.45 ACP and Miss Piggy

[Just Duke]

Just for curiosity sake anyone have any idea whether a .45 ACP will bring down a Mid Western Hog. 230 Grain Round Nose.
Just curious if anyone has ever attempted this or not.
TIA,
Duke

[6bg6ga]

I remember years ago when a buddy came back from nam and told stories about shooting a gook that ran up shooting at the Jeep he was riding in at the time. He told me he pulled out his 45 and popped him one in the chest and it picked him up from a standing position and put him on his back. Unfortunately he was high on something and got back up again and this time received one in the head which caused it to split like a pumpkin. If it were me after hearing what a 45 can do to a real person I really wouldn't worry but would opt maybe for a hollow point.

[kenjuudo]

Absolutely...200-220 pounders...BANG-Flop. Front on or broadside, just hit the boiler room. Done it out to 30 yards quite a few times. These were sissy Durrock hogs. Those smaller armor plated feral critters might require magnums.

jim

[frank505]

we have tried 45/230 rn on angry feral hogs, not really reccomended. some were killed pretty quick, most not. tried hollow point ammo, not enough penetration, this is from the 1980's. we went back to 44's and 250 keith. had to make sure there wasnt a dog on the back side of hog cause them went through easily. i did not hunt them, was hired gun so clients went home without scratches, fun gig

[frank505]

nowadays i would happily try a 230 fn loaded with ramshot sillouette powder which zipping along at 950 fps. most of my shooting was at really close range and down at the head/neck. the hogs were not the scary part, the so called hunters and their gun "skills" were mostly terrifying.

[Larry Gibson]

Some years back I used a hard cast GC'd 452490 (235 gr) at 900 fps (HS6) out of a 5" Series 70 M1911 on a smaller pig weighing 175 lbs or so (guestimate). Shot angled down behing foreleg, tthrough the heart and passed out opposite side nicking the offleg bone. Pig went maybe 25 - 30 yards and piled up. Same load did as well out of a 6 1/2" barreled S&W revolver but I put 2 shots into it and it died pretty much where shot. I always like to keep putting well aimed shots into game with a handgun and do not stand there waiting for the proverbial "one shot stop". In both cases the effectiveness was just about the same as with a .44 Special with 250 gr Keith at 850 -900 fps or with a 260 gr Keith bullet out of a .45 Colt at 850 -900 fps. Of course none of those were quite as good as full magnum loads from .41s or .44s. I've yet to run into a piggy that is wearing body armor that the bullets bounce off of and feel confident the .45 ACP will do a decent job if you put a correct bullet for the job in the right place.

Larry Gibson

[arcticbreeze]

It will work if properly place but in my opinion it would be very far from ideal. Yes shot placement is everything however I have seen a medium size ferrel hog shot in the skull with a 30-30 and just gouge it. The problem with proper shot placement is hogs rarely stop long enough to count on a perfect shot every time. It might be different where you hunt but in my area they stay with in very dense cover until well after legal shooting hours and when you get your shot at a piggy he will most likely be very close and you will have very little time so I want something I can hit the boiler room even if I have to go through 2ft of pig to get there. This is just a medium size hog and when she step out of the thick palmettos she was only about 18 yds away and growling at me. I was on the ground and glad I had a 444 in my hand

Marc

[Armorer]

In Texas they aren't considered "game animals" so you can hunt them 24/7 by pretty much any legal means. I've seen guys shoot em with 9mm glocks and they fall like a sack-o-taters with one round. I have also seen guys hit em broadside right through the heart and lungs with a 30-06 and they run for 50 yards or more.
No rhyme or reason to it. Just kill as many as you can please.

Armorer

[arcticbreeze]

In Texas they aren't considered "game animals" so you can hunt them 24/7 by pretty much any legal means. I've seen guys shoot em with 9mm glocks and they fall like a sack-o-taters with one round. I have also seen guys hit em broadside right through the heart and lungs with a 30-06 and they run for 50 yards or more.
No rhyme or reason to it. Just kill as many as you can please.

Armorer

They are also considered pests here and we can hunt them all year but not at night without a nuisance permit.

[Gee_Wizz01]

I have used the 189gr 452389 in my 1911 to kill pigs, and it penetrates well and kills well, but about half the time they do tend to run about 30yds. In spite of what some people think, they will come after you, so you do have to be ready for follow up shots. I have had the same issue with 44Mag and hot 45 Colt loads and even 30-06. Pigs shot through the heart/lungs can still run a ways, just like deer. The difference is that pigs can be ornery and mean.

G

[caillouetr9981]

Years ago, I witnessed a friend take a HUGE hog with one shot from a .22Short "Survivor" Pistol. The shot hit the hog right at the juncture of the head and neck (from above).

The only real problem with this was that this hog had treed both of us in the same tree when my friend had failed to stop him with 5 well-placed .45 ACPs!

Can you take hogs with a .45 ACP? Sure, if you don't mind sometimes waiting a bit for them to drop.

Whether you are going to eat them, or not - USE ENOUGH GUN!

Reggie

[JesterGrin_1]

Years ago, I witnessed a friend take a HUGE hog with one shot from a .22Short "Survivor" Pistol. The shot hit the hog right at the juncture of the head and neck (from above).

The only real problem with this was that this hog had treed both of us in the same tree when my friend had failed to stop him with 5 well-placed .45 ACPs!

Can you take hogs with a .45 ACP? Sure, if you don't mind sometimes waiting a bit for them to drop.

Whether you are going to eat them, or not - USE ENOUGH GUN!

Reggie

That is the problem with Wild animals they do not know they are dead till they are lol.

If I know I will be in an area where I feel there is even a remote chance I could have a problem with an animal I will bring more than I need as far as caliber for the largest animal that could be in the area.

I hunt in Deep South Texas like near the Boarder south lol. And I have to say the wild Hogs can be down right Nasty lol.

So when down South I carry a .44 Mag and for a Rifle either a 30-06 or my Marlin 45-70 and soon a 35 Whelen and later a 358 Winchester. They might be a bit large for a Deer but just right for a wild HOG lol.

[Brl]

Arcticbreeze, where are you hunting hogs? You're not far North of me.

[songdog53]

Perfer the heavy 44 mag round but then 45 hard ball will kill them i just rather have the stouter round. Mad hogs fall in same bracket of mad bears and mad women any one of the three will hurt you.

[chaos]

I mostly use the 44 mag with cast slugs( both my loads are 252-253 gr) to help penetrate the thick scrub they inhabit. On a clear shot, NO PROBLEM I did take a pair two years ago with my target load, Zero brand 230 gr FMJ over a dose of 231. Killed 'em just as dead. They are NOT the armor plated power houses that internet lore would lead one to believe. Yes, they do have a shield, but it sure isnt bullet proof. I've taken a ton of trapped hogs with a walther p22 with the cheapest **** I could find to fire out of it. Have shot many an old boar through the plate and it penetrates every time.

These two sows were aobut 40lbs IIRC, Good small eatin size