Wild boar in Florida: Sidearm in .45ACP + Ammo

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Ziro

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Hello everyone. Every time I've gone hunting in the past, I've used a SIG P220 and ball ammo staggered with Federal JHPs as my sidearm / dispatch gun. No issue with that. For dispatching.

The last time I went out, we got charged by a hog and I drew while stepping back firing 5-6 rounds of .45ACP into the boars head, while my friend to the left had his 1911 jam. He holstered it quickly and transitioned to his rifle which finally took it down. This all happened in a matter of a couple seconds.

We took to the table and opened him up.. 4 of my .45ACP bullets in it's head and 2 other ones, either from him or myself in it's body. One of the JHPs didn't open up as bone matter clogged the cavity.

Close call.. Anyways, this time around. I'm taking my HK USP 45 and one spare mag. I would take the TRP, but I'd rather have the extra couple rounds with me. Not to mention, it's going to be really went up there this time in Florida and in that area on foot. I'd rather dunk the USP.


What ammo do you guys recommend? I use Corbon DPX 185gr +P now. Thinking of having that in both mags. So there isn't another close call like last time.
 
After all of the pistol shots, what was the rifle round that took him down, that's the one I would want.
 
HIS* rifle.....If I'm in the same situation. I want my pistol to be good to go.
 
A couple of friends used to hunt wild boar in the 1980s when it was a big game species and tags were required. Reliable penetration was their theme.

"I'd rather dunk the USP." It must be really wet weather in Florida. My USP has given me the impression it will withstand bad weather better than my blue steel 1911A1, but I think of my stainless Security Six as my bad weather pistol.

Added: I have been warned wild boar are the only beasts known to stalk hunters, so a sidearm is always a wise precaution in boar country.
 
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I have been warned wild boar are the only beasts known to stalk hunters, so a sidearm is always a wise precaution in boar country.
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That is correct! Hence why it's much easier to pull a sidearm than to swing around a bolt of lever action rifle.

Going to be with the USP and 1 spare mag. Both are 12 rounders.
Someone messaged me saying that the Corbon hasn't worked well for him? I find that very hard to believe.

At any rate, I've been charged a few times. Usually my 45 is what I end up using more than anything else when we're walking around. I think my heavy set buddy snaps one too many twigs and puts us all at risk. :D

Also, yes. It's very very wet. Especially this time of year. It's been raining almost every day.
 
I carry a Glock 23 or a Glock 21SF. Ammo for either is gold dots. Try body shots- either broadside where the shoulder joint is, or just behind the neck from a downward orientation.
 
Wild boar stalking hunters??? I really don't know where some folks actually come up with things like this. Must be one of those things a friend heard from a friend or read about somewhere on the internet.
If you don't have a hog cornered or really threatened with no means of retreat, it might charge...but if there is a path to follow away from you, you will generally only see it's butt.
Facing you a .22 to the brain gives an instantaneous hog down...but a .45 through non vital areas will just wound one. I've killed many in traps with one shot of sub sonic .22 through a suppressor.....but I guess we have to let the myths continue.
 
Even though I've never hunted hogs, I must agree with Stony on this one. A guy that has put about 500 hogs on the ground (I forget the count) is the one I would ask advice of, if I wanted to go hog huntin'.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
I wouldn't use expanding ammo in a sidearm for hogs. I've only killed 2 with a handgun and both were revolvers with hard cast Keith-style bullets. These were with the revolver as the primary weapon .. no dogs, no traps.

Penetration is what I want not expansion, especially in a back-up gun. A frontal shot will keep going for awhile. If the shot is close to accurate, that bullet will hit something vital if it penetrates far enough.

A 4" S&W 29 with 9.5 gr. of Unique is what I'd use.
 
I wouldn't carry a 45 ACP hunting hogs if I anticipated that I might actually need it. I'd prefer a short barreled carbine in a more suitable caliber. If I were carrying a handgun for backup a 45 would be near the bottom of the list.
 
When I started hunting hogs, I carried a 9mm along with me. A few years ago I parked it and now carry a .22 pistol. The only use it gets is dispatching wounded hogs, and the fact that I find a hog means it's not mobile or it would still be running away. The .22 ammo is cheaper and quieter.

If I'm out hunting, and I think a hog is coming my way, there's no chance I'm going to throw my rifle down and grapple for a holstered pistol. I'll just point the rifle in the appropriate direction and . . . :D
 
I've killed many a wild hog with a big knife to the chest just below the shoulder- one stab usually does it (and yes there are dogs involved). That said, I still carry one of my previously mentioned Glocks in the event that things don't go as planned on hunts with dogs, as well as when I"m hunting with a rifle. And for the record, I've put down more than a few farm hogs with either a 22 mag revolver or even a hatchet. I got it, feral hogs are tougher- but I'm pretty sure a bullet or hatchet to the head will have the same effect regardless of the animals attitude, commitment, etc.
 
I too have killed a few hogs but no way am I going after those stinky critters with a knife, if in a trap a .22 lr in the brain dumps them quickly also I have used .45, 9mm and .380 with equal results. My favorite for hog hunting is 300 Blackout in a Handi Rifle or Ruger American Ranch-----satisfaction guranteed.:)
 
image.jpg
Winchester PDX1. Great expansion and penetration. This one went in with hog facing me. Recovered just in front of the opposite ham.
 
Guys.... I'm asking for the best bullet in .45ACP for my needs.

The knife, sword, lightsaber, suppressed .22lr, and point the rifle at it instead are not what I'm asking. Those suggestions are coming with a scenario that isn't there.

I'm talking about worst case scenario, where I've been before with the piggies getting riled up and charging. It's much better to have 13 rounds of bullet "XYZ" (in my setup) than a bolt action rifle I have to work with.

Same reason we carry concealed..

Please stop derailing the topic in so many different directions.
I have a Glock 19 that I've been carrying concealed for years. The only .45ACP that I have to carry on this trip, is the USP 45. Which is what they recommended at this location.


I mean.I do have Buffalo Bore 124gr Penetrator +p+ rounds for the 9mm. But the man who's running the show recommends the .45ACP.
 
If you are determined to carry a .45 acp, just stuff some fmj's in it and call it good....they will penetrate better than hp's and work as good as anything else you can put in one.
Are you going to hunt on a high fence hunting operation, or on private open land?
 
leave the .45 auto home. Go buy a 4 inch .44 magnum.
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Sure. Turn a $150 trip into a $900 one. Haha. No, no....Pass.

Ziro,
That bullet it in my post IS a 45 ACP. 230gr PDX1.
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I saw that, sorry. I actually have tose rounds sitting at home! May consider those now. The man who's running this is saying to stagger between FMJ and JHP? Heard of that before?

Are you going to hunt on a high fence hunting operation, or on private open land?
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Pretty sure it's open land but private property. A friend of a friend.
 
Ziro,
Some people stagger to save money. Nothing wrong with that. And Stony isn't necessarily wrong about the FMJ's. The difference is when you have a quality HP vs an FMJ, the hollowpoint (after expansion) will do more damage due to the larger frontal surface. So a .45 hole becomes a ~.70 ish hole.
 
You got charged by a boar and put 4 rounds into its head? You should be proud of that if nothing else. I'd have probably peed myself and shot myself in the foot. LOL
 
The Buffalo Bore load that Water-Man mentioned is a good one.

For maximum penetration in the .45 ACP I would put that load up against any of them.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
Underwood's Xtreme penetrator might be the best hog round for the 45 auto. Underwood also makes a 255 grain cast flat nose similar to Buffalo Bore's offering. Speer makes a 230 grain jacketed truncated cone in their lawman line.
 
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