Hand-gun hunting

[abroncsfan7]

I'm looking to get a handgun for hog/deer hunting. I'm deciding between a .480 ruger and a .44mag. Anyone have any comments?

Also, any comments re: the Ruger Blackhawk and a Taruas Raging Bull? I really like the B.H. but Ruger only makes the .480 in the Redhawk. Thanks

 

[F350]

I have a lot of friends who handgun hunt for hogs.
The general consensus is either; 454 Casull, 44 Mag, 41 Mag, or .357 Max.
One of my best friends uses the T.C. in .357 Max. and says he loves it.

Personally, I'm gonna go for the .44

Hope that helps.

 

[Rick]

If you can shoot the .480 well, it will do fine. (So will the .44 mag.) The key is using good, tough bullets.

I have also used a Contender in .35 Remington and 7-30 Waters on hogs, and they both worked great, too.

 

[superduty]

I carry the 480 Super Red Hawk and LLLLove it.

My brother-in-law carries the 44 Super Mag in Black Hawk and also loves his. Hornady makes a great round for my 480 and I'm hoping on getting a pig with it this year. The brother-in-law says my 480 has less recoil than his 44. This could be because the load he shoots or maybe the difference in weight of gun. Don't really care. I love the 480 and it don't get any bigger than that and still shoot 6 shots!

 

[RIFLEMAN]

A .357 Blackhawk works for me, but I plan on upgrading to a .44 soon to give myself some room for leeway.

 

[hdsts]

I shoot a Colt Anaconda in 44 mag and LOVE it. I talked with a couple of people
who have the Taurus Raging Bull and their biggest complaint was that the spacing between the end of the cylinder and the frame is to great and during the firing of the gun that hot particles come from the gap and burn your hand.

just my

hdsts

 

[Freedivr2]

I've only taken one hog (240 lb. boar) with a handgun. I had a good rest, and it was a 25 yard shot, so I used my sidearm instead of my rifle. Did a head shot on the boar and it dropped like a rock with a 158 grain factory Federal bullet from my .357 magnum. What really suprised me was when I went back 3 months later to recover the skull.......(pic below). The boar was broadside to me, and the bullet entered just behind the right eye and made a HUGE exit hole on the left side of the skull. That exit hole wasn't apparent at all to me on the day of the kill, the critter just had a horrible black eye on the left side (months later, I understood why....the bullet must've blown up when it shattered the left side of the skull and the skin kept the damage intact or something.........).

That said, I've also seen how great a 44 mag works on hogs, including body shots, so if I were to get a hog shooter, it'd be a 44 mag for sure. I don't know how well the little .357 would do on a body shot, maybe good, maybe not. Keep this in mind.........you can always shoot a small critter with a big gun, but you don't want to be undergunned when that 400 lb. boar is staring you in the face!

 

[Bishop]

I prefer the .454, but the .480 and .44mag are also good choices. Between a Ruger and Taurus, I'd always go with a Ruger. Most people will agree that the .357 is marginal unless your close and have perfect placement.

 

[Bwana Turtle]

The skull looks alot more impressive than the deceased pig. Too bad you did a head shot. It would have looked great if you would have fed it to those beetles.
I have a comp gun in 10mm, I often wonder how that would do on a pig with hot loads. It gets real close to a .41 mag. It's lighter than my Super Redhawk .44 and wouldn't be that much of a problem to drag along. But on the real side, these days I'm looking to shave off any ounce I REALLY don't have to carry.

 

[Freedivr2]

A 10mm is an interesting thought. I'll tell ya this.........a .45 caliber doesn't do diddly squat on pigs unless you literally put it in their ear. After downing a 200+ lb. sow with a lung shot, I used my Sig .45 ONE time only and it took 3 shots to the head before it started smokin out the snout. Low penetration for sure on a .45. Nevermore.......

 

[ozstriker22]

I had to decide between the Ruger Black Hawk and the Taurus .44 standard model in stainless steel (not the Raging Bull).

When I looked them over in the store side by side, here's what I noticed:

1. The brand new Taurus' rear sight had a LOT of play. Side to side, up and down. I understand a little give and take, but you could push it to one side, and it would just stay there. Wouldn't spring back. The Ruger wiggled a little too... but would always come back to center. It won't make a difference up close, but from 50 yards, I really think you're talking about at least 8 to 12 inches difference from where you'd sighted it in! Honestly, I have a $50 pellet gun with better sights!

2. The metal. Every manufacturer has their own alloys that they use to make a firearm. In my opinion, the Smith and Wesson has the best alloy. Ruger second. However, the ruger is a "stronger" gun simply because it has A LOT MORE METAL. They take a huge chunk of steel and carve a gun out of it. S&W machines each part and puts them together. You pay more for that. The Taurus is simply a lower end alloy. Hold them side by side. You'll actually see the difference with you naked eye. And no, that's not simply a difference in finish.

There's a reason the Ruger costs more than the Taurus. There's a reason the SW costs more than the Ruger.

What are you going to use it for?

A- Hunting Self defense, close range, 30 rounds a year? Go with the Taurus.
B- Hand loads. Hunting as a primary weapon. A very strong framed gun. Go with the Ruger.
C- An excellent quality Double Action firearm, not to be a fed a heavy diet of hot loads, but very accurate as a hunting weapon, and individually crafted parts. Go with the Smith and Wesson 629.

Bottom line - you CAN NOT beat the Ruger Single Action .44 - cost and quality, it's a Jesse Ostler "Best Buy." If you want a Double action .44, do not buy the Ruger Redhawk. Save up for the Smith and Wesson 629.

I had the same dilema a month ago, and now I have only 8 more days to go and I can pick up my Smith and Wesson 629.

Jesse

 

[Neil San Diego]

Between the two cartridges, I would pick the 480. Like Superduty mentioned, the 480 can feel like it has the same or even less recoil that a 44. I've heard that from several folks also. And a substaintially larger diameter (and meplat).

Between the two handguns, I would choose the Blackhawk (actually, the SuperBlackHawk).

Unfortunately, like you said, a BH or SBH can't be had in 480. So I would opt for the SBH in 44. And at some point in the future (like when I win the lottery) I would have the SBH converted to a 5 shot 480 by a custom gunsmith like Gary Reeder, or some such. (

and not worth much more )

Neil

 

[Mntngoat]

John Tell us about that pig you have there!!
Distance, Caliber, size etc...