Author Topic: First hog kill with 44. (Read 4122 times)

cleveland48 · « **on:** September 13, 2009, 06:43:23 AM »

I got to go on my first hog hunt this weekend. We were in alabama and the landowner had special permits, I guess depredation permits. So we carried rifles and I carried my pistol. A ruger blackhawk 44 mag. using H110 and 240gr. XTP's. Our first day in the stand a nice 8pt came by which was great to look at cause where I'm from in northeast Ms. Buck like that usually don't come out so often lol. But saturday morning we were walking to our stand and busted some hogs in the green field. I got to within 25 yds of the pig which only went around 30 to 40 lbs. So i put my 260 down and and pulled out my pistol he wouldn't stand still and was dancing around out there. When he turned to trot out of the field he was quatering away pretty good but I shot any way. The xtp entered in front of its left back leg and came out midway through its ribs. Which rolled the little pig. But it managed to crawl out of sight. When I got to it it was dead, and there were a handful of guts hanging through the exit hole. Even though it was just a little pig I was still excited because this was the first big game animal I have killed with a handgun, other than finishing off a deer with a 1911. I was dying to get a chance on one of the bigger pigs to try out the xtps but that chance didn't come. But I had a great time , and I just wanted to share my stories with you guys. Thanks.

drdougrx · « **Reply #1 on:** September 13, 2009, 07:21:35 AM »

Good for you!!!

I used the same component combo last Dec to kill a hog with a SW29.

ccoker · « **Reply #2 on:** September 13, 2009, 09:49:10 AM »

hog hunting with a pistol a is blast

congrats!

good eating size!

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** September 13, 2009, 10:06:30 AM »

In Alabama depredation permits are NOT needed to hunt hogs on private land. They are legal game on private land use whatever weapon you wish year round. Now if night hunting that would be a different matter and I think baiting also might would be different as baiting isn't legal in this state.

A land owner might could get and likely would need a permit for either night hunting or baiting.

countryrebel · « **Reply #4 on:** September 23, 2009, 09:47:37 PM »

Good shooting, I think handgun kills are more rewarding. Thanks for sharing.

Tonk · « **Reply #5 on:** October 12, 2009, 04:41:26 PM »

Clevland-48, I have happy for you and harvesting your hog! I used to hunt hogs years ago, when not many people thought of hog hunting as a sport. I used a Ruger Carbine (fast, light and quick to shoot) I also carried my model 29, both .44mag caliber. Then one day I ran across a mean ole critter that didn't take lightly to me in his pasture near the creek.

He charged and I started pumping bullets his way, that hog weighed in at 292 lbs on the hoof. I didn't count the bullets that entered his body as extra weight! Lucky for me my hunting partner had a 45-70 rifle in his hands. I hit that hog 3 times with my .44mag carbine, it did not turn or discourage that bore one iota. My hunting partner hit the rascal twice stopping it in it's tracks, praise the LORD.

On that brisk cold day with the sun starting to shine on us, I learned a valuable lesson that day and never forgot it since. A big hog is more than a match for a .44 magnum rifle or handgun and should never be taken lightly. Let us not forget, that a 30-30 Winchester is a whole lot more than any .44magnum handgun in energy delivered to the target. I hunt hogs nowdays with my .460 Smith & Wesson pistol using 300 grn bullets. I also take along my 45/70 as backup rifle just in case.

mk454 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 12, 2009, 05:01:06 PM »

would have to vehemently disagree. a .44 mag is more than a match for any hog, with the proper bullet. my guess would be the .44 had more velocity on it out of the carbine than out of the pistol and disrupted the bullet into failure. i have a number of documented instances where a .44 mag rifle of mine provided dreadful performance where the same bullet in the pistol was perfect. in fact, the largest buffalo bore rounds which are the most powerful .44 mag rounds on the market size and energywise will penetrate less out of a rifle due to bullet deformation. i'd take a .44 mag to stop big animals above ANY 30/30 round in existence.

to see my point in effect watch lynn thompson's video handgun hunting down under available on the cold steel website and when you see the effect of a .44 mag on large asiatic waterbuff you'll see what i mean. and he used fairly mellow loads. very impressive.

BBF · « **Reply #7 on:** October 13, 2009, 09:12:13 AM »

nothing new here, a pistol bullet is not designed to be fired from a rifle and vice versa.

Ak.Hiker · « **Reply #8 on:** October 16, 2009, 07:37:58 PM »

Lots of choices in 44 Magnum for the carbine. It has a good reputation with the 240 grain JSP by Remington or Winchester on game the size of black bear and hogs. If one was loading up a light weight JHP designed for small deer than I would think the 44 Magnum would have penetration problems on a good size hog. The 270 grain Speer Gold Dot is another though JSP.

Tiapan64 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2009, 08:46:31 PM »

Nice shootin!!!!

kynardsj · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2009, 03:14:48 AM »

Congrats on the hog. That lil one will make for some fine eating. I'm still looking forward to my first hog kill.

sixshot · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17, 2009, 06:23:31 AM »

Tonk, that sounds like a bullet problem not a caliber problem, I'm sure you weren't using cast slugs or you would have finished the fight quite easily. You need tough slugs for tough animals & soft nose jacketed can be severley tested on a front on hog.
This is what is possible with good cast slugs.
One of 6 hogs taken last year in Texas using an OM 41 magnum & 230 gr Keith slugs. One shot.

Cow elk late 2007 using an OM 45 Ruger, 260 gr Keith, one shot.

My best bear (6' 9") spring of 08 using a 10" Ruger 44 magnum, 250 gr Keith, spot & stalk at 88 yds, one shot.

Good bullets are more important than caliber on big, tough game.

Dick

kynardsj · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2009, 06:51:22 AM »

Great pics Sixshot. Congrats on all of the critters.

Varmint Hunter · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2009, 12:09:36 PM »

While most guys probably do use one of the 240gr bullets in their 44mag rifles, I have always preferred the 300gr XTP. The 300gr bullet does quite a job on deer six critters and carries more energy @ 100yds then the faster 240gr slugs do. I have never had a problem with the 300's overexpanding at rifle velocities.

nockhunter · « **Reply #14 on:** October 17, 2009, 03:59:43 PM »

For a tough jacketed bullet, try the Speer 300g, .44 or .45. These are jacketed soft point and the cores are bonded to the jacket. I shot one through a 200lb hog from a .45 Colt Ruger Bisley. The shot was about 60 yards, quartering away, right behind the shoulder on the way in and out right behind the opposite ear. "BOOM FLOP" Great slug for the money.

Mike

speer part#
.44 4463
.45 4485

Tiapan64 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 17, 2009, 06:31:28 PM »

Nice shootin folks!!!!

I don't use the same calibers as you I have found hard cast preform best on hogs!!
for my 480 I use 370 grn Hard cast from Cast performance with 26 grains of h110 for ~1400 fps and have achieved full pass thru broadside on hogs up to 300 lbs. For my 500 Mag it is 370 hard cast with 41.0 grains of lilgun for about 1800 fps and 2650fpe and it has devestated the three pigs I have shot the largest was 402 pounds with a full body passthru from 45 yrds from the skull to the left hip breaking the skull and the 4 and 5 th vert in the neck taking out the top of the left lung and exiting the left thigh midway between the knee and the hip. Mostly full body passthru from skull to butt with the 500 mag. But that is not a 44 mag though, it is what I hunt with...the 500 mag and the 480 ruger.

ratgunner · « **Reply #16 on:** October 18, 2009, 03:29:29 AM »

Quote from: Tonk on October 12, 2009, 04:41:26 PM

Clevland-48, I have happy for you and harvesting your hog! I used to hunt hogs years ago, when not many people thought of hog hunting as a sport. I used a Ruger Carbine (fast, light and quick to shoot) I also carried my model 29, both .44mag caliber. Then one day I ran across a mean ole critter that didn't take lightly to me in his pasture near the creek.

He charged and I started pumping bullets his way, that hog weighed in at 292 lbs on the hoof. I didn't count the bullets that entered his body as extra weight! Lucky for me my hunting partner had a 45-70 rifle in his hands. I hit that hog 3 times with my .44mag carbine, it did not turn or discourage that bore one iota. My hunting partner hit the rascal twice stopping it in it's tracks, praise the LORD.

On that brisk cold day with the sun starting to shine on us, I learned a valuable lesson that day and never forgot it since. A big hog is more than a match for a .44 magnum rifle or handgun and should never be taken lightly. Let us not forget, that a 30-30 Winchester is a whole lot more than any .44magnum handgun in energy delivered to the target. I hunt hogs nowdays with my .460 Smith & Wesson pistol using 300 grn bullets. I also take along my 45/70 as backup rifle just in case.

I knew when all these bigger cartridges came out some people would say the .44 was under-powered.LOL!....may as well dump your .45-70 and get a 600 nitro just to be safe.

Tiapan64 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 18, 2009, 06:11:14 AM »

With a well placed bullet and time to take the shot hogs can be hunted with a 22....I don't recomend it without a heavy backup gun, but they can. And NO you don't need a 500 or a 480 either, but when things get dicey and the you know what hits the fan I AM gonna have enough gun on me with my 500 to take down whatever I need to from whatever angle I want. Now you go ahead and hunt with what you want, and maybe just maybe that 200+ pound pig will be gracious enough to pose pretty for you to take your shot when he is really mad....if you muff your first shot....as hogs are tougher than most think and when not hit correctly can and WILL gut you quick! Followup shots better come from whatever angle you have available and 30 or 40 yrds can be covered by a mad hog in about 4 seconds. I have and DO practice fast followup with my 500 and can get 3-4 rounds into a 8" circle in about 5 seconds@15 yrds, but that might not be quick enough...so I try to hunt pigs from an elevated perch. If your going to hunt pigs ya better take a big gun or do it from a distance with eyes in the back of your head as these animal are not stupid as some tend to think and they are quick. If you hunt them without the respect they deserve and the right equipment then eventually it will get you hurt or worse. I have seen what a 350+ pound hog can do to a 1800 pound cow, not good at all, a hunter let a wounded hog go and sometime later it tore the cow up bad. As for me with pigs....I would rather be overgunned than undergunned and I think the 44 is fine for pigs if they are hit correctly same as with my 500 main dif is I can shoot a bigger hog from more angles and know it will put him down, having said that....I also know in close quarters when the bad comes out sometimes even a 500 might not be enough gun. Sorry for the long post, but I have seen a 200+ pound pig with my own eyes take 4 44 mag rounds (badly placed) and still keep coming. I don't know the powder used or how much but the bullets were 240 grain jacketed from sierra. He hit it in the gut twice pass throughs and once in the chest from about 30 degree angle bounced off of the tough hide armor and the last hit it in the chest strait on passing just inside the right front leg and exiting behind the ribs hitting nothing really. The shot that put him down came from a 454 casul thru the chest broadside from 40 ft broke one shoulder and took out the lungs and heart. 300 grain hard cast bullet loaded hot stopped on the offside after hitting the shoulder but not breaking it.

Tiapan64 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 18, 2009, 06:50:42 AM »

And I know, without being told that it wouldn't have matter one little bit if he had hit it with a 500 it still wouldn't have stopped that pig....those were just plain bad shots!!! And the funny part about it was after the last shot from the 44 the guy took off running, if we didn't insist on hunting pigs in pairs just in case something like this was to happen, that pig could have killed him as there weren't any trees to climb really, just mesquite. I was watching from a pond about 125 yrds away thru a scope I carry for spotting pigs at a distance. We were sitting on a large rock above a pond waiting for them to come to water, the guys doing the shooting were at the mud waller sitting on a log when the pig came up about 25 yrds away from them. I laugh about it now as it was comical, but at the time it was scary to see it in real life. Just goes to show that those are some mean critters when wounded I quess any animal if wounded gets mean, but some are armed to do some damage, even deer can and will kill but are not as likely to charge when wounded, where pigs just go off when hurt and will come straight at you looking for blood.

blhof · « **Reply #19 on:** October 18, 2009, 09:18:15 AM »

The little pigs are much sweeter eating and don't have the alligator hide and potent aroma of the boars in rut. My buddys used to kid me when I lived in Louisiana and when I couldn't get a shot at a deer, I took out a small pig, which were plentiful. One of my hunting partners killed a large boar and got sick trying to field dress it as well as dulling his hunting knife, trying to skin it. I'll stick with the 30 to 50 lb pigs.

Tiapan64 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 18, 2009, 03:46:38 PM »

Man thats the truth. The biggest I will eat is about 150~200# Those aren't bad at all. But the bigger ones are not good for eating. The ranch where I hunt has asked all of us to please shoot the biggest ones as they seem to do the most damage. Actually he asked us to shoot as many as we could and to leave them lay if we didn't want to eat them.....somehow I really think he should pay US to hunt his land for hogs instead of the other way around. LOL

gahunter29 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 21, 2009, 05:47:44 AM »

Cleveland48
Congratulations.
Any pistol kill is a great accomplishment for the shooter, and you have entered a new world.
I am glad more people are hunting with pistols and having success.

Me - I shoot a T/C Encore .308 and LOVE it. Killed 3 deer so far.....

cleveland48 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 02, 2009, 06:07:06 AM »

Thanks for all the replies guys. It was great getting that first big game kill with a pistol. It is easily gonna take over my bow hunting, but don't know about my rifles yet lol..

Tonk · « **Reply #23 on:** November 03, 2009, 07:22:34 AM »

Six-Shot, your correct at that particular time, I used the same bullets for both rifle & pistol back then in the early 70's. They were out of a green box of Remington bullets. They worked great on whitetail deer! However, nowdays I use a .444 Marlin for hogs (Beartooth bullets, hardcast 325 grn) and my model 29 .44mag as backup, uses a Keith type hardcast bullet. I have tried using those Hornady XTP bullets but they seem to come apart or shed the jacket a bunch.

deerhunter87 · « **Reply #24 on:** November 08, 2009, 07:48:34 AM »

congrads!

TommyD · « **Reply #25 on:** November 08, 2009, 03:22:18 PM »

Quote from: Tonk on November 03, 2009, 07:22:34 AM

Six-Shot, your correct at that particular time, I used the same bullets for both rifle & pistol back then in the early 70's. They were out of a green box of Remington bullets. They worked great on whitetail deer! However, nowdays I use a .444 Marlin for hogs (Beartooth bullets, hardcast 325 grn) and my model 29 .44mag as backup, uses a Keith type hardcast bullet. I have tried using those Hornady XTP bullets but they seem to come apart or shed the jacket a bunch.

I have to agree. Expanding bullets like the XTP are fine or deer. But for dangerous game I would go for penetration with solid non-expanding hard cast. Heavier is better than faster. Penetration tests I have seen (wet packed newspaper) seem to indicate that after about 1200 fps you reach the point of diminishing returns. The way to get further penetration is by increasing weight.

Last summer I was disposing of sensitive data on some old hard drives. The 260 grain bullet smashed up the drive pretty well, but did not exit both sides of the metal case. The 320 grain bullet at 1150 fps blew completely through the drive, which exploded on impact. Now that is data security.

Tom