What Caliber for Hogs

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Hondo 60

Hondo 60

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When it comes to hunting I'm a total noob.

But next Fall (2013) we're talking about going to Tennessee to go hog hunting.

I'm thinking that's a good reason to buy a rifle.
I'm also a reloader, so I'd like a caliber that can be reloaded.
(current reload 8 handgun calibers & .223 Remington)

So whatcha say?
 
If you gonna reload I would say 45/70 that way no matter the size of the hog or the number it's not gonna stop that bullet.
 
I am partial to 308. I have had lots of success with deer and hog using handloaded 150g Nosler ballistic tips. Usually drops them in their tracks.
 
Anything in a light, fast handling rifle will work, even your .223 - bullet selection and placement will mean more.

One of your handgun cartridges might also do the trick - something like a 357 or bigger
 
You will have plenty of variables. You may want to give this a read.

There is really a wide range of satisfactory cartridges that are suitable. Personally, in brush type country, I like large bullets so I lean towards .44 Magnum, 45-70 and really like the 444 Marlin any of which fired from a short handy carbine type rifle. Again. just me and the cartridge range is wide depending on surroundings and conditions. Give the link a read, it may help you out.

Ron
 
Bigger is better. .30caliber or better if you are on the ground. And have a heavy pistol with you, too. .41mag or better.

They make them big here in the East.

Hogzilla.jpg
 
Glad you found the read interesting. A combination I like is a nice .44 Magnum carbine type rifle complimented by a nice .44 Magnum revolver like a S&W Model 29.

@ Kevin Rohrer, that would be one of those Medina, Ohio hogs. They are much smaller up here in the Cleveland burbs. :) Likely the famous Medina Hogasaurus variety.

Ron
 
223 will do it but so will a 22 short, even on a photoshop hog like the one above. However, I have never killed one too dead and over the years concluded MY minimum was a 139g 7mm partition bullet and up from there. My current "hog gun" is a 458 socom (pretty much the same as a mild 45-70 that runs in a semiauto) with 405g or heavier bullets but that's for night hunting so all shots generally inside 150 yds.
 
One of our club members with a hog infestation on the old family farm says he has not seen anything better than a plain .30-30 and few as good. And he has tried a bunch.

Another goes on guided boar hunts with a BFR .45-70.
 
Whichever caliber you choose Winchester has a new ammo meant expressly for Hogs, it's caller Razorback XT Ammo. It comes in both .223 and .308 because those are the 2 most popular calibers on the AR platform. I read a writeup on the ammo and they say it works VERY well.
http://www.winchester.com/Products/rifle-ammunition/Advanced/Razorback-XT/Pages/default.aspx

You want something with a bullet tough enough to penetrate the plating on their upper areas and then expand when it gets to the vitals. The above suggestions for the .223, .243, .308, 444, 45-70 and a few others are all good choices. I think I would use either a rifle on the AR platform or a levergun because both will provide fast backup shots.
 
I'm new to reloading but not hunting hogs. If your sitting in a good place a simple .22 behind the ear and there's no tracking involved. Their tough but your smart. ;)
Distance is going to involve something that can shoot said distance and what you can shoot decent at that distance.. Male hogs and their plate is no joke. The shoulder area is very well armored on them.
 
I'd vote .44 Mag as well, because you probably have one.

But I've seen hogs taken with a Beretta 92

I've personally taken hogs with a longbow. Blew the arrow right through it.. hog took off running.. found the arrow laying on the ground, stopped to pick it up.. ended up anchoring the hog with the same arrow.
 
I have got them with .22 short and LR, .223, .308, and .270 WSM... Next on the list is a new (to me) .444 Marlin

(and a couple with a bow)

Sent from my HTC One X
 
Bob.. an original Snuffer head on a hard rock maple shaft.. finished arrow weighs 720 grains and has an 18% FOC

I've still got the arrow with the mount.. when I anchored the hog, it was a quartering away shot through the near shoulder blade, and broke the shoulder on the off side.. the tip is curled, otherwise I would still be shooting it..
 
Hondo 60 said:
When it comes to hunting I'm a total noob.

But next Fall (2013) we're talking about going to Tennessee to go hog hunting.

I'm thinking that's a good reason to buy a rifle.
I'm also a reloader, so I'd like a caliber that can be reloaded.
(current reload 8 handgun calibers & .223 Remington)

So whatcha say?
Click to expand...
Are you going to be hunting from a stand or will you be on the ground WITH the hogs? It will make a big difference to your safety.

If in a stand, you are safe from the hog (or its herd-mates) attacking you and you can decide to take or to not take a shot, waiting for perfect bullet placement.

If you are on the ground, you may come upon a hog (or he may come upon you) where the choice to shoot or to not shoot is not yours. Then you want a bullet that has a really good probability of penetrating, intact, to vital organs, no matter what the angle of entry is. If you want a quick stop, something heavy enough to break bones is a good idea, too.

Here's a thread (with an unphotoshopped photo) of a 750 lb boar taken with a .500 Wyoming Express handgun (not my kill). Scroll down about 20 posts to see more pictures of the pig that will convince you the first one was not altered.

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=2911043&m=236106768

Anyhow, if I was on the ground, I would want a heavy, large, bullet. If not in my gun, in the gun in the hands of my (trusted) safety backup.

Good hunting.

Lost Sheep
 
I've always used my 25-06 w/115grain partition. My son uses his 6mm w/95 grain. Daughter killed her first with a 22WMR at 100yards 44CCI HP right behind the ear. Soon she will be using a 7mm-08. Several of the others in our group use the 223, a Socom , a thuty thuty..

Neck shots always deadly, Ear shot always deadly, Hogs anatomy for the boiler room sits a bit lower than one would think. Straight on head shots don't always work. Hog skulls are sloped and bullets can deflect. For a brain kill ideally the bullet needs to traverse both hemispheres. Hence the ear shot placement.

ST~
 
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