Good .22 Magnum for hogs?

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FTG-05

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Not my first choice by a long shot, but the AL WMA rules are that you can hunt hogs with any legal gun during any legal hunting season.

To whit: deer guns during deer season, squirrel guns during squirrel season, turkey guns during turkey season etc.

Deer gun season lasts about 5-7 days plus there is a special feral swine hunt that lasts 2 weeks where deer guns can be used. The rest is either squirrel or turkey season or no season at all. Squirrel season lasts from Oct. to the end of Feb.

What I'd really like is one of those Winchester .22 magnum lever actions, but the prices on Gunbroker etc. take your breath away.

So what other good .22 magnum hog guns are there out there? Shorter and lighter is better i.e.no 24" barrels please.

What you got?

Thanks,
 
I have a Ruger 77/22 mag stainless all weather that shoots pretty good. Don't know how it would do on a hog of any size, save a head shot on a still target so I could pick an exact spot.
 
I have killed hundreds of wild ferral hogs all the way up to 300lbs with a 22 mag and 22 hornet. It will work fine, right behind the ear. Turns them off like a light switch.

Magnum Research 22 WMR, carbon barrel.

Of a CZ 527 Lux in 22 hornet.

I personally use a Springfield Armory M4 Survial gun in 22 hornet over 410.
 
I would find a different guide. This is one of the times where I think magnumitius is a good thing. That's a really mean animal that will be really ****** off once you shoot it, you better make sure it is dead the first time. 44 mag or bigger on the hand gun, and something big enough in a rifle caliber to make it do a back flip would be my preferred starting point.

That's the one animal whose teeth really make me scared.
 
i often hunt on a huge piece of government property that is restricted to the use of a shotgun and small shot or a rimfire rifle in small game season. The place is over-run with wild hogs. i have killed a few dozen hogs there with my .22 magnum. Yep, a .22 magnum is not the ultimate hog round but it will put a big boar hog down if you hit him in the right place.

A couple hogs that i killed with a .22 magnum approached 300 pounds. When you put the bullet in a hogs ear at 40 yards it does not matter if the bullet is fired from a .22 LR or a .450 Lott: The hog bang flops.

My shots are restricted to 50 yards and less. The round i use is the 40 grain CCI full metal jacket.

This boar hog was killed by me using a .22 long rifle at about ten yards:

CopyofBoar25Sep07001.jpg
 
I would say how far do u want it to run? but I don't know 22 mags performance. I wouldn't hesitate for 223 but that has our friend velocity on Its side
 
Did you see the right up in American Rifleman Last month on the 22mag.

With three different loads, the author was able to penetrate 18 inches of Ballistic Gel at 50 yards. Try that with your 223.

I remember one of the rounds was CCI Gamepoint and the Remington Accu Tip


The 22 mag and the Hornet rounds have the happy blend of speed and weight. Take a 40gr bullet and push it above 2800Fps and you wil get less penetration. You will find that a 22 mag is more than enough for the biggest 2 and 4 legged varmint.

Food for Thought?
Colorado Game and Fish caught a man they trailed for 8 years, that killed 18 Elk with a 22 Hornet. Shot placement, shot placement.
 
Once you track down the rifle, I would like to suggest ArmsCor or Fiocchi 40 gr Soft Points for your ammunition (it's the same stuff). It's about the cheapest .22 WMR ammo you can find, and the bullet should be tough enough to do the job well - while still offering expansion.

I believe Henry offers a .22 WMR lever action.
 
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I am not sure what the law says in your state, but here in Wa the phrase any legal weapon means that you have to have a minimum caliber for big game. ie they wont let us shoot deer with a 22 cal. no matter what we are also hunting for. Check and see if the rules allow a larger caliber for hogs even if your in a squirrel season. I also would not choose the 22 for hogs unless that was my only choice. but the mobile slaughter guys around here use a 22 mag for cows at 10 yards ( that reminds me I once saw a pig take 3 rounds behind the ear to go down:eek:)
 
I have a Marlin 882SS that came with a 22" barrel. I had 5 3/4" cut from it by my ffl at the time, giving it a 16 1/4" tube. Then put a sling on it, and topped it with a 2-7 Leupold.

Very handy little rifle, and I have less than $350 into it, including the scope. I s'pose if I was going to use a .22 mag on a hog, that gun would be it. It'll shoot the primers out of shotgun hulls at 40 yards, so no excuses if I miss.

Daryl
 
Not my first choice by a long shot, but the AL WMA rules are that you can hunt hogs with any legal gun during any legal hunting season.

To whit: deer guns during deer season, squirrel guns during squirrel season, turkey guns during turkey season etc.
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Do they let you hunt small game with a muzzle loader? I have killed a 180lb feral hog with a .22 lr but I had a great angle and the pig was only about 30yds away.
 
If you're restricted to shotguns, how about using slugs? As far as the .22 Mag, in my humble opinion you need a bigger gun. Will it kill a hog with the perfect shot? Of course it will. There are more deer killed in the U.S. every year with a .22LR than any other caliber you can name (poachers) but would you recommend a .22 for deer hunting? You need a bigger gun. Goatwhiskers
 
I am not sure what the law says in your state, but here in Wa the phrase any legal weapon means that you have to have a minimum caliber for big game.
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In most places, the size restriction is limited to critters classed as "Game"... In most places, wild hogs are classed as "Feral domestic livestock and property of the landowner". Here in Fla. we can use any round, any day of the year. Exception being state and/or WMA lands and the powers of these places are the rightful owners of the feral domestic livestock and can any rules they wish on the take of said critters...

Brent
 
If you're restricted to shotguns, how about using slugs?
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Check and see if the rules allow a larger caliber for hogs even if your in a squirrel season.
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Nada, No!!! Not allowed on the federal property that i hunt in small game season. No muzzleloaders allowed either. Most of the Oklahoma WMAs allow a hunter to use a shotgun and small shot or a rimfire rifle in small game season: Period.

Private property is another matter. You can hunt hogs on private property in OK using any legal gun.

Shot placement, shot placement.
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+1
It's all about shot placement. i've never had a hog that was hit in the ear do anything other than flop over dead.
 
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