WB
A few years back, guy I work with wanted to go hog hunting
Monday, July 01, 2019, 13:01

It actually was a bow hunt he was invited to but he wanted and got permission to use a handgun. All he had was a 4" S&W 686 .357. I offered to loan him a more proper gun but he was insistent, it was "his" gun. We actually drilled and tapped his 686 for the modern S&W base under the rear sight through the topstrap. I used the base as a pilot guide. Loaned him the mounts and a 2X Simmons scope. It looked good. We loaded him some 180 gr. LBT style FNGC cast bullets we made using Lilgun at 1250-1300 fps. Not too shabby for a .357.

On the "Bow" hunt all these young 20-somethings had their fancy bows and were also packing .40's and 9mm carry guns with JHPs. Ray got his hog easily much to my relief, it laid the 250 lb. piggy low and quick. The other "boys" were hunting up Ray to borrow his "Hand cannon" to finish off their arrow'd and shot up pigs. The .40 and 9mm JHP would expand in the thick hide and not make it into the inner body cavity where the sensitive blood filled organs were. Modern broadheads are pretty serious but intended only to hemorrhage and bleed out the critter. One poorly places can be surprisingly ineffective just like a poorly placed bullet.

Ray's .357 4" accounted for 8-9 hogs in total, coup-de-gras, that weekend. The hot little 180 gr. FN cast pill had the speed and sectional density to punch through the hide and perhaps shoulder bones to put those piggys down for good. I have no doubt with different bullets the .40s and 9s would have done it too, but not with the fancy carry ammo they had them loaded with. I personally have always considered the .357 minimal for deer and would have not (still don't) carry on purpose for hogs and black bear. But it did the trick fine in this case.