Back-up hg ammo while hog huntin?

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bigbomar4

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I usually carry (or used to carry) my ruger#1 while hog hunting. This is a fairly slow gun to reload so if I get charged I only have 1 shot to kill the hog. So I was thinkin next year I would carry my sigma .40 as a back up. What type of ammo should I use for this? I was thinking the hydroshocks that I had for sd/hd at first but a pig is a whole lot denser than a human. Should I just stick to the fmj? And if so what is the best brand? Right now I just use fmj/tmj at the range so I usually get the cheep stuff.
 
sink it deep.

In a auto I would go with a 10mm. A glock would work just great
Or a 44 mag if I were to use a revolver, and then it would be a S&W 29 or 629
 
gordy- At this point I realy cant afford to buy anouther new pistol. I will be buyin my first new ccw pistol in the next few weeks so gun purchases will be a no go for a while. My question is just on ammo.

As for the other posts will my pistol hold up to the heavy loads? Right now I am using 180g ammo but will the 200+g and +p stuff be a problem? Plus will I be able to deal with them? This pistol already has a heck of a kick. (tho I almost dont even notice it when Im shooting at those evil rabbits just when at the range)
 
If your pistol will shoot a flat point bullet like the 200gr WFNGC from double tap you would be fine with your 40. Just don't shoot regular round nose fmj. Even the 140gr barnes x loaded ammo would work fine and several companies have a modified flat point to also try.. If you have to shot your 40 you will probably never feel the kick it has at the range. Just be sure its reliable.
 
When I'm hog huntin, I carry a Glock G36 with 230 gr. Cor-bon loads. That gives me 7 quick rounds and reloads are easy too. I've also carried a shotgun with slugs. No such thing as over-kill when it comes to hogs.
 
How big, your pigs?

bigbomar4 said:
I usually carry (or used to carry) my ruger#1 while hog hunting. This is a fairly slow gun to reload so if I get charged I only have 1 shot to kill the hog. So I was thinkin next year I would carry my sigma .40 as a back up. What type of ammo should I use for this? I was thinking the hydroshocks that I had for sd/hd at first but a pig is a whole lot denser than a human. Should I just stick to the fmj? And if so what is the best brand? Right now I just use fmj/tmj at the range so I usually get the cheep stuff.
Click to expand...
True, Javalina, Peccary, Hogs, whatever you call them, are a lot denser in the muscle, heavier in the bone and thicker in the skin than humans. The .40 is essentially a social round. It can be pressed into service as a hunting (or defense) round, but it is marginal.

How big are your pigs?

This is not me. I just found this picture and liked it.
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=2911043&m=236106768
or if the link does not work,
forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=2911043&m=236106768

A hollowpoint suitable for people shooting would probably just penetrate the skin of a tough hog, expand and stop. Try one on a dead hog and see. (and remember that dead muscle is relaxed. Tense muscle will be tougher.) If you need to shoot a hog with your handgun, I am guessing you will be measuring the distance in feet, not yards and want STOP an attack right quick and the kill is of secondary concern. In general, a heavy, hard cast lead flat point is the bullet of choice for protection against bears up here. If you can take out the spine, you have immobilized an attacking bear. Break a shoulder bone and you've slowed him/her down some, probably enough so you can get some distance and make a decent kill shot. Head shots are prone to skid off a bear's sloping, thick skull. Are hogs (or the angle you are likely to be shooting at substantially different?

I am not a hunter. I carry a 454 Casull and bear spray when in the woods.

I have been wondering. There is considerable evidence that bear spray (Oleoresin capsicum at least 10% strength in an 8 oz can, specifically designed for bear) is more effective in preventing human injury than firearms in defensive circumstances. But I have never heard mention of defense against wild hogs with pepper spray. Are they more resistant to the spray than bears? I ask because I know the species are related, though their behavior patterns are completely different. Just curious.

Thanks. I hope my perspective (and the link) help.

Lost Sheep
 
I have never heard of anyone using spray against the hogs around here. For the most part if they charge its you kill them or they kill you(or put you in the hospital for several months). Also they are feral hogs not javalinas or what ever. Full grown they range from 100-250lbs usually, sometimes more. Most rifle rounds would just skip of the head of one if shot from the front so that is defnetly not were I will be aiming. We do usually hunt in groups of two and one of the people will have a ar/sks but when these things charge its usually the whole pack(herd, flock what ever) so I would also like a little defense for myself as there are no trees to climb its just brush.
 
If you're already carrying a 180gr bullet in your 40 a 200gr bullet won't really beat up your pistol more than the 180gr bullet will as long as the round is still standard pressure. That DoubleTap round in Post #2 isn't a +P unlike the Buffalo Bore ammo. I like DoubleTap ammo but I might use a slightly different round than the FMJ bullet listed in Post #2, I would use DT's 200gr Hard Cast ammo instead. I just like using a hard cast bullet on tough animals like hogs because they are time tested. The bullet in that round has a wide flat nose and it's gas checked to minimize leading. I use a similar 180gr Hard Cast bullet in my .357 Magnum field ammo reloads manufactured by Cast Performance.
 
FMJ round nose bullets tend to part tissue and don't disturp it nearly as much as a flat point does. Ether find a flat point that runs well or change backup guns. A simple 4" 357 is fine to use with heavy hardcast rounds.
 
I would be extremely leery of running glorified hand-loads in .40 S&W that exceed the velocity of everything put by the major ammunition companies. If you really feel you need a backup weapon to protect yourself from a dangerous animal, don't half-ass it - get an appropriate firearm for the job. That means a proper Magnum revolver, or at least a 10mm handgun loaded with hot 200-220gr loads using solid flat-nosed bullets.
 
.357 mag 158gr cast swc. over stout charge of your favorite powder.
years back I killed a fairly large wild/feral hog with a C&B .44 revolver w/a max charge of 3f and Lee mold cast 220 gr slug passed thru 2 ribs, lungs and stuck in offside hide.
when I skinned it found a .125gr semi-jacket sp stuck in the gristle on shoulder/neck juncture. a .38 spcl maybe?
 
Most rifle rounds would just skip of the head of one if shot from the front so that is defnetly not were I will be aiming.
Click to expand...

I've shot some pretty decent hogs and haven't seen this happen yet. I have used quite a few calibers doing it as well. I usually use my Redhawk in 41mag with a Rem 210gr SJHP running around 1300fps. However, I have also use a Blackhawk in 30 Carbine, a 10mm, several 357's a 44, a 454, and quite a few rifles from .243 through a 300 RUM

Personally if I were you, I would get and use a 30-30 and be done with it. The 40 would be fine for the smaller ones, in fact up to a mid weight one would be fine with some 1080gr Gold Dots. In a 45 minute total trip from barn to shooting, back to barn to get trailer, then back out to load them up, and back to the barn, I got the little one and two on the trailer with my 10mm using 180gr Gold Dots at 1350fps, at a range of about 10'. We actually got 9 on that trip but the others were boars and we didn't have room in the coolers for them all. I got 5 of them with the little .308 you see sticking up in the rack on the back 4 wheeler. When I ran out of shells in it I drew the 10mm and had a little more fun.

509709753RhJSVx_fs.jpg

Granted your 40 will never be a 10mm, and I'm not dissing it, at that close a range it might just work out for you. Mine has a 7" barrel on it which allows a bit more velocity than your likely to get, but the GD's are good bullets for that caliber.
 
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