This topic has been brought up many times here about the ability of 1894c concerning hog hunting. So I purchased some 125 grain jacketed HP Buffalo Bore to test in my Marlin 1894c for accuracy and for its ability to kill hogs cleanly. The target picture was fired from 100 yards off sandbags the first two shots were very tight the second two moved a little the were fired fairly fast without letting the barrel cool as a hunting situation could be. The accuracy was more than enough for hunting purposes. Buffalo states the muzzle velocity for the round out of the rifle is 2298 feet per second with 851.3 foot pounds of energy @ 100 yards. I shot two hogs with the round the first was a shoulder shot on an estimated 100 pound boar the hog dropped cleanly there wasn't an exit wound. The second hog (pictured) was shot at about 50 yards and dropped instantly, this hog is estimated to be 125 pounds. I was surprised to see that the entrance wound was so large. What I found is the rifle with this round is more than enough to take hogs with from 100 yards in. The foot pounds of energy starts dropping off after that so longer shots would probably need to be head and neck only. Buffalo Bore has 158 grain JHP also that may work at longer ranges.
That's the worst entry wound I've seen no matter the caliber. The bones in the head are fairly hard and maybe it was the angle. The little rifle is handy in the truck and does the job within its range.
That's great shooting. Did you get chance to examine the bullets? I guess this sort of contradicts the "125 grain .357 bullet blowing up when shot from a carbine" statements you read. I use a warm hand load with Hornady 158 grain XTP hollow points in my .357 rifles. I have read that these will blow up in deer when shot from a rifle. I have shot a number of deer and have always had "pass throughs" and so have never recovered a bullet.
The hogs are on a sugarcane farm and the meat is excellent. I gifted the hogs to people that could use the meat and with temps here in the 80's I got it to them quickly so no chance of spoilage. The next one I take I plan on keeping myself and if possible will collect the bullet. I have no doubt that the rifle with this ammo would dispatch a deer quickly.
Bring a couple of 5 gallon buckets of brine or have them immediately ready when you get home. Soak 'em overnight. Then take them to a local smokehouse if there is one than get bacon, ham and Canadian bacon it up. I would grind the rest and either make your own or bring it in as well and have it made into sausage, salami and kielbasa, etc.. Used to a lot myself but anymore been outsourcing all the processing to local guys that are setup for it.
I was able to take another one this am. He was about 175 an old boar with 1 1/4 shielding from shoulders to hams. I took him angling at me from 50 yards. The bullet hit mid to high shoulder. The bullet went through the shield through the shoulder and lungs and what was left was stuck in the ribs on opposite side. He went about 30 yards and fell. I estimate the bullet maybe retained 25 percent of weight. The wound channel was about 1 1-2 inches. I don’t know what bullet Buffalo Bore uses in this round.
The purpose of this was to see what this rifle and bullet combo would do real world with hogs.
The Pros,
The rifle with these bullets are reliably effective to 100 yards.
The rifle is easy to use light and extremely handy as a truck gun.
It’s a Marlin lever gun what’s not to like!
The Cons
If where your hunting is open and longer shots are the norm this isn’t the rifle to use.
Cost of the Ammo May be considered high as compared to standard rounds.
I would say that rifle is good for the job you are doing. 2300 fps is huming along pretty good. The only thing I'd questioned is hollow point, but guess it isn't an issue. Looks to me that you might need help with that hog invasion. I envy you having pigs to chase year round.
V
Why are the cartridges marked 'heavy'? I though a 158gr would be heavy.[/QUOTE
Not sure but it may mean heavily loaded, they shouldn't be fired in alloy framed revolvers. They make a 180 flat nose lead round too. All these rounds cost about $30 for a box of 20 that's a little heavy if your shooting a lot.
That Buffalo Bore ammo is expensive but it is really bringing home the bacon so to speak. I usually reload for my .357s. I may reload some 125 grain bullets for practice and use some of this Buffalo Bore stuff for deer hunting. A big deer on my farm is 150 pounds. A long shot is 100 yards. My 1894 CSBL with the Buffalo Bore ammo would be just the ticket for that sort of thing. The 125 grain loads may kill better than the 158s. I will see this fall. It is really nice having two rifles and a bunch of revolvers that use the same easy to reload ammo.
Congrats on taking out the pigs! Had some start showing up on my camera last week. Hoping to use my new (in December) Henry BBS steel carbine in .44 magnum once they show consistently for a couple of weeks.
Mighty fine shooting on the range and in the field. Good job!
Thanks for posting this. Dang, no hogs here, and I don't have enough "points" for spring bear, so it'll be August before I can go for "big game" this year.
Ahh man. I wish I was closer. Looks like a lot of fun. Good shooting. There are really big coastal hogs out here and terrain where I’d probably recommend more gun but at those ranges it seems to be working fine. I think the 357, 44 through a rifle are pretty solid.
Thick and tight skin will often burst at the sight of an entry wound due to its inability to stretch under the temporary wound channel effects. I've seen the same sort of thing, usually radial tearing, around entry wounds in scalp, hands, and feet. This entry wound is similar.
This topic has been brought up many times here about the ability of 1894c concerning hog hunting. So I purchased some 125 grain jacketed HP Buffalo Bore to test in my Marlin 1894c for accuracy and for its ability to kill hogs cleanly. The target picture was fired from 100 yards off sandbags the first two shots were very tight the second two moved a little the were fired fairly fast without letting the barrel cool as a hunting situation could be. The accuracy was more than enough for hunting purposes. Buffalo states the muzzle velocity for the round out of the rifle is 2298 feet per second with 851.3 foot pounds of energy @ 100 yards. I shot two hogs with the round the first was a shoulder shot on an estimated 100 pound boar the hog dropped cleanly there wasn't an exit wound. The second hog (pictured) was shot at about 50 yards and dropped instantly, this hog is estimated to be 125 pounds. I was surprised to see that the entrance wound was so large. What I found is the rifle with this round is more than enough to take hogs with from 100 yards in. The foot pounds of energy starts dropping off after that so longer shots would probably need to be head and neck only. Buffalo Bore has 158 grain JHP also that may work at longer ranges. View attachment 752443View attachment 752441View attachment 752447View attachment 752445
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