Lot's of good advice here. I'll add mine: you don't often have to worry about "charging" hogs, but keep an eye out for a nice 6 or 8" sapling, and make sure you have good upper body strength. GW

Wow again thank you all for the welcome and information I can see there is many knowledgeable shooters here. I looked at a glock 10mm today but after reading the responses I think my 9mm might be ok. I'm getting ready to talk to a guide in my area and I would like to make my first time out to get a trophy boar and mount the head. Again I'm just using what I call common sense If a second shot is needed because my first placement was off using my 9mm on the head would damage the quality of the trophy so my question is would the second shot in the vitals do and if yes is the 9mm still strong enough at very close range again 5 yards or closer to do the job or do I need to go to the 10mm or bigger Again thank you everyone for all your comments and welcoming me to the forum

If your goal is to do no damage to the head of the hog I would either wait a bit after the shot or just use the rifle again.
If you place your shot properly it wont take long for him to bleed out. However if you are uncertain of placement just give him another dose and then wait a bit before approaching.
Good hunting.

What Harry said. I have killed them in traps with a .22 LR, and I have also seen one shot 4 or 5 times with a 9mm before it went down.

But if you hit them good with the rifle it's all over.

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MikeG

On my Riles I haven't decided yet between my marlin 336 35 rem I would be using Hornady Leverevolution 200gr FTX or my Tika T3 lite 308 with Remington express core-lokt 180gr or Fiocchi 165 grs G.KING HPBT anyone have a preference for pig I'm hoping to get a 225lbs or better on the hunt plus on good 100lbs cooker

also any comments on if my glock 17 is strong enough as a second shot to vitals if needed is still appreciated or do I need stronger like 10mm or bigger again this will be my first time out in 30 years and my first boar. I would just like not to take a head shot if not needed so I would hopefully have a great trophy head mounted in my new man cave. =)

I'm not sure it would do that much damage, the 9mm head shot. A 9mm to the vitals is a different deal all together IMHO. I saw Uncle Ted Nugent bow hunting on one of the episodes of his show for hogs, he tagged one and when he finally went to track it, it wasn't finished. He was carrying what he said was his favorite handgun, the 10mm. When he found the hog it started to get up and run, he shot it, it then got up again and started to run and he shot it again, he walked closer to it and it started to get up and he shot it again, as he was talking to the camera the hog got up again and finally after the fourth shot from a 10mm with a arrow in it as well it died. These are very tough animals to say the least, we had a thread a while back and maybe Broom_jm can tell you the name because he started it, but it was about which was tougher, a bull elk or a hog. Read that if you can find it or he remembers the title ( most likely he will know ) cause we voted also.

A well placed shot from the 35 Rem with 200grs of medicine will do the job just fine, shot placement is very important. If you don't think it was a good shot but know you hit it, let him have a little time to go lay down and bleed out. If a second shot is needed then make another from the 35 if you can, that would be my first choice, use the rifle if you can. The Sierra GK's from what i've heard and read are very good game bullets. Personally, and this is just my opinion, I'm not crazy about the core-lokt. Federal has a new line called the Trophy Copper and have a 165gr loaded for the 308, this is a all copper bullet that is very tough and will retain basically all of it's weight. They also have a 165gr Trophy Bonded Tip High Energy load that would do good, and Hornady has their new Superformance 165gr GMX for the 308. All three of these would work very well as would the 200gr LE from the 35 Rem. Good luck on your renewed passion, where will the hunt take place ?

Fred243 thank you for the information We are looking at Mendocino county in Calf or complete 180 degree south in Holister Calif

Ferrel Hogs are not a given, when it comes to finishing them off with any caliber pistol! I have seen them put away with a 22-LR 50 grn bullet by Federal and I have put a few away with my Glock model 20 in 10mm cal. I like the idea of having more than just 5 or 6 rounds in the wheel or magazine. The 200 grn 10mm bullets will really put lots of air-flow in a hogs head.

Thank you everyone for all the great information I think Im going to get a Glock 20 and get an extened barrel for it all indicators is with the extened barrel I can get up to 1600 fps with the right ammo

Great choice!

Something I've not seen discussed thus far, a 225 pound hog is a good sized one, but the type of round needed to do it in will depend on whether it's a boar or a sow. Not always easy to tell a sow from a boar (no antlers after all) and I can promise you that a boar of 250+ pounds carries a serious shield. This shield can turn rounds from a typical .357 & .44 mag, even when fired from fairly close range. The shield from a 400+ hog is so thick and stout, you need to actually see it in person to believe it. I've fired .44 mag loads with quality loads that were turned by the shield from such a hog. "Turned" meaning that they never even drew blood.

For me, I see zero reason to carry a sidearm. I like the idea of a rifle I trust and have confidence in and if needed, I'll shoot an animal at short range with that same rifle that I initially shot him/her with. Never have figured why a less potent pistol would be a better choice(??) I shot a very large hog a few years back with a .44 mag in a carbine at 45 yards. 270gr JFN bullets and it took 4 to make him go limp (first was right behind the ear, as most say it should be!). I went up to "claim" my prize. I decided to toss a small stick at the motionless boar and when he decided to get up and take his revenge, I shot him a 5th time at 10', in the neck again. I am glad I did not have a less powerful pistol in hand then (and you would have been as well). Do whatever suits your fancy, but 40+ years of hunting has led me to think, I always want the best load in my hands when I approach my harvest. My experiences have told me that's not a bad plan.

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A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote
a blank check made payable to "The United States of
America" for an amount of 'up to and including my life.
That is honor, and there are way too many people in this
country who no longer understand it.

My first cousin killed a 200 plus pound boar with the 45 ACP from 65 yards with a rem 230 grain JHP from Wal Mart a few months ago the bullet penetrated the shield but did not exit.

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A 9mm may expand to a larger diamenter, but a 45 sure ain't going to shrink

TnHunter thank you for your insite it is something to think about. I do like the idea of a side arm on me at all times you can call it a military thing. I just like the idea of packing somthing if ever needed in a close quarter situation. Your 400+ hogs sounds like a real great hunt I have to say I havn't heard of any hog of that size out of calif I have how ever seen 300+ I hope you have a great 2013 hunting season and again thank you for your insight.

I do have an off topic question pertaining to camo clothing, who likes what manufacture and why Im looking at mossy oak "Brush" camo for california hills has anyone used and what did yoy think

Thank you everyone again for your time and energy in your response Happy Hunting To All

A 10mm with a 6" barrel will not give you 1,600 fps from 180gr or heavier bullets. It might do it with the 135 grain but they won't penetrate at that speed, they almost explode on impact. I think the 155's do the same thing, that's why 10mm owners like them for personal defense loads. Push extremely fast like that, they won't shoot through somebody and hit someone else like the heavier bullets will.

I shoot 11.4 grains of Blue Dot and that's a load hotter then anything published and 1,350 fps with 180 grain bullets is all I get from the 6" barrel. I only load those in new brass. I know some claiming 1,400 fps with IMR800x with 180's but I've never tried it. They do make 200 and 220 grain bullets, Double Tap DoubleTap Ammunition is suppose to have a hot 200 grain bullet but nothing that's going to give you the velocities you are talking about. If you feel you need to load a 10mm that heavy, I would recommend going up in calibers.

Hi BKeith thanks for the info what I'm seeing online is the extend barrel is giving just a little more then a 10% increase in fsp so my common sense is if Buffalo Bore 180gr J.H.C. (1350 fps/M.E. 782 Ft lbs) should then increase close to 1500fps as an example and this is store bought loads. I could be wrong and lord knows that would not be the first or last time =) So may I ask what you think dose my common sense approach play here.

I just now saw this thread, and first, I want to thank you (and anyone else in this thread who served(s) ) this country!

That said, I've killed a bunch of wild hogs, both feral and as close to true european as can be found in this country. They drop like a stone once in a while, but they usually run off 40-60 yards and then drop over dead. They aren't bullet proof, but they are far from soft like a deer. That gristle plate can be a real bugger to try to get a lesser round through in the case you have to shoot one to save your hide while approaching with a handgun (but I too would use the rifle for that). Your 35 rem is ideal in wooded terrain, and the 308 is great in either woods or the open. BTW, I'd use a tougher bullet than the Leverevolution. Just use a fairly tough bullet and shoot straight and you won't need to "follow up" with a handgun. You really don't need a new gun, but, if you want one, then go for it. That's reason enough to get one.



There's been lots of good stuff posted, and in all honesty, your 9mm will do for finishing shots at close range, but I personally want a lot more handgun than either the 9 or the 10 when approaching a downed boar. You never know when you'll come across a real monster like the one in the pic below. He was a feral hog, but he was right at 500 lbs with 3.5" tusks.

Hi American Made, Thanks for the comments and information your pics look great what did you use to take this prize and where, as to the 10mm yes want is one reason to get it and if Im correct a larger caliber would have less rounds in a magizine and I was taught more rounds are better then fewer larger rounds again I could be wrong but I would feel safer with 15 rounds of high grain bullets then 10 or less rounds of higher caliber just an oppinion

I shot that old boar down on the Ohio/Kentucky border a long time ago. I used a .35 whelen to take him.

I am of the school that feels that it isn't how many rounds you carry nearly as much as where you put them. I feel that having lots of rounds on tap leads to the spray and pray philosophy instead of taking careful aim and making the first shot count, even when defending yourself. Nothing teaches you to make the first shot count like growing up hunting with a single shot rifle and shotgun as a boy. I like a BIG hole in the vitals going in, and a BIGGER hole going out

Thanks American Made, another .35 shooter I agree on one shot one kill thats my training if the shot is not there you dont take it you wait for another day. But I also come from if your being charged the the amount of lead you send out is more important than size with in reason. I hope your 2013 is one of your better hunting years for you