bullet for boars

Question
I hunt boars in Chile, i have a magnum 44 s&w, i use bullets 240g semi jacket soft point and 240g jacketed hollow point, in your expert opinion the better choice for hunting boars of this bullets ? (normally boars 200 - 240 pounds) Thanks for your opinion and good luck　

Answer
Hi Sebastian.

Your bullet choice should be based on many factors. You have indicated a few of the factors in your question but you have to consider several others including the following:

Distance: the average and maximum distances which you plan to shoot at. At longer distances you generally want a bullet with a flatter trajectory and one that will maintain significant velocity and energy at your maximum shooting distance.

Terrain: will you be shooting on steep hills, flat land, in the forest, or through heavy brush? When shooting up or down hill then you generally want bullets with a flatter trajectory but this may be less important at shorter distances. When shooting through woods or heavy brush then you generally want the heaviest bullet you can get, and preferably not a hollow point, so that the bullets will not be deflected as much when they hit small leaves, twigs, or branches on the way to the target.

Shot Placement: the angle at which you are likely to face your target and the area where you plan for the bullet to strike the body. If you generally get head or tail shots then you generally want a heavy solid core bullet for maximum penetration to get to the vital zone. For broad side shots then a hollow point may be better since it will allow rapid expansion and maximum damage in the vital organ zones.

I haven't hunted wild boars but I have read a good bit about it. I would need to know more about your personal situation and the factors above to give you the best answer, however in general I would tend to favor the semi-jacketed soft point bullet since they tend to provide adequate expansion and internal damage while also having better range, penetration, and trajectory. Of course this all depends on your firearm too so you might want to test both bullets on the range to compare their performance under your specific conditions.

I hope this helps. Shoot straight, stay safe, and good luck with your hunt!

Bob