On the same theme as “The Ideal rifle caliber for wild boar”. Let’s look at traditional straight-walled handgun calibers and pick one from our most popular choices. In the rifle article, I looked at worldwide availability and swine from around the world. However, the ability to hunt with a handgun outside of the US, is not widespread. I’ll cover using handguns for US hogs, however, the info can be used for worldwide swine.
Parameters for Handgun Hunting
The parameters focus on: 1) Availability, in other words, can ammunition be found easily and readily in case it is needed? 2) Ease of shooting, can the handgun be fired easily without excessive recoil and muzzle blast by someone with some handgun experience? 3) Effective distance: is the caliber effective on all sizes of wild boar out to 75 yards, and in any presentation.
Be it broadside, quartering towards or away, in line facing, or in line going away. The chosen distance of 75 yards is, in my opinion, a maximum distance for use with iron sights on game. If you are using an optic, 75 yds is a fair distance, not far and not close.
Precision First When Handgun Hunting
There are several newer factory ammunition choices that are proving very effective and suitable for pigs of any size. Locating them might be a chore, but having them is worth it since they should work well on pigs of any size. Many would be considered premium ammunition selections, when dealing with animal presentations other than broadside these would be my choices. As with rifle calibers, precision is paramount, with bullet selection being almost as important. The toughest shot presentation would be directly going away, and most likely only needed when engaging a fleeing previously hit animal. Breaking the pelvis should anchor the animal, allowing a follow-up shot if needed.
Pigs are tougher than deer, so while some of our personal defense handgun calibers are suitable for deer, they are minimal for feral hogs. Using careful shot selection, prudent bullet choices and limited distances, they can be considered adequate but not ideal. The 40sw, 10mm, and 45acp are our best choices but should be limited to less than 50 yards. In the 40 and 10, I’d suggest nothing less than 180gr. bullets, using the 45 my preference would be 230gr. Availability is excellent, choices are plentiful, but you are limited to broadside animal presentation and less than 50 yards. Along the same theme in revolvers, 38special +P with 158gr. bullets or 357magnum with 140gr. or heavier bullets need the same criteria.
Sentimental Favorite for Handgun Hunting
Our first decent choice for Ideal wild boar handgun hunting caliber is a recent favorite of mine – the .41 Magnum. It is an excellent choice, for someone who handloads their own ammunition and can select appropriate projectiles. It is hampered by lack of availability and few choices for suitable bullets in factory ammunition. The easy shoot-ability and overall effectiveness on a wide variety of game make it a good choice but the biggest hurdle is availability. One of the top choices in factory ammunition is the Swift Heavy Revolver line with their 210gr. A-Frame bullet. This load as well as some of the Grizzly ammunition, cast bullet loads, are excellent. Be aware that some of the cast loads may be too long for some revolver cylinders.
The .44s
Next is the .44’s which include the .44 Special and .44 Magnum. The .44 Special has easy shooting going for it, and ample velocity and bullet weights. Even though most factory loads only push bullets in the 1000fps range, with bullets of this weight and size it’s plenty. We don’t need rip-roaring speed to take game at 25-75 yards.
Big bullets do really well even when not sent downrange at maximum velocity. A well chosen and accurate 200-240gr. bullet inside 75 yards will kill every pig born and penetrate adequately even from back to front when started at 1000fps. The .44 Special suffers from a lack of availability and representation, much like the .41 Magnum. It is still a decent choice though.
A Stellar Performance
The .44 Magnum has been overshadowed by newer calibers, it’s performance hasn’t lessened though. All the positive things I said of the .44 Special goes for the .44 Magnum as well. Except it does not suffer from any of the negatives. I’ve used .44’s to hunt with since the late 1970’s when I was a teenager. Some factory ammo can be a bit daunting to new shooters, given the muzzle blast,t but it is not unmanageable. Mid-range ammunition more similar to .44 Special can be used, and its effectiveness is unquestionable.
Some of the better hunting ammo available includes Hornady’s Handgun Hunter line and Federal’s Hammer Down line. I’ve used both on game out to 75-80 yards and can speak to their effectiveness. Swift offers their 300gr. AF bullet in their Heavy Revolver line, and Federal offers a Swift 280gr. AF bullet in their Premium line.
The .45s
Our next caliber are the .45’s, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, and 460 S&W. The S&W is the most powerful and is the newest of the three. It is suitable for any pig, in any presentation, if you use proper bullets. I would not say it’s easy shooting for those not used to large hunting handguns. However a benefit that “might” offset availability is that you can safely shoot both 45 Colt and 454 Casull in a 460 S&W chambered gun. Everything said of the 460 S&W goes for the 454 Casull as well, except you can only substitute 45 Colt in a Casull chamber. Neither round is easily shootable and can be flinch-inducing, but both are suitable for any pig on the planet. The Casull and S&W are both available in excellent factory loadings, when you can find them.
Modern guns and loadings have elevated the 45 Colt to universal application for any game. As I said with the 44 special, big bullets do not need a lot of velocity to be effective. Factory offerings for the 45 Colt range in velocity from mild 800fps loads to 1500fps. Bullet offerings vary as well, with soft cast solids to jacketed hollowpoints and mono metal bullets. It is relatively well represented by major manufacturers, but locating the ammo is not as easy as others on our list. It is capable of taking any size pig from any angle.
The .47s
Enter the .47’s, the 480 Ruger and 475 Linebaugh, both capable of great things. The 480R being easier to shoot and handle. All the while giving up very little to its older, bigger brother. The 475L is far from being in the easy to shoot category. It is a specialists round because of the concentration needed to wield it accurately and the need to build your own ammunition if versatility is your desire. Many users of the 475L load their own ammo down to 480Ruger levels. As I said before, big bullets do not need a lot of velocity to do great things. Less velocity brings less recoil, less recoil brings easier shooting. The 480R performance level will handle any wild boar. Capability-wise, both .47’s meet and exceed parameters, ease of shooting-wise, neither is easy without building experience first. Availability is spotty at best.
The Fifties
Lastly are the fifties, actually .50 and .51’s. Are the fifties needed for handgun hunting wild boar??..…NO!! Are they easy shooting??…..NO!! Can they be easily found or available??…..NO!! Are they capable of taking any pig from any presentation??…..YES!! Of the .50 caliber choices readily available, we have 50AE, 500JRH, and 500S&W. In the .51 caliber corner there is really only the 500Linebaugh. The 50AE is more like the 480R, easier to shoot than the others in the family but still not for the inexperienced. Factory ammunition for all the 50’s and .51’s is quite capable of handling any pig placed in front of you. Just don’t run out or lose what you’ve brought because locating backup or spare ammo is quite nearly impossible.
The Ideal for Handgun Hunting Wild Boar
What is our most ideal caliber for feral hogs with a handgun?? My choice is one I’ve probably used the most, it is definitely the first big hunting handgun caliber I ever owned. However it is one that I currently use very little, because I’ve become more specialized. The ideal choice is a great general purpose round, one that can and has done it all. Selecting the ideal, is like getting started in handgun hunting and looking for a gun to start with. What is out there that will do what I want, from any distance I deem practical, on any animal, and with a great selection of bullets and ammo?
It is the original big-bore handgun hunting magnum, the 44 Remington Magnum. I’ve found 44 mag ammo in gun shops in the UK, and they can’t own repeater handguns!! The worldwide availability rivals that of our rifle, ideal caliber the 308 win. It is available in a wide variety of guns, a wide variety of bullets, from a wide variety of manufacturers and it has a proven record. It has quite literally been there and done it all, time and again.
The 44 Remington Magnum, is the Ideal handgun caliber for wild boar and feral hogs.
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