Big Enough for Hog Hunting?

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xmanpike

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I know some people are going to think this us totally inhumane, buy that's why I am posting to get a good concensus. We have some nuisance hogs coming into our deer feeders at my friends ranch. They range between 60 and 120 pounds. I have them coming in consistently to my feeder and have placed a tree blind 30 yds away. I an considering hunting them with a .22 rimfire with 40gr bullets travelling 1300-1400 fps. I an a pretty good shot and would only earhole them with this. What to you guys think?

I know this sounds terrible but I an a stickler for a clean rifle and the reason I don't want to use my 270 is that it will taker 2 days to clean it for even 1 shot.

Appreciate your input
 
It takes you two days to clean a .270?

That there just ain't right! :what:

Wipe the sweaty hand prints off it, and If you must, run an oily patch down the bore.
You don't have to clean it completely every time you shoot it once!

All of my varmint & deer hunting rifles go all season without bore cleaning, because they don't shoot the first shot or two out of a clean bore in the same place.

We know a .22RF will kill a hog, because my old daddy did it every year at butchering time.

But he had the luxury of standing over the hog in a killing pen and shooting them right between the eyes. Then slitting their throat before they could get back up and run off.

Hog hunting with a .22RF sounds very unethical to me.
You at least owe them a clean kill, every time.

rc
 
Why would it take two days to clean a rifle, and why would it take that much longer to clean a .270 than a .22?

Personally, I wouldn't use the .22LR. Even if you could guarantee a perfect shot every time, pigs don't usually travel alone, and they've been known to charge. You may take the first one by surprise, but are you certain you can hit the second one under the pressure of a charge? Understand that if you don't, he's about two hundred pounds of pissed off (in a 100lb package), and the tusks are sharp.

I'll grant you the .45-70 I carry may be overkill, but it is comforting to know that I can definitively anchor a pig. .22LR just can't give you that guarantee.
 
may be a bit small

I know the .22 is lethal on animals even human size, and I know shot placement is critical regardless of caliber used, but I would be a bit hesitant to go after the big hogs with a .22.

I will admit to taking hogs with a .22, but they were in the 25 pound range--one shot behind the ear was lethal.

I see you wrote that the reason you are using a .22 is because that your only other option is your .270, which would damage alot of meat. Sounds like you have a good case to buy a new gun.....

The cheaper route might be to go with some of the low-recoil 270 shells that I think federal or remington make.
 
No, use a 50 grain .22 MAGNUM at least in my opinion to earhole them. Preferably a .22 hornet and up. IMO, a .22 lr is inhumane, even if a great shot, even for this brain shot. But if you must, use an Aguila 60 gr SSS in a 1 in 10 or better twist rifle (i.e. AR15 conversion kit).

Also, a .270 in the ear won't ruin any meat at all, unless you consider the brain meat - use that!
 
It takes mr 2 days to clean the 270 bc the bullets I'm using are going 3150 fps and I get copper even with one shot. The reloads I'm using are cold clean barrel dead bull at 100 yes so I always keep the rifle nor that way. 2nd and 3rd shots are 1/2 inch high. But yes to get the copper out takes 2 days.

It sounds like everyone agrees that the 22 is just not enough gun. I'll use the 270. Afterall I like cleaning my guns :)

And I am in a tree stand so not worried about charging hogs, but always have the trusty colt 1911 on the hip just in case :)
 
The only time I have ever used a .22 on pigs was when they are in the trap.

You need to back off on your cleaning routine before you wear the barrel out!
1 round does not mean you need to clean your rifle. I take between 30 and 50 pigs and 2-3 deer a year during the hunting season, I may only really clean my rifle 3-4 times during that time. Most of the time it just has a wipe down with an oily cloth in between hunts.
 
I'm not sure about your specific situation but a lot of gun writers and experts agree that a main reason for inconsistency, accuracy problems, and barrel wear is that people clean them too much. just something to keep in mind.
 
2nd and 3rd shots are 1/2 inch high.
But see, if you already know the 2 - 3 shots are going to be 1/2" high, that's where the gun is truly zeroed.
And why you should leave the bore fouled during hunting season.

Very few rifles will shoot the first shot out of a clean barrel where it is truly zeroed with a fouled barrel.

rc
 
a lot of gun writers and experts agree that a main reason for inconsistency, accuracy problems, and barrel wear is that people clean them too much.

That's good news for me. I've never cleaned my guns too often. Deer Rifle only gets wiped down after I check for zero each year. Gets a wet patch or two run down the bore after the season. And do a full bore (copper removal) about once every... Well I've done it to each rifle once, about three years ago, when my main deer rifle was about 12 years old (~400 rounds).

Now shotguns, I wait so long between cleanings, it does take me a couple of days of soaking and scrubbing (2 or 3 at a time) to get them clean. Just once a year after hunting them hard in the rain, water, and mud for the season.

Wyman
 
The reloads I'm using are cold clean barrel dead bull at 100 yes so I always keep the rifle nor that way. 2nd and 3rd shots are 1/2 inch high. But yes to get the copper out takes 2 days.

The first couple shots out of my target barrels always lands in a slightly different elevation than later shots. I have any number of times had to click up (I think) when the shot count reaches four or five.

When POI changes too much after a cleaning, I don't clean anymore.

Anyway, a 1/2 change in a group at 100 yards is not bad.

I have a 6.5 M1896 Swede that will walk 14 inches as the barrel fouls. That is bad.
 
I just tried some of the foaming type bore cleaner a few weeks ago. It is amazing. Copper is totally gone in 4-6 patches. Shoot it in, let it sit about an hour, and wipe a few times. First patch comes out really blue. By number 4 to maybe 6, you're done.
 
smanpike, if your first three shots do as you say, all within 1/2" at 100 yards, that's about as good as you'd ever need for hunting.

If your groups open up to over an inch or 1.5 inches, okay, do some cleaning--but do it with redneck 2's "goodie".

Shoot more an worry less. :)
 
A .22-250 fires a 50 grain bullet at 3800 or so fps and it don't take two days to clean. The guys that hunt prairie dogs shoot a LOT of rounds, too, in a given hunt. Hell, I'm pushing a 150 game king to 3200 fps in a 7 mag and the 100 game kings in my .257 Roberts are pushing 3150. I run a brush down the bore a few times after shooting. The 7 always shoots 1 MOA set 2.5" high at 100, the .257 shoots 3/4 MOA. I agree with all the other posters, you're a paranoid gun cleaner. :D
 
Use the 22 if you have to but use solid bullets. I would say being closer would help a lot also. I can see also that useing the 270 will probbably only give you one shot per session as they will sort of disappear fast after the first shot. I would if useing the 270 see where it shoots at 30 yards also as your trying for head shots and would like to make every shot count.
 
Pass on the .22 for hogs, and it shouldn't take two days to get the copper out. Try some Bore Tech Eliminator -- you can get both the carbon and the copper out in just a few minutes using only patches. You can use plastic brushes, if you insist, but it really isn't necessary. Bore Tech has no ammonia and you can even leave it in the barrel. It's the best stuff I've ever used, and I've tried them all.
 
Check out the other thread with the huge boar kickin ass with a .22 bullet in his side.
 
I'm not sure what kind or brand of rifle you have chambered in .270, but you could try something that is NONCAUSTIC to metal like Hoppes 9 or GunSlick Copper Clenz...saturate a patch, run it through, use a phosphorous bronze or stiff nylon brush to remove the top stuff; saturate another patch, run it through, and let the chemical work for a few hours to overnight; then run a few patches to remove the fouling (don't get worried of it comes out blue or green since it might remove heavier copper deposits from jacketed bullets)

if you're dealing with a slide action (like a Remington 760 or 7600) or a lever action (like a Browning BLR) or a semiauto (Remington 740, 7400, or 750; Browning BAR, Winchester's new variant, or Benelli's variant) you could use an aerosol degreaser/cleaner that evaporates quickly to clean the inside of the receiver and the bolt carrier group...just be careful not to let any run onto your wood stocks or camo stocks (takes ink print off)

IMHO...I would feel much better hitting those hogs with a .270 since it hits with more energy and causes more tissue damage to vital organs...but each his own
 
It isn't that the 2nd and 3rd shots are a half inch high; you're first shot is a half inch low. Foul the barrel and go fill up an ark.
 
A .22 LR? For hogs? Not hardly. You sure wont catch me stingin piggys with a 22. Hell they really dont even do a good job on cats :)
 
A bigger round like the AK will put them down for good. at least its a .30 caliber.
 
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