I just now buttoned up the rifle cases for the trip. We're leaving Monday after I get off shift.
The final:
Ruger Model 44 Carbine w. 44 Mag 240 grain Hornady XTP
Ruger Super Blackhawk (same ammo as above)
Savage 99 in 308 Win w. 165 grain Hornady Interlock
Ruger Hawkeye in 30-06 w. 165 grain Hornady Interlock
I'll keep the Hawkeye in reserve as a backup, preferring to give the others a good airing.
Back in the early 80's, I did my first boar hunting trip with my buddy Jerry. Bob, the prior owner of my Model 44, was not feeling well and didn't go. Jerry picked a Super Blackhawk and his Model 44 for backup. I was a complete newbie. Jerry sold me a Rem 742 in 30-06 that I took on the trip.
Long story short: Jerry decided he didn't trust the scope on the 44 carbine and pulled it off the night before the hunt. He forgot to test the irons. Next morning, Jerry tried to take a boar with the pistol and forgot to put a lead on the trotting animal-- managed to shoot it in the ass. He now had a 3-legged boar trying to kill both him and the guide. Jerry put the pistol away and brought up his carbine. It took a few shots for him to realize the irons were shooting high and to the right by a foot.
Just before he ran out of ammo, Jerry managed to subdue the pig with a shot to the heart. Meanwhile, I was already out at the truck, listening to the firefight from a safe distance. Jerry and the guide came out a half-hour later amid pouring rain. Jerry was pale. The guide's poncho was shredded from where he'd made contact with the pig.
My hope is to take at least one animal with the Model 44 Carbine as both a tribute to Bob, and to prove to myself I can kill a hog with fewer shots than it took Jerry. The Super Blackhawk is Jerry's. I bought it off him the next year. I want bragging rights when I see him again. He died in '92.
