7-30, Hogs are not white tailed deer. They are tough customers. Their bones are thicker and they their mussel mass is heavier. If you plan to use a 357 Max revolver I would suggest that you use heavy well constructed bullet. Don't use the Hornady SSP 180-grain bullet. It will come apart too fast to get deep pen. I have shot several boar with both rifle and 41 Mag handguns. Some with cast bullets and some with JHPs. Handguns are not rifles, and expanding hunting bullets are better left to rifle velocitys. A very good rule to handgun hunt big game by is "THERE IS NO SUBSITUTE FOR A LARGE DIAMETER HEAVY BULLET AT HANDGUN VELOCITYS". Stick with this rule and you will have success. Please forgive the spelling. I shoot a whole lot better than I spell!

I have a Colt Python 357 that I sometimes carry while Bowhunting as a backup for Black Bears....I have used two bullets that are exceptional performers are the 180 hardcast LBT FNGC and the Sierra 180 FPJ. With 11.0 grains of 2400 these bullets often shoot right thru bear. Excellent bullets.....the Speer Gold Dot 180 FP should also be a good bullet if deer/boar are on your menu.

Go to www.texasboars.com

tons of good info ref hunting hogs with a pistol. Up in NC where I grew up the standard pistol was 44 mag. for either bear and boars.

I've shot a 250lb hog with a 180 grain LBT WFNGC and it did the job just fine at about 55 yards, clean kill large entrance hole, huge exit.
I've shot a 175 lb Hog with the 180 Hornady and it also did the job just fine, smaller entrance hole, smaller exit hole, but the porker was dead all the same.
I wouldn't use any pistol bullets, but with heavy cast or 180 Hornadys or speers you should be on good ground if you can hit what you aim at....if you can't hit it well, a 458 won't do the job.

regards,
graycg

I have a Colt Python 6" that I use 11.0 grains of 2400 and Small Mag Pistol Primers and 180 LBT GC bullets in Norma Cases. Makes a adequate pistol for black bear at 50 yards or less thru the shoulder.



Note: Heavy loads in a Colt Python should not be shot often due construction of the pistol not heavy enough to handle Heavy loads like the S&W 28 or 27.

My favorite heavy bullet in a .357 MAX T/C: .358 dia. 200 gr. RN 2800 Pro-Hunter with H110 or H4227. See:

http://www.sixguns.com/range/supermags.htm and scroll down to the bottom of the article to read:

My favorite jacketed bullet loads for the .357 SuperMag are assembled with 19.0-20.0 grains of H4227 with either the 180 grain Hornady or Speer Silhouette bullet, and 19.0 grains of H4227 with the 200 grain Speer FMJ. I have also had good results with the 19.0 grains of WW296 and the 180 grain full metal jacketed bullets. These 180 grain bulleted loads are in the 1300-1400 fps range in the eight-inch Dan Wesson .357 SuperMag and will achieve 1400+ fps in the 10 1/2 inch Ruger .357 Maximum.

Hornady's data is also useful: http://www.hodgdon.com/data/pistol/357remma.php

Either set of data will and some work with your gun will produce more than adequate hog loads.

Happy Hunting,

7-30 Waters
Your Question is the 357 max enough to kill Hog's?
U ya! if i can kill Elk with my Ruger single action 357 mag
then i dont see any reason why you cant do a dran site
better with the Maximum

I use 200 grain jacket bullets that i swage and there running about 1212 FPS out of my old beater of a gun
Last one i killed was running away from me and i planted
it behind the head it just crumpled up and slid down the hill about another 15 feet and was dead i was only about 40 feet away to start with anyway..
So theres no reason you cant do better with your's

Pottsy

Fish, I used 4227 in my super mag also. Strange thing is that it sucks in any larger caliber. I am not talking about accuracy because it made the most accurate load for my .44, but it becomes heat sensitive with prolonged shooting. For short strings it is great, for 40 rounds in silhouette it goes to hell. 296 and H110 stay the same for the whole course of fire.