Hog calibers

Status
Not open for further replies.
skeeterfogger said:
There is a new 25 cal for spring air pellet rifles. I saw a video of a guy killing an around 90-100 pound hog with it. And no the hog didn't just run off. He hit it right behind the ear. It screamed, hunched up and straight down it went. The shot was 30-40 yards.
Click to expand...

It isn't if they can be killed. You can kill LARGE boars with .22 subsonic if you know what you are doing. It really comes down to a question of how well a given caliber/bullet/load will kill for all the times you don't get to make those perfect sort of aimed and placed shots.

This guy claims this hog is 400 lbs. I don't know if it is that big, but it is a plenty substantial hog...


FL-NC said:
The "shield" is largely over rated, IMO. A centerfire round that will put down a deer will penetrate mild steel at the ranges typically associated with hog hunting.
Click to expand...

I have never had a problem with a centerfire rifle round penetrating a hog shield. It is nothing but a cartilagenous buildup, probably no more significant than 1/4-1/2" plywood. It is more of a cut resistant vest than a level 3 ballistic vest (rifle rated).

troy fairweather said:
European boar are a hole different animal from the furry farm pigs most guys shoot. There was a video on YouTube years ago,6 shots in to a boar that charged him, he had a desert eagle in 50 Ae. They slowed the video down, he hit every shot. The 7th killed it at his feet.
Click to expand...

They really aren't a whole other animal. That some guy got charged and it it took a lot of shots attests to nothing other than the fact that the first shot didn't do significant CNS damage. Once the adrenaline dumps, hogs likely will not be stopped unless you physically break them down (CNS damage, locomotor damage) or they die from blood loss or suffocation. It doesn't matter if it is a European wild boar for a simple feral hog.

There really are not much in the way of true European boar in the US except maybe on a few game ranches. Those out in the wild have crossbred with feral hogs, likely many times over. I know everyone and their dog likes to talk about how much "Russian" a given hog has in it, but a lot of that is bunk. Just because a hog has a razorback or a long snot, or straight tail does not prove anything about being Russian (aka European wild boar). There are domestics with all those traits as well. Short of a multivariate craniometric analysis or genetic test, you really can't say with any certainty how much domestic, feral, hybrid, or European lineage is in the hog...and it really doesn't matter.
 
Last edited:
There is no substantial biological difference between Sus Scrofa Domesticus (Wilbur, "Some Pig") and Sus Scrofa Scrofa (Boris, the Wild Boar). They are in fact the same animal. Anything that will kill a deer, will kill a hog. I believe there's a fellow on here who is extremely successful using the 6.5 Grendel. The 30-30 in a lever gun is an excellent combination. Plenty of folks in Texas are quire happy with the results of 223/5.56 These stories of bullets bouncing off their heads and these bullet proof "shields" are silly stories told by people that can't shoot straight.
 
Double Naught Spy said:
It is more of a cut resistant vest than a level 3 ballistic vest (rifle rated).
Click to expand...
A very good analogy that many don’t understand the difference in. True Russians (Eurasian) boar, the big ones, do have a much thicker “shield”. But they also live in a much colder climate. The biggest boar I’ve killed had a true 3” shield. It was very tough to cut through. But it was nothing for the bullet to pass through.

Many people like high shoulder shots. And when placed just right, they drop. But I’ve always preferred a lower third shot right on or just behind radius and humerus joint. Pigs shot high in the shoulder or back don’t bleed well, if at all. Shoot one low and gravity will be your friend.
 
The thing with hogs is that folks hear stories about 600 pounders and want an excuse to go loaded for buffalo.

Fine. Go ahead and use all the gun you can handle.

I’ve heard of a 400 pounder getting shot over in my parts over the weekend. Apparently a 22 mag was used. This does not surprise me all as we all use 22 mags for hog down here. I’ve shot more with a 22 mag than any other cartridge combined. After that it’s been 12 ga slug. Both foster and sabot. I have a 444 for a hog rifle this year. I predict it works as well as a 30-30.

As to buckshot. It will kill hogs or deer pretty effectively if the shooter does their part. That includes patterning and knowing the effective range. Buckshot gets a bad reputation because of all the bush leaguers that spray and pray with it.
 
Hog huntin Harry said:
Do y'all think some 12 gauge 2 3/4 00 buck reduced recoil loads would be enough for frontal shots on hogs ranging from 180-250 pounds. Max range is 20 yards
Click to expand...
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I used to Deer Hunt with Buckshot because we always used Dogs and there were a lot of hogs on the property. I've seen at least a dozen hogs over 200 lbs shot frontal with buckshot and walk away. They have a lot of fat in the breast area and it will stop buckshot cold! I killed one on a deer drive that weighed 350+. I shot it 4 times with Winchester Super X 3 Inch Magnum 000 buckshot right in the chest. It staggered the big sow, but she didn't go down. Range was less than 20 yards. She finally turned to run way and I got a couple of shots behind the shoulder as she quartered away and that brought her down. When we dressed the hog out, only one of the buckshot penetrated the fat shield in her chest it did not cause a fatal wound. It stopped short of any vitals. If you could hit one in the throat, it might work, but the throat is not really exposed very well. The only thing I would consider shooting a hog with now knowing what I do is a slug if I had to use a shotgun.
 
Well I don't know what the kind of hogs we have here are, but they tank 170 grain 308s like it's nothing. Mind you these are broadside shots on hogs of about 220 pounds, yes shot placement is most important but if a hog can tank 5 308s to the heart and still take 2 minutes to expire I'd say the shield ain't overrated.
 
Thing is shooting a hog that's 60-150/75/85 is one thing. 250-350+ is another. A hogzilla shot on the shoulder can disappear on 3 legs, leave a blood trail like it was hit by a bazooka and still not be found. Also the ballistics of how far the shot. Up close, say 25 yards. The bullet has majority energy. It will max expand and on a really high density tough hogzilla it will max out and penetration can be iffy. I've shot many deer at 20-25 yards. Find the bullet heavily expanded just under skin on opposite side. Still kills but the a deer is no where near as dense as a hogzilla. Shoot them a 75/85+ and it goes through. Point is on an animal that has high body density the point of penetration where the max expansion occurs will dictate total penetration. A close shot can be more effective using a bullet that expands less than the energy provided at the shorter distance. Or make placement of the shot in a softer spot.
 
I've noticed a lot of people think I'm talking about a 60 pound feral pig, I don't know if it's just me but I wouldn't try a 22 mag ear shot on a 250 pound hog or try to stab one for sure. In my humble opinion, I think if you're only going for ear shots while in a blind I would say all you need is a 556. But not out in the brush, that's just too risky.
 
Hog huntin Harry said:
I've noticed a lot of people think I'm talking about a 60 pound feral pig, I don't know if it's just me but I wouldn't try a 22 mag ear shot on a 250 pound hog or try to stab one for sure. In my humble opinion, I think if you're only going for ear shots while in a blind I would say all you need is a 556. But not out in the brush, that's just too risky.
Click to expand...
If a 22 mag was all I had at the time and depending on the range, say no more than 50 yards. A through the ears or just behind the ear woild be the only shot I would attempt. Either will cause good damage and have catastrophic equilibrium effect. Might not kill out right but afford time to close and hit again. My best kill shots with high power rifles have been low lung shots. Take away the air under stress and muscle control and brain capacity drop drastically in 5 seconds. Most deer just hump up then fall over and curly shuffle.
 
22 mag is not used because it is a good choice. It is used because a few regulations make it the only choice.

GA finally allows centerfire for hogs in non deer seasons. Where I hunt, there are still a few of the old regs we need to abide by. That means rimfire for hogs.
 
Double Naught Spy said:
I have never had a problem with a centerfire rifle round penetrating a hog shield. It is nothing but a cartilagenous buildup, probably no more significant than 1/4-1/2" plywood. It is more of a cut resistant vest than a level 3 ballistic vest (rifle rated).
Click to expand...
Very good comparison. If you look at the photo I posted of the guys with knives, you will see that the knives used are longer tanto/chisel pointed blades. The chisel point enables the blade to cut as it stabs, with the blade length insuring that it penetrates well into the vitals.
 
Hog huntin Harry said:
I've noticed a lot of people think I'm talking about a 60 pound feral pig, I don't know if it's just me but I wouldn't try a 22 mag ear shot on a 250 pound hog or try to stab one for sure. In my humble opinion, I think if you're only going for ear shots while in a blind I would say all you need is a 556. But not out in the brush, that's just too risky.
Click to expand...

Hunt with what you are comfortable with and that you shoot well and you should be fine. I hunt alone most of the time and prefer not to be closer than 75 yards when I fire the opening shot. I definitely try not to be inside of 50. Other folks have no problem with close quarters. When hunting with a buddy, getting in close doesn't trouble me at all (except for being worried about getting busted). Hunt your hunt how you feel safe and comfortable with a gun you shoot well and you should do fine, regardless of the size of the hog.
 
Shot a number of hogs in S. Tx., probably to 200-250# range, most with .223 with a 55 gr. NBT while coyote calling. Almost all between eye and ear broadside shot. Some smaller hogs just behind the shoulder.

They are not armored plated, but I do not recommend a frontal head shot (between the eyes) with that light bullet because it will splash! Had a 200# boar come over a low rise on a trail I was sitting at about 40 yards. He was approaching my downwind so I put the crosshairs between his eyes and saw the red splash in my scope when the bullet struck between his eyes. The impact knocked him down flat, but he jumped right back up and disappeared back over the rise before I could get on him for a followup shot. He made it to the thick brush and was not recovered. There is no doubt that bullet failed to penetrate the skull, IMO, not due to the thickness of the skull as much as the flat angle at which the bullet struck the skull. I won't take that shot again.
35574036131_ae079b5187_q.jpg 34895191193_b4fec8185d_q.jpg 35317754430_06aefff051_q.jpg 35575642821_d1b6522473_q.jpg
We don't hunt at night, mostly sit water holes in hot weather when targeting hogs.
35665344406_bbe9e4427c_q.jpg 35663391696_59b4aec18f_q.jpg 35533166472_f0c2b025d2_q.jpg 35706378445_92291bb771_q.jpg
Wouldn't have minded buckshot on this one as he ran past me at about 10-15 ft. ^^^
But for the most part, I prefer something I can place the bullet more precisely than take the chance of where random pellets hit.
Regards,
hps
 
earlthegoat2 said:
22 mag is not used because it is a good choice. It is used because a few regulations make it the only choice.
Click to expand...

This^^^^^^ Dozens of hogs up to 250 pounds have fallen to my .22 magnum.

The use of centerfire rifles are banned in many Oklahoma Wildlife Management Areas outside of deer season. Fort Sill does the same. i often hunt hogs in those areas with a .22 magnum. My shots are picked carefully at ranges of <75 yards. i use the CCI Maxi-Mag 40 grain total metal jacket round. It gets both lungs of a 200 pound hog.

Shot selection is important: A 40 grain .22 magnum bullet in the lungs trumps a 180 grain .300 Win Mag bullet in the guts.
 
Last edited:
Hog huntin Harry said:
I shouldn't have even asked a "will x caliber be enough for x animal question" there's gonna be one group that says I need a 700 nitro express and a group that says all I need is a 22 short.
Click to expand...

That's because it's all individual opinion. I have one place where it's all European phenotype and my place here is all feral. I find very little difference where killing goes. Differences in the animals either anatomically or attitudes are much exaggerated.

For the last 5 years, I've been shooting 'em with an SKS, 7.62x39 of course, modified with a scope and a green laser spotlight. (po boy's night vision) :D. It is quite effective to 100 yards, many DRT. Night shots on pigs are always inside 100 yards here, too thick to see any farther. It does require a shoulder shot. Never shoot a pig BEHIND the shoulder..You probably know that. But a head on shot is going to have to be a head shot on a pig and at the range your talking about, that shouldn't be so tough. I like a semi auto as pigs run in groups. They do scatter, though, when that first shot is fired. :D That can be quite fun. :D

I've thought about getting a 7.62 x 39 upper for my AR or Midway has .450 bushmaster uppers on sale right now. they'd be lighter, but I'm always hunting from a box blind, so weight doesn't really matter to me. The ol' SKS is a keeper, so I stick with it. I really like the Tula/Wolf 154 grain soft point loads, too, killer on hogs with LOTS of penetration AND they're CHEAP! :D
 
BTW, I don't like buckshot. I hunted at a WMA for a few years. TP&W requires buckshot there. I hunted a few years with my 12 gauge SxS and 00 buck. I tried to find a suitable load with bigger shot, but nothing I found was considered "buck shot" by TP&W. It had to be 000 or smaller. So, one year I switched to 10 gauge 00 buck. This place could only be hunted in daylight. They were in the thick cover and I did see a couple that I couldn't get a shot at. There were so many there, though, if I could have baited a spot there and hunted at night, I'd taken one the first night. :D I'd much rather do it with a rifle and good night optics, though.
 
alsaqr said:
This^^^^^^ Dozens of hogs up to 250 pounds have fallen to my .22 magnum.

The use of centerfire rifles are banned in many Oklahoma Wildlife Management Areas outside of deer season. Fort Sill does the same. i often hunt hogs in those areas with a .22 magnum. My shots are picked carefully at ranges of <75 yards. i use the CCI Maxi-Mag 40 grain total metal jacket round. It gets both lungs of a 200 pound hog.

.
Click to expand...

I use the same exact round. I have found that even though it’s a TMJ it still does expand. I like that flat nose though. On Ft Stewart we have to use 22 Mag for what I consider the best parts of the year. Beginning of small game season up to opening day of firearms deer season.
 
IIRC a guy posted here a while back that he ran a hog control business in Texas. He claimed he used an AR 5.56 to put down over 240 hogs. Those weren't charging "Russians" at 20 yards, for those I would use a 6.5 Grendel, or an AR-10 .308.
 
A 107kg boar shot behind the ear with my .308, with home loaded 165grn Norma Oryx bullet. P7200198.JPG We have a minimum caliber for hoofed game that starts at roughly 6.5x55 but you can shoot boar with slugs. Its law in Sweden that all game shot at and runs off must be followed up with a trained dog. I try and shoot boar behind the ear or a little over half way up the center line of the front leg. The boar drop on the spot. I've had a few guests who have had runners. Always exciting tracking runners at night with the dog :)
I shoot quite a lot of driven boar and use my double 8x57 jrs mainly because it great fun to shoot with.
As others have said for pigs over bait l would be happy to use a smaller caliber. Driven I want a rifle and bullet combo that will kill the biggest boar or moose that is going to run passed me.
Life would be no fun if we didn't big up how hard a animal is to kill. I've even heard that you need a near magnum shotgun cartridge to shoot wood pigeons. It seems birds and animals have got a lot tougher since the 60s
 
I have hunted wild boar all my life. It’s kind of my passion. My hunting is done mostly with dogs and the range is usually close. Like almost point blank. Over the years I have found that any high velocity cartridge, preferably with a monolithic bullet, kills pigs all out of proportion to what you think. You need two things. 1 - the proper bullet. That 52 grain .224 hollowpoint you shoot groundhogs with will likely leave a ghastly wound but will not penetrate to the vitals, but that 55 grain copper solid will kill like the hammer of Thor. 2 - you need high velocity. You need to be close to 3000 feet per second. Honestly I do believe that pigs are more subject to hydrostatic shock. Just my personal observations.

If I am hunting from a stand or blind my choice of firearm changes drastically. I like the 30-30 and 45/70. The small fast bullets start to lose their appeal. The 243 Winchester, while I personally do not like the cartridge, has a different stature with me for pigs. It is just a fine cartridge for them as far as the right bullet is chosen. A friend shoots one and likes the 105 grain round nose., And for the past couple of years I have been using the 25/45 Sharps. That 100 grain SRC Swine Smasher is a great choice for pigs.

I have used shotguns for feral pigs. As noted earlier, the soft lead foster slugs flatten out and don’t penetrate well. The old style wasp waisted sabot slugs worked well though, as did the Brenneke. Never used buckshot on pigs, but I think a good hard buckshot should do just fine at buckshot ranges. I have never seen enough fat on a feral pig to make a good slab of bacon, much less stop much of anything. However, 1/2 inch of caked on mud, an elastic skin, and 1 or 2 inches of gristle plate will slow a lot of stuff down. My first bullet failure were some 180 grain 44 magnum reloads bought at a country gas station to feed my Ruger 44 carbine. Right rifle and cartridge, but wrong bullet. I killed the pig, but it took all 4 shots. That 180 grain hollowpoint was flattening out and not penetrating well.

And to address another point brought up in this thread. Sticking hogs. No mean feat. With a couple of Pitt Bulls hanging on to a hogs ears, a pack of strike and bay dogs worrying the caught hog, and your buddy holding the hogs hind legs up off the ground, the pig ain’t going anywhere. The sticking is anti-climatic. Besides it’s easier than shooting the pig with all the commotion going on.

FWIW. I am not a biologist, and I am only repeating what I have been told. Plus a little I have seen with my own eyes. I do understand that there is no true free roaming wild Russian or Eurasian boar left in these United States. They have been bred out by the onslaught of feral swine. The only known true wild boar remaining in the US are on a hunting preserve in New Hampshire. Information I got from a biologist/warden here in my home state.

The six westernmost counties in North Carolina used to have true wild boar. They were regulated and we could take 2 per year. I have never seen a true wild boar that weighed over 150 pounds or so. They are long of snout, broad of shoulder, and narrow of hip. They do not exist anymore. Bred out. No regulated boar left.

Feral swine have never been regulated here, always considered a pest. These feral pigs often reach sizes of 250 pounds or better, although most I have seen killed are smaller. I liken the Eurasian boar and the feral swine to Laurel and Hardy. There is no mistaking that they are pigs, but there is a drastic difference in their appearance.
 
greg_r said:
I have hunted wild boar all my life. It’s kind of my passion. My hunting is done mostly with dogs and the range is usually close. Like almost point blank. Over the years I have found that any high velocity cartridge, preferably with a monolithic bullet, kills pigs all out of proportion to what you think. You need two things. 1 - the proper bullet. That 52 grain .224 hollowpoint you shoot groundhogs with will likely leave a ghastly wound but will not penetrate to the vitals, but that 55 grain copper solid will kill like the hammer of Thor. 2 - you need high velocity. You need to be close to 3000 feet per second. Honestly I do believe that pigs are more subject to hydrostatic shock. Just my personal observations.

If I am hunting from a stand or blind my choice of firearm changes drastically. I like the 30-30 and 45/70. The small fast bullets start to lose their appeal. The 243 Winchester, while I personally do not like the cartridge, has a different stature with me for pigs. It is just a fine cartridge for them as far as the right bullet is chosen. A friend shoots one and likes the 105 grain round nose., And for the past couple of years I have been using the 25/45 Sharps. That 100 grain SRC Swine Smasher is a great choice for pigs.

I have used shotguns for feral pigs. As noted earlier, the soft lead foster slugs flatten out and don’t penetrate well. The old style wasp waisted sabot slugs worked well though, as did the Brenneke. Never used buckshot on pigs, but I think a good hard buckshot should do just fine at buckshot ranges. I have never seen enough fat on a feral pig to make a good slab of bacon, much less stop much of anything. However, 1/2 inch of caked on mud, an elastic skin, and 1 or 2 inches of gristle plate will slow a lot of stuff down. My first bullet failure were some 180 grain 44 magnum reloads bought at a country gas station to feed my Ruger 44 carbine. Right rifle and cartridge, but wrong bullet. I killed the pig, but it took all 4 shots. That 180 grain hollowpoint was flattening out and not penetrating well.

And to address another point brought up in this thread. Sticking hogs. No mean feat. With a couple of Pitt Bulls hanging on to a hogs ears, a pack of strike and bay dogs worrying the caught hog, and your buddy holding the hogs hind legs up off the ground, the pig ain’t going anywhere. The sticking is anti-climatic. Besides it’s easier than shooting the pig with all the commotion going on.

FWIW. I am not a biologist, and I am only repeating what I have been told. Plus a little I have seen with my own eyes. I do understand that there is no true free roaming wild Russian or Eurasian boar left in these United States. They have been bred out by the onslaught of feral swine. The only known true wild boar remaining in the US are on a hunting preserve in New Hampshire. Information I got from a biologist/warden here in my home state.

The six westernmost counties in North Carolina used to have true wild boar. They were regulated and we could take 2 per year. I have never seen a true wild boar that weighed over 150 pounds or so. They are long of snout, broad of shoulder, and narrow of hip. They do not exist anymore. Bred out. No regulated boar left.

Feral swine have never been regulated here, always considered a pest. These feral pigs often reach sizes of 250 pounds or better, although most I have seen killed are smaller. I liken the Eurasian boar and the feral swine to Laurel and Hardy. There is no mistaking that they are pigs, but there is a drastic difference in their appearance.
Click to expand...
True there are big differences between true wild boar and feral hogs. Wild boar can grow to well over 150lbs. The boar in the photo, post #46 was 107kg =235lb and I've seen bigger on my place. A local farmer 85 years old shot one a couple of years ago that weighed over 150kg and I've seen when hunting in Portugal and Hungary some very large boar shot. I've shot quite a few in the 150lb range.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
They're BAACCCKKKKK
2 3
Replies
53
Views
5K
Flintknapper
Flintknapper
M
  • Locked
Public hog hunting, but there's a catch
Replies
10
Views
886
MCgunner
M
alsaqr
  • Locked
Caught Some Wild Hogs
Replies
2
Views
448
SoonerMedic
SoonerMedic
3
  • Locked
12 Gauge Pig Load
Replies
3
Views
446
Cypress
C
E
  • Locked
Just finished a hog hunt
2
Replies
25
Views
3K
AKElroy
A
Back
Top