Favorite hog handgun?

[Wheelchair Bandit]

Do any of you have a favorite handgun to hunt hogs with,or just carry while hunting hogs with a rifle?

I plan on packing my Ruger Super Blackhawk loaded with 250 grain Keiths on my hip while hunting with a rifle.For plain handgun hunting,I'll probibly use my T/C 12 inch 45/70 loaded with 405 grain Remington JSPs.

 

[Bishop]

Mine is a 7 1/2" Freedom Arms .454 Casull.  If I'm out with a rifle I'll carry a 44 mag. Super Blackhawk 4 5/8" with bisley grip conversion.  

 

[RIFLEMAN]

I use a .357 Blackhawk exclusively.  A good Ruger revolver is hard to beat.

 

[wmidbrook]

I haven't gotten into big game pistol hunting so my favorite is my Kimber .45.  It's the first thing I go ground squirrel hunting with in the spring before they get weary and a rifle is necessary.

I've never had a jam with round nosed, factory ammo in the first 100 rounds after a cleaning/lube session with a newer clip.  It's usually good for about 200-300 rounds (especially if a little dusty outside) before a cleaning is necessary.  

I pack it with me when I hunt and figure it's good enough to finish off game, or ward of a Mt Lion attack when turkey hunting.  I've even taken a bobcat with it at about 20 yds.

(Edited by wmidbrook at 8:28 pm on Mar. 23, 2002)

 

[jrifenbark]

I am taking a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 LC.  It has a 45/8" brl.  I'll be hunting with a Marlin 336.  I think the Blackhawk would work well in heavy brush.  Rookie is going to handload some 260gr rounds moving around 1050 fps.

 

[Billy in VA]

jrifenbark:
I load a 300g JHP for my 45 LC Blackhawk 4 5/8"". I love the gun.  I use 21.5g of  H-110 and get about 1100 fps

I got loading instructions from John Linebaugh from Cody WY. He makes the conversions for the Ruger's to change to a 5 shot that is "Real Hot".  He  has also done a lot of testing of the 45 Colt Ruger hangun His loading data is safe for use in Modern Ruger handguns "ONLY".   The  KO power is something to see. The listing fro the loads are for the W-296 and H-110 poweder only and he thinks they are the safest and most stable to use.

His data for the Ruger 45 Colt is as follows:
For a 260g Cast, 240g sierra JHP & the 250g XTP & 260g Speer JHP he suggeses
25.5g to a max of 27g of H-110 for 1364FPS  to 1459 FPS@ 24,800-30,600CUP

For a 310 g Lead or 300g Serra, Hornady XTP & Speer bullets use,
21.5 to 23.5g of H-110  to get 1109 to 1316 FPS @ 24,400-32,000 CPU  

Remember that the vo;loices will be down somewhat with jacketed bullets.  He likes cast Keath style flat nose bullets the best of all and says they will do the best on large game such as elk, hogs and bear. He likes the heaver bullets for these. For deer size critters use the 250-260g.

you can write him for his loading data and his test reports at P.O. Box 1263, Cody, WY. 82414 or call @ 307/645-3162. (This is an old address and number, so I do not know if it is still good or not.)   Later  Billy

 

[nextrodeo]

44 MAG

 

[Bishop]

http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/dissolving.htm
John Linebaugh's article about loads for the .45 LC

 

[jrifenbark]

Billy,
Thanks for the loading info.

 

[shooter44]

Haven't shot anything with it yet, but I sometimes take a Taurus Tracker 41 Mag with me.   Which brings up a question--I've got some Corbon 250 grain hardcasts that would work great on pigs, but are hardcst bullets legal for big game in CA?  The law says they must be soft point or expanding bullets.  Hadcast bullets probably expand a little bit, but not much.  Not that you really need expansion with a 40 cal, but I want to stay legal.

 

[Bishop]

Shooter 44:  Here's a answer from Ca. DFG


-----Original Message-----
>>> "Bishop, John" <JBishop@da.co.orange.ca.us> 10/11/00 02:25PM >>>
The regulations on handgun bullets state something to the effect that
bullets must be "soft point or expanding" type.  Do lead semi-wadcutter type
bullets meet this criteria?

Thank You
John Bishop
johnebishop@hotmail.com


From: Liz Schwall [mailto:LSCHWALL@OSPR.DFG.CA.GOV]
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2000 2:13 PM
To: JBishop@da.co.orange.ca.us
Subject: Re: Handgun Hunting


Hi,

Section 353. T14 C.C.R. states; deer, bear, wild pigs, elk and bighorn
sheep may be taken with pistols, using softnose or expanding bullets.
"Lead" semi-wadcutters would come under the category of expanding bullets,
however they would be a poor choice for big game as they would not give the
proper penetration for a clean kill.

A quality jacketed soft nose or hollow point bullet would be a better
choice.
Hope this helps.



Lieutenant Liz Schwall
DFG/CalTIP
(916) 327-9408

 

[songdog]

Boy, my experience with hardcast .44 and .45-70 bullets is that they penetrate way better than any type of expanding bullet.  I've seen a .44 Mag bullet from Garrett go from stem to stern through a 250lb pig.

 

[Bishop]

Songdog:
I guess that sort of shows how much practical hunting experience some of the DFG wardens really have.  Even worse when it comes from a Lt. who's their public information officer.

 

[shooter44]

Songdog, BIshop,

Thanks for the input, but in fairness to Lieutenant Schwall wadcutters and hardcast bullets are not really the same thing.  Wadcutters are just soft lead bullets shaped to cut clean holes in paper.  Hard cast bullets have other metals mixed in to make them a lot harder, minimize expansion and maximize penetration.  So I'm still not sure I've got an answer.  Maybe I'll write the DFG myself.  

 

[Bishop]

Shooter44:  

As I understand it "hardcast" just refers to how hard the lead is, such as water quenched wheel weight, and other leads mixed with tin.  Either semi wadcutters (Keith style) or the newer LBT's (Lead Bullet Technology) are both often cast "hard" for penetration and bone breaking ability.  I've never seen a "full wadcutter" used in anything other than .38 target ammo.  Of course I could be wrong.  In the old days before JHP's we use to take the full wadcutters, (which have a hollow base) and load them backwards to use for defense rounds.  They were definetely expanding bullets that way.
As I understand the Calif regulation and Lt. Schwall's interpetation of it, any bullet with an exposed lead tip is considered a "expanding bullet".  The lead is what is considered soft or expanding.  The regulation does not distinguish between soft or hard lead.  Many so called expanding JSP's and JHP's will only expand under ideal conditions.  And some of the hardest "hardcast" will expand under less than ideal conditions.  So as long as the bullet is not a full metal jacket it is technically a expanding bullet.