45 for hogs

[tascofeldman]

I carry a 45 while 4-wheelin' or walking trails on our hunting lease. I'm usually loaded with "cheap" ball ammo. A friend recently shot a large hog with ball ammo, killed the hog but had an odd ricochet that caught him in the leg. No major dammage except to his ego. Question is this, what would be a recommended round for good expansion without over penetration. I've considered sd rounds but that could get pricey. Thoughts?

 

[Texas1911]

You won't over-penetrate a hog with a .45, not unless it's a small sow. Just use FMJs ... they'll work fine.

 

[Medic218]

If out in the woods why would you worry about over penetration anyways?

 

[Charlie]

Maybe he was talkin' about FMJ going through the hog and bouncing back off a rock, etc.?

 

[Medic218]

Yeah ok, I can see that.
I still wouldn't worry about it to much though if I were deep enough out in the woods

 

[MR Redneck]

Could have been something the bullet hit that did that. I use to like shooting caliche rocks just to watch them explode. That is till one of then exploded and hit me..
I also like shooting the patern boards and the shotgun range with my riot gun and buckshot. I do this to practice hip shooting and such. I always shoot the big iron plate at an angle to keep to buckshot from being directed back to me.

 

[West Texas]

I've found that 185gr JHP Remington Golden Sabre do a nice job for a lighter load in .45, cheaper than SD rounds, and make the hog dead without making it dead and torn to hell.

If you ever are feeling REALLY lucky, try shooting a 250+lb hog in the head with a .38 loaded with semi-wadcutters...the hog was PISSED! After I got safely up the closet tree and shot it 11 more times it finally died from laughing at me...

 

[dobarker]

I've been carrying fmj's in various 45's for the better part of 7 years while walking/wheeling in hog country with no problems yet. They're a fair bit cheaper to just open up with ( you dont have to grab at your wallet for each shot), they kill things dead, they're fat, slow and hell everyone knows that 45's sink ships. The only thing that i've learned not to use on hogs is .38 spl with 158 gr. swc lead bullets, all they do is penetrate the skin and flatten out like a .22 on a steel plate.

 

[Mic]

.....it finally died from laughing at me...

 

[West Texas]

...

...The only thing that i've learned not to use on hogs is .38 spl with 158 gr. swc lead bullets, all they do is penetrate the skin and flatten out like a .22 on a steel plate.

...Unless you shoot them in the head, then you can hear the richocet and see one of natures wonders, a really pissed off hog!

I did learn the following from that experience.

1) When getting out of the truck to check the traps, grab the .45 off the seat, put it back in that nice holster on your belt and take it with you.

2) That .38 that you grabbed out of the tool box and stuck in your back pocket back at the barn is great for snakes and such, but can get you hurt if not killed no mater how many .38 rounds you happen to have in your pocket.

3) That really big hog that is looking at you from under the cedar bush will run away unless you piss it off

4) Shooting it in the head from about 10 yards will piss it off

5) Climbing a mesquite tree while holding a recently fired .38 is not fun.

6) Trying to dig .38 rounds out of the pocket of your jeans and reload while trying to stay ballanced on the limb of a mesquite tree with out dropping said rounds or said gun or ramming a thorn through your hand or your ass while the hog head-butts the tree is not as easy as it sounds.

7) An empty .45 holster, no matter how nice it is, and those two extra mags of 185gr JHP .45 in the nice mag holder right next to it aren't even worth taking off to throw at the hog.

8) People will laugh at you when they hear what you did.

 

[Fisherman777]

Oh hogs! I was just skimming the various subject lines and thought I saw "45 for Hugs". I mean, I like my 1911 but don't give it hugs and kisses. Nevermind. LOL

 

[West Texas]

Oh hogs! I was just skimming the various subject lines and thought I saw "45 for Hugs". I mean, I like my 1911 but don't give it hugs and kisses. Nevermind. LOL

You've obviously never had a really, really close relationship with your 1911...

 

[dobarker]

...Unless you shoot them in the head, then you can hear the richocet and see one of natures wonders, a really pissed off hog!

I did learn the following from that experience.

1) When getting out of the truck to check the traps, grab the .45 off the seat, put it back in that nice holster on your belt and take it with you.

2) That .38 that you grabbed out of the tool box and stuck in your back pocket back at the barn is great for snakes and such, but can get you hurt if not killed no mater how many .38 rounds you happen to have in your pocket.

3) That really big hog that is looking at you from under the cedar bush will run away unless you piss it off

4) Shooting it in the head from about 10 yards will piss it off

5) Climbing a mesquite tree while holding a recently fired .38 is not fun.

6) Trying to dig .38 rounds out of the pocket of your jeans and reload while trying to stay ballanced on the limb of a mesquite tree with out dropping said rounds or said gun or ramming a thorn through your hand or your ass while the hog head-butts the tree is not as easy as it sounds.

7) An empty .45 holster, no matter how nice it is, and those two extra mags of 185gr JHP .45 in the nice mag holder right next to it aren't even worth taking off to throw at the hog.

8) People will laugh at you when they hear what you did.

There were 5 total head shots from the .38. We saved the skull and it's funny to look at. It's not shattered but there's 5 perfect 38/100 of an inch holes in it.

It was a fortunate/unfortunate event. My buddy and I had been hunting hogs all day and night long until around 2am without shooting at anything but a jack rabbit with an m1, so we decided if jacks were all that we would see, we'd load up with 22's and 38 lead wad cutters. Sure enough, as soon as we got on the mule and drove not more than 10 yards from the house a 150lb. sow cam charging out of the brush and across the road. What followed was 18 .38 spl rounds being fired (all that I had left with me) and some 50-70 rounds of 40 gr. 22lr.
Basically, we loaded it down with lead till it had trouble walking and then finished it.

Now whenever we go out for varmints i've got a 45 on my right hip and a .22 on the left, just to be certain in case we see a rabbit.