This Spring I will be hunting 200+-300 pound wild boar in Tennessee. My very first hunt for them. Average shot distance should be about 75 yards. My first choice is my S&W 500 mag (8 3/8") with reloads using 350gr XTP bullets. Chronographed, the muzzle vel is 1500 and the energy calculates out to about 1749 ft lbs. At 75 yards it's 1234 and 1183. At 100 yards it's 1165 and 1055. With my 2X scope and a tripod rest I'm comfortable with 75 yard shots. My other choice, I'm thinking my back up gun, is a 30-06 using Federal 180gr Nosler Accubond bullets. According to Federal, MV is 2700 and ME 2915. At 100 yards it's 2520 and 2545. With the 3-9 scope I'm confident out to 125 yards or so. What do you experienced guys recommend? I can't handle the recoil of those 440gr hardcast Cor-bons any more. Do you think my reloads for the .500 pack sufficient punch if the shot is well placed? I hope to make a quick ethical kill shot or two. Any input would really be appreciated. Thanks!

IMO make the first shot with the '06 and use the
handgun as backup.

Mostly it depends on your shooting ability.

George

Keep shots forward if you don't already know that
For 30 cal on large Male boar, feral and Romania size, I have found accubonds do well but don't leave exit wound as partitions do. If shot is in the right place you will find them, blood trail or not

As to the hand gun, What George said .

I kill a lot of hogs. I shoot the Accubonds as well. For a boar that size, I would prefer something else. A Swift A Frame for example.

The shield on a big boar is VERY tough and thick. I’d personally be reluctant to use a handgun.

While your S&W .500 would work, I am not comfortable with your bullet choice. Like Larry noted, the shield can be thick and is the consistency of hard rubber -- and can test the mettle of a bullet in a hurry.

Years ago, I hunted almost exclusively with handguns and took quite a few hogs with various .44 Mag revolvers. What worked best were the Cast Performance 320 grain with the wide, flat meplat and the 250 grain Partition. I preferred the Cast Performance the most but had no issues with the Nosler.

The 320 grain CP would typically shoot all the way through a hog no matter the angle and leave a nice wound channel to result in a quick kill -- not to mention a blood trail if needed. I began using it after multiple questionable performances from a 300 grain XTP, the final straw being a separation of core and jacket on impact of a 175 pound fallow buck. I experienced similar issues in other bore diameters as well.

Maybe things with the XTP have changed since then. I don't know as health issues have taken away my usage of larger revolvers and the ability to get out and hunt. Thus, I haven't tested any XTPs in close to 20 years and don't offer advice based on speculation or what others claim. But I DO know that a bullet with similar construction to the CP 320 that I used won't let you down and will do its job under the worst of conditions.

Lastly, pay attention to hog anatomy. Several online diagrams are wrong. The vitals are farther forward than that of a deer. Don't put a bullet a few inches behind the shoulder -- which would still be lungs on a whitetail -- or you'll have a gut shot animal to deal with.

Here's shield from a boar I recently sniped from the yard:

Thank you to the four guys who replied. Your input is exactly what I want and need. If there are any other hunters out there who can offer similar experience-based advice I would welcome it. If anybody else can relate their success or failure using either of the cartridges I mentioned, please chime in. Thanks again!

The toughness of these animals, especially a large boar, cannot be underestimated. I have seen shocking things many times. I will relate a couple .

1- I had a new .223 bolt action . We took it out for a summer time hog hunt . Unfortunately, we came across a quite large boar . I shot him right behind the shoulder perfectly . Off he went. A friend hit him in the head just before he got to the swamp . When we skinned the hog, the bullet from the 223 had not penetrated the shield. It has been a long time but I think this hog was in the 250 pound range.

2- I went hog hunting the day before I went on a sheep hunt in the NWT. We slipped up on a feeder . There was a big red boar under the feeder. 200 plus. Just as I was ready to shoot, Godzilla walked out. This was one of the largest hogs I have ever seen.

He was 75 yards away. I had one of my 300 Win Mags. I had 210 grain Berger VLD bullets in the gun. My deer loads . I shot and hit him perfectly. We filmed it. He ran with his right shoulder flopping. After about 3 steps he could not be seen . We were supremely confident the hog was dead especially after reviewing the video. He was never found nor ever seen again. Our theory is that the bullet broke up on impact.

When I squirrel hunted over dogs either dogs brought them to me or I just walked up on several large pigs. 22LR is all I had, dropped several in their tracks! Shot one in the lungs it did not go far. Helped a friend skin out one and found several buck shot pellets in the shield. The shield is designed to keep a pig cutter from getting in to the vitals of another. Soft lead or small expansive bullet it may stop but not a normal hunting bullet. It will seal up and not leave a blood trail! I had several run with a 458 Lott using a 500 Hornady Interlocks. I did not hit bone but they did not run far! Hit bone with your 500 S&W, they won't go far if at all! Good hunting!

Guys, not to be a party pooper but try shooting them in front of the shoulder 1/3 of the way down. That shot breaks the neck and they drop and paddle. There are hog anatomy pictures up on the net. I do that with all the hogs i want to eat and they don't run off.

Thanks again, guys, for the additional info. Merry Xmas!

If you shoot them in the shoulder, it won't matter what it is, short of a 450-400 or 450 Nitro, both of which I have killed pigs with. (450 blew out the liver; literally out of the body) Any deer caliber including 300 mags will not penetrate into the vitals, and same goes if you shoot them too high. As stated, they are not deer, and the heart and lungs are very low and hidden by the shoulder bones. And the shoulder armor. I have seen a 250 pound hog hit in the shoulder 3 times with a 30-06; knocked it down each time and it jumped back up and took off. Finally it laid down and another of our guys shot it with a 30-30, in the head.
Trick shots in the head, and neck, are not easy under field conditions. Last hog hunt I was on in Sep, one of our guys shot one 4 times with a 44 Mag. standard 240 grainers. It shrugged them off; fortunately it didn't run off and finally laid down and died. No through penetration at all. Of course he hit it high in the "side". Not much important there.
I like this shot; just behind the shoulder, very low, and angled forward. That is the best way to punching something that will bleed out fast.

I think your best bet is to practice shooting target dead center with the '06 to prepare for a head shot. A cool down every 2-3 shots is a good idea for skinny barrels.

Knowing where your trigger (2-2.5 pound pull recc.) is going to break will make head shots doable from any angle. No pig can survive a side shot between the ear and eye, or a between the eyes heads on. A one or two inches off center will still drop 'im straight down. Ballistic tipped bullets are recommended because they disintigrate quickly in my experience with hogs and deer causing serious internal damage. They are not recommended for penetration, hence the head shot. I imagine a rear head shot between the ears would also drop it right then & there.
I had shot a sow broadside at 100 yards with my .30-'06 that grouped 1.25 inches at 100 yards if I recall. Hit it 1/2 inch under the spine 5 inches behind the shoulder. Didn't seem to do anything. Shot again at the exact spot and it pierced the lower half of the spine 1/4 inch higher than the first shot. Neither one exited. She stood there seemingly unaffected, then slowly trotted 15 yards until she fell over.
Another hog was facing me at the edge of a wooded area, suspicously looking at me and my friend. He told me to wait until he come out towards the feeder. I said, I am right on 'im. Confidence is high. Aim of my 7X57R with BT Hornady's was center between the eyes and the shot felt perfect. Missed dead center and hit him on the inside point of the eye at 130 yards. Straight down he went. Not a pretty sight.

Happy hunting.