.40 Cal for Hogs
 

I'm looking into getting a pistol, and am strongly leaning towards a .40cal. I want to be able to take it out and shoot some hogs (no rifles on the ground where I hunt), will this do the trick? In this situation I'll be walking through the woods, so I'd like a practical solution for a sight too if they get a little further out. Any comments/ideas?

thanks,
AGR

I carried a 40 cal as a side arm hog hunting for 2-3 years. Few months ago was charged by a large boar. 320 lbs. switched to my side arm and emptied 2 mags into him. watched 4 180grn JHP, speer brand, bounce off his skull. head on. I give up on the headshot and started shooting in the back of the neck and spine until he went down. I know alternate ammo in my mags. JHP and FMJ. i never thought that they would bounce off his skull not at 12 feet!!!!!!

I'd say .357 would be the minimum if it's intended as the primary hunting weapon. But I'd probably not be comfortable with it. I'd go 44 mag as minimum primary hunting pistol.

You could carry the .40 as a side arm just for self protection, but it's not the type of caliber you'd expect to drop an animal with one shot. Or even several as stated above. You could kill a hog with it, but probably not a head on shot. And if it's for protection, it'll probably be a head on shot.

Go with a reliable 44 mag revolver and you won't be sorry.

I am sorry. There is no way in hell a 40 cal will bounce off a hogs skull. I call shenanigans on that one. I have a buddy with a 22 mag revolver. drops them like a hot potato.

Lets look at the 40 for ballistic performance.

Ballistic performanceBullet weight/typeVelocityEnergy135 gr (8.7 g) Federal Premium JHP Low Recoil1,190 ft/s (360 m/s)424 ft·lbf (575 J)155 gr (10.0 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP1,175 ft/s (358 m/s)475 ft·lbf (644 J)165 gr (10.7 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP1,150 ft/s (350 m/s)484 ft·lbf (656 J)180 gr (12 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP985 ft/s (300 m/s)400 ft·lbf (540 J)200 gr (13 g) Double Tap Hornady XTP JHP1,050 ft/s (320 m/s)490 ft·lbf (660 J)Test barrel length: 4 in
Ballistic performanceBullet weight/typeVelocityEnergy135 gr (8.7 g) Federal Premium JHP Low Recoil1,190 ft/s (360 m/s)424 ft·lbf (575 J)155 gr (10.0 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP1,175 ft/s (358 m/s)475 ft·lbf (644 J)165 gr (10.7 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP1,150 ft/s (350 m/s)484 ft·lbf (656 J)180 gr (12 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP985 ft/s (300 m/s)400 ft·lbf (540 J)200 gr (13 g) Double Tap Hornady XTP JHP1,050 ft/s (320 m/s)490 ft·lbf (660 J)Test barrel length: 4 in

135 gr (8.7 g) Federal Premium JHP Low Recoil 1,190 ft/s (360 m/s) 424 ft•lbf (575 J)

155 gr (10.0 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP 1,175 ft/s (358 m/s) 475 ft•lbf (644 J)

165 gr (10.7 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP 1,150 ft/s (350 m/s) 484 ft•lbf (656 J)

180 gr (12 g) Speer Gold Dot JHP 985 ft/s (300 m/s) 400 ft•lbf (540 J)

200 gr (13 g) Double Tap Hornady XTP JHP 1,050 ft/s (320 m/s) 490 ft•lbf (660

It even has superior performance thana 45 ACP.

Now lets look at my favorite hog round. The 22 mag. Right between the eye and ear or if facing you between the eyes and 2 to 3 inches up. drops em like a rock and they twitch. Here are the stats on that round.

30 gr (1.9 g) HP2,200 ft/s (670 m/s)322 ft·lbf (437 J)40 gr (2.6 g) JHP1,910 ft/s (580 m/s)324 ft·lbf (439 J)50 gr (3.2 g) JHP1,650 ft/s (500 m/s)300 ft·lbf (410 J
30 gr (1.9 g) HP 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s) 322 ft·lbf (437 J)
40 gr (2.6 g) JHP 1,910 ft/s (580 m/s) 324 ft·lbf (439 J)
50 gr (3.2 g) JHP 1,650 ft/s (500 m/s) 300 ft·lbf (410 J
Note that the .40 cal has around 50% better performance. Go whack a hog with pride.

I would agree though that the 44 Mag blows the .40 out of the water. Its numbers come close to that which most center fire rifles produce. I am just a wimp and hate the recoil.

if I had the skull, i would prove it. I have no reason to lie. It was a large piney rooter. I don't know if angles played a part or what I never though it would happen either. But after he was down, he had 4 cuts from bullets and NO holes in the skull.

I think the you probably should have used the phrase "glancing off the skull" instead of "bouncing off". Hogs have thick skulls, and depending on the angle of the shot, it certainly could glance off at an angle without penetrating- that happened to my uncle using a .357 mag. It really depends what part of the skull you hit - I've seen hogs hit through the ear with a .22 mag that penetrated the skull and killed it. But a head-on shot is a completely different story.

A .40 cal can certainly kill a hog, but most of the time it's probably not going to put it down quickly with 1 shot. If it is your primary hunting gun, there are some better choices out there.

Agreed. Glancing. Angles.

The ballistics support the .40 is sufficient. Reality doesn't always care what numbers say. I've taken hogs with a .40. But close range vitals. Shot one in defense while it was coming downhill at me. Shot probably hit at severe angle. "Glanced" off. It did deter the hog though. He turned about 45 degrees to his right and kept running downhill. So I'm really not sure if the bullet glanced off, or lodged in the skin/meat or skull. But no blood trail. No dead pig.

If you are set on a semi auto style pistol I would look at a 10mm. The recoil is not bad at all and you could have quick follow up shots. You can get ammo from www.Doubletap.com if you don't handload. For hunting hogs I would go with their 200gr cast bullet for deep penetration.
I have a .40S&W and while it's good for a personal defense handgun for people I wouldn't use it for hunting.

Isn't a 10mm a little smaller than a .40 caliber? I haven't thought about a 10mm, but why go down in size?

thanks,
560

10 mm and 40 cal is the same bullet. longer casing. more powder. In my opinion the 10mm is a good round but is still somewhat of an "exotic" if you don't load your own, when you can find it, it is kinda expensive. from what i've heard that .357 sig is a very good round.

just to clarify the 10mm has a longer casing.

The.40 and the 10 are the same dia.bullet.The 10 has a bit longer brass .Just think of it like the .40 is a .38 special and the 10 ia a .357 maxium(sp).I can get some 10 mm loads from Double Tap that are suposed to be running 1608 fps.But that is with a 135 grain projectile.

I wouldn't use a .40 to hunt hogs. We shot a wounded one 4 times to put it down with a .40 before we could kill it. Head on I've seen the bullets glance off their skull.

Kemster the 10MM isn't really an exotic per se it's just not as popular since the FBI has dropped the round from their service pistols. It was a bit more recoil than some of their agents could handle and the recoil was a bit to much for the S&W and 1911 frames of the day. The 1911 frame problem was corrected but not until the FBI and S&W develop the .40S&W. All they did was shorten the 10MM a bit much like the 38 and 357 or 380 and 9mm. I have both the 10MM and the .40S&W and I wouldn't even consider hunting with the .40. Not when I have the 10MM that can push a 200gr cast bullet @ over 1200fps for some serious penetration. But if I were to pick a handgun to hunt large feral pigs it would be a heavy 300 or 335gr bullet out of a .45LC or a 400gr out of 480 Ruger.
The .40S&W in my opinnion might work on small hog but if you can use something better I would suggest doing that.

I saw a video on YT of a guy shooting a hog in the head w/ a 44mag and you see the bullets hit but no holes or blood ,then he walks up to it and a flatten bullet is laying on the ground beside the hogs head, so I believe that the 40s bounced off w/ out a doubt, incredible as it sounds.

its a good side arm. as well as the .357 we also take it when we run dogs