How much gun?

[dlvmark]

Which is the better side arm for pigs? With all things the same, good shot with each what is better 6 shot .357 or 10 shot .45 cal. What would you take. Sorry I know it is a rookie question but, i am a rookie.
TY

 

[boarcrz]

.357 with lyman hard lead.

Good luck

 

[Nic Barca]

.357

 

[camo snob]

357

 

[bayedsolid]

I would buy a .44 mag, unless you already have the other two and don't want to buy something else.

 

[Buck Hunter Vic]

Rugar 44Mag is my side arm of choice to.

 

[sjuels]

Gentlemen,

Newbie here.

My sidearm of choice for bear and pigs is a Taurus Raging Bull in 454 Casull.
I love the round and the gun, but I can only recommend it if you are not recoil shy.

Regards,
/Soren

 

[oneshothunter]

s&w 44 mag with a 300 grain jacketed hollow point

hand holds .. works great

 

[PorkChopper]

I have shot a pig with a .45 acp 185 grain p+ round and it did just fine on him, Dont get me wrong if i had a .357 i would definitely use that, however if you have a .45 then that should do fine, and if you dont stop it with ten rounds, i think you better run like the dickens... just my 2 cents.

 

[Railguner]

.45...4 more shots, heavier bullets with more frontal area. I use a .44 Ruger blackhawk slung outlaw style. Cant help it...I'm a cowboy wannabe. RG

 

[Neil San Diego]

Either of your two choices should work. Use heavy bullets for the caliber. Also, use an expanding bullet, since full metal jacket isn't legal for hunting. The best choice of the two would be the one you have shot the most, and are the most comfortable with. Don't want to "spray-and-pray" in that situation.

Neil

 

[SDHNTR]

Niether. If you want to hunt strictly with a handgun, go .44 mag or better. If you are looking for a backup sidearm, don't bother, it's just unneeded weight and gets in the way. I carried one during my rookie years thinking I needed it for big bad boars. It was just an annoyance. JMHO.

 

[gwhunter69]

I carry either my S&W Sigma .40 or 9mm, but not for hunting just for stopping power if anything goes horrible wrong.

 

[dlvmark]

I have both of them, I used to race with the .45 so i have used it more. the .357 has more penatration and hollow points. I am a little more accurate with the .357 due to the 6 inch barrel. The .45 has a 10 shot clip and 1 up the pipe so that is a total of 11. So with all that info what do you think is the better choice?
By the way, thank you guys so much. Your imput is so important.
Mark

 

[Arrowslinger]

SDHNTR hit the nail on the head. I personally see no need for a back-up weapon hunting any animal.....but if you take one, i'd go as light as possible.

 

[beastslayer]

There is generally no need for a back up gun unless you are also wary of the pig of the two-legged kind. Otherwise, .45 ACP is a good friend companion out there.

Or, if the shot is under 25 yards and you are looking for a challenge, a pistol will make for an excellent tool. You don't have to believe me on this. I never had a hog with a pistol... yet (my dream kill).

 

[Neil San Diego]

Just to pile on here, outside of the two handguns that you currently have, SDHNTR probably has the best input here.

Neil

 

[BGH831]

According the the info pack from BLM, 695 lbs of muzzle energy minimum for wild pig so that kind of rules out the .45 besides 10 shots really shouldn't be needed and if you are blasting 10 rounds off at a pig in the heat of the moment I'm not sure I would want to be anywhere near there.

And yeah, What SDHNTR said.

 

[hOtLoAd]

Ruger 44Mag . . . never leave home without it.

 

[ditto231]

I think 357 is the minium for a pig but 44mag is the least I go with. I currently use FA 454 Casull and love it. It works for any big game.