Best Hog Gun.

Vonfireball, the danger in pig hunting depends almost entirely on how you are hunting. I've only heard of pigs charging in two general situations. One is when using dogs and you corner a nasty one. The other is if you get between a sow and her piglets. Pigs will go out of their way to avoid you.

If you are really planning on downing a big trophy boar, then by all means use enough firepower to muscle through that shield on his shoulder (I've seen them almost 2" thick). However, if you are planning on shooting only a meat hog, any deer rifle will work just fine. Even a varment caliber will work if you place your shots correctly.
 
The only pigs I've ever shot was done from a tower with a .270 130 grain bullet behind the ear did the trick every time. I didn't get any pigs the time I tried to spot and stalk some, but I was using a Marlin 336C in .35 Rem with a red dot scope on it. 200 grain round nose bullet should have thumped any pig enough to stop a charge or turn it even if is only a glancing blow.
 
200 grain round nose bullet should have thumped any pig enough to stop a charge or turn it even if is only a glancing blow.
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I've seen dents/chips in a pig skull from where a 180gr .30-06 just glanced off. A friend of mine banged one in the head (head on shot) with a hot loaded .44mag and still had to run. He looked awful funny hangin from that tree.

I will stick by my earlier suggestion of the CZ in 6.5x55. It's a good solid rifle and the single set trigger really lends itself to target shooting. Great for Deer and Hog and also a flat shooter for the range. My choice for a great all around hunting rifle. In the brush or tight quarters I carry a .454 Puma '92 with 300gr flat points.
 
This is right up there with the best zombie gun. If I had to have one gun for hogs only, it would be an 18.5 inch barrel stainless marlin lever action in .45-70 with a leupold 1x4 powered scope on it, with dual dovetail rings. That should lay any pig to waste under 100 yards.
 
I watched my Grandfather kill many, many hogs for slaughter. His method was always the same, a 22LR right between the eyes and then his pocket knife to cut the juglar to get the blood out. It always amazed me that when hit they would immediately fall over and start twitching. Once a hog turned just as he fired and the bullet glance off and hit a second one. Both immediatly fell down twitching.

He didn't want an immediate kill so that when he cut them the heart would still be pumping and get as much blood out as possible .
 
I started handgun hunting for deer and hogs this year and I decided on the Ruger SRH in 454 Casull. Now I'm a reloder so I loaded some 45LC with 250gr. solid and a couple of Saturdays ago I had 3 hogs and 5-6 piglets walk out under my stand. I sighted in on the largest sow at about 100lbs and opened fire. The 250gr. solid went thru the sow and 1 of her piglets.:eek: So I say try hunting with a handgun for a little more equality in giving the animal a fair chance. It'll really get you heart to pumping.:D
 
lol at you guys 2 posts above. Those stories are sounding like the ones you hear around the camp fire. I believe you though...I have a few of my own.

I am going on my first hog hunt in a few weeks. It is guided but very cheap. We will be hunting from a blind in the morning so I will use my .243 for that. We will also be stalking them with a guide in the afternoon. I will be bringing my .223 Ar-15 for that. I definatley want to be able to shoot again quite quickly if necessary since I will be at eye level with them.

My interest is meat so I will not be going after the trophys...just the sausage and pork chops.
 
Around Texas hogs are a problem and when out I shoot them, this means I have shot many with a wide array of calibers. I was with a buddy that dropped one with one shot broadside at about 15 yards with a Glock 9mm using Blazer FMJ. Then again I have hit one twice with a 243, both body hits, and had to follow it through all kinds of cactus and brush to get a third shot on it, to put it away. I often shoot them with a 357, or a Ranch Rife 223, cause it is what is in the pick-up, and results are usually ok, but the shot has to be broad side. I have seen a 270 fail to do much when the hit was in the shoulder area head on. But when I hog hunt, purposely, I use a 30-30 170 grain PP, or a 30-06 150 grain PP. I guess the point of all this is well placed shots are key like they always are. I definitely could see the use for a fast follow up (semi auto or lever action) due to the fact that multiple targets are often possible.
 
As a hogdogger I assure you that a hog is the meanest animal I will likely encounter! I also know of a couple hog doggers that went out scouting one day... They had guns... I don't know the caliber used but do remember it was a sufficient size over .30-30. One guy popped a fine hog and went after it. He had to crawl thru a thicket and came face to face with a wounded hog. That hog went straight for him. Cut him real deep all the way up his inner thigh and tried to gut him putting some nasty belly gashes on him. He needed serious ER work and tons of stitches. Don't ever consider a hog no longer a threat until he is DEAD! I don't carry a gun when hog hunting as I would never have time to pull and use it. Once my dogs are caught on it the hog is not standing still and dogs are either being used as flags or running in and out so it would be a hindrance to try to shoot. If the hog is winning against my dogs I have to go for in for "the stick" and get the vitals from the arm pit. I have pulled whole broad heads and bullets from the "shield" while butcherin hogs. I have seen the "shield" 2 inches thick on a 2 hundred pound boar hog. Tough animal!
My tip for meat quality is to soak the meat in a cooler of ice for 3 days, drain the water each day and top off with fresh ice. This removes the blood, testosterone and adrenaline released when the hog is either fighting or dying...
Brent
 
My hog gun/guns are a 8mm Mauser scout conversion. I only shoot my handloads in this though, as factory loadings are a little to light for my tastes. My other hog gun is a Raging Bull in .454 Casull
 
"My tip for meat quality is to soak the meat in a cooler of ice for 3 days, drain the water each day and top off with fresh ice. This removes the blood, testosterone and adrenaline released when the hog is either fighting or dying..."


Good post.

Killed 17 hogs last year, most of them with my .50 caliber muzzleloader. Biggest boar went about 365 pounds on the hoof: Surprisingly, the meat was good. We always clean the hog up real well in the field and rinse it out with a couple gallons of water that we carry in the truck.

When we get it home the hog is hung up and hosed down good. This gets a lot of the smell off the animal. In hot weather we get it iced as soon as possible. A lot of the smell goes away when you ice the carcass down well.

At 80-90 degrees a hog will spoil in two or three hours. A lot of them are lost that way.
 
While never one to back down from a scrap I will say that after wrestling a few mad hogs reinforced my decision to NEVER BACK DOWN! They are here to survive and will die fighting... they have much more fight and resolve than yer average street thug!
365 is a big sumbish! It is hard as heck to toss a 200 pounder on his side to tie up so I hate to think about tossing a slob like that to hobble!
Brent
 
"While never one to back down from a scrap I will say that after wrestling a few mad hogs reinforced my decision to NEVER BACK DOWN!"

Never wrestled with a hog. Did go into a plum thicket after a big boar that I wounded: Only thing I had was the muzzleloader. He did come after me and was shot at about 10 feet from me. Now before going after a wounded hog in a thicket I go by the truck and get my rifled barrel Model 870 and some slugs.
 
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