Feral Hog Hunt

[sethroe]

I am going on a Feral Hog hunt with my father in law this friday.
He got a 250 pounder last week-end with a 6 MM Rifle.
I told him I wanted to hunt with a Pistol and him and his friend laughed at me in front of everybody.

To me, it would be a much greater thrill and challenge to hunt with a pistol than a scoped Rifle.

If you had to know I want to get a Raging Bull from
http://www.taurususa.com
but I am not sure which caliber to go with.
454 Casull or .480?

I have seen a Ruger .480 but I prefer the Raging Bull for the ported barrel and large grip.

I have head that the Raging Bull 454 Casull is very loud, I assume that the .480 is he same way.


any input will help....
thanks guys...
sethroe.

[Graybeard]

Well I can remember one hog I've taken with a rifle. All others have been with handguns. Would have used a handgun on that one but about as close as I could get to it what with it being in a food plot in the wide open was about 150-175 yards and that's a tad long for the RB .480 I had with me. So I used the rifle I also carried "just in case" of that kinda situation.

So let them laugh. Lots of us have taken lots of hogs with handguns of all sorts. You'll likely have the last laugh.

I own both RBs in .454 Casull and .480 Ruger. I guess of them the .480 is my personal favorite. I like big heavy bullets and it has them in spades. BUT unless you are a reloader don't even think about the .480. Factory ammo is just too limited. Yeah there are enough good selections but by and large it is pretty expensive. If you don't cast your own bullets I still think the .454 Casull is a better choice as once again the bullet selection is far more limited.

Will one do anything the other won't do equally as well? I doubt it really. The selection of both factory ammo and bullets is far better for the .454 Casull. It has been around a lot longer and has a lot more reloading data available also. I don't find either a lot louder than the other but guess "maybe" the .454 Casull "might" be a tad louder. Would be hard to prove tho.

Most folks shooting the .454 Casull tend to go for velocity I think and chose bullets in the 250-300 grain weight range. I shoot mostly 325s in mine. In my .480 I shoot mostly 400-430 grain bullets.

GB

[sethroe]

Thanks GB,

I have still yet to shoot either of the cailbers. I know that my gun range has a RB .454 for rent, so I plan on getting a taste soon. I'm sure either one will take a Feral Hog out with no prob. I don't reload but I have a friend that does. I will proably go with the 454 Casull first, seeing as how there is more ammo selection for now. I just need to get out there an do it.

thanks,
sethroe

[myronman3]

and found out this year that when shooting at game hearing protection isnt needed.  just like any other gun, as you dont notice the recoil, i shot at a doe this year and didnt notice the noise.  i knew that the gun had fired;  but it wasnt  any worse than shooting my 270 at deer noise-wise.  i wouldnt ever recommend shooting at targets without hearing protection and honestly,  if hunting and i was afforded the opportunity to put protection on,  i would take the time to do so.  but i learned this year that i was worrying too much about it,  and i wont hesitate to shoot at a venison without it in the future.     btw,  graybeard and others here told me the same thing in so many words before season;  and i found it to be on the mark.       :arrow:

[Tony D]

Although you don't really notice the noise when you shoot at a game animal, you will still cause hearing damage, maybe permanently.  I had a Taurus Model 44 in 44 mag.  With the compensator ports and cylinder gap, it was the noisiest weapon I have ever fired.  The 454 in an RB will be even louder considering the much higher pressure the round generates.  Please do yourself a favor and never touch off a round with that beast without hearing protection.

[coltfan]

Please forgive me if I am not understanding your post completely, but it sounds as if you are considering purchasing either the .454 or .480 within the next day or two and going out to hunt with it this Friday. I would caution against such a risky proposition. I currently shoot and hunt with a .44 mag Colt Anaconda, but would want to take several trips to the range to test different loads and to be sure the additional noise and recoil of the .454 or .480 would not affect my shot placement. If your father-in-law is already laughing at your wanting to hunt with a handgun, you would only give him more reason to laugh if you were not totally prepared.

[Zachary]

The only thing that I would like to add is that, in my personal opinion, shooting hogs with handguns is MUCH more fun than shooting them with rifles! :grin:  

But be warned, once you hunt hogs with handguns, you won't want to go back to hunting them with rifles. :-D

Oh, one other thing.  I have the RBs in both the 480 and 454.  The 480 has a strong heavy push to it.  The 454 has a sharp, wicked snap to it.  Go to the range and shoot the 454 (with and without shooting gloves).  If you feel its too much, then try the 480.  If the 480 is too much, then get the RB in 44 Mag.


Zachary

[Lloyd Smale]

the only one I shot was with a .475 but the load I used could eaisly be duplicated with a .480 it worked great. Ive seen them shot with everything from a .41 special to a .500 and they all worked with a good cast bullet to get enough penetration. I saw one shot with a .44 with jacketed hollow points that took two well placed shots and kept going until it was finished off with the guides .500. penetration is the name of the game when hunting pigs and even black bear. Save your jacketed bullets for deer hunting.

[HappyHunter]

You have a lot of great advice, perhaps the best is from Coltfan.  You must shoot, shoot and shoot some more at a range before you go hunting.   You owe this to your prey and your sport.  

Be prepared, be safe.