Hog Rifle

[mbt2001]

I was talking with my neighbor last night and we were talking about going hog hunting. Our lease is in East Texas and I told him that there are some pretty big oinkers on it and that he needed to bring his rifle and a sidearm. We started talking about some of the hogs that we have taken and he shared with me that last season he shot a 400 pounder with his .30-06 and that he shot in the shoulder. He didn't hit the bone, just a little behind it and the bullet didn't pass through.

Frankly, I couldn't believe that...

A .243, maybe, but a .30-06 should have been rocketed out the other side.... Anyone else had an experience like this? Frankly, I haven't ever hit one with a .30-06 and to tell you the truth, I haven't always checked to see if my 30-30 has gone through. My .257 usually does, but again, I haven't ever gotten into it with a 400 pound porker

 

[Preacherman]

I may annoy both African and American hunters with this post, but having hunted Cape buffalo in Africa and hogs in the USA, I'd have to say that a good-size hog, pound for pound, is just about as tough a customer as the Cape buffalo. If you get a good, accurate, solid hit on either animal, without them being aware of your presence, you probably won't have much trouble: but if they become aware of you, and their adrenaline gets to pumping, you're going to find that they can soak up bullets like a phone book soaks up water, and still keep going.

To illustrate how tough hogs are, next time one is butchered, check out the very tough layer of muscle, ligament, etc. against the ribs. This stuff is like internal armor-plate! A light bullet really won't do too much if it hits there.

My favorite hog gun is a .44 Magnum Marlin carbine, usually loaded with Federal 300gr. CastCore. (Range in Louisiana, where I hunt, tends to be 50-75 yards at most, in thick brush, so a longer-range cartridge and weapon really aren't necessary. Also, the heavy .44 Magnum loads seem to deflect less on brush than lesser loads.)

 

[rich636]

I just had my first run in with a hog while goose hunting with a buddy this weekend. Preacherman is right, when we skinned this hog it had a plate of thick gristle behind and on the shoulder, you can knock on it with your fist from the outside and feel it. However, I think a 30-06 would get through it unless it was an absolute monster.

 

[redneck2]

I suspect some guys shoot a 150# sow with a .223 and do just fine, then say it's an adquate round. Big, big boars are a different program. Guys will make blanket statements about deer hunting, but mature bucks are a whole different program from yearling does

You might cruise the hog hunting forum at http://www.huntamerica.com/. I think the guys that hunt a lot of big pigs would tend towards a .444 or .45-70type round. Certainly a .30-06 with controlled expansion would take about anything

 

[Greybeard]

If true, the man with the '06 was possibly shooting something like a 150-grain "deer load". And/or the bulllet could have hit something else and partially expanded before getting to the hog ...

As example, not that I necessarily agree with what he did, but one of the guys in recent elk camp finally dropped a cow with .338 Rem. Ultra Mag. - with his 5'th shot. There were lots of obstuctions (tree limbs/brush) between him and the animal that he supposedly did not see until after the shot(s) ... Once we located the downed cow, I could not believe how he could even see it through the cover there, much less hit it cleanly. His 5'th 250 grainer penetrated completely, but only after he eventually stalked to within about 150 yards (instead of taking shots at 500) ...

 

[sm]

I suggest a Search in this forum under the username H&H Hunter for Hogs, Hawgs (yeah there is difference ) and anything that would prefer to hunt YOU, aka Dangerous Game (DG)

On TFL Go to Hunting and search under Rich Lucibella, Johnny Guest, Harley Quinn , recent thread The Hunt

( I believe was thread(s) title , if not one of the nice moderators here will correct me and bail me out again - please).

 

[mbt2001]

Then what do you guys use for Hogs?

What sidearm / rifle?

 

[Lennyjoe]

I've shot hogs with a 30-30 and had no problems taking them down.

Them swamp hogs in Georgia are some tuff dudes.

 

[rich636]

At the risk of getting flamed for undergunning...I used .38+P 125grn silvertips from my 6"GP-100 and my buddy used his 12G 3.5in #2 Hevishot on a hog of the 150lb variety. We walked up on it while goose hunting in a marsh. I had the initial shot, hitting it in the neck. It ran and I landed one more .38 through both hind legs. My friend fired twice with the 12G as soon as took off running, his second shot caused it to go headfirst into the mud.

The part that had me pissed at myself was that I had my .45 colt Vaquero and 45-70 Guide Gun sitting back in the truck. The hog went down in a matter of seconds so I don't feel bad, but it certainly wasn't ideal.

I found the double action advantageous for quick follow up shots when the animal is on the run (3 of them). That would be the only problem I could see with carrying the Vaquero in the future. Maybe a Redhawk in .45 would be nice.

 

[Caliburn]

.30-'06 150 grain is too small?

the man with the '06 was possibly shooting something like a 150-grain "deer load"

So you need a 180 grain to take a hog?

 

[Blue Line]

I just went on my first hog hunt a couple weeks ago. I used my 45-70 marlin and AO 1911A1 in 45ACP. The Marlin dropped the hog where it stood going thru both shoulders, weighed about 100 lbs as I was told by my host. Later two friends shot two hogs almost same time with AR's in 223 one ran and died nearby the other ran and ran and probably died later. I also shot one with my 45 using winchester silver tips. First shot was way long but I hit and chased after in the clear, 4 more shots, the last to the head and it was down probably weighed around 2-225. Took two of us to drag it back to the swamp buggy path. This one had been fighting with something with a bunnch of cuts and scratches on the head area. First hog we butchered, second one host said no to cause it looked like infection may have set in.
I don't think I'd go with a 223 unless it had heavy hunting type expansion bullets.

Got any pork recipes?

 

[Smokey Joe]

Hog bullet vs deer bullet

Caliburn--What you need is a bullet for penetration, in case you end up shooting it at one of those big ol' boars with the heavy cartilage collar.

A 150 grain .30 cal deer bullet is made to penetrate soft thin skin and expand quickly. (Example: Nosler's Ballistic Tip) They are great bullets for deer but I would hesitate to shoot one @ a big hog.

A heavier bullet in .30 cal, say, 180 grain, and made for better penetration, would be a much better choice. (Example--just to stick with one maker--:Nosler's Partition or Accubond bullet.)

You notice many of the hog hunters reccommend "big and slow" rather than "small and fast" calibers and bullets.

Again, for a smaller piggie, the choice is less critical. I have a friend who goes after the real small ones with a .22 magnum--successfully. But he is smarter than to shoot his .22mag at a 400 pounder!

 

[DigMe]

I regularly use my Ruger Blackhawk .357mag with 200gr Cor-bon cast bullets or Federal 180gr Castcores. Penetrates real well. I've taken bigguns too.

brad cook

 

[mbt2001]

I regularly use my Ruger Blackhawk .357mag with 200gr Cor-bon cast bullets or Federal 180gr Castcores. Penetrates real well. I've taken bigguns too.

brad cook

What barrel lenght on your blackhawk?

 

[Caliburn]

Thanks, Smokey!

 

[DigMe]

What barrel lenght on your blackhawk?

4 5/8. I hunt in thick brush, sometimes so thick I've found myself crawling through hog trails. I've also had times when there were hogs running all around me probably starting at 10 or 15 feet and I couldn't see even a glimpse of them.

brad cook

 

[mbt2001]

Thanks!

I have a Ruger GP100 - 4" that I have been wanting to use on Hogs with the Federal Cast cores or the Corbon loads. I will let you know how it works out.

 

[Matt G]

Sometimes, it's just how you hit 'em.

I personally watched my father pop a large-ish wild sow at about 150 yards with a 165g '06 handload, and she just ran off into a creek, never to be seen despite careful hunting. We saw the dust rise off of her and heard the hit.

Then again, I've tagged a decent sized sow with a minor varmint caliber behind the ear, and had her go down quick.

I'm partial to '06 and higher for hog, but agree that the heavier loads are the way to go.

I recall that Jim Wilson was testing the .450 Marlin, when it came out, and had a fail-to-exit both on a buck deer and a hog. Still, it did the job on both.

 

[Blade]

I also live in East Texas

I can gaurantee you a 150 grain deer load wouldn't have penetrated a 400lb. hog, even at point balnk range from an 06. They are tough animals. Leave your guns at home and hook up with some hog hunters after deer season is over and turn them dogs loose. Catch one of them rank old boars with a bulldog and your bare hands. You'll find out how tough them hogs are, and them bulldogs too!!!!!!!!!

Make em squeal.. Bullldogs forever !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DigMe]

I can gaurantee you a 150 grain deer load wouldn't have penetrated a 400lb. hog,

That's a pretty loose guaranty you're making there. Big hogs have been taken with far less. I have a friend that killed two 200+ lb boars in a day on the run with a .22 mag. I've taken them with 12 gauge buck, .30-06 and my usual hog gun is a .357 mag revolver.

brad cook

 

[oneshooter]

Rifles: Siamese Mauser action in 45/70 24"bbl, 400gr JSP w/full load of IMR 3031
Winchester M94 Trapper 16"bbl 45LC 250gr JSP w/near max load of 2100

Custom Flint Longrifle 50cal wPRB and 100gr 2fg

Pistols: Ruger Blackhawk 7 1/2"bbl 45LC w/custom tight chamberd cylinder same load as M94 only with JHP

As you can see I believe in LARGE holes in the barrel. They tend to produce LARGE holes in the target!

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[ScreamnEagle]

I use a 7mm Rem. Mag. with 175gr. Core-Lokt, works very good on big and small hogs.

 

[mbt2001]

I am gonna use a FN Five Seven from now on. The Brady Bunch seem to think it is the most dangerous gun in the world, so I am sure it will kill hogs. It can penetrate kevlar, so it should have no problem going in and out of the porker.

 

[Preacherman]

Well, the Brady Bunch seem to think it's a cop-killer gun, and the hippies that run the Brady Bunch, in their youth, probably called cops "pigs", so I guess that makes it a hog gun!

 

[Mannlicher]

Hogs can indeed be tough customers. I hunt them up in South Georgia, swamps and pine forests. I have equal respect for the 30-30 with my 170 grain Speer FP handloads, and the Marlin 1894S .44 Mag with my Speer 270 GDSP handloads. Both are proven killers.

Lately though, I have been taking my SOCOM. I have an EOTech 511 mounted, and although somewhat heavy, its a sure hog buster. I am using Federal factory 150 grain SP.