hog handgun?

[susieqz]

i'm not a hunter. i mostly kill evil bunnies n rattle snakes.
i will shoot targets of opportunity if they look good to eat.
i have hunting rights to many hundreds of acres that adjoin my place because i live here.
mostly, i just take walks, but i have a 22 at my hip, for protection.

now, my neighbor tells me hogs are moving in from texas n asked me to kill any i see.
he says small ones are yummie but he wants them all dead.
he's from texas n has suffered economic damage from them.
he would be happy if i put a 22 in their guts so they would die in a few days.

well, i'll do that for a neighbor but would prefer a clean kill.

here's the problem. my hobby is bulls eye. i like shooting teeny groups one hand, 25 or 50 yards.
but i'm recoil sensitive shooting one hand. so, i've been looking at 9mms or even better, 38spc.
will either work for pigs?
i won't take shots over 50 yards n i'm very accurate with the right gun.
yeah, i can get a great big caliber n shoot it 2 hand, but then the gun would only be for pigs.
i think shooting 2 hand is sissy n i really have little use for a gun that requires that all the time.
for me, fun is one hand.
what can i do with 38 spc?
9mm?

 

[Patocazador]

I use a 2-hand hold every time I shoot any pistol.

If you are that good a shot, your .22 placed in the ear will drop a hog. A .22 magnum works even better.

If I had to use a .22 magnum or a 9mm/.38 spl., I'd pick the .22 mag. every time.

 

[FL-NC]

If you are as good as you say you are, a 38 or 9 will do the job. Bullseye or hunting, its all about shot placement.

 

[zb338]

Try a .327 Magnum Ruger single action. You will probably eventually
have to hand load for it, but it has a lot of pop for a .32 and not much
recoil. Probably like a .38 Special hot load or less.

Zeke

 

[Captain O]

Try a .327 Magnum Ruger single action. You will probably eventually
have to hand load for it, but it has a lot of pop for a .32 and not much
recoil. Probably like a .38 Special hot load or less.

Zeke

I'll go along with Zeke on this one. A good .327 Federal Magnum with either an 85 or 100 grain bullet that will wax the "li'l piggies" butt in one shot. If the piggies get too big, some of the 135 grain Buffalo Bore loads will dump their porky rumps in a heartbeat!

You really will love it. (You'll never regret buying this revolver).

Good luck.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Shot placement is key as has been said.

If you already have a .38 for Bullseye which you are good with then I would stick with that. If not, you have another reason to get one now to shoot the revolver match I would step up the ammo to +p or heavy/hot stuff like Buffalo bore to give me some slack.

9mm loaded right and put in the right place would also be fine.

They are good eating and I want a quick kill so would lean towards more power. Can be done with less but none of the options here are overkill in my mind. It's not like we're debating 300WM on a pig vs. .458 for instance.

I cleanly took a 300+ lb hog with a Glock 10mm, one shot put it down.

Used to shoot hogs with a .22 short between the eyes before we jumped in the pen to stick them. That did not put them down since they skull is thick but stunned them a little to make the cut easier.

 

[susieqz]

thanks guys.
i can get smaller groups with 2 hands. it's just not fun.
if i got a gun that always needed 2 hands i wouldn't use it much.
i'll tell you something. my friend doesn't care how they die.
if he could buy a disease to spread among them he would.
this isn't hunting in his mind.
it's more like eliminating termites in the house.

is that 327 capable of small groups at 25 yards?

 

[rodwha]

I'd lean more towards a .45 myself if an adult is in the mix. A bit more recoil but far from a magnum.

You'll also want to look at pig anatomy as their vitals aren't positioned like a deer.

 

[susieqz]

thanks, rod but a 45 is too much gun for me.
guys, if i sounded like i was bragging i apologise.
i should have said i'm a reasonably competent bulls eye shooter that shoots 300 practice rounds every week.

 

[Grumulkin]

A single action 45 Colt shooting cast bullets over Titegroup could be shot one handed without a lot of recoil.

 

[Stony]

A head shot with a 9mm is effective. We shot two of them yesterday like that and they are now resting in our freezer....well at least the hind legs and backstraps are.

 

[CaptTripps]

Sounds like if you have a 9mm, .38 or .45 that you are accurate and competent with you will be stacking them in the freezer in no time at all. I carry a .45 for CCW and a .44 Super Blackhawk as a woods gun, but I have been interested in the Single Seven in .327 and have been considering it for a trail/woods/camp gun.

 

[rodwha]

Here in TX those who run hog hunting outfits specifically using handguns state a magnum using heavy hard cast bullets is recommended/required. I don't buy that at all as I've seen antiquated weapons (black powder) giving full penetration of medium and large game with a round ball that has no more than 400 ft/lbs at the target.

There's a group of guys who use percussion revolvers to hunt hogs, and without a commercial bullet with a wide meplat he went to Lee and had them redesign their 255 grn .45 Colt bullet (also made in a smaller diameter 240 grn version) that's been proven to work exceptionally well, and went nose to tail through an adult hog in one of these pistols.

One of their compatriots uses a Colt Walker with a 144 grn ball claiming the wound channel is more devistating within 25 yds compared to those bullets, but then his pistol uses >50% more powder (66 grns compared to ~25-35).

These guys are using the more energetic powders (Swiss, Olde Eynsford, and Triple 7) which will give slightly higher performance than the commercial .45 Colt loads. A slightly reduced load of Triple 7 with the 255 grn bullet gave almost 500 ft/lbs.

A shot through the noggin will do the deed with less powerful bullets, but if the magic didn't work you may well have a nasty pissed off critter to deal with, which is why I'd recommend a larger caliber. If adults aren't considered I'd not worry much, but a .380 ACP hardball bounced off of the skull of a caged adult.

It may be that a 9mm or .38 Spl may be plenty to give adequate penetration, but I'm unfamiliar with their use as such, same as the .327 line of ammo. Most use something with magnum at the end and beginning with .357.

Using a low power projectile I'd think you'd want to use a non expanding wide meplat bullet as you'd not want to give on penetration capability.

 

[JohnnyFlake]

Don't underestimate yourself!

Have fun, get a western style .45 Colt. It will do the job with ease, even with light Cowboy loads, from any number of ammo makers. I personally prefer Fiocchi Cowboy Loads, when I use commercial ammo. 250gr cast bullet, at about 750fps. Very easy to shoot.

BTW, you can pick up a really nice Uberti for around $450

 

[jmorris]

If I am hunting with a pistol I prefer it to be an XP-100 or Contender but have uses a few revolvers (44/357). I have shot a lot more hoga at night than during the day though and generally use a rifle and spotlight or bait and have lights nearby.

Built game radios to aleart by motion and baited holes and have actually been sucessfull at keeping them off our place for a number of years now, for the most part.

 

[TimSr]

i'm not a hunter.

I agree.

Nature can be cruel, but to purposely inflict a wound that will result in a long, painful and agonizing death, whether it be varmint or respected game animal, is hard to find in a hunter's ethics.

To reject the proper tools to make a clean and ethical kill because it makes you look like "a sissy" or is no fun to shoot it with both hands is hard to find in a hunter's ethics.

With all the references to your "having to shoot" certain guns with both hands, and calling it "sissy" while being unable to shoot a bigger gun with one hand has me thinking this post has to be trolling.

Yes, lesser tools can get the job done at close enough range, but that is going to require the skills of a "hunter", so I highly doubt you will ever get the opportunity.

I would suggest you request that the landowner use hogs traps, and then you can hunt penned hogs at close range while shooting one handed with your .22

 

[BigBore45]

just get a readhawk in 454 casull. load modest 45 colt loads in it. that heavy gun will have minimal recoil.

do us all a favor and shoot at animals 2 handed with enough gun.... i wouldnt want to meet my maker and explain the ladder.....

 

[Silver Streak]

My minimum for hunting hogs with a handgun would be a 4 inch barrel on a .357 magnum. That gives you plenty of power and accuracy. Some guys I know use .44 magnums and 10mm pistols...see where I'm going with this? Big powerful handguns...

Most folks use rifles.

In case you don't know...hog hunting is dangerous. It's not like popping squirrels with your .22...Hogs fight back.

 

[murf]

suzieqz,

go to www.customsixguns.com and watch the opening video of john linebaugh shooting a big-bore gun with one hand. there is no reason you should be afraid of recoil if you learn to manage it, even one-handed.

murf

 

[doubleh]

My son recently retired and now I have someone to go hunting with without out waiting for someone's days off when their wife will let them out of the house. There are some hogs in the area and he wants to hunt them using a 50 cal. flintlock. According to a grandson that has been around many during work they aren't wild at all. He is going to carry a Ruger Old Army for a backup in case the flintlock doesn't get the thing done quickly. I'm still thinking on the subject and trying to decide between an ROA, 357, or a Super Blackhawk loaded with a fairly stiff lead 44 special.

The fairly tame thing won't last long if they are hunted. The few I have encountered over in Texas are magicians. They see you and just disappear. Hogs are very smart critters and they catch on quickly.

 

[X-Rap]

You and the landowners disregard for a clean kill is concerning to me. I'm ambivalent about how one deals with them when they're dead but inflicting a grave wound because it's sissy or not fun to properly handle a weapon of adequate caliber is pretty much inexcusable.
I put it in the same category as the 100 yd bow shots from about a month ago.

 

[jmorris]

I understand the hunter ethics part, as that is how I was brought up and also understand the "just want them gone" attitude being a land owner.

Guess the folks that won't accept anything except a quick clean kill have never used poisons for any of Gods creatures...

 

[WestKentucky]

327 fed is a great suggestion, but I would also recommend 22tcm. 9mm sized case shooting a 22 caliber jhp. Good firepower for a standard sized gun. Keeps you out of the N and X frame smiths, so you would be about as big as you would want to go for 1 handed shots, but it is certainly doable. 1911 platform from RIA also comes with a 9mm barrel so it's almost like getting 2 guns for the price of 1.

 

[25-5]

If you want to be a traditional sporting gent. Use a spear. Don't chuck it either. Stand your ground for Queen and Country.

 

[susieqz]

i'm not exactly sure what a troll is, but i'm pretty sure i'm not one.
i was just asking for advice.
all i want is a gun that i can have my kinda fun with that would double duty for hogs.
i can't afford lots of guns.
as to my ethics, i'll take care of them myself, thank you very much.
this is not hunting. this is protecting my neighbor from economic loss.
if you tell me a good poison to use, i'm sure he will use it.
i don't think hog lovers are ever farmers.