>>471598In all honesty, an AR-15 is a good option. It will handle just about anything you might encounter, including hogs. If you want something a little more powerful, I'd go with a 12 gauge pump. Mossberg 500 family is good, but there are cheaper alternatives (Stoeger, Maverick, Savage are good value brands).
If you don't want to carry a long gun, I would recommend a 9mm automatic.
>but anon, 9mm is shit!Not when you fire 16 rounds from a single mag. You could use a full size .45 like an HK45, but it might cost you more. A .357 or even .44 magnum might be powerful, and robust, but make sure you're trained for the recoil and train yourself to be able to use speed loaders quick.
tl;dr
1st choice: 5.56 or 7.62 automatic rifle with good magazine capacity
2nd choice: 12 gauge pump shotgun with 8 round magazine and 18.5-22" barrel
3rd choice: full size pistol 9mm or higher caliber
