameter 440 grain round nose bullet suitable for a cartridge like 500 S&W.
www.midsouthshooterssupply.com
www.midsouthshooterssupply.com
 
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