lostdan,
I'm afraid many of these well meaning fellows that are proposing rounds for your project have never hunted big, mean hogs in thick cover. I have. A doctor friend of mine shot a hog with a "too small caliber" last year. The hog got him, cut his legs out from under him, and worked his arms over very badly as he tried to protect his face and head from the tusks. He nearly bled to death before getting himself to the hospital. He won't listen to talk of shooting hogs with little calibers anymore. You shouldn't either, IMO.
I am a big fan of the .45-70 Gov't. round, and have used it in a Ruger #3 and a Ruger #1 for many years. I want a big hunk of lead for big hogs, and handload 300 gr. flat nose hollow points in nearly all my rounds. I have also shot some Barnes Originals in them. You can load the round with up to 500 gr. bullets and muzzle energies approaching the .458, if used in the Ruger actions, within about 300 fps if memory serves. But, I find that a 300 gr. HP at about 2100 fps is entirely adequate for hogs and deer of all sizes. Recoil is very manageable. Stopping power is unquestionable. With a little practice you can reload a Ruger #1 very fast, by holding a round or two between the fingers of the forehand. A double rifle should be the same way. I'd definitely want ejectors on a serious hog gun. There may not be time to dig 'em out with your fingernails if you miss and a hog is barreling towards you.
When you're facing down a 500 lb. boar in a canebrake at 25 ft., and he's popping those tusks at you, those big stogie rounds in a .45-70 don't seem too big at all. And you won't ever even FEEL the recoil.
SRH
Last edited by Stan; 06/06/11 09:32 PM.
