Handgun for Hogs & Pigs

Xfuzz · Nov 22, 2015

I help manage 6500 acres of East Texas Piney Woods
"paper company" land.
Have been loaded with hogs for years.
Shot placement is key.....Right behind he ear.

One Ol'Boy that was raised in this area had him
a surpresed rig made up last year or so.
IIRC ....Ruger 10/22. You only hear it cycle.
The scope is near as long a the little carbine.

He will kill as many as 4 in one sitting.

BAM-BAM · Nov 22, 2015

Never hunted hogs........ so with that grain of salt...from earlier posts .....and ... for neighbors safety...... shotgun......

first couple slugs? maybe.... again safety first....... but

last 2 00 buck in case they/it turns on you

Jinglebob · Nov 22, 2015

Wild hogs out my way are common. I have shot them with .22 magnums to .44 magnums. I pretty much gave up on going out and hunting them and started using hog traps. Hogs are easier to shoot once they’re caged.

DR505 · Nov 22, 2015

Stick with 10mm but change...

...the launcher. I've got this nice Ruger Vaquero chambered in 10mm. It would suit your situation just fine.

4barrel · Nov 22, 2015

44 mag rifle? It will be a lot easier on your ears & quicker to get a shot off. Just a thought. A lot easier to lean against a tree & look around with a 4-6 power scope. It would probably be safer & more accurate also. I do have a 44 mag pistol.

Xfuzz · Nov 22, 2015

Hogs are so bad in my part of Texas
That they cannot be controlled from the
stands.
Trapping is the best solution.
Good video if you have ten minutes or so...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7JATeB8Ug0[/ame]

DR505 · Nov 22, 2015

Xfuzz said:
Trapping is the best solution.

But not the most fun solution.

Doug M. · Nov 22, 2015

I'd stick with the G20 as long as it and the load are proven. Some kind of solid round, like a hardcast SWC, would be my preference, although there are also good JHPs out there. Study the physiology from the perspective of bullet placement, so you know the best places to put rounds. I have a vague recollection that someone posted a link within the last year or so to a site that had a nice body map of hogs for just that purpose.

As far as risk to others - just about anything bigger than a pellet gun might send a round off your property with enough residual energy to present some level of risk. 1) shoot from high enough that misses or through and through wounds go toward the ground, which should be easy if you are standing and piggy is not on higher ground, and 2) DON'T MISS.

Generally, don't walk around with the pistol in your hand. Holsters exist for a reason. If you must have it in your hand for a period of time, keep your booger hook off the loud switch. A decent hip holster with modest security, like one of the Safariland 7377 or 6377 should be a great choice. If it is available for the G21, I believe it will work with the G20. I have a duty holster for a G21 that I would cheerfully use with a G20, and if I were to buy a specific woods gun that's what I would get, even though I don't want to add another caliber. I would not use a flap holster, period, but that is driven by my LE background.

2hawk · Nov 22, 2015

A little trapping tip I learned from a hog-hunting acquaintance back on Oahu: he would find a spot along the hog trail where the ground sloped away at about a 45° angle. He'd get some help and muscle a 55 gal steel drum up to the spot and dig it in so it was secure from rolling or shifting, open end up towards the trail, and throw some corn cobs in it. Hog takes the bait, and then can't get out- the drum is too slick for them to get any traction.

Check daily with your trusty shootin' iron ready. Good Hunting!

Vulcan Bob · Nov 22, 2015

I would use a .45 Colt with my 270gr Kieth at 925 fps. The mid frame Ruger .45 Colt flat top with the 4 5/8th inch barrel is a handy holster gun.

Peter M. Eick · Nov 22, 2015

Again, thank you for the feedback.

I will start looking for a 44Mag and in better holster for the Glock. I guess I am just being too cheap on the brass issue.

I did pull out my M1 Carbine and have some softpoints to go after piggy with. That is about the most rifle I really want to use on my property due to the ricochet issue. It would be hard to get a stand up and get a view down on the hogs since they are in my front yard.

I did pull this rig out for wearing when I am working the property. I figured it is better than just carrying the glock in my hands and setting it down all the time.

It is obvious from the comments you guys have made that this is only a very short term solution. I am underestimating the abuse piggy can dish out and need to get more aggressive.

I did read up on traps. Unfortunately, I live in the hill country and my problem with a big tear drop type trap is getting the T-posts set in the ground solidly. I only have at best 4" of soil layer before you hit bedrock.

My next step up is to go the NFA route and get a suppressor, thermal imaging and some sort of modern rifle. One fortunate thing in Texas is we can at least go that way.

Thank you again for all of the advice and comments. I knew I was out of my league on this one.

Peter M. Eick · Nov 22, 2015

I should add my G20 is a nice shooter. I have good solid hot solid 200 grn Truncated Cone reloads in a KKM 6" comped barrel. It is a great shooter and easy to carry but the comp is a problem. While I really love it, I expect it would be murder on the ears if I take a shot without plugs.

My alternatives are the following:

I have a 610 6.5" that I am deadly with and a 10mm Witness Hunter that is exceptional. I was not really considering the Witness because it was so nice but I won it, so maybe I just sacrifice it to the cause. Same barrel length as the Glock, but no comp!

BearBio · Nov 22, 2015

I hunted hogs and guided on hogs for many years and all through grad school earning an M.S. in Biology.

I've seen wild hogs shot with everything from 22 WMR to 454. With proper shot placement, I would say anything from 357 on up with a good penetrating bullet (Caveat: Worst failure to stop a hog was with a 357 and almost got me some real good scars). My preferences were 41 mag (better penetration than a 44 mag) and 45 Colt with hardcast lead slugs (Heavy and fast).

I see no reason your 10 mm won't work and losing a couple of brass is minimal compared with buying a new gun (unless you just WANT a new pistol). If so, I'd go with the 45 Colt in a Blackhawk or Vaquero.

kwselke · Nov 22, 2015

Peter M. Eick said:
My alternatives are the following:

I have a 610 6.5" that I am deadly with

The M-610 with a hot soft point or hollow point hunting load is prefect for the job.

I almost thought it was Model 629 Classic 6 1/2" hog gun for a second.

hangnoose · Nov 22, 2015

"IN THE FRONT YARD"

A scoped 22 mag right behind the ear, or between the eye & ear depending on the angle, from out a bedroom window. Quiet/accurate and will put em down fine. For a handgun what you have is fine, but forget about the mag capacity/spray & pray thinking. Wait for 1 good shot. A good penetrating bullet, +1. For a shotgun the Dixie tri-balls are like 3 slugs at once. Buckshot size would depend on the range & size of the hog.

vt_shooter · Nov 22, 2015

Maybe my thinking is wrong, but if I was concerned about ricochets and close neighbors I’d be inclined to use a lightweight & fast bullet like a 55 grain 5.56 out of a rifle, thinking that bullet would pretty much disintegrate upon hitting anything. I would think a comparatively heavy and slow pistol round would be the worst to use.

badge · Nov 22, 2015

Captain O said:
The 10mm should get the job done. If you're afraid that isn't sufficient a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with rifled (Foster) slugs should split the porker down the middle. Foster slugs are relatively cheap and quite powerful. As my daddy used to say, it should, "stomp him into a mudhole and stomp him dry".

Happy hunting!

The Capt. knows of what he speaks. If your planning on a close encounter with a Hog, nothing beats a 12 gauge with a Foster slug. It flat knocks the stuffing out of them. I have used the .44 magnum on them. It works well. I switched to the .45 Colt with the heavy Corbon loads,.. 300 grain soft or Hollow Point rounds as that also knocks the Swine out of them. My last Hog fell to a 300 grain WFN at 1300 FPS. One shot. They are not bulletproof but a reasonable caliber in the right spot is required.

Doug M. · Nov 22, 2015

vt_shooter said:
Maybe my thinking is wrong, but if I was concerned about ricochets and close neighbors I’d be inclined to use a lightweight & fast bullet like a 55 grain 5.56 out of a rifle, thinking that bullet would pretty much disintegrate upon hitting anything. I would think a comparatively heavy and slow pistol round would be the worst to use.

*
Now that BCM has .300 BLK uppers, if I wanted to go with an AR platform specifically for the setting and purpose described, I would have an SBR in that caliber with a can. Not a good use of money for me.

Hellraiser · Nov 22, 2015

On the front of them pigs... ya got to penetrate that gristle on front flanks...

With a handgun.... .357 or better. Nobody wants to go in brush lookin' for a wounded hog. Up close... they can be as bad as lions.

ralph7 · Nov 22, 2015

vt_shooter said:
Maybe my thinking is wrong, but if I was concerned about ricochets and close neighbors I’d be inclined to use a lightweight & fast bullet like a 55 grain 5.56 out of a rifle, thinking that bullet would pretty much disintegrate upon hitting anything. I would think a comparatively heavy and slow pistol round would be the worst to use.

Was thinking the same thing, don't think you are wrong.

Handgun for Hogs & Pigs

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