Good .22 Magnum for hogs?

I've killed hogs with the .22LR, but you've got to pick your shot. The way I liked to shoot them was to draw an imaginary X on his forehead, with the ears and eyes being the ends of the X. Shoot the cross. That puts it in his brain and he drops like you've turned off a switch. He'll continue to breath for several minutes, but he's done.

A buddy of mine used a Winchester lever .22 mag and said that it was his favorite hog rifle. He accounted for several dozen a year when I hunted with him.

Whether that's legal or not in your jurisdiction is another question entirely. Check your laws before proceeding.
 
.22wmr Is a nasty little round.

If you're still looking to get one, steer clear of the Marlin 983. I bought one and have had nothing but troubles. I sent it back for a second time since I bought it in Feb. for repairs.
 
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.
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My 882SS is an absolute tack-driver. Having it cut down could make the rifle that much more fun. I would have a hard time doing it, though. With the bore thoroughly broken-in, I am getting 2,100+ fps out of that 22" barrel with ArmsCor 40 gr SPs (rated at 1,910 by the manufacturer - but they don't list test barrel length). And, I have been able to achieve over 2,400 fps with a few other loads.


I understand why some of the posters here jumped all over the "Check your local regs" opportunity.
But, as it has been pointed out by others - most of this country considers feral hogs to be nuisance animals. You can use any weapon you want. You could club them to death with a rotten log, in most areas - if you felt the need to do so.

I don't know how much of the south uses similar regulations, but many of the Florida and Alabama WMAs don't allow anything other than a .22 rimfire during Squirrel/Raccoon seasons. (Some Florida WMAs go so far, as to limit legal weapons to only a single-shot pistol, with a certain barrel length, chambered for .22 Short only.) During that time - hogs are still fair game with those weapons.

Posting moral objections, or uninformed assumptions about performance doesn't change the fact that it is legal to use.


Colorado Game and Fish caught a man they trailed for 8 years, that killed 18 Elk with a 22 Hornet. Shot placement, shot placement.
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...Still legal to hunt big game with in Utah.
Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement.
With magnumitis infecting most of the hunting population, it is only the old-timers and true marksman that end up using the "piddly little Hornet", and make damn good kills with it. ;)
 
draw an imaginary X on his forehead, with the ears and eyes being the ends of the X. Shoot the cross.
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Ah Paw Paw you went and told :)

22 mag is one heck of a round to kill an animal with. I killed some boars were pen raised and over 500 lbs with the 22 short I use.

A hog is a hog. We used to catch their jaw in a wire leash and use long bolt cutters to remove them tusks. I used to make knife handles out of the longer ones.
 
A quick check of the Alabama regs says for squirrel and rabbit on Oakmulgee WMA it's legal to use: Shotguns using No. 4 shot or smaller, .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms, and muzzleloading rifles .40 caliber or smaller, or rifles operated by air.


For Turkeys during the season it's legal to use: Shotguns using No. 2 shot or smaller and bows & arrows (no crossbows).

The regs say for feral pigs: Open during any other legal season using weapons and ammunition approved for those hunts (No dogs allowed) (Daylight Hours Only).

Georgia lets us use any muzzleloader for small game but Alabama says .40 cal or smaller. I think I'd rather have a .22 mag in Alabama than a .36 caliber round ball tosser but it's hard to beat a .50 for pigs. In Turkey season, a bow might be better than a shotgun with #2 shot.
 
Clifford L. Hughes

Dear FTG-05:

Let my give you my experience shooting a pig with a .22 long rifle. I bought a sixty pound pig to roast in the ground. I didn't want it to suffer from cutting its throat so I bound its legs front to front and back to back. Then I put the .22rifle against the pig's head just above its eyes. At the shot the pig jumped around like a chicken that just had its head cut off and squealed for five minuets. I was so loud that I thought the police would come. What I'm sharing with you is that a .22 Mag. is no pig gun. Keep me posted on your results using a .22 Mag. on pigs, Please.

Semper Fi.

Gunny Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired

Gunny Clifford L. Hughes
 
I use a .177 pellet rifle to dispatch every hog I have penned or caged and I do not place the muzzle in contact with the skull... ONE SHOT and the big drops to his knees... Once or maybe twice i saw a hind leg twitch.

brent
 
I do trap a lot of hogs, and I use a 22 LR to kill them once they are in the trap. Just tap em in the ear and they're down. Still, I wouldn't want to rely on it more than 30 or 40 yards out. I was going to get a 22 WMR or a 221 Fireball or 22 Hornet, but finally decided to go with a 223. But...be careful picking your shot with the 223. I hit one at maybe 80 yards, and he was quartering away a bit. I tried to put it behind his ear, but I guess all I hit was skull bone. When the 55 grain Nosler BT hit him, all he did was shrug and keep walking. Didn't even run. And ya'll don't bother telling me that I was using the wrong bullet. I already know that. I was coyote hunting at the time, and didn't expect to see a 150 pound hog in daylight. I guess that shooting hogs with little bullets is a lot like what matters in Real Estate - Location, Location, Location.

And my 22 LR is a Winchester 9422. I was in a gunshop 2 years ago getting a rifle repaired and saw it in the rack. The gunsmith offered it to me for $80. That was truly a no-brainer. Nice little lever action. Was scuffed up a bit, but that's Ok. I've shot maybe 40 or 50 hogs of all sizes with it.
 
Dear FTG-05:

Let my give you my experience shooting a pig with a .22 long rifle. I bought a sixty pound pig to roast in the ground. I didn't want it to suffer from cutting its throat so I bound its legs front to front and back to back. Then I put the .22rifle against the pig's head just above its eyes. At the shot the pig jumped around like a chicken that just had its head cut off and squealed for five minuets. I was so loud that I thought the police would come. What I'm sharing with you is that a .22 Mag. is no pig gun. Keep me posted on your results using a .22 Mag. on pigs, Please.

Semper Fi.

Gunny Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired

Gunny Clifford L. Hughes
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Hey Gunny

Not hating just saying.

Your choice of bullet placement was wrong for butchering a pig. 22lr through the ear into the cranial cavity will scramble the brain. Its the path of least resistance. Also for a point blank shot you never place the barrel directly against the skull back it off about an inch and pull trigger.

Then cut jugular while heart is still pumping.

ST~
 
I will, with experience, say that what we think of as "cuttiong the throat" has got to be the most god awful, in-human, noisy and messy way to take a life... ESPECIALLY a thick skinned critter like a hog! I know... I did this ONE TIME!!!

Since then I have learned to "stick" a hog and have toaught countless numbers to do the same. Quiet, minus a few squeals, and very fast. Short of a brainer shot, the most humane kill I can do.

brent
 
OP,

Marlin bolt action, plenty good .22mag rifles. As others have said target the ear,and keep target within a close range ie 40 yards or less. Not always as easy as it sounds..

Hogs are pretty smart and cagey the tend to move around constantly and if they are hunter smart they will run at the least bit of noise. If your stalking. If your stand hunting they can get your smell pretty quick too.

ST~
 
Since then I have learned to "stick" a hog and have toaught countless numbers to do the same. Quiet, minus a few squeals, and very fast. Short of a brainer shot, the most humane kill I can do.
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Sage advice here..

For me, I shoot first then stick..
 
how about a savage in the 22mag or 17hmr

i know alot of people are going to say that the 17 is not as good as the 22mag but i did my own test and the 17hmr with the new 20gn hp from hornady penetrates farther than the 40gn cci 22mag
 
Let my give you my experience shooting a pig with a .22 long rifle. .... What I'm sharing with you is that a .22 Mag. is no pig gun. Keep me posted on your results using a .22 Mag. on pigs, Please.
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.22 LR is not the same as .22 WMR.

It is in a totally different class.
 
I've shot a few with a Ruger ALL WEATHER 22MAG dont know about the biguns but 100lbs.-200lbs good ear shots drop them like a stone. Its a good lite little rifle.:D
 
I have always found the WMA requirements a bit rigid. But they are designed so that you are not out hunting other game (usually deer) under the guise of hunting other legal game (small game). In TN you can't even have for example... shot shells with you when deer hunting or slugs when hunting small game. It is their way of controlling hunting and enforcement. If you have the wrong caliber or ammo and you're caught, you're fined. But you can carry a handgun if you have a handgun carry permit in TN and I assume other states, but you can't "use them". Would that stop me from shooting a feral hog with the handgun? You answer that one.

Those Wincherster 9422M's are nice lever guns. They have gotten pricey. Saw one for $350 a year or so ago and passed because I had no use for a 22 Mag. My mistake.

The 22 Mag from a rifle is far more powerful than your typical 22LR and I think would work fine if you choose your shots fairly carefully. On the other hand, hunting feral hogs is about extermination and if one is wounded... you answer that.
 
I saw a buddy shoot one with a 30-30. It was a bad hit and the hog charged him. He shot it five more times before it fell dead practically at his feet. A hogs internal structure is different from a deer. The heart and lungs are lower. There's a heavy bone shield protecting the chest. It wont stop a bullet but I do wonder if a .22 mag would still have enough oomph to do any damage once it penetrated. I do know I don't want to be charged by a wild boar with nothing but a .22 mag to stop him.
 
As for in the woods with mad, loose hogs... I would consider the .30-30 to be minimal.

For a mad charging hog, I would prefer a KaBar/Buck 119 over most guns with a bore diameter that ain't measured in inches.

Brent
 
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