what 45acp cast bullets have you found to be effective for hunting?
 

what 45acp cast bullets have you found to be effective for hunting?
yes a 45 acp will kill hogs rather easily but in most cases I find they take off running after even a well placed hit, and most travel at least 30-40 yards before they drop even with center chest/heart shots keep in mind what works rather consistently well on 40-70 lb hogs will generally NOT work nearly as well on the 150-200 lb hogs even with equal shot placement, and personally I don,t generally see most local hogs get over about 160-170 lbs

one of the local guys wanted to try hunting local hogs with his 45 acp pistol,

like many guys rather unfamiliar with hunting with handguns he thought the 45 acp pistol should be more than adequate ,

like many of us, he being brought up on tales of how any single center mass, hit on a human target would be nearly instantly lethal.

now local game laws forbid use of full metal jacket projectiles,

so cast bullets or soft point or hollow point jacketed bullets are your only legal and effective choices.

knowing he wanted to handload and use a handgun..

suggested he purchase a 8" 357 mag revolver.



now personally, I've not been impressed with a 45 acp as a hunting handgun, , having used one on many previous hunts

most 45 cast bullets don't give impressive penetration or expansion, as velocity is rather low.



a balance must be struck, between accuracy and penetration.

I think logic would point many people to select a 180 grain jacketed hollow point or a 200 grain cast projectile,

as they can be pushed a bit faster insuring a bit more expansion.



now granted my experience is somewhat limited as most local hogs are in the 75lb-200 lb weight range and most of those I've shot were shot at under 35-50 yards as I generally won't shoot past the range I feel certain of exact shot placement and hogs rarely cooperate in standing still or providing optimal shot angles

but Ive found the heavier 230 grain bullets marginally out penetrate the lighter jacketed bullet options and in no case was a 45 acp nearly as effective, or a quickly lethal, on your average hog as a 158-170 grain bullet from a 357 mag



https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...-xtp-100-count



https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...ated-500-count

these were a decent choice



https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...iber-200-grain



https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...old-452-230-tc

these were what I found worked reasonably well





https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...d-tl452-230-tc



I generally hunt with a EAA witness 45 acp
http://www.grumpysperformance.com/eaa_witness_steel.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fq...Xy3H13wUTCI8nQ

the link above is what most of the hunt areas around here look like
surely at least a few of you gentlemen enjoy still hunting thick brush with a handgun, and getting into less than 40 yards to hunt hogs ???

hogs can be hunted the year around, in florida, but the terrain and close/ dense foliage growth,
generally almost mandate you hunt at almost bayonet ranges . many guys seem to be amazed,
I get by using a 45 acp or 357 mag on hogs. remember/keep in mind , \
even archery equipment is regularly successfully used on hogs, and
from what Ive seen for decades, locally at least, hogs rarely exceed about 140 lbs,
most are under 90 lbs, ranges are short ,targets move fast,
and you don't want to use a handgun in "SPRAY AND PRAY" mode on a hog ,
that might be inclined on discussing your lousy shot placement on your legs/calf's with his tusks, at bayonet ranges.
your average shot might be out to maybe 35 yards max in many areas if you choose to go hunt where the hogs are .
now when I originally started hunting dense cover I found the marlin lever action carbines in calibers like 357 mag or 44 mag,
or similar chambering in handguns worked, rather well.
but there's an extra sense of accomplishment using a handgun, rather than a carbine in my opinion.
contrary to what most people seem to think, you don't generally require a great deal of power in the weapon you select,
yeah, it takes some skill and experience, and yeah I found most 40-45 caliber pistols can be used.
but you do require precise shot placement. and yes at least around here, carbines like the SKS or AR15,
seem to be very well represented.\ AND used more than handguns,
but that's mostly because most people can't consistently hit a moving target out at 25-35 yards,
with a handgun, nearly as easily as they can with a carbine. as always shot placements critical