jerkface11
Member
I think it has some hard plastic removable spacers.
.300 Win Mag for Hogs?
- Thread starter Panzerschwein
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CarJunkieLS1
Member
If you are gonna be hog hunting up close and personal ~50yds or less than a 12gauge shotgun with slugs is gonna be the easiest and cheapest to use. And a slug from a 12gauge flat puts hogs down!!!
Kingcreek
Member
A short barrelled 300 Win Mag WITH a muzzle brake?
Knock yourself out. Sounds like a headache to me. a shorty .308 with a brake is bad enough.
Knock yourself out. Sounds like a headache to me. a shorty .308 with a brake is bad enough.
jim in Anchorage
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I am not 100% sure, but I think that brake is removable.
I've never even seen a hog but if asked to hunt one I would grab my SKS paratrooper. Just seems right somehow.
I've never even seen a hog but if asked to hunt one I would grab my SKS paratrooper. Just seems right somehow.
T.R.
Member
Its true that big boars are tough with their heavy shield within the shoulder area. But your so-called average hogs are not difficult to down with deer cartridges such as 30-30 and others. 300 MAG is overkill in my opinion but you be the judge of that.
TR
TR
chas08
Member
I've seen hogs run a 100yds or more after being hit with a 300 Win Mag. Its more about placement than caliber. 300 Win Mag is a great choice though. Just don't expect every one to keel over and start kicking every time you touch the trigger.
MCgunner
Member
The one advantage to overkill is that if you do take a shot at a huge hog, and they do exist out there, you can shoot on the shoulder as you should to hit vitals and, with the right bullet, you'll get total penetration with a good exit wound even through gristle plate and heavy bone.
Of course, I do trust my .308 to do that with the right bullet.
And, I've never shot a pig much over 200 lbs. I've only seen a couple in the wild that I thought might break 300 lbs. The lesser pigs, 200 lbs or less, are the more numerous and the best eating.
Of course, I do trust my .308 to do that with the right bullet.
And, I've never shot a pig much over 200 lbs. I've only seen a couple in the wild that I thought might break 300 lbs. The lesser pigs, 200 lbs or less, are the more numerous and the best eating.
I wonder if the ammo at 50 yards would have time to even open up and not act like FMJ out of a 300 Win Mag. I'd opt for something lesser with faster follow up shots. Maybe a AR-10, Lever Action 30-30 or .44 Mag.
I like my Ruger M77/44 for hog hunting out of a stand or stalking, but for stalking nothing beats a lever action except for a semi-automatic rifle. Bolt actions are slow, and with the large recoil of a 300 Win Mag even slower follow ups are most likely the norm.
I like my Ruger M77/44 for hog hunting out of a stand or stalking, but for stalking nothing beats a lever action except for a semi-automatic rifle. Bolt actions are slow, and with the large recoil of a 300 Win Mag even slower follow ups are most likely the norm.
AKElroy
Member
+1. I've taken several dozen hogs, most with a 30/30, several with an AK, a few with a.308, one with a .270, two with a .243. Dozens more clearing traps with a .22 rimfire or whatever pistol I happened to have on my belt. All had one thing in common. if I hit it, they were DRT. In my experience they drop faster than whitetail deer, even with the occasional marginal (gut) shot. They are not bison.
This year I bought my first AR, and I have no hesitation using it for pigs with good 75 gr loads. 300 mag is going to ruin some tasty meat unless you place it in their ear, in which case you do not need a .300 mag.
I really like that Ruger scout, but I can't imagine the noise and blast from a short barrel with a brake being all that pleasant. I also don't get the concept in this caliber; not enough for African game, too much for walk & stalk hunts on anything in the lower 48. Maybe as a last resort gun in bear country, but I can think of several better options. It is cool, but not practical for any of my hunting needs. With a tube that short, I bet a .308 would be within spitting distance ballistically with the proper load. Not enough tube to take advantage of the extra magnum case capacity; would make a pretty orange ball, though.
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midland man
Member
well I use the 30-30 win with 170gr jsp and it works very well! kills them drt! and besides your mosin nagant was plenty of power I would use that fyi...
Lloyd Smale
Member
no doubt but probably not any more powerful then a 22-24 inch 06 and would be an absolute bear to shoot in the field without double ear protection. All for what? Ive hunted with 20 inch guns and with 26 inch guns and the only real advantage to the short ones is weight savings and that ruger isn't a light gun even at 20 inch. Don't get me wrong. I do like a nice super light short action 308 or other similar rounds that are efficient in that length. I may be a bit old school but any standard chambering in a long action needs at least a 22 inch barrel and a mag needs a 24. Only exceptions I might make are something like a bigger bored 375 or 458. The bigger bore allows more powder burned in shorter lengths. 16-20 inch guns are short action propositions to me.
LeonCarr
Member
Buy what you want.
A .300 Winnie will take hogs with proper shot placement. There is no such thing as overkill on hogs.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
A .300 Winnie will take hogs with proper shot placement. There is no such thing as overkill on hogs.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
My though on the bullet. i have seen it time and time again on deer. poor bullet performance. The 300 win mag bullets ( factory loads ) are constructed for bigger game and higher velocity. they will not expand on medium sized game such as deer and hog. if you hand load this can be changed but from my experiance the 300 WM does not like 150-165 grain bullets, most of them are also not designed for the 3200+ FPS the 300 WM will send them. and if you load it down to 30-06 or .308 then why bother with the 15+ grains more of powder.
I'm gonna rant on this whole belted mag thing going on. That is just a sales gimmick. You do not need anything over a 30-06 for north America period. including 500 yard shots on a moose. The whole want the bullet to go in and out no matter what is a joke. I want a bullet to transfer as much energy and expand as much as possible before it leaves the animal. what good does it do to transfer 1300 ft/lbs of energy with a 300 WM when a .308 win with a better suited bullet will most likely expand to a bigger diameter and transfer 1800 ft/lbs of energy? That is my thought on all this belted mag stuff.
Nature Boy
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Cooldill,
You recently bought a brand new PTR91 and sunk some money into it to make it your go to battle rifle. To me, that would be the perfect pig popper and you already have it!
You recently bought a brand new PTR91 and sunk some money into it to make it your go to battle rifle. To me, that would be the perfect pig popper and you already have it!
You've already stated you want a 300WM for hogs. Why? I have no idea. Maybe you like punishment. Maybe it's "cool". Sounds like you don't really want our opinion on calibre for hogs. No matter how much experience we have killing them. Either way, it's your choice. So I guess this thread is more about the rifle choice than the calibre choice.
The Ruger in question is not anywhere near what I would consider a good pig rifle. And I won't just make the comment. I'll back it up with real world, sportsman/hunter reasons.
When hunting hogs, especially in cover, you want a gun that you can have fast follow up/defense shots. Your average, or even above average hunter simply isn't capable of working a bolt fast enough for a charge. Anyone who wants to dispute this, feel free. But working a bolt under duress and reacquiring the target requires too many movements for most people to do quickly and with precision.
Now some may say "Shoot them in the neck and you don't have to worry". They're right. If the hog is alone in a field or you're in a treestand. But when you're on the ground and the "BOOM!!!" (And that gun makes me wince just thinking about it) goes off, pigs scatter. They don't always know where the sound came from. They might all head straight for you. Or only one might. But what about the one that was 30 yards to your right when you shot that you didn't see? And hogs are a lot faster than a lot of hunters think. Especially if they've never encountered one. Something tells me you haven't encountered that many. Not your fault and I may be wrong. If I am, I apologize.
Now to the sights:
Blade/post sights, even if they are hi-viz, are decent for hunting. But IMHO a good hog rifle will either have a quality red-dot or ghost ring sights if hunting in cover from the ground. Again, faster target acquisition.
Here's the positive of that rifle as I see it: Rugers are tough. Decent accuracy. And it's a carbine (kinda).
The negatives: The sights, the bolt, the muzzle break, and the calibre. I'd be willing to wager that if you get that rifle, in that calibre, you will hunt with it for awhile. A short while. Then you will either sell it to get something that is actually better for hogs, your shoulder, and your ears, or you will retire it to your collection and get/take something else.
Now, after all that negativity, I will say that I'm a fan of overkill. I'm a big bore guy. The stuff I shoot is overkill for most things I hunt. But I don't load my guns to max velocities and max bullet weights that kill on both ends. I learned quickly that it's more fun to get my game and save my ears and shoulders.
My opinions are really only worth what you paid for them. But I have killed a pretty fair amount of hogs and I'm just trying to save your hearing, your shoulder, and possibly your life. Remember, big boars are like big bucks. They don't generally run with the crowd. But they might be close, hiding just a little ways away. Need to be prepared.
My last bit of advice. If you get that rifle and take it hunting, and if you shoot at a hog, do NOTHING before chambering another round. And I mean nothing. Don't look at the animal, don't admire your shot, don't blink, don't let your heart beat. Nothing. Pull the trigger, reload.
Good luck on your hunt(s).
The Ruger in question is not anywhere near what I would consider a good pig rifle. And I won't just make the comment. I'll back it up with real world, sportsman/hunter reasons.
When hunting hogs, especially in cover, you want a gun that you can have fast follow up/defense shots. Your average, or even above average hunter simply isn't capable of working a bolt fast enough for a charge. Anyone who wants to dispute this, feel free. But working a bolt under duress and reacquiring the target requires too many movements for most people to do quickly and with precision.
Now some may say "Shoot them in the neck and you don't have to worry". They're right. If the hog is alone in a field or you're in a treestand. But when you're on the ground and the "BOOM!!!" (And that gun makes me wince just thinking about it) goes off, pigs scatter. They don't always know where the sound came from. They might all head straight for you. Or only one might. But what about the one that was 30 yards to your right when you shot that you didn't see? And hogs are a lot faster than a lot of hunters think. Especially if they've never encountered one. Something tells me you haven't encountered that many. Not your fault and I may be wrong. If I am, I apologize.
Now to the sights:
Blade/post sights, even if they are hi-viz, are decent for hunting. But IMHO a good hog rifle will either have a quality red-dot or ghost ring sights if hunting in cover from the ground. Again, faster target acquisition.
Here's the positive of that rifle as I see it: Rugers are tough. Decent accuracy. And it's a carbine (kinda).
The negatives: The sights, the bolt, the muzzle break, and the calibre. I'd be willing to wager that if you get that rifle, in that calibre, you will hunt with it for awhile. A short while. Then you will either sell it to get something that is actually better for hogs, your shoulder, and your ears, or you will retire it to your collection and get/take something else.
Now, after all that negativity, I will say that I'm a fan of overkill. I'm a big bore guy. The stuff I shoot is overkill for most things I hunt. But I don't load my guns to max velocities and max bullet weights that kill on both ends. I learned quickly that it's more fun to get my game and save my ears and shoulders.
My opinions are really only worth what you paid for them. But I have killed a pretty fair amount of hogs and I'm just trying to save your hearing, your shoulder, and possibly your life. Remember, big boars are like big bucks. They don't generally run with the crowd. But they might be close, hiding just a little ways away. Need to be prepared.
My last bit of advice. If you get that rifle and take it hunting, and if you shoot at a hog, do NOTHING before chambering another round. And I mean nothing. Don't look at the animal, don't admire your shot, don't blink, don't let your heart beat. Nothing. Pull the trigger, reload.
Good luck on your hunt(s).
midland man
Member
lol I use a faithful ol'e round the good ol'e 30-30 and it does very well!! I been killing animals with 170gr sp and it kills anything in Oklahoma can throw at it. i know i live here in Oklahoma and taken everything we have here and the 30-30 works very well... good luck to you on your hunt!
TimSr
Member
Bigbore44 makes a lot of sense. Not only does that quick 2nd shot come in handy for the paniced hog that doesn't know you're there and is running right towards you, but it give you the opportunity of multiple kills from the same group.
In most cases, a bullet traveling too fast, that is too close on impact will come apart rather than not open up. .300 is not a great choice for close up.
In most cases, a bullet traveling too fast, that is too close on impact will come apart rather than not open up. .300 is not a great choice for close up.
Choctaw
Member
I have hunted wild hogs for well over 30 years. I have killed them with 357 magnum revolvers, 50 caliber sidelocks, 45 Colt revolvers and rifles, 12 gauge pumps, 30-30s, 7.62X54R chambered rifles, 270s and 308s. I have now switched over to ARs. Hogs are not tanks and they are very rarely dangerous (despite internet lore). In all of my years I have never been endangered or personally knew of anyone that was. Hunt them with whatever you want.
AKElroy
Member
+1. This is my experience as well, but I've been hunting them less than half the time you have. That said, I've walked up dozens, more likely hundreds of pigs in all kinds of cover, some of them I did not see until I was right on them. For me they all ran the other way. While I am aware of the stories of aggressive piggies, I've never seen it. In fact, when looking for them on YouTube, most "charges" are nothing more than the pig being pointed at someone when it was panicked into running. It just happened to be the direction they were facing.
I think they get some of the rep from folks seeing them in traps, and they are quite animated when caged. So is every squirrel, coon and opossum I've trapped.
I will say this, you are much more likely to walk-up sows in groups than solitary boars. Since they will be running in whatever direction they were pointing, a quick reload would be nice. I carry an AK with an Ultimak mounted Aimpoint when walking them up, although I have yet to get (or attempt) a double.
Lloyd Smale
Member
you have no need for a car with anymore then a 150 hp 4 cly. Me I like a bit more and sure wouldn't go hunting moose if I knew the shot could likely come at 500 yards with an 06. Would I take that shot with an 06? Maybe. If I knew a better opportunity might not present itself and I had people along to help track it because I seriously doubt if id dump it in its tracks at that range. Bottom line is I think id feel a ton more confortable with a 300 or 338 mag for a shot like that and even something like a 340 wby would be overgunned. I think a lot of EXPERIENCED rifleman would agree. A guy is much better off with to much gun then not enough. What I absolutely hate is guys that want to hunt with the smallest pee shooter they can get away with. Like bragging that you hunt deer with a 22 hornet or 223. Sure, even a 22 lr will kill a moose but im sure not bragging I did it. I feel I OWE any animal a quick and humane death and have rifles to take care of that. So why would I want to leave them at home and take something marginal. I also don't understand your theory on a 308 opening up more then a 300 mag. If there is ANY problem with the 300 for hunting it might open up to much if your shot is inside a 100 yards. Again this argument just doesn't fly. Nobody knowledgeable goes out for moose with a 300 mag with 150 grain ballistic tips and there aren't to many premium bullets that fail to open up sufficiently with the 300 including bullets up to 200 grain. Now a 1000lb animal in front of me what would I rather have. A 308 shooting a 165 at 2700fps or a 300 mag pushing a 180 to 2900. Its about as much of a no brainer as youll find. At least if your like me and hate animals suffering and chasing wounded animals.
Now all that said were talking hogs here and I don't know why moose were even brought into it. As far as hogs go ill say this. If I wanted to eat one I wouldn't use a 300 unless I was hunting a stand with 300 yard or more shooting. Most hog hunting can be taken care of efficiently with a 3030 or even a handgun. But like was said earlier in some places there nothing more then a varmint and who cares if you use a big gun. Id bet in the same picture youd go hunt little prarie dogs with a 22250 or a 220 swift and not worry to much about blowing the #### out of them. You drive a prius and a Toyota 4 cyl pickup. Me ill drive my vette and my v8 Silverado and when I need the power or range its there. Same goes for my pick in guns for a hunt. Its based on worse case scenario not what I can get away with.
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No kidding, I hope he's saving up for a hearing aid.
Unless you're expecting to meet hogzilla, a .300 Win Mag is overkill. I've killed seven hogs with my 6.5x55, all DRT.
WIll kill just as good as the lower calibers. I ve used 7.62 x 39, .303 Brits, .3006, 7.62 x 54 R , .308 and .25 06. They all do the job. Even some country boys use .22 magnum to pop the head. Its more cost effective they said than using expensive ones.
If you want it go for it but that rifle sure does not look like too much fun to fire. As others said very loud. If you want a loud heavy recoiling gun than you are on the right track.
Keep in mind a 300 win mag does not kill em any deader than a 308 or 06.
Keep in mind a 300 win mag does not kill em any deader than a 308 or 06.
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