Side arm while pig hunting

[otto_kretschmer]

I want to go pig hunting next year. I have two places in mind. The first will be in Arizona and I'll be hunting javalina and the second will be in Texas and I'll be going after feral hogs.

I have two rifles I'll take. Both are bolt action and have scopes and they are chambered in 30-06 and 223.

I want to carry a sidearm for "just in case". I have a choice between a Browning Hi Power with 10 rounds of 9mm or a standard Colt 1911 with 7 rounds of 45 acp.

For ammo I'll be running my reloads in the 45, 180 gr lead SWC going about 850 fps and for the 9mm I'll be using factory ammo of a mix of 115 gr hollow points and FMJ. I'll load the magazines by alternating between the hollow points and FMJ.

Feral pigs can be dangerous so if I have to use a sidearm I'm in trouble. I shoot the Colt the best and only fair with the Hi Power.

I'm not going to buy a sidearm for this, so 44/357 mag, 10mm is out. I'm just going to stick with what I can have on hand now.

I'm undecided right now. A 9mm will penetrate better than a 45 and some hogs have a really thick hyde. I have two magazines of each, so 20 rounds of 9mm and 14 of 45.

any suggestions?

[sc_rufctr]

Feral Pigs? - You need something bigger than 9mm.

You really can't go wrong with a 357 magnum Old School revolver.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer

I want to go pig hunting next year. I have two places in mind. The first will be in Arizona and I'll be hunting javalina and the second will be in Texas and I'll be going after feral hogs.

I have two rifles I'll take. Both are bolt action and have scopes and they are chambered in 30-06 and 223.

I want to carry a sidearm for "just in case". I have a choice between a Browning Hi Power with 10 rounds of 9mm or a standard Colt 1911 with 7 rounds of 45 acp.

For ammo I'll be running my reloads in the 45, 180 gr lead SWC going about 850 fps and for the 9mm I'll be using factory ammo of a mix of 115 gr hollow points and FMJ. I'll load the magazines by alternating between the hollow points and FMJ.

Feral pigs can be dangerous so if I have to use a sidearm I'm in trouble. I shoot the Colt the best and only fair with the Hi Power.

I'm not going to buy a sidearm for this, so 44/357 mag, 10mm is out. I'm just going to stick with what I can have on hand now.

I'm undecided right now. A 9mm will penetrate better than a 45 and some hogs have a really thick hyde. I have two magazines of each, so 20 rounds of 9mm and 14 of 45.

any suggestions?

Paging Jeff Higgins for someone with LOTS of experience.

But my arm chair opinion (and I think it's a pretty good/valid opinion) is that the 115g 9mm is going to be inadequate. My thought is that you need heavy bullets with lots of momentum vs light weight bullets.

My vote is for 230gr .45 FMJ.


If you go with the 9mm, then I think you'd be far better off with 147gr flat nose rounds.


The flat nose acts like a semi-wad-cutter according to Jeff and creates a better wound channel than a round nose while also maximizing penetration depth. I wouldn't trust 9mm JHP to penetrate appropriately, especially in 115gr.

Other folks make flat nosed ammo besides Speer. They may be hard to find in 147gr right now.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Feral Pigs? - You need something bigger than 9mm.

You really can't go wrong with a 357 magnum Old School revolver.

My main weapon will be my rifle, so either 30-06 or 223. I'm taking both to the range to see how well i can shoot them. In the real world, misses don't count so it doesn't matter if i have the perfect cartidge if I can't hit the target.

I had a border patrol friend a couple years ago who passed on. His father was a WW2 combat vet who fought from the first landings in Africa and into Sicily and then got into Normandy on D-Day+2 and walked all the way to Germany were he got a golden wound in the Hurtgen Forest and was sent home. My friend's father prefered the 9mm over the 45 because it would go thru a helmet and a 45 often would not.

I'm not spending $700 for a new pistol that is just insurance and I'll most likely never need. So, again, no 44/357 mag or 10mm. I'm putting boundries around this with only 45 acp and 9mm.

I can play with ammo, +P, different bullet weights and construction. I shoot the best with my 45 and I've almost worn out the rifleing in the barrel. I shoot the 9mm OK and probably good enough for a mag dump at a charging pig.

[LWJ]

I thought hog hunting used dogs and a big azz knife. Saw some Hawaiian’s do it this way.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by LWJ

I thought hog hunting used dogs and a big azz knife. Saw some Hawaiian’s do it this way.

if anyone has read or watched Game of Thrones, this is how the king, Robert Baratheon, dies

[craigster59]

If that MoFo is charging you, you need something to go through a skull as thick as my cabeza muy grandes.

I'm thinking 44 Mag. Or wear some P.F. Flyers so you can run faster and jump higher.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by craigster59

If that MoFo is charging you, you need something to go through a skull as thick as my cabeza muy grandes.

I'm thinking 44 Mag. Or wear some P.F. Flyers so you can run faster and jump higher.

[aigel]

I have done a lot of hog hunting and killed plenty, and quite a few >300 pounds. And I never needed a handgun. Just take your rifle. Hogs are not that dangerous, key is that you stay on your feet, no crawling after them in brush or walking backwards tripping over stepping out of their way. If there are follow up shots, even close, a rifle is fine. You can fire a rifle just looking over the barrel at close range and be pretty accurate.

Personally, the less guns I need to worry about, the safer I feel. I.e. how will you carry that pistol? One in the chamber, safety on? Now you are running around in the field with a loaded gun that is more likely to hurt you than help you.

My only advice otherwise is to take a large caliber rifle, so you don't have wounded hogs to deal with. I shot most mine with a .300 win mag (!) which will bring home even a marginal hit. For your choices, I'd definitely leave the .223 at home and take the 30-06!

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer

My main weapon will be my rifle, so either 30-06 or 223....

And while I'm spending your money... Ideally you need a semi auto scoped rifle in 7.62mm or larger.
- Before our gun buy back I used to shoot feral pigs on a regular basis. "We" all used semi auto rifles.

Long story from long ago but I've also shot feral horses from a helicopter. Guess what rifle I was using?

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by aigel

My only advice otherwise is to take a large caliber rifle, so you don't have wounded hogs to deal with. I shot most mine with a .300 win mag (!) which will bring home even a marginal hit. For your choices, I'd definitely leave the .223 at home and take the 30-06!

and I thought 30-06 was overkill on hogs..

If I can shoot the 30-06 as well as the 223, I'll probably use it. I've chosen the 60 gr Nosler partition for the 223 and with the 30-06 I'll just use a softpoint 150 gr or heavier.

The 45 has a good, solid safety and i would carry it with a round in the chamber. The Hi Power has a safety that doesn't have as solid index and carrying it with a round in the chamber doesn't give me the same confidence that the safety will stay on.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

And while I'm spending your money... Ideally you need a semi auto scoped rifle in 7.62mm or larger.
- Before our gun buy back I used to shoot feral pigs on a regular basis. "We" all used semi auto rifles.

Long story from long ago but I've also shot feral horses from a helicopter. Guess what rifle I was using?

I think I would have a boating accident.

I always wanted a FN/FAL and I did qualify on the M14 when I was in the Navy. They are pleasant to shoot. I have several bolt guns and a semi auto isn't necessary.

[aigel]

When I started hunting, I always carried a sidearm. But after a couple seasons of schlepping it all over gods earth hunting in wilderness and public land in CA, I got tired of it and since I never needed it, I stopped. Whenever I feel I need to be armed, I make sure I have the rifle ready.

My .300 win mag is certainly an extreme example. It was what I had at the time as my all around "kill anything in NA" gun. It was loaded with Cu 120 grain bullets, IIRC. I'd definitely recommend a 30 caliber bullet. My friends generally hunt pigs with .270, 30-06, .308 and the like. If you stand hunt over a feeder in TX at close range where you can pick very clean shots, a .223 may do the trick. I'd wait for a broadside neck or chest shot, or a quartering away chest shot. I'd stay away from quartering to or head on or facing away shots. The shoulder of the pig can be very tough, with a bunch of scared up gristle that's tougher to penetrate than your average furry creature's shoulder. The heads are also pretty thick and have a very sloping angle, so a head shot from the front often glances off.

I would always prefer broadside shots. At close range, I'd go for the neck (to maximize the meat yield), further away, for the middle of the chest.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer

I think I would have a boating accident.

I always wanted a FN/FAL and I did qualify on the M14 when I was in the Navy. They are pleasant to shoot. I have several bolt guns and a semi auto isn't necessary.

Sorry champ but if you saw our feral pigs IRL you would want a semi auto.

BTW Our cops still use the M14.

[flatbutt]

Just a WAG but I'd think .223 is too light for a wild hog.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Just a WAG but I'd think .223 is too light for a wild hog.

223 will work if you use the right bullet and you place your shot in the right place.

[Jeff Higgins]

Like the real estate guys whose motto is "location, location, location", the mantra for hunting handguns is "penetration, penetration, penetration". Solid bullets with flat noses penetrate the best, the straightest, and the deepest. Forget the hollow point or jacketed soft point nonsense. Neither has any place on game animals. Round nose solids leave wound channels that close up behind them, where flat nose solids cut a hole and remove material, leaving a far more devastating wound. With your two choices, mine would be the .45 auto with the 200 grain semi wadcutters.

[Superman]

When I finally acted on Jeff's suggestion of a single-action .45 Colt, THEN I understood. It is not the large-frame version that Jeff would likely choose for pig-hunting, but it can still spew a 255-gr Keith bullet at around 1000 fps. Plus....the ergonomics of it are such that it practically points itself. This is my "just in case" spoon in the woods. I think he said it would go through a deer lengthwise.

But yeah, the .45 ACP is also a good choice. Also, it spews projectiles at a faster rate and holds more than six.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

With your two choices, mine would be the .45 auto with the 200 grain semi wadcutters.

Thats where I'm leaning right now. I shoot my 45 much better with thousands of rounds thru the pistol. And the safety is more secure.

[Gretch]

If you are not going to take advice why ask the question.......

One need only a brain the size of a golf ball to decide between a 9mm and a 45.

And the pig will tear your ass up in any event.