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I'm leaving for a feral hog hunt in SE Georgia next week. I've got some last-minute trepidations.

I'm planning on taking a few rifles, so I have a choice. One of them will be a Ruger Model 44 in 44 Mag, for the tighter venues where I'll be hunting them over bait and the range will be 40 yards or so. My question is in regards to this rifle and the loads I've currently got for it.

I'm currently shooting 240 grain Hornady XTP's over H110. These did well on deer. I drilled a nice buck with it a couple of weeks ago. However, a couple of times I've mentioned this load folks have turned up their noses-- bullet not strong enough, etc.

My question to y'all is this, do you see any problem launching 240 grain Hornady XTP's at the hogs? Do you see any problem with any particular shot, i.e. in the ear, between the eyes, or in the boiler room?

It will work fine. I routinely kill them with 40-77gr bullets in 223 with chest shots.

This one succumbed to a 25gr Hornady out of the 17 Rem last week. Hog “shields” and double plated skulls are largely bullschit.

I lived on a farm growing up we killed hundreds with a .22 LR in the ear or make an x between ears and eyes..crack/plop go stick them.

No problem at all. Hogs don't take much killing. My favorite aiming point is in the neck area in front of the shoulder and slightly behind and under the ear. Pretty big target and they normally just drop and paddle. Looks from the picture up above from The Kid that he shot that one where I normally try to shoot them. Their lungs sit a little further towards the front than a deer so if you are going to shoot them behind the shoulder make sure it is up very tight behind the shoulder.

You’ll have no issues at all with that setup. Head, neck, or chest will end with a dead hog. Like others have mentioned a forward shoulder shot is devastating. I’ve used the 240gr xtp with great results out of my S&W 629.

I've killed more hogs with my 30-30 than any other rifle I got. Shoot'em in the head and just about any rifle will do.

It will be fine! We kill them with most any thing. 223 to 338 Win mag

If it already works for you don't sweat it. Just shoot as precisely as you can. Good luck and Be Well. Rustyzipper.

No matter what you take, have fun on your trip.

Cool. Thanks y'all. I just needed a quick reality check.

I doubt the fellows that poo-poohed the XTP had any kind of experience with hogs.

I don't kill as many pigs as some, but it generally exceeds 30 per year. I almost exclusively use a 7x57, but I've killed them with my .444, .30-30, a .30-06, .308, .270, .260, and probably a few more that I can't remember. I haven't shot any with a .44, although I've often thought how the 77/44 is probably as close to the perfect pig setup for shots within 125 yards as you can get. As has been said, just make sure you're careful about shot placement. No cartridge or caliber will compensate for a poorly placed shot, especially if you're going to be hunting terrain in which a wounded animal can disappear within fifteen or twenty feet of being hit. I mostly use a CNS shot or break the shoulders. Both will result in the classic drop-and-paddle.

Good hunting!

RM

Will a .404 Jeffery with 400 grain Woodleigh soft points be adequate for hogs?

Asking for a friend.

Nope, it will bounce off the shoulder shield. You'll need a solid, for sure.

Thanks Rev,I'll let the person know!

shaman,

shot placement and penetration, not power, is the key to success. Anything with a TTSX works well. A .260 with a 100 gr TTSX, .308 with 130 TTSX, or .308 with 175 SMK are what I use most often and all work well.

The .243 with an 80 TTSX has worked well enough, but is the only Barnes bullet that has failed to exit.

The .44 Mag tends not to penetrate consistently on the larger pigs from personal experience.

What are your other options?

If you can reliably make the shot, aim for the base of ear, otherwise go for the base of the neck down 1/3 to 1/2 from the top of the back.

I dunno..Ive killed a couple dozen with a .223...only one with a .44

I think its cause I only used the .44 on one...

Earhole em. DRT

358 Win does a good job on pigs.

What he said. Or between the eyes about 1" high if they're looking your way.

Don't sweat it. Shouldn't be an issue. Ive used all kinds of stuff before...lost some with some big bore stuff, dropped some in track with 22lr sub-sonics. All about shot placement. Slay them all!!