Best Hog Hunting Guns

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My first hog was with a lever action .45/70 shooting Hornady Leverevolution ammo and it performed GREAT. I took several hogs with that gun and ammo.

For a while, I was hunting with 5.56 using various ammo, setting on using TTSX rounds loaded by Silver State Armory. I liked the lack of recoil and ability to do followup shots and offhand shoot effectively, but spent additional time tracking hogs as a result.

Then I changed to a .308 bolt gun and also had great success running 150 gr. hunting ammo.

A year and a half ago, I had some medical issues and had to lay off recoil for a while (though I am find, now) and went with a 6.5 Grendel (very similar ballistics to 6.8 spc, BTW, for normal hunting distances) using Hornady SST 123 gr. ammo and I think I finally found the sweet spot between recoil and terminal ballistics. It has a little more recoil than .223, but a LOT LESS than .308, but thusfar, seems to drop them as well as my .308 ever did.

I still break out the other rifles occasionally. If I am going to day hunt, the .45/70 is what I take. The others I take out for nostalgia. My go-to gun is the Grendel, however.
https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange
 
I'm afraid I have to take exception to the comments comparing hogs to cockroaches. A person can find lots of ways to justify about anything, but that doesn't make it right. If a person is to destroy any warm blooded creature, he should take the time to consider how to do it humanely. I have shot more hogs than most guys, and I wouldn't be doing it with any marginal calibers if I had no confidence in their ability to kill the hog in a competent manner. I routinely use a .22lr to kill them in traps where it is possible to shoot one between the eyes at close range, but other than that larger calibers are preferred. A .223 is sufficient if you are in a position to put in into the shoulder area, and anything bigger will do just as well.
Just because a hog roots up a pasture looking for food is not a reason in my book to make one suffer. An animal doesn't have to be labeled as a "game" animal to deserve the right to die without suffering.
 
Stoney, I wasn't even talking about marginal weapons, which is debateable. I'm talking about this and previous statements about shooting a hog with the purposeful intent of wounding it in hopes that it "dies of infection" later. I've ignored them before, but he seems intent on flaunting his pleasure in inflicting pain on these animals, and daring someone to challenge him.

Ohio has an erradication policy, as they are an invasive species, and I support killing every one you come across if that is legal in your state. Humanely. ..22 is also the weapon of choice for dispatching hogs in a trap here as well.
 
Inflicting pain and unnecessary cruelty on a hog? Sir, I've killed hogs with rifle, pistol, shotgun, knife, bow, dogs, boot heel, tree trunk and a boat paddle. Give it time and maybe I can get a spear/axe/club involved in the mix. I do my level best to kill the animal where it is but, if it gets away on a marginal shot, I'm not heading into a swamp at dark in order to retrieve said vermin the way I would a deer. I'd rather shoot them in the ear with a .243 than anything, that's just good fun.

90% of them I shoot go into a ditch so the buzzard and worms can eat, they just aren't that good to eat when they live in a pine forest. We don't hunt or manage hogs as a game animal, we use them as targets of opportunity since they impact the deer movement and numbers in our area. They breed and multiply like roaches. We hunt them with dogs and once the catch dog has them we stick a knife in. Other times the dogs will tear them apart before you can catch up to them. I guess you'd consider a 80lb pit ripping a 40lbs or under piglet to shreds inhumane, to me that's part of the game.

I hate a feral pig, I loathe a sounder of feral pigs and will do my dead level best to kill ever single one I see. I do this because I love a deer, I love quail, turkeys, woodcock, ducks and about every other GAME animal we have that hogs affect in a negative way.

With that said, the best hog gun is the one you have handy at the time, whether it is a 17HMR or a .416 Rigby or something in between. There is no perfect hog gun, anything you can get into the vitals or the brain pan does the job. End of story.

What it boils down to is you do not have even the vaguest idea of what some of us deal with as far as hogs are concerned.
 
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All you who have all the love for the hogs need to see how much you would love them if they cost you the amount of money they cost us around here. They took out 40 Acres of my commercial Milo crop in one night. If anyone wants to write me a check for that crop, then I will know you are a true humanitarian who loves the hogs. Until then, it is open slaughter season on them around here. "Kill them clean or kill them with Gangrene" is the saying around here. If possible, I kill them clean. If all I can manage is a frangible round in the rear of the running hog; then that is what they get. I have been known to chase them while unloading buckshot into the vermin.
 
I understand what you are saying. I've killed more than can possible be eaten... I've given away and donated only a small percentage, the numbers of pigs are overwhelming... I've always done my best to ensure a clean kill.... Like you, if one runs off, I'm not going to look for it at 1:00am.... As long as it can't breed.

Now if a person believes that the process of killing a mammal is pain free, they are too far away from the animal at the time of death....

The only way the animal may not suffer is to destroy it's central nervous system... Very few "sporting" hunters will take the shot needed to do that.
The consensus among the sport hunting community is the heart lung shot.. Why? Because the hunter knows it is a pretty good guess that the animal will die eventually, but it's not instant. It will suffer; bullet in the lungs, arrow in the lungs, buckshot... Whatever it's going to suffer. How long? You can't predict with certainty, but it will die and I don't want to go out this way....

To me the most ethical hunting is hunting done out of necessity:
Feed your family because you need meat
Protect your family, animals and property..
Anything else is killing for fun.

To stay on topic,

Anything that you can shoot well for the distance attempting the shot.

I've used everything center fire .308 and under
Numerous pistols as well
My style, .223 was the most effective
 
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If you ever lost cattle because of disease transmitted by hogs, your sympathy goes out the window real quick.

that being said, still hunt humanely.
 
Well said sir....

If you've ever been up all night nursing a calf, or kid (baby goat)... Donkey, horse or wherever only to loose that animal later on due to feral pigs, dogs or other non-game animal; your attitude will change towards pigs.
 
I have a Texas buddy who swears by 12 gauge slugs. I haven't personally shot any hogs, but I can't imagine how any .308 caliber slug would be less effective.
 
Well I appreciate the responses yall and am looking forward to hearing more. And my main carry for hogs is a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 in .300 Blackout and a Glock 20 on my side at all times. But depending on the hunt I can tend to change my rifle scheme up a little bit at times. If I am just sitting in a very open pasture with high visibility and the possibility of a shot over 200 yards I carry a Winchester Model 700 in .270 with a 6-18x bushnell dusk & dawn scope. But if I am hunting while constantly moving on foot which is nearly all the time I carry my M&P 15. I also use the M&P if I am doing close quarters hunting. And if I am hunting in some of the dense jungle woods that are so numerous around here where I have maybe a 5 yard field of view at the longest I just go in with my Glock 20. That being said a huge majority of the hogs that I have killed have been killed with a .243 single shot shooting 100 grain bullets. I have had great success with that .243 and have dropped up to 350 pound hogs in their tracks with it with shoulder shots. But the AR-15 platform is highly addictive so when I got my M&P a few years ago I have not carried the .243 since. Also I have had great success with a 12 gauge Winchester 1100 shotgun with 000 buckshot in the dense woods that I was refering to earlier but since I have got my Glock 20 I have not used the shotgun since. But if money and availability were no issue I think that the best all around hog hunting gun would be an AR-15 in 6.5 Grendel because it has big and heavy enough bullets for pigs and it has very good ballistics for an AR caliber as well as having excellent long range capabilities. Because with my .300 Blackout I am limited to 200 yard shots but it it excellent up close. And I think the AR platform is perfect for hogs and the 6.5 Grendel cartridge is something that you can shoot out of an AR and not be limited to power or range as is the case with most AR calibers. But there are many other good choices too. Also I see that some of the posts on this thread have gone back and fourth about the ethical killing of hogs. My personal opinion on this is and how I go about these issues in the field is that if I get a good clean shot on a hog I am going to take it and I ALWAYS try to get a good clean ethical shot on a hog but if all that the hog presents me with is a gut shot or hindquarter shot or any shot that will likely not result in a clean kill, I will still take the shot no matter what on a hog. I was raised to kill hogs on sight no matter what. If I am out fishing or checking cattle and all I have is a .22 lr and I come up on a group of hogs and all I can get is a gut shot I am going to take it because at least down here in Texas hogs are not looked at as wild game or trophies, they are considered non native invasive pests that cause massive damage to crops and hay meadows. Now I would never dream of taking a risky shot on a deer because we look at them as wild game and trophies. But not hogs. Hogs are in the same catergory as coyotes around here, you just kill them on sight by any means. But that is just mine and nearly everybody's around this neck of the woods opinions, its just different strokes for different folks.
 
My personal opinion on this is and how I go about these issues in the field is that if I get a good clean shot on a hog I am going to take it and I ALWAYS try to get a good clean ethical shot on a hog but if all that the hog presents me with is a gut shot or hindquarter shot or any shot that will likely not result in a clean kill, I will still take the shot no matter what on a hog. I was raised to kill hogs on sight no matter what. If I am out fishing or checking cattle and all I have is a .22 lr and I come up on a group of hogs and all I can get is a gut shot I am going to take it because at least down here in Texas hogs are not looked at as wild game or trophies, they are considered non native invasive pests that cause massive damage to crops and hay meadows. Now I would never dream of taking a risky shot on a deer because we look at them as wild game and trophies. But not hogs. Hogs are in the same catergory as coyotes around here, you just kill them on sight by any means. But that is just mine and nearly everybody's around this neck of the woods opinions, its just different strokes for different folks.
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I think fewer people would have been willing to help you knowing your double standard proclivity for intentional, unethical gut shooting.
 
hog hunt

WOW, it's getting hot. Just pictured a 300 pound coakroach and a pulled roach sandwich.

Anyway, I've hunted hogs with .444 Marlin, .358 Bellm and .41 mag.

The one that drops them every time is my rifle barreled Contender in 7x30 Waters.

Granted, I do try and wait for a head shot as not to damage any meat.
 
I think fewer people would have been willing to help you knowing your double standard proclivity for intentional, unethical gut shooting.
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This^^^

The idea that so called "sportsmen" would intentionally cause animals to suffer is repugnant to me.
 
The idea that so called "sportsmen" would intentionally cause animals to suffer is repugnant to me.
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Who's advocating the suffering of animals? It's a pig, not a deer, elk, antelope, bear or any other sort of game animal. No one is intentionally shooting one in order for it to suffer, we just don't go to great lengths to recover if a marginal shot is made on nasty vermin. It's really no different than shooting woodchucks or other varmints.

Let me ask you high and mighty folks a question, when you duck/dove/pheasant or other winged animal hunt, do you track those birds you know are hit but still fly off, they're warm blooded and suffering by being wounded? Do you track them to the point you wear them down so they can be recovered? Do you only take sure shots where you know you're going to kill that bird, meaning you never miss or wound? If you answer no to one of the criteria listed above yet are throwing stones at a person shooting a pig, you're a hypocrite.

Some of you might want to take up knitting and crochet. Blood sports are bloody, crap happens, you do your best. Eradication is a messy business, some of you need to face the reality of that. Do you think the Pigman and Ted shows on TV show all the wounded ones that got away to die a slow death? No, they don't, yet I bet some of you tune in and stay glued to the TV hoping for a chance to one day jump on a chopper and gun down hogs.
 
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Who's advocating the suffering of animals?
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Looks like you are.

Whatever I have with me at the time. Anything to put lead in one whether it dies on the spot or runs off and dies.
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Reminds me of the local bunch who bragged of running down 38 hogs with 4 wheelers and pickups. There were crippled and dying hogs all over that area for days afterward.

After these fine upstanding sportsmen finished their boasting a friend of mine simply stated: "What would Jesus think". There was dead silence.

Go ahead and rant, i'm done with this one.
 
No sir, I'm not advocating the suffering of any animal, even hogs. I'm saying that you have to deal with them as best you can. If I shoot a hog with whatever I have it either dies on the spot or runs off and dies, just as long as it dies. It's a hog, I don't place them in the same category as game animals. If you had a rat infestation, would you recover every one you poisoned? Wouldn't killing them with poison be cruel, induce suffering and be inhumane? How is an infestation of pigs any different, if I recall someone made mention of warm blooded animals above, rats and mice are warm blooded, so are woodchucks and prairie dogs, possums, coons and armadillos, yet those animals are killed for fun, many are wounded and left to suffer.

What about the goose eradication programs? How many wounded geese fly off to succumb to infection later on. Geese are considered game.

Some of you are trying to put a feral hog on the level with a deer/game animal, they aren't, they are vermin.
 
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If you've ever been up all night nursing a calf, or kid (baby goat)... Donkey, horse or wherever only to loose that animal later on due to feral pigs, dogs or other non-game animal; your attitude will change towards pigs.
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So this is like a "justice" thing or something? The animal carried the disease that caused my cow to suffer, or destroyed crops, so its fine for all animals of said species to suffer over days with gut shots, infections, or gangrene before dying because they deserve it? But Lyme disease and corn crop destruction from deer doesn't count?

Nobody is condemning not recovering pests and varmints. This is strictly about how long they suffer before they die, and it being deliberate. Its about why its okay for one hoofed mammal to suffer, while other hoofed mammals should not because of a "game" classification. In some states, hogs are "game". Do your "ethics" still hold if you hunt there? Bad things happen when the most ethical and responsible people hunt. Nobody expects you to recover your wounded hog that ran off, but if you made the lousy shot, and you are an ethical hunter, it is your responsibility to finish it, to the best of your ability. Nobody demanding head shots and "instant death". That's quite an extreme argument to rationalize dying over a period of days or even longer.

Extermination and pest control are necessary activities that can be enjoyable hunting, but punishing and causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal that obviously feels it as some sort of justice or revenge for doing what they are programmed to do, is a little sick.
 
If I shoot a hog with whatever I have it either dies on the spot or runs off and dies, just as long as it dies.
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No. It's a matter of how long before it dies. You shoot it through the lung and it runs off and dies, God bless you. You purposely put one through the gut, and he dies 4 days later, that is unethical in the sportsman's world, and a little disturbing in the human world.
 
No. It's a matter of how long before it dies. You shoot it through the lung and it runs off and dies, God bless you. You purposely put one through the gut, and he dies 4 days later, that is unethical in the sportsman's world, and a little disturbing in the human world.
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Ahhh, the sportsmans world. I don't shoot hogs/pigs in the sense of a sportsman, I shoot hogs as a means of eradication and control. Therein lies the difference, you are equating them to game status, to most of us who deal with them regularly they are a nuisance animal, vermin, a pest that directly effects the health and well being of livestock and native wildlife much the same way rats and mice would.

I don't purposely shoot them in the guts, I do purposely shoot them anywhere I can.

I treat coyotes the same way, they are exploding around here. They are non-native and were introduced to the area for less than scrupulous means. They are also a scourge on our deer/fawn population.
 
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