According to people who live in, and hunt, areas where feral hogs abound, mature boars are endowed with a gristle (cartilage) shield or plate that protects their lower chest.
Another consideration is that the heart-lung area of a hog is very small relative to the animals silhouette. These are not animals that run for miles-and-miles across the prairies. Even if you THINK you got a good hit and used ammo with good penetration, the bullet's path through the body is likely to miss organs that ensure a quick kill or break-bones that will collapse the animal. That can be mildly concerning if the animal is chewing on you or a loved one.
You not only need to bring "enough gun", it needs to "bring enough ammo" to ensure that at least one of the holes you poke in the animal hits the important body-parts.
While the plate is not exactly bulletPROOF, it will stop bullets that are "soft" and highly-expansive before they reach the boar's vitals. Those are exactly the kinds of bullets that are touted as being great man-stoppers. That rules out most pistol hollowpoints (especially the lighter-weight, higher-velocity offerings) and expanding "varmint" bullets in small calibers.
The plate will also stop bullets that don't start out with enough momentum (yes, I wrote momentum, not energy). Examples include .380 ACP and smaller ACP rounds, .38 Special out of short barrels.
These comments only apply to mature boars and does not apply to head-shots. However, in the passion of the moment, in the dark-of-night, one might not be cool enough or have enough time or the "vision" to pick head-shots.
One viable option for those who carry a 9mm (which excels at the "bring enough ammo) is to alternate non-expanding 147grain "Flat-nose" or "Truncated Cone" full-metal-jacket with 147 grain hollow-point bullets.
Buffalo Bore, Federal American Eagle are viable options for the non-expanding, flat-nose bullets. Like all things on the Internet, use your own brain and weigh your options carefully.
Ask LawDog about the efficacy of 9mm on feral hogs.
ReplyDeleteIIRC he spent a quite considerable amount of time in a tree waiting for a pissed off hog to decide to leave after he shot it with his duty weapon.
Folks who know like BIG, massy, bullets with some velocity behind them.
And another officer spent time in a different tree after using his duty .45 as I recall the story. Same angry boar, same reaction.
DeleteBuffalo Bore 38 special +P 158 grn soft cast lead semi-wadcutter hollow point gas check? In a Ruger 4.2 inch GP100? I'd still go with a rifle if boars are around though and here they're not......yet.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.berrysmfg.com/product/9-147-fp/
ReplyDeleteBuy Berry's and roll yer own!
I have shot 3 hogs with 158 gr NyClad out of a 6" revolver. All just behind the shoulder and none to a single step after being shot. They ran between 100-130# The same bullet was terrible on a mountain lion, no expansion and just punched straight thru.
ReplyDeleteOn thing to remember is a hog that has been chased or aggravated is a completely different beast than that one who has been ambushed at a feeder. I used a 30-06 on a big boar that was causing problems at a friend's camp. Shot him just under the eye while he squared off on us.
PIGS!!!!
ReplyDeleteUp here boars only live on hunting ops and you pay to shoot them. I'm told they are tough little critters and to treat them like larger game. Would a 357 cut it with them?
Gawd, if I could hunt them, I'd use it as an excuse to buy nice 454 or 460 wheelgun. Why would ya want to go after them with pop guns?
:)
Do you get feral hogs on your property Joe?
DeleteNo. I expect that it is just a matter of time.
ReplyDelete