Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Hunting with a 10mm?

My experience and (somewhat minimal as of yet) testing of the 180gr Gold Dot and Golden Sabre indicate that both of those can blow through a good sized hog AND put the big hurt on an oak tree on the other side. They also blow through a large pile of water filled milk jugs.

They work SO danged well, I have yet to purchase and try any 200-220gr bullets in my big ten, although I probably will when I get a little more cash in my hands.

Define "good sized hog".

I personally don't believe the 10mm is a 41 magnum in a semi-auto pistol, but you can run it close . I prefer 200 gr or heavier bullets in the 10mm to give it a fighting chance against a 41 Mag Revolver and the power level it is capable of when fully loaded

About 225lbs or so. Bullet would obviously have worked on a much larger pig based on the reaction of the big bark blast that was created on the other side of said piggie.

Most black bears in the mountainous areas are only about 250lbs, so the big ten is quite clearly a decent enough choice in the bear hills for most folks.

I've used the 180gr Gold Dot extensively. It's a good deer and varmint bullet but I wouldn't depend on it to "blow through" anything bigger than a small deer and only on broadside shots.

The Gold Dot gives less penetration than the XTP's in my experience.

Safariman, how about a boar hog with a good sized grissel plate? A big difference than one without.

No chance to try that out yet, but I think it would work just fine. Do you have a place in mind to shoot such a hog? I want to get a few more things done and under my pre dyalysis 'bucket list'. That sounds like a good one to try to sneak in before I get all hooked up!

A true wild boar will have a gristle plate.

Yea, a "Good size (large)" hog with a gristle plat (armor) with 1/2" to 1" worth of dried mud, combine that with the vitals BETWEEN the shoulders (not behind the shoulders), add to that the shoulders, you have a need for some penetration. That walnut size brain is sometimes hard to hit also.

All that being said, I have not had a problem with killing them in a relaxed state. When they are pissed and want a piece of you, it is a different story. I have some soiled underwear for proof.

I generally use a hard cast 180gr TC with a BH of 18 and above. Have no problem with penetration.

When I am wearing new clean underwear, I carry my 460 Rowland with hard cast.

+1, Gibby

long time ago, shot a "good size large russian hog" on a ranch north of chico calif. We were required prior to hunting prove we could hit something, and show what kind of bullet/caliber we were using. I shot mr hog has he was sucking the guts out of a dead cow. That is with a 30.06 150grain nosler partition at maybe 50yards. And it was moving at about 3000fps. It rolled him over and he went back to eating. Another round at point blank and it still took him some time to be convinced. Just like in elk or other species, huge difference in the animals.
Now if i could just get on those feral hogs around here, maybe i could see what a 10 would do. But it ain't no .41magnum on the top end.

I have shot a few russian strain hogs in Northern Calif as well. I lived in NorCal for several decades. I know all too well about that Gristle plate! I had a large hog near Sonoma Calif. Take several 200gr Nosler Ballistic tip bullets from a 338 Winchester Magnum in the ribcage and show no effect! the bullets simply failed to penetrate very deeply.

My Sig 1911 in 45 Super covers all my field requirements.

The guide i was with on that russian pig hunt told a story of a guy with a .44magnum pistol, and why they were so insistent of what you were shooting, and if you COULD shoot.
Seems this guy wounded one of those boars with the .44 and the pig promptly charged him. He was firing as he was backing up, and finally stopped it at his feet, as he was laying flat on the ground.
I have Mr. Pig hanging over my desk right now. He is a constant reminder about using enough gun. I am not saying that any of these handguns wouldn't eventually kill a pig, but when is a consideration, and dependent on the pig.

I have a bunch of big bore pistols, but in some situations that is the reason i bought a marlin .45/70

How soon a handgun of proper caliber and bullet choice stops a pig is also very dependent on shot location as is a rifle also.

A properly loaded big bore revolver (or auto) gives up nothing to a rifle in terms of lethality. Use the wrong bullet in the .44Mag and/or put it in the wrong place and bad things will happen. No different from any rifle.

As CraigC concurs, an encounter with dangerous game could potentially be adverse. I have no doubt a properly loaded 45 Super or Colt would quell such an encounter.

I never paid much attention to kinetic energies, sectional densities, etc. I have always just gone out and shot critters.

HITTING a fast moving target that is moving not only horizontally, but somewhat vertically, as animals tend to bounce up and down in their gait, is far more challenging than the inexperienced realize.

That is why a higher capacity weapon is not a bad idea. I love my 44 Magnums, but sometimes in bear, wolf mountain lion country, having 14,15, 16 rounds on board for immediate use is not a bad idea and one of the reasons I carry a high cap big bore auto quite often.

You can still get sub .20 splits on a big bore auto, shooting heavy hard cast bullets. Knowing that possibly a good percentage of your hits are going to be on flesh, but not perfectly placed, it makes a lot of sense to be able to pull the trigger 15 times in 5-6 seconds versus trying to get even 6 shots off and dealing with magnum recoil. Odds of getting 6 320 grain cast bullets moving at 1200 or so FPS into a fast moving target in a few seconds are slim.

The Glock 10mms and .45s make a lot of practical sense.

If we start comparing the 10mm - or any other handgun - to a rifle for hunting, as Craig C seems to be doing, the handgun loses. It has less velocity and energy, and is more difficult to place a precise shot with. These are simple facts. Comparing the 10mm to other handguns, however, is different. The 10mm has power and fire-power, and at handgun ranges, when shots are placed well, should do a good job on most medium and a lot of large game. As Mackay said, you have to hit the animal - and hit it well - and at times rapid follow-up shots can be very helpful, without getting into a "spray and pray" mindset.