Knockdown thoughts

You can't compare piercing steel to shooting game. Speed kills on steel. I bet my .22-250 loaded with frangible varmint rounds would go right through that steel also.

That said, .25-06 is twice the round that the .300 blackout is....

They kill hogs by the droves with the 5.56 and suddenly a 25-06 isn't enough gun? That's just retarded

The ranch in Texas I am hunting on in 2 weeks doesnt allow 223 for pigs.

The owner says he has seen too many pigs run off after being shot. There are many other people here in Texas that feel this way as well.

A humane kill is top on my list when I hunt.

Of course with the perfect shot, 1 in 1000 shot, a 22LR might bring down a pig. Its has to be extremely accurate. The people I know that use 223 for pigs shoot when they can put a bullet right behind the ear.

The problem with hunting vs paper target time, is the movement of the animal and brush around. The 1 inch group at the range with a rifle on sandbags, doesnt equate to a freehand shot on an animal moving fast in dim light.

I have hunted with a few " range 1 MOA" accurate hunters, that have totally missed a 300 lb pig on the run.

I have killed a few with my Bison Armory 6.8 AR15. (Lighter 270) With a Hornady 120 g SST over 2200 powder.
(My DRT bullet)

I also use an 8mm mauser

If you can get 1000ft lbs with a good bullet in your 25-06 (Barnes, Accubond) it should do the trick on Texas pigs

Good luck on the hunt. I would recommend carrying a sidearem as well when you shoot pigs.

My last pig and (5 others) were coming right at me when I shot at 20 feet away. I was on the ground at 2 am, without much light. Its a bit of a rush.

They can be a mean animal. In much of the place I hunt the "trees" are short...... Not much place to climb when they charge you......

Also, forget the expensive covers sents and garments and full camo suits.

The pigs cant see very well. But they CAN pick up your scent. Even through that stuff.

I had a guide tell me that a pig has a "100 times" stronger nose than a bloodhound
I dont know about that, but I know that I am successful only when I hunt the wind.

The pigs arent bullet proof here, but they are VERY tough.

Where are you thinking of hunting?

smalltruck said:

I live in Minnesota and if you go deer hunting around here most shots are less than 200 yards with many areas that are slug gun only. I have a 25-06 and do my own loading.

Earlier this fall I built a steel gong from scrap steel. 3/4 in rebar legs and a 14 inch gong made from 5/8ths thick mild steel. Shooting a 100 grain sierra MK with H414 powder at 100 yards I put the first one right through the gong. Yes hole straight through.

Not what I expected to say the least. I'm thinking that wild hog hunting in TX next year sounds like fun. I got told that my current gun isn't big enough for hogs for any shots over 50 yards. Huh?

What got recommended was a 300AAC blackout with a suppressor. I looked at the ballistics of this with subsonic loads and laughed. That aint happening.

Are TX hogs armor plated? I'm thinking at less than 200 yards I have enough gun to drop any hog I shoot. Unless its wearing body armor...

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Favored weapons on driven game European shoots are short stroke self loaders like 7.62x51 BAR, FNchester, Benelli, Merkel,... with electro-optical sight. It allows quick follow up shots. Sorry Amigo American boar hold "no vodka" to a Russian ones.

PS. For extreme knockdown I have seen Benellish self loading Merkel in cal. 9.3x62. It had synthetic stock, front 'Raybar-type' and rear quick tunnel Battue sight. That's in case ole' longhorn bull takes interest in you. It will drop like stuck by lightning, but you will need lots of money to pay off the meat.

Your 25-06 will be just fine on anything from elk on down. It is about bullet choice. Use a quality bullet designed to hold together on tougher animals.

Part of the problem with rounds such as 223, 25-06, 243 etc. is that they are designed as dual purpose rounds. Many bullets sold for them are designed as varmit loads that expand quickly in small, soft animals such as coyote. Shoot those bullets at larger tougher game such as hogs and you will see failures. You'd see the same results if shooting varmit loads from a 300 magnum, Shoot bullets made for larger game and even the 223 will work just fine on hogs.

Oh the misinformation available. THE load for the 20+ pigs I kill in my TX pecan orchard weekly never changes and is rarely outperformed. 5.56 with 62gr xm855. I rarely have the chance to decide shot placement with oceans of pigs on the run. I shoot where I can. That bullet loves to buzz saw through them and rarely do I have one escape that has been hit anywhere.....even gutshots. Take specific note of the xm855 bullet. The difference between it and the 55 grainers is veeery significant. 25-06 is more than sufficient.

It's all about bullet selection and shot placement.

Hollerpoint said:

Oh the misinformation available. THE load for the 20+ pigs I kill in my TX pecan orchard weekly never changes and is rarely outperformed. 5.56 with 62gr xm855. I rarely have the chance to decide shot placement with oceans of pigs on the run. I shoot where I can. That bullet loves to buzz saw through them and rarely do I have one escape that has been hit anywhere.....even gutshots. Take specific note of the xm855 bullet. The difference between it and the 55 grainers is veeery significant. 25-06 is more than sufficient.

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I think if I had that many pigs running over my land I would use a slingshot if thats all I had.

Living in the 'burbs in north Texas, the only pests we see are pushy magazine sales people.

They passed an ordinance recently that you can no longer shoot them.


As a hunter first, I dont have to take out many. I am just looking for one at a time.

To me, they are a game animal. Just like a deer.
(I like the taste of the meat better)

To me, having a gut shot animal, with a FMJ, steel penetrating bullet, isnt my personal
choice for hunting.

But...... Knowing the frustrations of some of the farmers here in Texas with the onslaught of these pigs, I can understand I can see how someone could put them in the "rat" territory, meaning shoot them however you want.

Its your land. Its your choice what you use.

Hollerpoint said:

Oh the misinformation available. THE load for the 20+ pigs I kill in my TX pecan orchard weekly never changes and is rarely outperformed. 5.56 with 62gr xm855. I rarely have the chance to decide shot placement with oceans of pigs on the run. I shoot where I can. That bullet loves to buzz saw through them and rarely do I have one escape that has been hit anywhere.....even gutshots. Take specific note of the xm855 bullet. The difference between it and the 55 grainers is veeery significant. 25-06 is more than sufficient.

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I don't remember ever hearing a single person say the m855 has superior terminal performance in flesh over m193.

I agree the .25-06 is more than sufficient with proper bullets. No need to buy a new gun for your TX trip OP.

Any 30 cal. will kill a hog if your aim is true!.

hatt said:

I don't remember ever hearing a single person say the m855 has superior terminal performance in flesh over m193.

I agree the .25-06 is more than sufficient with proper bullets. No need to buy a new gun for your TX trip OP.

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I think it's related to the density of the hog. 855 flat outperforms 193 in hogs. I'll get some pics and maybe do a comparo thread with some good pics.

smalltruck said:

Dean- I am hoping to hunt north of Abilene about 75 miles. I know several of the ranchers in that area.

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I wish you luck

Pigs are fun to hunt

Your 25-06 would be perfect for taking wild hogs. Shot placement and good bullets and you are good to go.

Not what I expected to say the least. I'm thinking that wild hog hunting in TX next year sounds like fun. I got told that my current gun isn't big enough for hogs for any shots over 50 yards. Huh?

What got recommended was a 300AAC blackout with a suppressor. I looked at the ballistics of this with subsonic loads and laughed. That aint happening.

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Sounds like the advice of an idiot that's into ARs. The .300 blackout can probably take hogs cleanly at 50 yards. the .25-06 can do it at 500 yards if you can shoot it and it's an accurate rifle. I'd shoot a 117 interlock if it's accurate in your gun, but go with the 117-120 grain bullets for big pigs and you're good. The quarter bores are awesome. I wonder what this guy would say about the .257 Weatherby Magnum? Probably never heard of Roy Weatherby. He don't make EBRs.

The only rifle I had for hunting here up until I was nearly 40 years old was a .257 Roberts and, truth be told, while I like my .308, I really didn't need it, not for hunting in this state. But, I did want it and it is a great hunting caliber.

I guess my .243 that has taken over 10 Texas hogs isn't enough either.....

OP, don't listen to that guy. Get your gun zeroed and then go kill some pigs. And outshoot the guy with the .300 blk while you're at it.

Sarcasim

Everybody knows that it takes at least a 375 H&H for hogs. Any round that can take a whitetail cleanly will take a pig.

Everybody knows that it takes at least a 375 H&H for hogs. Any round that can take a whitetail cleanly will take a pig.

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That's a good sarcastic point. There is a lot of myth surrounding pigs in places that don't have 'em by people who've never seen one in the wild, let alone hunted 'em. First of all, you can walk in the woods without getting torn to pieces by wild packs of hogs. I hear all these scary horror stories. And, yeah, they ain't bullet proof. If it's good for deer, it ain't gonna bounce off a hog.

The .300 blackout thing is pretty hilarious, though.

300blk supersonic should be just fine. A subsonic still usually shoots a heavier faster bullet than a 45acp. I shoot 245g lead and 230g Berger hybrids at about 1000 fps. The rainbow trajectory is the challenge there.

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Perhaps, but the OP's .25-06, what he already has, is a HECK of a lot more gun!

The 25-06 is an excellent choice for hogs! Were I you, I'd load it up with 115 or 120 grain Nosler Partitions and make sure I had plenty of barbecue sauce ready to go.
While some people seem to think it's a waste to use Partitions on hogs, I disagree since they allow you to make a humane, fast killing shot from just about any angle.

A 100 or 115 grain Barnes "X" SHOULD do as good or better, but that hasn't been my experience. The hogs seem to run a good bit farther given similar shot placement.

The Partitions have a much higher DRT rate, at least for me.

Also, the suggestion to use a suppressed .300 Blackout isn't really as stupid as some posters are making it out to be.
It's not about the ballistics, it's about the noise level.
I don't have a .300 blackout (yet), but I've killed a lot of hogs with a suppressed Remington 700 in .308 shooting subsonic, cast 230 grain bullets.

Put a bullet right behind the ear of the boss sow and a goodly percentage of the time the rest of the sounder will hang around so that you can often make multiple kills on stationary pigs rather than trying to butt shoot pigs that are going at top speed dead away from you.