[2shotal]

I just ordered a 4 inch Taurus 627 Tracker .357Mag to carry around the woods in case I have an unexpected encounter with a wild hawg. I'll eventually reload for it, but in the meantime, what ammo (e.g. brand, bullet weight) do you suggest I buy that will take care of a crazy hawg? Thanks.

 

[tlc361]

Until you start reloading, I would go 158 Grain jacketed softpoint. This is about the heaviest you will find commercially available.

 

[destroyer4570]

I agree, that in the mean time the 158gr softpoint ammo will work ok for hogs, my friend used his 4 inch Taurus tracker (just like the one you have on order) to kill a huge 250+ lb boar a few years ago...the ammo used was magtech's 158gr softpoint ammo, which worked very well and killed the hog rather quickly, the boar only ran about 40 before expiring. I can't remember if there was an exit wound but my friend and I were quit impressed with the damage the bullet did to the tissue of that old boar....I hope this helps and good hunting... ;D BTW if I'm not mistaken you can buy some federal 180gr castcore ammo that would probably also fit your need should you want something heavier....I have no personal experience with it but have heard and read great things about this ammo, you could also get some heavy gr ammo for the .357 for a price, through other ammo makers like buffalo bore and grizzly ammo which are also loaded in the heavy 180grs...

 

[336-4-LIFE]

buffalo bore makes some 200gr hard casts
been wanting to try them in my s&w 586 but i cant find any

 

[destroyer4570]

Wow....They make a 200gr? I did not know that, I thought the heaviest they made was 180gr. i need to give those a try if I can find them,,,

 

[Gee Wizz01]

I would go with the heaviest cast bullet I could find. Personally I would feel a little under gunned with a .357 Mag. 99% of the time a .357 Mag will be more than sufficient to dispatch most hogs. It's the 1% of the time I worry about. Destroyer said the hawg shot with the .357 went 40 yds before expiring, and that worry's me, especially if the boar was on 35 yds away! I have now been charged twice by wounded hogs, and I get a little anxious about the final outcome. One of the hogs was shot with a .45 ACP at 30yds, and he covered that distance in a blink of the eye. He was fatally hit, but he didn't expire right away, I hit him 2 more times before he dropped.

Gary

 

[preacher]

If you can find them, the Buffalo Bore/Fed Cast Core/Corbon, whatever, 200 gr hard cast makes it a very reliable hog stopper...if you can shoot. :-*

 

[destroyer4570]

Destroyer said the hawg shot with the .357 went 40 yds before expiring, and that worry's me, especially if the boar was on 35 yds away!

Gee Wizz01, at the time I didn't think about that as I was just starting out handgun hunting, but now that I think about it it could have been real bad had the boar charged us as we were only set up 40yrd from the feeder in a pop up blind...Luckily for us the boar chose to run the opposite way to go off and die someplace else versus taking revenge out on on our sorry butts... But on a side note I was armed with my SBH in .44mag..... I guess it's live and learn, that's why I now like to take a handgun loaded with some heavy ammo when going after mean, nasty, hogs...

 

[2shotal]

My thanks to all for the words of wisdom. I already ordered a box of Fed Premium Vial Shok 180 grain Castcore and 1 box of Buffalo Bore 180 grain lead flat nose gas check, plus 1 box of Rem soft point 158 grains. BTW, if I'm going hunting for howgs, I'll be taking either my 338MX or the 35REm in addition to the Taurus. The reason I wanted the info, was in case I encounter a hawg while I'm not hunting for one with a rifle (i.e. bow hunting).

 

[2shotal]

Hmmm .... I just read the manual on the Taurus 627 Tracker .357 mag and it specifies that the max weight bullet to use is 158 grains. Wish I read it earlier as I already ordered a couple of boxes of bullafo bore and Federal vital shok in 180 grains. Has anybody in the forum who has a Taurus 627 Tracker shot their revolver using 180 grains bullets?

 

[336-4-LIFE]

Hmmm .... I just read the manual on the Taurus 627 Tracker .357 mag and it specifies that the max weight bullet to use is 158 grains. Wish I read it earlier as I already ordered a couple of boxes of bullafo bore and Federal vital shok in 180 grains. Has anybody in the forum who has a Taurus 627 Tracker shot their revolver using 180 grains bullets?

thanks for posting this info.
I dont have a tracker but now Im thinking twice about getting some for my s&w.
it might be ok but i wouldnt risk it.

 

[tlc361]

The 180 grain load is shown in the Hornady manual, Speer list a 170 for handgun and rifle, my old Sierra shows a 170 load. I would be concerned with exceeding the published loads for a handgun.

I might consider the 180 for my Marlin 1894.

I would want to do some in depth research on the fire arm I would use the heavier loads in before trying it.

 

[me]

2shotal That's interesting call the ammo company's and ask them and find out what they used for test guns.
them 180 gr. mabe to long but your Taurus is +p rated I think.
If its a no go let us know how that new marlin lever pistol with the low magazine capacity works out for ya. :-\

 

[oscarflytyer]

I got caught on the ground by a big herd in Germany many years ago. Also saw what they can do to a man (boar - LONG lazy S scare from mid-cafe to groin!; sow - a BIG bite taken out of a calf). That one time for me was the very night I decided to leave my 9mm at home... DUMB!

My hunting partner laughs at me now. As soon as my feet hit the ground, my 44 SPC gets strapped on - w/ 250 grn Keiths in it. I never leave home w/o it. Liable to run into hogs anywhere in AL...

 

[Gee Wizz01]

Oscarflytyer most of my extended family and friends do not believe a hog will come after you! That was until a few years ago! My uncle spent a couple of hours in a tree, after he ran out of ammo working on a small swine herd! A herd of about 20 angry hogs kept him in the tree after he shot a 30 lb pig. He now takes more than 3 rounds when he hunts deer. One of the local high school kids had over 100 stitches in his leg when he got opened up from his ankle to his groin while pig hunting. He said the hog just him in the leg and shook his snout, then there was blood everywhere. I have learned to be a little more careful. I also make sure I have enough gun! If I am hunting in large fields I carry a 30-06 and Ruger BH in .45 Colt or a .44Mag. If I am hunting in heavy brush I carry my 1895GG in 45-70 and my Ruger .45. The main thing is to use your head and don't get careless.

Gary

 

[2shotal]

Called Taurus this morning. After the usual 10 minutes wait, I spoke with a lady in customer service. As I explained what my question was, she started to ask me where did I hear about not being able to use the 180. I patiently explained that I went to their website and read it off their posted user manual PDF. She kept asking me where in their website was the PDF file. After asking if it was a revolver, she ask on what page did I read about max was 158 grains, which of course I did not remember. To make a long story short, I believe she had no clue about what I was asking and what the answer was. Towards the end of the call she did say I should be OK if I use regular factory loads.

Needless to say, I don't have a warm fuzzy feeling about it, but I'll start with the 125 grains and then go up to the 158s I bought. Depending on how it feels, what the primers and cases look like, and how easy/tough it is to remove the cases, I may progress to shooting a couple of 180 Federal Vital Shoks and see how it goes. Then I might try the Buffalo Bore 180s last, praying that I do not loose any fingers in the process. I'll keep you posted.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Oscarflytyer most of my extended family and friends do not believe a hog will come after you! That was until a few years ago! ......

The main thing is to use your head and don't get careless.

Gary

Gary - for the first part - that is a very GRAVE mistake - NO PUN INTENDED! And second, I went hog scouting one afternoon last fall, and did find a nice herd moving through the woods. However, I was on the ground, by myself, no one else knew EXACTLY where I was, and the hogs were very keyed up and ornery. I let them walk... Better safe than sorry...

 

[findrichard]

Here is what Buffalo Bore's website says about their 180 grain 357 heavy magnum ammo:

Heavy 357 Magnum Ammo - 180 gr. Hard Cast LFN-GC (1,400fps/M.E. 783 ft. lbs.) - 20 Round Box

Our 357 mag. ammo adds more power than ever before to the 357 mag. This ammo is safe to shoot in ANY all steel 357 revolver - this includes J frames. This ammo is no harder on your gun than any other normal 357 ammo. Please don't phone us and ask if this ammo is safe in your gun. It is, providing your gun is in safe condition for use with any normal 357 ammo.

We don't recommend this ammo to be fired in super light alloy revolvers as bullets may jump crimp under recoil, but the ammo itself wont hurt these super light weight revolvers. These revolvers are simply so light that the recoil is severe enough to cause crimp jump.

 

[2shotal]

Here is what Buffalo Bore's website says about their 180 grain 357 heavy magnum ammo:

quote]
Thanks findrichard - I did see it after my posting - it looks like it should be OK to fire the 180 grains - as I said b4, I'll start with the 125 grains and work my way up nice and easy

 

[preacher]

I would try a few rounds of the BB 180, and inspect each time before you shoot for any jumping of the crimp. I think a hard crimp with a Lee Factory Crimp Die would keep everything together though, most factory ammo has a very light crimp to start with.