I normally hunt hogs with my .30-06. I just bought a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 mag with a scope, what would you consider the effective range of the .44 mag?

50 yards and in preferably, up to a 100 yards is effective but thats pushing it. I would stick with the 30-06 as hogs are tuff animals. I personally would head shoot a hog with the 44 mag. I hunt them with a 270 win and a 30-30. I know those who hunt with pistol rounds and .223 AR's and they usually take head shots also.

Just a thought, take a shotgun with 00 buck or slugs.

That will defiantly do the job! Just limits your range to about 50 yards and in. I also hunt with 12ga in the woods when I don't have long shots.

I am really impressed with my new HR pardner. It has a 28 in modified barrel that throws excellent patterns of 00 buck at 50 yards. I just shot some winchester x slugs in it yesterday and was dead on at 90 yards.

It's a good thing when you find a good deal and a firearm that works better than expected! I have a friend who hunts with a Siaga 12 using slugs, and he can group less than 4 inches at 100 yards! Now I don't recommend for everyone to get a Siaga to hunt with, but it works for him.

I got a 5 shotshell sling around the buttstock that I carry slugs and buckshot when I hunt.

Tell us more about the "...excellent patterns of 00B at 50 yards." How large was the total pattern size? How many pellets hit in the 10" center at 50 yards?

What kind of penetration do you get with those 52 grain soft lead 00B pellets in the gristle shield of a big boar hog?

I was thinking the same thing, but was polite and didn't want to bring it up LOL. My brother in-law shot a deer the last day of the season at least 50-60 yards, and it feel dead on the spot. I told him I can't believe you took that shot, it was to long for 00buck for me. When we went to pick the deer up only one pellet had hit the entire deer right behind the shoulder. I wouldn't typically want to hunt with 00buck against hogs with 50 yard shots. My 270 gives me penetration, and I use a 30-30 sometimes but still prefer the 270. Just wait till one of those boars turn on you LOL. Now a slug vs the head of a hog is a different story, and he did say he used slugs, they are sufficient.

For what its worth, the soft lead thimbles known as "rifled slugs" have also been known to flatten out and fail to penetrate the shoulder gristle of a large boar hog.

My pattern criteria for deer hunting with conventional buckshot (ie. 00B) is a 6 pellet strike in the 10 inch core pattern. An effective buckshot pattern, much like a turkey shot pattern, requires a dense core pattern that defines the limits of effective range.

personally, i haven't had a problem with slugs, at ranges up to 80 yards. i don't shoot pistols, but i'd imagine they are effective in may of the same situations / ranges as shotguns... maybe a tad shorter. (but i aint a pistol expert!!!) maybe use a tougher, partially jacketed load, that can penetrate better then just lead.

imho, if your gonna use buckshot, use copper coated or maybe dixie balls... or something like that... lead is very soft and ON A BIG HOG, may not penetrate the shoulder. YOU NEED HARD, PENETRATING SHOT. copper coated... or whatever them dixie's are.

if you shoot a hog with buck, aim for the head. i shot one a few years back, square in the shoulder, and the hog just turned and ran off. it was a slightly bigger pig, maybe 150 or so... and the shoulder, aka the shield, was too tuff... heard the yotes going nutso that night. i figured they were saying thanks for the meal! the range on this hog was under 20 yards! that's UNDER 20...

good luck to ya! busta pig!

Dixie Tri-Ball loads: Three .60 caliber, 315 grain hard cast buckshot.

Dixie Terminator slug rounds (Rifled barrels only) 730 grain hard cast heat treated.

You sound in doubt of a 000, or 00 buck at 50 yards not having enough penetration on a boar. Ok maybe if he shield's a bullet-proof coat? humor for the wise.

Let see, 52 grain lead ball, retained velocity 950 fps at 50 yards - you would be right!

Wounded a hog at 50 yds a few weeks ago with 00 buck in my 12 ga 870 with a 28 inch vr smooth bore barrel and full choke. Those suckers are tough. Rifled barrel and high velocity sabot slugs only for me from now on.

My favorite hog gun is a SxS that my buddy made for me. It is great up to 100 yards. After that I use a 30-06 Ruger RSI with the Hornady Mag ammo.

RMc, I read alot of good things about Dixie tri balls on deer and hogs. Has anyone shot these loads through a modified choke with any success?

I agree with RMc. Forget the 00 buck; stick with slugs. Dixies are very good slugs, and I shoot to shoot them before I started casting my own. Now, I can cast and load 50 slugs for the cost of a five pack of premium slugs. Pigs die just as quick.

ST762

We are going hoggin' later this month on the central coast of CA, and it's in the so-called condor range, so we can't use lead. Changes the gun/load/range equation considerably, and makes it tough to find a suitable handgun load. I either need to buy a bigger revolver, or stick with rifles and sabot slugs. Can't even shoot squirrels with a .22, unless we use solid copper bullets. Just money down a hole.

D-D,

May I recommend that if you have a muzzy that you pick up some of the Barnes MZ sabots. That should cover the Kalifornia requirements.

ST762