Right Lead for Pigs?

[Dusty Miller]

My .44 mag launches a 336gr. WLN bullet in the neighborhood of 1300 to 1400 fps (depending on how I load it) and my cast bullets are BHN 15 (according to my LBT hardness tester).  I'm dropping these bullets into a bucket of water right out of the mold.  Would a BHN closer to 12 offer some mushrooming at those velocities and still retain enough weight to punch thru the grunter?

[shooter444002]

By dropping them in water you are upping the Bh into the 20's. I wouldnt worry about them expanding as they do not need to expand to do the job. I would however make sure and shoot for bone, like a double shoulder shot to make lots of secondary missiles in the chest. Breaks them down and makes a bigger hole.

[Dusty Miller]

That information does not jive with what I've learned about what makes a good game killing bullet.  The bullet should stay together, mushroom some, and penetrate deeply, preferably exiting the animal.  If I've been reading the wrong hunting books and magazines all these years, please let me know!

[shooter444002]

44 & 45 caliber bullets do not have to expand to kill game. It might kill a little faster with some expanding, but isnt needed. A hardcast bullet is going to penatrate all you need. I have shot game end to end several times with cast bullets and have never recovered a bullet. The  part about a bullet staying together, expanding and still penatrating applies to jacketed bullets, cast are a whole diff. game. I like to break bone with cast just to make a bigger hole with the secondary projectiles. A 44 caliber hardcast bullet will cleanly kill the biggest game in NA without expanding a bit. You do need a large meplat for best results, but you said you were using a wfn bullet so that should work no problem. Best thing about cast in pistols, rifles or muzzleloaders is that you can eat right up to the hole. Most of my cast bullets are used in the 45/70 and they dont expand and flat hammer game and I only  push them to 1600fps. Handguns with hardcast kill all out of proportion of what you would think they would.

[Dusty Miller]

While reading Gary Kramer's book on pig hunt'n (The Complete Guide to Hunting Wild Boar in California) I came across some information about what ammo is allowed. It seems as though wild pigs in California are catagorized as big game and as such can be taken only with "...rifles or pistols using center fire cartridges with softnose or expanding bullets...".  I'm taking this to be a prohibition against using FMJ ammo and not a cast bullet with a BHN of 20 or more.  Does anybody have any more information about this?

[Lawdog]

Dusty Miller,

I don't know about cast but the use of FMJ bullets on game is against the law here in California and rightly so.  You are correct then you said,

That information does not jive with what I've learned about what makes a good game killing bullet. The bullet should stay together, mushroom some, and penetrate deeply, preferably exiting the animal.

I know some hunters think that just because you are using a bullet that is just under 1/2" in diameter that you don't need a hole any bigger.  The wound channel of bullets that don’t expand is smaller than a wound channel from an expanding bullet.  I have seen this done using ballistic gelatin and the corresponding results on game.  Whether or not the law considers a hard cast bullet to be classified as a FMJ type is something for a game warden to decide.  Small groups and tight lines to you.  Lawdog
 

[BBF]

Lawdog:
A hardcast bullet with a large meplat will make a wound channel bigger then its own diameter depending on how large the meplat is and how much impact velocity.

[Cecil]

Lawdog passed January 2006 I don't think he will reply

[STUMPJMPR]

many softnose bullets such as my favorite hog killer the 30-30 winchester only expand to about 1/2" diameter max....So you really don't need any expansion on a 44 mag....When the bullet expands it acts like a parachute and quickly slows down....