Just got on a new hog lease with possibility of deer hunting. It looks like most of the hunting will be somewhat close quarters, less than 50 yards. I'm thinking about a pistol that I can carry to take out pigs and possibly a deer if I chose to. I'm really liking a Glock 20 but also like a Ruger Blackhawk in .44.

Thoughts, opinions, other options I'm not seeing?

Thanks in advance.

If you are actually going to hunt with it I would say a 44Mag or 45Colt would be my top two choices.

If just for back up and protection in the field I have found the 357Sig to do everything thing I have asked it to do including finishing off wounded hogs and in one case I actually shot one with it at around 40 yards and still got an exit.

The 10mm would be my choice if I were going to choose a main stream simi-auto to actually hunt with. I shot a Bobcat with one a few years back and it was devastating! If you wanted to get real fancy you could get into the Desert Eagles which are really nice and can be found in 44Mag and 50AE but they are very expensive.

The 460S&W and 500S&W are two other options in the upper end price range as well.

I've learned as of late that there are quite a few pistol hunters on here.

In my opinion, there is no need to purchase a dedicated gun for handgun hunting if you just do it occasionally. If you hunt solely with a handgun, nothing bigger than .44 is needed especially if you handload.

45acp works just fine on hogs and deer at 50 yards.



For double the range you mention and a better all around deer/pig gun, the SBH hunter in 44 is tough to beat. A properly loaded .44 will generated more energy than the .500 smith. Listed as "Ruger Only loads in manuals" These rounds will stretch the frames of Smith guns if fed a steady diet.

For ease of carry I'd go 10mm

I'm a big fan of the Ruger Blackhawk convertible 45LC/45ACP. with proper loads it surpasses the 44 and the 45 ACP cylinder makes it a fun and cheap plinker. 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 inch barrel length. If you choose the 7 1/2 get a cross-draw holster, it rides comfortably and doesn't get in the way when bending or getting in and out of the truck.

A revolver in either 44 or 45 will work the best...plus you can carry shot rounds for snakes without the concern of a misfire.

I like my G20, but I LOVE my G40 in 10mm. If you want a semi auto, I'd go 10mm all day long. I've killed pigs with a 45 and 10mm, and the 10mm is hands down better with more energy and much more penetration.

I agree with the above about the 10mm being a superior caliber for this duty. I also believe bullet selection to be way more important than caliber selection. I cast all my own slugs and size to fit each gun they are fired from.

What ever you choose, a hard bullet with a big meplat is best for penetration as well as tissue disruption. These can be tricky to get to feed from semi auto platforms at times.

Hogs don't take anymore killin that a whitetail. Its all about shot placement.

Find something that you are comfortable with and can shoot very well.

I have a 38 special load with Keith style slug that will flat bore a hole straight through a hog at short range.

If semi auto were a must, I'd choose the 460 Rowland as I alreay have all the set up for .452 bullets. They make a conversion for 1911's as well as the Tupper ware plastic guns.

I agree with Chad on the semi-auto caliber. The 10 is a badass. In revolvers, you might consider a .41 Mag if you like the more unusual stuff AND you're a handloader. If you buy your ammo the .41 might not be the best choice unless you can afford to lay in several hundred rounds up front.

Smith DAs are nice and pretty stout, but Rugers are tough.

10mm, .357 magnum, .41 magnum and .44 magnum. You can get handguns for all 4 rounds plus rifles to fire the same round. (Henry just came out with their new .41 magnum rifle). The 10mm has a couple of carbines available although i've never fired one.

I like the .45 Colt.

44 mag for hunting. You can find one for a good price. While the .45 and 10mm are good I would prefer a revolver for hunting, however, I have used all of them

44, 45, 357 in a ruger wheel gun.

What carbines are available?

http://www.rangerpointprecision.com/#!marlin-1894-short-stroke-conversions/c18ae

?

A 44 Mag "+P" can approach 1,700 ft lbs, put the spurs to a 500 and you can get 3,000

How bout a 30-30 revolver.
https://www.magnumresearch.com/Firearms/Magnum-Research-3030-Win-Revolver-10-inch-Barrel.asp

For hunting, I would get a 1911 in 10mm instead of a Glock just because of the better trigger. That said, I have both and don't really shoot the 1911 any better. Either way, 10mm is definitely the best round if you want an auto. A 10mm auto is a good all around gun that can be used for pretty much any purpose that you would use a handgun for. For a dedicated hunting gun I would probably go with the Blackhawk though. Single action revolvers are more accurate and shootable than any other handgun. They have drawbacks for most purposes but the drawbacks don't apply to hunting.

One more for 45 Colt.

Another vote for the .44 magnum, Ruger Super Blackhawk and Redhawk are hard to beat in that scenario you!

If I had to buy another gun other than my 45 for a piggy backup it would be a 10mm in 1911 and I would buy handloads from Chad or one of the other loading gurus on here. Without handloads you might as well use a 45.

For strictly hunting it would have to be a 44 magnum

One more here, love mine.

or .454 Casull