Pig rifle

[M1GarandDeerHunter]

Simple. 30-06 Caliber. Or 30 sumpthin. I use a Garand rifle and love it. NOT for everyone. I never shot a pig. .30-06 has never disappointed though. 12 Ga work mighty fine too. Specially with slugs in a 870.

 

[Armored farmer]

There seems to be two schools of thought on 'hog rifles':
1. a rifle capable of taking a 300# animal out to 200yds in a hunting situation.
2. a rifle capable of killing as many animals as possible to eliminate them from your property.

My old single shot .30-06 is a great hunting rifle...but not what i'd choose to go on a hog eradication mission.

 

[bflee]

Arobbins, you can use a 223 to deer hunt in NC.

 

[H&Hhunter]

.470 NE and a Jadgterrier. Because hogs are fun to shoot with anything you want to shoot them with!

 

[bldsmith]

WOW, it looks like that pigs eyes are bulging from a shoulder shot!! I think mine would be too getting hit with a 470NE.

 

[rswartsell]

LOL, overthought is better than underthought. Too many folks end up making purchases based on unjustified recommendations without understanding how what they are buying is apt to suit their needs or what their other alternatives might be and the options afforded by them.

Well after about a century of effective use coast to coast as just what the OP mentioned, a deer-pig level all around rifle and millions of animals accounted for it does take quite a bit of thought to figure out why they (.30-30 levers) aren't good enough.

No disrespect intended but taken to the other extreme it can be seen as working pretty hard to justify one's expertise. Some of the incredible variety available is commercial enterprise creating "perceived need" to fill. People wishing to educate themselves deserve to hear this viewpoint and consider it too. Otherwise they might end up thinking that what is truly necessary is an African dangerous game double rifle chambered for a round that costs 5 or 6 bucks a pop and causes seismic sensors in the next county to go off. Great fun if you can get it, but not the OP's question.

 

[Apex Predator]

We kill a lot of hogs here in TX. Here are a couple observations. Hogs like deer are not that hard to kill, any old 223 will kill them, however they can be tough to put down quickly and they don't usually leave good blood trails. If you like wild pork I would advise you to get a 243 at a minimum but a 7-08 or 308 is better. BTW wild pork is amazing hickory smoked with a Cajun dry rub.
Hogs live in thick brush so if you want to go where they live skip the long heavy guns and get something you can crawl through brush with.
Hogs can be mean and even with a powerful rifle don't always go streight down so a fast follow up shot can save you some stitches. Lever guns and semi autos are better then bolts and single shots. A friend of mine had a hog charge him after hitting it with two shots from a 300 win mag! He now hunts them with a semi auto.
If you are going to be hunting hogs from a shooting house or stand no need for anything fancy, I like a regular ol bolt action 30-06 with some 180gr RN Hornadys (handload) but all of my rifles have slain some pork.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Well after about a century of effective use coast to coast as just what the OP mentioned, a deer-pig level all around rifle and millions of animals accounted for it does take quite a bit of thought to figure out why they (.30-30 levers) aren't good enough.

No disrespect intended but taken to the other extreme it can be seen as working pretty hard to justify one's expertise. Some of the incredible variety available is commercial enterprise creating "perceived need" to fill. People wishing to educate themselves deserve to hear this viewpoint and consider it too. Otherwise they might end up thinking that what is truly necessary is an African dangerous game double rifle chambered for a round that costs 5 or 6 bucks a pop and causes seismic sensors in the next county to go off. Great fun if you can get it, but not the OP's question.

And now you are doing it too, LOL. No disrespect, of course.

 

[rswartsell]

None taken. LOL

 

[H&Hhunter]

WOW, it looks like that pigs eyes are bulging from a shoulder shot!!

If you look very carefully you'll see that the hog's eyes are actually closed. It has white eyelashes and the perceived bulging I think you are seeing is actually not the eye at all it's simply a dark spot below the eye.

Here is a detail shot.

 

[303 hunter]

Arobbins, you can use a 223 to deer hunt in NC.

You surely can. I've been checked by game wardens a couple times while hunting with my .223 AR. With the right bullets that caliber is fine. I also have two in 6.8. Have never hunted hogs with them, but they are deadly on deer.

 

[bflee]

I was looking at the new regulation digest the other night and I can find no restrictions on rifles. There are caliber restrictions on pistols, but I didnt see any on rifles. Can any ody verify this? I was a little tired when i looked at it.

 

[agtman]

Dude, nice .470 NE. Now you got me thinking of ditching my 5.56mm Noveske for my .404 Jeffery!

Yeah, overkill maybe, but man that looks fun.

Plus it'd be a lot cheaper than flying to South Africa just to hunt the kind of game that can bite back ...

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Plus it'd be a lot cheaper than flying to South Africa just to hunt the kind of game that can bite back ...

LOL, then just go bear, wolf, or mountain lion hunting. Of course, it is the sows that tend to bite and the boars that tend to jab and rip with their tusks.

 

[agtman]

* * * Of course, it is the sows that tend to bite and the boars that tend to jab and rip with their tusks.

Good point. I'd be mainly concerned about getting sliced & diced by a boar's tusks.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Yeah, overkill maybe, but man that looks fun.

kind of like having a Corvette for your daily commuter car. It has nothing to do with need!

 

[js8588]

Forget my earlier, conventional response. SKS. 10 semi auto rounds with better-than-30-30 ballistics plus a built in pig sticker. Perfect.

 

[Bexar]

I'm with Dr. Rob on his recommendation...Remington 7600 IN 30-06 or 270 Winchester. Fast...reliable...accurate enough magazine fed and a familiar action to most. During the ammo shortage there was still 30-06 and 270 on the shelves at Wal-Mart. I like 30-06 just because that's what I was raised on but a .270 is probably the better general purpose caliber.

 

[H&Hhunter]

but a .270 is probably the better general purpose caliber

Say WHAAAAATTTT??????

I have to agree that the .270 might be a better long range flat shooting deer, pronghorn and sheep/Mt goat caliber. But for "general purpose" which includes stuff like moose, brown bear, big elk, African plains game ETC. the .30-06 is a better "general purpose" caliber.

 

[Bexar]

^^^The OP requested a deer and hog caliber but I agree with you. The one thing I do like about a .270 is longer bullets per bullet weight contributing to penetration. That said...I can reach over and grab a 30-06 round with my right hand and a 30-06 rifle with my left and not have to leave my seat. The problem is...a 30-06 is so good and versatile, as you said, I almost feel I have to apologize for it. It does sound like he needs to consider the .308 Winchester in an AR platform because he did mention future suppresser possibilities.

 

[brainwake]

If price wasn't a factor, I would choose the Browning BAR ShorTrac Hog Stalker in 308. I also like the Ruger Mini 30.

 

[Scrumbag]

I'm with Brainwake on the BAR. Or perhaps the BLR. Probably in .308 or .30-06 (I reckon the most flexible hunting round on the planet).

Optics worth thinking about. Quality light transmission or fixed power.

Remember to think about "The rule of 7"

Your pupil will dilate to a maximum of ~7mm. The size of the circle of light which a scope lets through is decided by objective dia. / magnification.

Therefore to let maximum light through, an 8x scope needs a 56mm objective, 6x -> 42mm etc.

Now, it doesn't need to be religiously 7 as your eye dilates less with age but stick towards 6 or 5.5. You are far more likely to run out of light or have too much magnification rather than not have enough.

Whatever you choose, happy hunting!

ATB,

Scrummy

 

[agtman]

If price wasn't a factor, I would choose the Browning BAR ShorTrac Hog Stalker in 308. I also like the Ruger Mini 30.

If the Mini-30 was actually accurate, or could be readily accurized, I'd agree.

Then it would be preferable to most .308 ARs, because it would be lighter to tote a field, kill hogs just as well, and 7.62x39 ammunition is certainly cheaper, including the so-called premium "hunting" loads featuring a SP projectile.

I like the idea of the BAR, though.

 

[brainwake]

I think I would actually need two of the BAR's...one of the gloss ones to hang on the wall, and the camo one to stumble around in the woods with.

 

[GaSwamper]

I admit hard to beat the old cheap sks for up close piggy work but man where's the love for 6.8?? I thought everyone knew that 120 sst out of a 6.8 spcII was the choice of death for hogs everywhere.