New Hunter - Need a Hog Gun

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bababooey32

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I have the opportunity to go hunting hogs in south/coastal TX. I've never hunted anything before, so I'll be needing a new gun for this endeavor :D.

I like the idea of a lever gun, as it is something that would be fun away from hunting as well. Would a 45-70 or a 30-30 lever gun be a good hog hunter? I am thinking I'll want to use a scope as well, given my inexperience.

Would love your input. BTW I did search hog hunting calibers here, but mostly I found pro/con discussions of particular calibers. I am looking at the above lever guns OR a specifc reco for a different setup. Thanks all!
 
Just a suggestion, but with years of experience hunting hogs, I actually like to use a 12 gauge pump gun with slugs.
 
you can use almost anything. I know a guy who uses a fully automatic 22 long rifle with a 166 round mag. I don't recommend that though.

If you're just looking to get a new gun, and like the idea of a lever gun, a marlin 30/30 is a great gun! (model 336) New, they come pretty rough in the action and trigger, but if you can sharpen a knife you can do your own action job on the thing using online directions. They can be had for about 350 new on sale. Academy has them for $380 right now.
As far as scopes go, you might get lucky, but general wisdom is that bsa, ncstar and any scope under $50 is absolute garbage and will fall apart on you after a few shots. many people think anything under $150 is garbage, but I disagree. Anyway, 3x9x40 is the most common scope configuration. (if you know this already skip it, but 3x9x40 mean the scope will zoom from 3x magnification to 9x magnification by twisting the ring. 40 refers to the size of the front lens in mm. bigger lens, brighter image inside the scope, wider field of view. higher the magnification, the closer you can zoom in on the target, and the harder it is to hold the crosshairs steady.) I think the 3x9x40 looks too big sitting on top of a 30/30 and would recommend something smaller. (2x7x32 or a fixed 4 power scope. bushnell banner 4x32 for $65 at academy might work well.) I like using an sks for hogs personally.

Those are my thoughts. enjoy the hunt for the rifle and the hunt for the pigs.
 
The Marlin .30-30 would be a great choice! Top it off with a Fixed 4x and you are good to go!
 
Greyling, what kind of sights do you use for your SKS? Sounds like scoping them requires two tough decisions: what mounting method, and what kind/power scope?

I'd say an SKS or a Garand would make great hog guns. I lean towards autoloaders because it allows taking out a whole pack at a pop!
 
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45-70 will definately do the trick. And when u pull it out everyone will be like ooooooooh let me shoot it. :D
 
If you can handle the .45-70Govt. that is the ticket. It'll knock em' flat...quick. That said the .30-30 is more than capable and has much less severe recoil. :)
 
Either of the calibers you mentioned will do the job easily. A nice 30-30 lever gun with a 4 power scope as previously mentioned would be near perfect. With the Hornady Leverevolution ammo these are true 200 yard guns now.
 
45-70, and the recoil isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
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I like it...but definitely a step up from .30-30. The LeveRevolution bullets work wonders for it as well. :)
 
I like it...but definitely a step up from .30-30. The LeveRevolution bullets work wonders for it as well.
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I have some of the LeveRevolution bullets for my .450 Marlin but I haven't tried them yet. And don't forget about the Buffalo Bore Bullets for a 45-70, that will increase the recoil to levels almost as bad as people make it out to be.
 
Ahh, Buffalo Bore, snufalo bore...roll em' yourself (in a falling block action) and you'll see what they can really do...they can match (perhaps even exceed) the touted .450Marlin. :neener:
 
What is going to be your primary setup? If in a stand, I would prefer a scoped bolt action, if moving on the ground, a nice lever, or a Saiga semi auto, or any semi auto, would be good, scoped or not. The lever will be nice, light, and easy to move about, if in the brush. Plus you can scope a lever, if shooting out of a blind or stand, but they are tougher on the follow up shot, than a bolt action that is scoped, especially if out of a blind or stand.
Any caliber 243 or bigger, will be fine. One of my hog slayers is a old remmy in 243, bolt action , scoped.
 
AS for levers go; I would prefer the older winny 94's over the marlin. Why? if walking though the bush, the winny is much lighter, slimmer, very smooth and rounded off corners, and much less likely to get hung up on F@$k you vines, than a Marlin will. The marlin will be easier to scope, and the marlin throws brass to the side, while the winny throws it straight up.
 
I believe that as a new shooter you should choose something that is easy to shoot, accurate and can be used for more than hog hunting. While the 30-30 and 45-70 will kill almost anything, the velocity is somewhat low, bullet weights are limited and because of that, mid range tajectories are high. Why not look at something with a flatter tajectory, say .243, 7x57, 30-06 or some other modern caliber? With a 30-30 or 45-70 sighted in at 100 yards you might shoot over a hog at 50 yards and if sighted in at 50 yards you might be way under at 100 yards. Higher velocity bullets have a flatter tajectory and the chances of a good hit at various distances with the same aim point is much greater. Whatever you choose, have fun killing hogs.
 
Open sighted, short barreled M1A!

Been there, done that.

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Only accessory on the gun, not shown is the sling. Add a 20 round magazine, plus one or two in the pockets and you should be able to go all weekend.

But then we are not out for sport, or meat. They are ruining our land, and it's wildlife management type shooting. Blast them all, as fast as you can.
 
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I say both.

I have a 336 in .30-30 setup with a scout scope. Sweet balanced setup. Perfect for various duties including hog. However, hopefully by Friday, I'll have my 1895G .45-70 in and can decide if that will take over duties for hog work.

the .30-30 will span the duties from general plinking to hog, to deer, to anything else that is living and calls North America home. That and ammo is cheap.

the .45-70 will knock anything down and do it with ease. Ammo isn't as cheap. Its plentiful just not as cheap as .30-30. It will leave a grin on your face and if you reload or shoot hoter loads, leave a bruise on your shoulder.
Recoil isn't anything to be afraid of.

Either will do the job but the .30-30 will be better suited to take more game. After all you will be hooked after dropping the hammer on larger game.
 
Recoil isn't anything to be afraid of.
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You must not have shot a lot or for a long period of time - that is flat-out wrong.......recoil, over a long period, can be VERY debilitating, leading to severe pain and loss of use/range of motion.....
 
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