44 Ammo "Hog Hunting"

[hawgrider1200]

expansion

afterall who really needs expansion?

DNR says we all need expansion, read the regs.

 

[SmokyMtnSmoke]

Sledge Hammer to plinking 44 MAG loads...

310g HCLGC, 240g HP, 240g HP Copper Plated

For Hogs or Bears, It'll be that 310Gn Sledge Hammer for me.

My other choice if I can't get the 310 gn is the
Hornady 4300 Bullet 44 Cal 265 Grain Flat Nose 100/Box

The Hornady Interbond uses a proprietary bonding process that hold the core and jacket together no matter what the bullet encounters. Combine all that hard hitting power with the proven ballistic advantages of Hornady's SST design and you have a super accurate bullet that delivers maximum energy right where you aim. The SST, engineered to shoot flatter, fly straighter, and hit harder delivers controlled expansion, superior weight retention, and massive shock for a clean quick kill. Features of the V-Max include a copper jacket that is designed to work with the tip to deliver incredible accuracy at long range and assist in dramatic expansion. All Hornady rifle bullets are available in a wide range of calibers and grain weights.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Mfg Item Num: 4300
Category: RELOADING BULLETS & COMPONENTS
Bullet Type :Flat Nose
Caliber :44 CAL.
Weight :265 gr
Quantity :100 Per Box

A great article and must read for reloading the .44 Magnum

Heavy Weight Bullets In The .44 Magnum
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...7/ai_79586225/

 

[deadgame]

isad hardcast. perfectly legal as i have never measured one post impact that didnt show at least 0.01 worth of deformation. read the fine print.

 

[Apex Predator]

I think the regs are to discourage full metal jackets only.

 

[HandgunHTR]

The whole "hardcast" thing is a very dead horse.

As for the OP problem, there are many good suggestions here.

The only thing that I will add is that if you know you made a good shot and you have a good blood trail to start with and it peters out, the animal is more than likely within 50 yards of last blood. Most people believe that the blood should take you right to your dead animal. This is only sometimes the case. A deer or hog can run a fair distance with absolutely no blood pumping.

Now, please don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should improve your blood trailing abilities before blaming the bullet.

Any quality bullet shot from a .44 mag at resonable distances should kill a hog dead as long as something vital is hit.

 

[Darrell H]

Any quality bullet shot from a .44 mag at resonable distances should kill a hog dead as long as something vital is hit.

Agreed, but you have to penetrate that shield to get to the vitals! Last winter I shot a WMA hog with a .45 Caliber, 260 grain Speer hollow point fired from a 209X50 Contender pistol at 1700 fps. I have killed several hogs with this load combination in the past with no problems. This boar proved to be a tough one however. On the first shot I shot him quartering away and he ran out of sight. I reloaded my muzzleloader and discovered that the hog had run about 50 yards and laid down. I shot him again behind his right front shoulder from the prone position about 40 yards away. The hog got up and ran again. He ran about 50 yards and lay down again. I snuck to within 30 yards or so and shot him again behind his shoulder while he was thrashing around. He didn't die but this time he didn't get up. I walked up to the boar and realized that I wasn't getting a bullet into his vitals so I thought that I could shoot him from behind in the guts and angle a bullet up into the vitals. Evidently I didn't put enough English on the shot because I still didn't kill him. On the fifth shot I walked around him while he was still lying on the ground and put one right between his shoulder blades. I thought that I was going to have to use my last bullet right between his eyes but finaly he gave up the ghost!

When I skinned out the hog, I dug three bullets out of his shield. They had all mushroomed perfectly with no core/jacket separation but they still didn't get through the ribs to the vitals.

After this experience I purchased some .45 caliber, 300 grain Sierra soft-points and some .44 caliber Cast Performance bullets to try in the Contender. The cast bullets didn't work too well in the sabots but the 300 grain Sierras shot really well from the short-barreled muzzleloader. I hope to find out how well they work on a hog very soon now that small game season is open again.

 

[hawgrider1200]

U shoot that big hog right behind the ear and u won't have that problem.

 

[Darrell H]

U shoot that big hog right behind the ear and u won't have that problem.

Not necessarily. I know this is the handgun hunting forum but please allow me to share a muzzleloading rifle story. I shot this hog with an Encore .50 caliber rifle, 295 grain Powerbelt, about 1800 fps.

I walked upon this N. GA WMA hog while he lay snoozing in his bed with a bunch of his lady friends. I put the crosshairs of the scope behind his right ear and pulled the trigger. At the shot hogs scattered but this ol' boy wasn't going anywhere. He got his hind legs up but couldn't get his front legs to work. He was on the side of a very steep incline and he started falling down and working his way down the mountain. I loaded up the muzzleloader and missed him completely on the second shot while he was thrashing around. I reloaded again and finally on the third shot I was able to shoot him in the lungs. This ended things quickly. When I skinned the hog out you could literally stick your fist through the hole in the hog's neck where the Powerbelt had plowed through and shattered his neck bone but he still refused to die! Bottom line is big hogs are tough!

 

[MERCing]

For hogs, go heavy weight.

Yes, the 180's, 200's and 240's will be traveling faster and look somewhat more impressive on paper but they have lighter construction are a lot more prone to suffer jacket/core seperation and come apart.

I woundn't even think about shooting anything lighter than a 240 at Hogs.

Speer 270 gr SP's, 300 gr Sierra's or 300 gr Hornady XTP's
or similar for expanding bullets.
LBT's or something similar if you choose hard cast but stay on the heavy side.

 

[EMC-GUN]

I am casting a 240gr. GC bullet from a Lee mold from clip on WWs. I am loading them over between 19-21gr. Hercules 2400. They shoot well from my SBH 7.5. I would not hesitate to send one into a hog or deer. I also have a Lyman 429-421 250gr. Keith style mold that throws a good bullet. That would knock 'em dead as well!

 

[Barry Duggan]

Hard cast LBT type with a fairly wide meplat, or soft points if you must use a jacketed bullet. More weight is more better for penetration. Wouldn't even consider using hollow points.

 

[44mags]

hornady200gr hand loaded for deer an winn 240platium for hog has served me well with longest shot at hog at 35yrds.

 

[Big7]

Food for thought...

I understand this is a .44 thread, but....

I shoot a GP-100 .357 w/6"bbl.

If I have to use store bought I go with Gold Dot JHP
They move VERY fast...

Even better and faster with a jacked up Gold Dot or Hornady JHP handload.

Head or neck shot? Who cares about an exit wound
when you have a baseball sized "entry" wound and
half a head and/or neck gone??

 

[oxbow]

Has anyone shot a hog with Grizzly ammo?
I baught 41 REM MAG 265gr. WLNGC.
Any feed back on that cartridge would be great.