Hunting with a pistol

[dylan]

Hi guys
I own a Traditions Trapper .50 pistol. I shoot with 40gn of FFF and a patched .490 rb. This load seems to have some mean power. Yesterday i was shooting at a target of a warthog at 20 meters and i could consistently hit the kill zone behing the shoulder. The target was painted onto a 1,5 inch piece of wooden board. The rb went straight through as if it was a piece of cardboard. Has anyone hunted with a BP pistol and is it possible at short ranges? What loads and bullets are recomended? I also tried the 250gn REAL bullet yesterday with the same powder charge but it didnt penetrate as well as the rb, this was a surprize cause i thought the heavier bullet would have more voooma due to the momentum. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks guys.

 

[shmrck1]

:imo: and only mine,i do not advise hunting with B/P
hand guns on anything close to big game, and a warthog
is real close to big game and can be very dangerous when
given the opportunity, would you not agree. I think you mite have to agree that there is a difference between a
target and a live warthog and it don't take much to change that kill zone area from kill to wounded, especially with
a 10 or 12" barreled handgun even at 20 meters. If you must
carry your .50 cal Trapper to hunt do so to use on a wounded
animal at very close range. This is IMHO and i'm sure you
will get other responces pro and con.
snake-eyes :results:

 

[bigbore442001]

I have killed a deer and a wild boar with a BP pistol, but I was using one made for heavy loads for hunting and has a 14" barrel. I shot 100 grains of H777 under a 250 gr Sabot bullet. It is like a .44 mag revolver.

I think I will concur. Use the Trapper as a means of finishing off wounded game.

 

[dylan]

Thanks for the reply.
The pistol was bought to back up my lyman trade rifle, but thanks for the input. What sort of distance did you shoot the deer and the hog at?
Thanks guys, i was just wondering.

PS. I hunt warthog at least 5 times a month and have killed more than i can count using a modern rifle, i am fully aware of what a warthog is capable of.

 

[bigbore442001]

The wild hog was about 15 yards and the deer was at about 30 yards.

 

[CrackStock]

Dylan,

I am from Louisiana (USA) and we hunt hogs in various ways. Some use a raised blind or stand which is up and out of reach. This would be pretty safe. The trick here is scouting and/or baiting to locate the stand where it will be effective.

Others hunt open ground and use terrain features to move so as to get themselves within range to the hogs.

Still others use dogs to locate, distract and harry the hogs until a clean shot is possible. I have used the first two methods as I do not hunt with dogs.

From a stand, I could imagine limiting myself to an ideal situation and trying for a hog with a pistol. On the ground, I might try it only if I had a serious method of backup or escape. For me, that would be a .45 ACP (While I am a ML fan, I am a fan of CrackStock first) or a buddy that I trusted well with a large caliber gun while I also had my big bore ready.

It sounds like you are an above average pistol shot and have the experience to not panic or take a foolish shot. If you are confident, why not go for a hog with a pistol? You are simply reversing the primary and backup guns. Only take the perfect situation and have a plan for the possibility of a wounded animal closing the distance on you. Be ready to put that plan into action.

Good luck with your pistol hunt.

YMHS,
CrackStock

PS
So how are hogs hunted in South Africa? I have not hunted them as extensively as you and would like to learn new methods.
CS

 

[dylan]

Thanks CrackStock
Just incase you missed my story, hows this.....

Hey guys
Shot my first warthog two days ago with my Lyman Trade rifle .50(90gn FF and a REAL320gn). The shot was good(or at least i thought so), just behind the shoulder but man this piece of bacon was tough. After the first shot, the pig ran in circles and was slowly coming towards me. I quickly tried to load up another shot but got a bullet stuck halfway down the barrel. I couldnt find anythind to hammer the ramrod down with, so holding the rifle i rammed the ramrod against a tree and broke the rod in two places. I had no other option but to fire with the jammed bullet. After the smoke cleard, and examining my head to make sure it was still in one piece, i noticed that i missed the warthog, lovely, now what? The pig was still comming towards me, at one point i was holding my lyman buy the barrel ready to bash that piglets head in as he passed only 3 or 4 meters away from me. I dropped the rifle and ran back to my car and grabed my trapper .50 pistol and loaded it with 50gn FFF and a patched .490 rb and ran back to the pig. As i walked up to where the pig was last seen, the bugger came out of the bushes straight for me. I promptly gave him a head-ache that put him down for good. That was one hair-raising hunt. From now on, my trapper will always be tucked into my belt and my tomahawk will be on my back.
I take my hat off to our/my forefathers that used to go out after dangerous game with voorlaiers, hell.... i was almost done in by a warthog.

 

[CrackStock]

Almost too exciting! Glad that you were not harmed and got a good hog with your ML.

I got my first ML hog several years ago with my Lyman GPR in .54.

I would suggest a brass or stainless steel ram rod and a brass bore guide to replace your broken rod. Wood is pretty, but not breaking is better.

I have to agree that my backup gun will be at my side -- always. I also think that multiple bullets of large caliber are most reassuring in bad situations.

I guess that you are somewhat limited in what type of back up gun you can carry?

CS

 

[oomcurt]

Although I have never hunted any hogs here in the U.S. or elsewhere for that matter..I have heard that a wild boar can be a somewhat testy critter, especially if you only wound one. That said..I would appreciate any info that could be given me as to the approx cost of hunting them. As far as I know..CO doesn't have any of them critters. By cost..I mean license, any fees that the land owner may charge, etc. I realize different areas may have different costs..just need an approx figure. Thanking those who apply in advance,

Curt

 

[CrackStock]

Oomcurt,

I have a lifetime Louisiana license. A rancher friend owed me a couple of favors and I was known to be a hunter who followed a landowner's rules to the letter and looked for ways to help the landowner while on the land through scouting game info, mending fences or watching for poacher activity. This particular property was also in need of hog removal as they were destroying the ability of the land to support a deer herd.

Short answer, my son and I took two hogs of 125# and 135# for under $25 on one Saturday.

The concept of paying for a feral hog hunt is foreign to me. We used to hunt the Russian mix hogs in southeast Louisiana on public land for the price of the regular license, but this took some knowledge of the area and was not a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination.

As to hunting lands where Russian boars are placed for hunting opprotunities, Stumbling Buffler posted a feeler about such a hunt for somewhere around $400 dollars plus. You might check with him on that.

CS

 

[Mulebrain]

Sometimes Hogs are a hard kill. I have seen hogs shot in the forehead twice with a .38 and still not drop! :shocking:

 

Curt,

We have countless feral hogs in Texas that cause millions of dollars in crop damage every year. If you want to book something, look around Sabinal or Uvalde for guided hunts. 95% of Texas is privately owned so you pretty much have to find a farmer who wants them killed or pay for the privilege. Most hog hunts are in the $100 to $200 per day range. Of course, you also have to buy an out of state license, plus drive down here and back, with room and board for a few days.

They all have a hide sheath that covers the head and shoulders but it is quite thick on boars and can stop or turn a projectile. A friend of mine killed one that had a broadhead and 9 inches of aluminum shaft under the skin. The hog's body had encapsulated it in tissue and seemed no worse for wear since it was in fine shape. However, like anything else, they are not extremely difficult to kill if hit properly. I would not be afraid to hunt them with a 44 cap and ball revolver or ML rifle larger than 45.

 

[Choctaw]

However, like anything else, they are not extremely difficult to kill if hit properly

This is the most intelligent post I have read on the net today. :redthumb:

 

[slow]

Before hunting with a BP pistol check the regs in your state, there not legal here in the peoples republic of Oregon.

Slow

 

[Rebel]

Before hunting with a BP pistol check the regs in your state, there not legal here in the peoples republic of Oregon.

Slow

If you think the gun laws are bad here in Or. maybe you ought to consider a move to Cal., N.Y., Mass.,or N.J. We ain't got it that bad here.

 

[slow]

True but if you give them an inch they will take a mile.

Slow

 

[Rebel]

True also, but most of that kind of thinkers live up Eugene area and north of there. And down in Ashland.