What bullet for hogs? .44mag

baddarryl · May 29, 2013, 07:10 AM

What bullet for .44mag would you guys recommend for hogs? I intend to use my Super Blackhawk as a backup weapon for hog hunting. Thank you.

Wild Bill Bucks · May 29, 2013, 08:48 AM

I keep my Super Red Hawk loaded with 240 grain Hornady hollow point bullets and they seem to do the job just fine. My problem with the .44 mag is that I can't hunt with ear plugs in, and it practically makes my ears bleed if you shoot it without them, so I have started carrying a .22 pistol for dispatching a downed animal. Up close through the ear hole seems to put them out of their misery pretty quick.

1tfl · May 29, 2013, 04:11 PM

I used to hunt hogs with Ruger Super Blackhawk and Super Redhawk revolvers.
I started out with cast 310gr WFN-GC loaded with enough H110 to get +/- 1,350 fps out of my revolvers. That load worked very well with even 250+ lb. hogs without any problem. The recoil was not bad with the SRH but was a handful with the SBH. Few years later I used cast 285gr WFN-GC @ 1,300 fps and it worked just as well but with less recoil. I don't hunt with those revolvers or loads anymore but these days I occasionally carry a Ruger Flattop 44 Special. I keep it loaded with cast 250gr WFN @ 1,000 fps and it work well on hogs up close.

Truth be known, as I get older I find myself looking for lighter and smaller guns to carry. Years ago I used to carry Remington 700 in 30-06 or Marlin 1895 in 45-70 on daily basis but now I usually carry something smaller and lighter. I guess I carry my Remington model 7 in 243 Winchester most of the time and on my belt is a short barrel Ruger Single Six in .32 magnum. These don't have the power of guns I used to carry butthey still do the job effectively and efficiently.

Sure Shot Mc Gee · May 30, 2013, 06:51 AM

My pick for pig. Federal Premium 300 Grain CastCore Flat Points in store bought. I would deem perfect for the job. Not a hollow point that may break-up when hitting bone. But a heavy weight flat nose [Thumper!!!] that will slam the the door shut and drive any snoot into the ground. When it comes to big boars. You don't want to stand and fire shot after shot to knock one over. A One shot Kill is the only practical way. Heavy Cast will give you that performance.

S/S

Art Eatman · May 30, 2013, 09:04 AM

Ross Seyfreid has written of his hunting with large-bore handguns, on game up to and including the Australian buffalo. That's a one-ton critter. (Remember the sceene in "Crocodile Dundee"?

His rather firm statement is that a hard-cast lead bullet with a large meplat is the way to go.

I have loaded to the max with 300-grain bullets in the .44 Mag, shooting them in my Redhawk. Manageable, but odds are that something around 250 grains would be more manageable in a rapid-fire situation.

GeauxTide · June 1, 2013, 07:45 PM

Hard cast SWC. At the distance you're talking, control and quick follow-up would be premium. A 250 at 1100 would be manageable and effective.

Old Stony · June 2, 2013, 05:00 AM

I have probably shot more hogs here in East Texas that most guys ever will. I manage properties that have good populations of the them and shoot them both in the open and in traps. I have shot hogs with everything from .22 rimfires to full house 45/70's and lots of calibers in between. A hog can soak up a lot of punishment, but I sort of think maybe it's just a matter of something with their nervous system that takes a while sometimes to decide they are dead. I shot a running sow one time with a .350 Rem. Mag and she went another 30-40 yards before she fell over. When I cleaned her, I found her heart had been completely severed from the rest and just fell out of the cavity. Nowdays I shoot for the front shoulder and try to break bones as a way to stop one in the open, or to the ear shot from the side in a trap. Between the eyes with a .22 does a quick job as well in a trap. I've been trapping them for 3 years on one piece of property and have a count of 323 so far, with no real end in sight.....so I guess I'll just keep picking up what ever rifle I have handy when I leave the house. I think caliber selection is over rated for hogs, just take whatever you think will work and have fun. Those hind legs on a smoker are some pretty fine eating......
Sorry for getting so windy on the subject....

Jack O'Conner · June 2, 2013, 04:06 PM

Nothing wrong with 240 grainers but I like to shoot Speer's 270 grain bullet. I use it for deer, too.

Jack

May 29, 2013, 07:10 AM	#1
baddarryl Senior Member Join Date: March 29, 2011 Location: Cape Fear! Posts: 1,683	What bullet for hogs? .44mag What bullet for .44mag would you guys recommend for hogs? I intend to use my Super Blackhawk as a backup weapon for hog hunting. Thank you.

June 2, 2013, 04:06 PM	#8
Jack O'Conner Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2005 Location: Manatee County, Florida Posts: 1,976	Nothing wrong with 240 grainers but I like to shoot Speer's 270 grain bullet. I use it for deer, too. Jack __________________ Fire up the grill! Deer hunting IS NOT catch and release.

May 29, 2013, 08:48 AM	#2
Wild Bill Bucks Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2005 Location: Southeastern Oklahoma, Next door to Sasquatch Posts: 1,266	I keep my Super Red Hawk loaded with 240 grain Hornady hollow point bullets and they seem to do the job just fine. My problem with the .44 mag is that I can't hunt with ear plugs in, and it practically makes my ears bleed if you shoot it without them, so I have started carrying a .22 pistol for dispatching a downed animal. Up close through the ear hole seems to put them out of their misery pretty quick.

May 29, 2013, 04:11 PM	#3
1tfl Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2007 Posts: 287	I used to hunt hogs with Ruger Super Blackhawk and Super Redhawk revolvers. I started out with cast 310gr WFN-GC loaded with enough H110 to get +/- 1,350 fps out of my revolvers. That load worked very well with even 250+ lb. hogs without any problem. The recoil was not bad with the SRH but was a handful with the SBH. Few years later I used cast 285gr WFN-GC @ 1,300 fps and it worked just as well but with less recoil. I don't hunt with those revolvers or loads anymore but these days I occasionally carry a Ruger Flattop 44 Special. I keep it loaded with cast 250gr WFN @ 1,000 fps and it work well on hogs up close. Truth be known, as I get older I find myself looking for lighter and smaller guns to carry. Years ago I used to carry Remington 700 in 30-06 or Marlin 1895 in 45-70 on daily basis but now I usually carry something smaller and lighter. I guess I carry my Remington model 7 in 243 Winchester most of the time and on my belt is a short barrel Ruger Single Six in .32 magnum. These don't have the power of guns I used to carry butthey still do the job effectively and efficiently.

May 30, 2013, 06:51 AM	#4
Sure Shot Mc Gee Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,876	My pick for pig. Federal Premium 300 Grain CastCore Flat Points in store bought. I would deem perfect for the job. Not a hollow point that may break-up when hitting bone. But a heavy weight flat nose [Thumper!!!] that will slam the the door shut and drive any snoot into the ground. When it comes to big boars. You don't want to stand and fire shot after shot to knock one over. A One shot Kill is the only practical way. Heavy Cast will give you that performance. S/S

May 30, 2013, 09:04 AM	#5
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Ross Seyfreid has written of his hunting with large-bore handguns, on game up to and including the Australian buffalo. That's a one-ton critter. (Remember the sceene in "Crocodile Dundee"? His rather firm statement is that a hard-cast lead bullet with a large meplat is the way to go. I have loaded to the max with 300-grain bullets in the .44 Mag, shooting them in my Redhawk. Manageable, but odds are that something around 250 grains would be more manageable in a rapid-fire situation.

June 1, 2013, 07:45 PM	#6
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,424	Hard cast SWC. At the distance you're talking, control and quick follow-up would be premium. A 250 at 1100 would be manageable and effective.

June 2, 2013, 05:00 AM	#7
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	I have probably shot more hogs here in East Texas that most guys ever will. I manage properties that have good populations of the them and shoot them both in the open and in traps. I have shot hogs with everything from .22 rimfires to full house 45/70's and lots of calibers in between. A hog can soak up a lot of punishment, but I sort of think maybe it's just a matter of something with their nervous system that takes a while sometimes to decide they are dead. I shot a running sow one time with a .350 Rem. Mag and she went another 30-40 yards before she fell over. When I cleaned her, I found her heart had been completely severed from the rest and just fell out of the cavity. Nowdays I shoot for the front shoulder and try to break bones as a way to stop one in the open, or to the ear shot from the side in a trap. Between the eyes with a .22 does a quick job as well in a trap. I've been trapping them for 3 years on one piece of property and have a count of 323 so far, with no real end in sight.....so I guess I'll just keep picking up what ever rifle I have handy when I leave the house. I think caliber selection is over rated for hogs, just take whatever you think will work and have fun. Those hind legs on a smoker are some pretty fine eating...... Sorry for getting so windy on the subject....