marlin 1894 44 mag for hog hunting

[Countryguy1982]

I have finally gotten my hands on a another 1894 44 mag and am thinking of setting it up for hog hunting. Most of my shots are inside 50 yrds, down in dark nasty creek bottoms and laurel thickets. the pigs in my area run between 60 to 250 lb on average. every now and then you will run across a bruiser thats pushing close to 300 but those are as rare and HARD to outsmart where i live. I am just kinda curious to everones thoughts on the 1894 44 mag for hog hunting and what kinda factory ammo they would recommend. I have taken more than my fair share of hogs. have only ever killed 2 with 44 and that was a redhawk. both were under 100 lbs. both shot in the side of the head. I dont know anybody that hunts with a 44 mag. hunting the nasty stuff that i do , you are probably not going to be presented with ( the perfect shot) . you gotta kinda take whatever shot you can get. i don't mean bust 1 though the hams or the guts, but you may only get to see part of a shoulder, or part of a neck or head for just a split second before they are back in the thick stuff.

 

[natman]

At close range the 44 mag from a rifle is fine for hogs. I'd use a tough heavy bullet like these:

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/handgun.aspx?id=347
http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/handgun.aspx?id=738
http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/handgun.aspx?id=849

 

[Countryguy1982]

i have been thinking about the cast bullets. i have a few worries with casts. in my very unprofessional opinion, hogs do not BLEED and makes them aggrivating to track. my worries with a cast, is will it just punch a hole? and they run off? i know not every hog you shoot is going to fall in its tracks. thats just real world hunting. do you think a cast will do enough internal damage to effictively kill 1 without it running half a mile through a thicket before it drops over?

 

[hardluk1]

I have killed around 200 hogs with just a 180gr HC in a 357 revolver and shot for the front shoulders or head/neck. Close yes but they work. Most any 44mag heavy jacketed sp or hardcast load will do what you need IF your shooting skills hold up under stress. If your sights ain't up to the job get a red dot or low powered scope maybe even gost ring depending on your eyes. I used a red dot for 20 years. An old man that has now passed on used a little 22 hornet for everthing in florida for 40 years+ includeing some larger than average hogs. Good shot?

 

[Countryguy1982]

well thats very interesting hardluk. i havn't hit the 200 mark yet. probably gotten somewhere around 75 or so give or take a few. just don't have the number of pigs where i live. how did the biggest percentage of them do when shot? did they drop like a rock or did they run forever?

 

[hardluk1]

I have been hunting for 40 years + now but the hog hunting stopped around 12 years ago. There was a track of property close to town, maybe 20 minute ride where an old man feed the wild hogs. There most have been several hundred there and all the killing you could do seem to never make a dent in them. Plus there were area of roads if your timeing was right you could knock one down right on the shoulder. I know, young and stupid. Stupid. South florida was just covered with them in certain areas. Go out for a late afternoon ride and shoot a hog. Seemed like there was allways one ready to put on the grill. Most hogs were I hunted in a slow stalk and walk. Seemed to be looking for deer as much as hogs just not very lucky with pistol hunting deer. Walking a stalking would mainly end with a front angled thru the shoulder or rear angled thru the shoulder. Broke down atleast one side and heart lung or both shoulders . I did have to hunt up more than a liked to but seemed they never ran very far if only one shoulder hit. Most bullets passed thru. Most run a large open circle till it stopped crashing. With many finshing shots up close. The running lasted maybe 10 seconds. The front on shots where died hog quick and then look out for the rest of them. Last few times I went after just hogs was with a buddy and a dog and those hogs were way to rank to mess with . he loved dog hunting. We as a group also set up traps with concrete wire and plywood doors. Sour corn mash for bait. Catch and cut the males and turn loose and everone got sows or pigglets for the families bbq's. Bet that place is still over run today as the state took it over some years back and now there no access or hunting in there. The north florida younger guys are flat out nuts. Catch and sell the big boars to canned hunt clubs and kill dress and sell the smaller ones for cook'n to supplement there income.
Now I bow hunt, BP or shot gun and ain't seen a hog in some years up here in the mountains. Even took the red dot off the 357 and put the short barrel on and set up a 44 for late season deer hunt. heres my old 357 hunter and my current 44

 

[Asherdan]

I reload the Hornady XTP bullet and the friends who don't have had good hog success with the Hornady ammunition.

Also, the XTP bullet is where I've gotten my best accuracy, bullet wise.