Hog hunting rifle.

What would you choose for a hog hunting rifle?

What's your terrain like? Most any rifle that will work for deer will work for hogs.

I plan to use my Marlin 1894 .44mag for hog soon enough.
Black bear maybe sometime in the future.

all of them are...
"FOUR".

I shoot hogs on a regular basis. The guns I have used succesfully are:

.223 (not recommended)
.22-250 (not recommended)
.30-30
.308 Win.
.300 Savage
.300 Win Mag
.45/70
.45acp

All have worked. the smaller calibers required very selective shot placement and/or multiple rounds. The others worked great. Pick a platform that suits your country and blast 'em.

I use my M1 or my Enfield for hog...


Only gone hunting 'em twice, but got a small one the first time with my M1. She was spitting a 155gr HPBT. Blew that hog's a$$ off.

Why'd I hit it in the a$$? Because it was dusk, the hoggy was dark, and it was behind a little bush, and I couldn't tell a$$ from head. The other end would have separated brain from being.

For larger hogs, the M1 can't be beat. The power of a .30-06, and the comfort of semiautomatic operation, incase the buggers charge you!

There are guys up in North Texas that hunt hogs with AR15s... and are successful using them!

Ruger #1S, .45-70, Beartooth 405's @2000 fps

http://mauser98.com/rugerbenchsmall.jpg

WooooWeeeee! You guys must be hunting the "Big Bore Hogs". I should have said feral swine. Thanks for the info. Any of you have any pics of your trophy hogs?:)

I don't hunt anymore but I think an SKS or an AK would make a great Hog Gun. From what I understand, they are hunted at close range and they are not often all that big to require a larger cartridge. Some people hunt them with 10mm or .44 mag so I think the 7.62 would be fine. The SKS is a tough gun that could be used as a club if needed.:D

I wish I lived somewhere where hog hunting was available, I might take up hunting again.

firestar, Come on down to Alabama or Georgia.;)

My one experience hunting hogs was at Parch Corn Creek Lodge in Jamestown, TN about 30 years ago. That trip completely soured me on preserve hunting (especially hog hunting). One shot at about 50 feet from a .308 did the job. It was about as exciting and sporting as shooting my neighbor's collie.

The .223 I mentioned in my first post was an AR.

30 round clips and a field full of hogs at night is pretty fun. SKS (and varients) work well also. Matter of fact any semi auto works quite well. (with power qualifier in place)

.416 Rigby! :D

Best,
Joe

Lever action in at least 30-30. Preferably 35 Remington, 44 Magnum or 45 Colt with heavy-ish solid bullets. Probably opt for peep sights over open sights or a scope if vision allows.

SKS or 8mm mauser

Smoke, you listed the .45acp, was that out of a pistol or carbine? How did it perform and what was the range? I wouldn't think it would do well unless within 25 yards.
I've killed a 150lb pig with a .357mag, but wish I had something bigger at the time.

1898 Krag Jorgensen in 30-40 Govt.
Good out to about 300 yds. with 220 gr.

If you've got open country and have some centralized areas to hunt the hogs (i.e., bait), a scoped bolt action can certainly do the job. Even an intermediate to low caliber deer rifle can do the job if the rifleman takes his time to choose his shot. My father made a beaut ~80 yd shot on a 250 lb sow with a .257 Rbs, put right behind the ear. She skidded about 4 feet on her chin and moved no more. A friend states his preferred hog rifle is a .22-250, choosing to take no other shot than the ear-hole; he never has to track.

Keep in mind that, in TX, feral hogs are considered a nuisance animal, and the Parks And Wildlife Dept. puts out pamphlets on how to bait them, hunt them at night, and trap them. There is NO bag limit on them.

One hunt, in which I brought a Sendero in .300 Mag, I ended up going down into the creek bottom and popping an 80 lb shoat with a .30-30 M. 94 Trapper carbine with Lyman peep sights from the un-rifle-ry distance of about 30 yds. :) As there were several others near it when I rolled it with a single 150 g SP, I took a couple of shots at the now sprinting piglets that were making a high speed getaway. One little guy cleared the second strand of barbed wire as it crossed the property line. Piggies can MOVE, when they need to. Quick sights and fast follow-up shots are a plus, to maximize your chance of another pig. (You'll rarely find one alone.)

Another hunt, I was sitting with a guy who'd decided to hunt over bait from 25 yds with an 870 shotgun loaded with 000 buck out of full choke. (interesting choice that wouldn't have occured to me) I heard the pigs come in, and told him to hit the hand-held spotlight he had. He turned it on, and before I could bring the Savage Scout .308 to bear, he popped the biggest one with the shotgun, and while trying to rack it, immediately dropped the spotlight. The pig I was tracking on went dark, and I flung an ill-advised shot at it from the .308. With a 2 power scope and the darkness and the bolt, even when I got my flashlight out, there was no hope of downing the pig, which it turned out I had (luckily) missed with my snapshot. I would not advise such a rig, except for day hunting, and for careful set-shots. Really, an SKS would have been more useful, or perhaps that trapper .30-30 again.

A lot of what you use will depend on the terrain, and what time of day you'll use it. Sights will be more important than caliber, IMHO.

My personal requirement for an all-around hog gun would be: rifle caliber or at minimum .44 Mag w/stiff loads, handy rifle and action, good quick sights, fast repeater. You don't NEED a .416 Rigby, but you need to hit 'em hard.

I think for my next outing for hog hunting, I am going to use my No4Mk1 Enfield, and load up some 180gr softpoints. I have a 3-9x scope I might mount on it temporarily.

Should be enough power. Fast bolt action and 10 round capacity for followups.

Might wait to get the Parker Hale rear sight I want to put on it. I prefer the irons...

With a side order of .357 Magnum, it will work out good. :)

11" Bowie! Well...maybe someday...

Since I'm a mere mortal I would just use my Marlin 336CS in Thudy-Thudy.

I do my south Texas hog hunting with a G3 clone from Century Intl. 308 FMJ nato ammo works well for those pesky little critters.

Nice stories. :)

We used to hunt them with SKS's. Some of my friends painted their SKS's, using Krylon spray paint. That made it easy to cover up the dings they'd get crawling thru the brush - just spray on another coat. The SKS is a tough rifle that takes a lot of abuse and keeps on working. We had a friend with a FFL and we'd order them by the 12 pack, I remember the cost was under $90 per rifle. They killed pigs as well as any of the more expersive rifles.

Any large game rifle should work. My dad has taken a couple with his .22-250, but that was with a well placed shot while lying prone with the bipod and the pigs didn't know he was there. I have shot them with a 7mm Mag, a .30-06, and a .308 using 125 gr. TNT HPs. I just loaded up some 150 gr. Nosler partitions in the .30-06 for the M1 Garand, and I also loade dup 50 Sierra 150 SBTs for the Swiss K-31 (7.5x55). So next time I go hog hunting, I might try to bag one with my K-31 and if I have to break brush, I will take the Garand. My .30-30 would be a good choice too.

My current Hog rifle is a 1908 Mannlicher Shoenauer rechambered in 8x57 Mauser. I load 220 grain Sierra Game Kings with a good dose of IMR 4064.

The rifle is as handy and quick to bring on target as any rifle ever made,and this heavy 8mm bullet is just deadly on Hogs.

Plate Mail and a Two Handed Sword!

:p

amprecon,

I have taken 3 hogs with 45acp. The first time I ever did it I was walking the creek and heard ahog in a brush thicket not 45 feet from me. I circled the thicket real slow until I could see the hog bedded down in there. She was just looking at me. So I shot her. about 30 - 35ft shot. I have done similar shots on hogs as I have surprised them.

Short lesson on the discussion at hand:

Any 30cal or larger will work fine on hogs. Quick sights, open or low power scopes. Doesn't have to be a magnum round. Smaller will work with shot placement or multiple rounds.