Mosin for Hogs?

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Hello all! I am going on a hog hunting trip down in Oklahoma at the end of the month. I have never hog hunted before, and want to be sure I'll come home with plenty of bacon and sausage!!! :D

So needless to say, I need a hog rifle. After a bit of thought, I realized my Mosin Nagant M44 might do the job. I'd prefer not to have to go buy a whole new rifle, as money while not tight isn't super plentiful or anything. I'm trying to save up.

What I am wanting to know is do you think a Mosin Nagant M44 carbine with 20" barrel would do okay on Oklahoma hogs?

I would imagine the caliber would be sufficient. What type of 7.62x54mmR ammo would be best for hog hunting?

My particular M44 is a post-war Romanian job, and the rifling is mint condition perfect. This gun will make about a one inch group at 25 yards provided I do my part. I have been shooting Mosin Nagants for years, and they are very natural to me and I can work the bolt from the shoulder very fast.

I have no upgrades to my Mosin, no scopes or anything. Do you think iron sights will be enough?

So what do you all think? Should I go buy a different rifle or will my M44 serve me well in the pig brush? Thanks everyone!!
 
......as for what to feed it, mine does well with either the Privi PPU 150gr soft points or my handloads (47gr of IMR 4064 under a Sierra 150gr soft point).
 
The actual Mosin should be the best possible gun, considering you can skewer the hog immediately after you get it. And if they try to charge you, you can charge back! "fix bayonets!"

Use some Winchester 180 Grain Soft Points, they shoot very well out of my gun, 2" or less. Made by S&B but rebranded by Winchester. Midway should have them.

Make sure you know where that gun is hitting from the least possible distance to the maximum possible distance. Elevation should be the only concern, and you could always slide it up the the 200/300 meter mark to gain some elevation, just know where it's hitting.

Good Luck!
 
Thanks guys. I plan to get some of the Sellier and Bellot 180 grain rounds as I've found them online for cheaper.

About the iron sights though... someone on another board said I should use an optic, especially at night. I'm not sure if it will be day or night hunting, though my friend mentioned the daytime so...what do you guys think?

Will I be severely handicapped with just iron sights?
 
You shouldn't be.

I've hunted small NC Deer with Mauser iron sights at near dark. Mosin Block Type Irons shouldn't be a problem.
 
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What does your buddy say about the hunting conditions?
Range?
Will you have a rest?
Blind?
Dogs?

You need to have confidence you can hit the piggy vitals under the conditions you expect to shoot from. That rifle has more than enough power to do the job.
 
About the iron sights though... someone on another board said I should use an optic, especially at night. I'm not sure if it will be day or night hunting, though my friend mentioned the daytime so...what do you guys think?

Will I be severely handicapped with just iron sights?
Click to expand...

If you are hunting at night, and using night-vision, then a short Mosin (or any carbine with a large case capacity, for that matter) would be a bad choice....... the gaint muzzle flash will, at the very least, temporarily blind any night vision devices.....

....and a mosin would be pretty hard to mount any sort of night vision scope onto .......

.... the Mosin's irons would be pretty useless after sunset.
 
It's obvious that the mosin nagant, even with a slightly shorter barrel, has most of the power of a 30-06 and will have no issue whatsoever "ballistcally" killing any animal on our continent. The problem is the issues cannot be answered by any one person on this forum except for yourself. Accuracy of Mosin Nagant's vary greatly by model, date and most importantly, the previous 100 years of maintenance. The biggest variable being the mosin's shooter. Sounds like you need to get out at different times of the day, with your chosen ammo, and see if this rifle in its current configuration, is going to be able to hit the targets from distances you expect to be shooting. The few M44's I have shot, including my own, are surprisingly accurate after a little getting used to.
 
PHP: 
It's obvious that the mosin nagant, even with a slightly shorter barrel, has most of the power of a 30-06 and will have no issue whatsoever "ballistcally" killing any animal on our continent. The problem is the issues cannot be answered by any one person on this forum except for yourself. Accuracy of Mosin Nagant's vary greatly by model, date and most importantly, the previous 100 years of maintenance. The biggest variable being the mosin's shooter. Sounds like you need to get out at different times of the day, with your chosen ammo, and see if this rifle in its current configuration, is going to be able to hit the targets from distances you expect to be shooting. The few M44's I have shot, including my own, are surprisingly accurate after a little getting used to.

What skizzums said!
 
It's obvious that the mosin nagant, even with a slightly shorter barrel, has most of the power of a 30-06 and will have no issue whatsoever "ballistcally" killing any animal on our continent.
Click to expand...

8 1/2" is really not "slightly shorter" .... is more than 25% of the 91/30's barrle length ..... I have not yet chronographed anything out of my M44, but I'd not try to hunt a grizzly with it .....
 
Regardless of caliber with a head shot from just about any center fire the hog will be DRT. Ive shot hogs with everything from 223 up to 35 remington and the hogs couldnt tell the difference. Never had one go more than 3 feet from where it stood when I shot it. Ya loose no meat and they bleed out a ton.

I usually carry a compact 223, 243, or 7-08. PPU is what I use. Its acceptable on accuracy and leaves a nice exit hole.
 
The Nagant has plenty of power. Whether or not you can use that power depends more on you.

My eyes aren't as good as they once were and the largest pig I've killed was with a .22lr. It was 30 minutes after sunset and I wouldn't have been able to hit the pig behind the ear without a decent scope. I used a Nikon fixed 4X on top of a CZ452 for that pig. I don't think I could have made the shot with iron sights in that light but with the more powerful 7.62x54r cartridge, you can aim for the heart/lung area. If your eyes let you use your Nagant effectively, have at it.
 
Well guys, I just won an M38 carbine on Gunbroker this morning, so I think I'll be taking it along for the hunt provided that it's accurate enough. I like the fact that it doesn't have the bayonet out front, should be quite a bit lighter. :cool:
 
I used a .303 Brit for a time hunting hogs with soft points.
It did the job.
I would shoot them in the neck-spine and the round would go in then exit and blow a hole out the throat of the pig at he same time.

I moved to smaller lighter rifles after that. I've owned a mosin as well; I'm pretty sure that if it's loaded with soft points, the result would be near the same.

For night hunting, you really need a good duplex reticle and a red spotlight.
 
Well guys, I just won an M38 carbine on Gunbroker this morning, so I think I'll be taking it along for the hunt provided that it's accurate enough. I like the fact that it doesn't have the bayonet out front, should be quite a bit lighter.
Click to expand...

In a full power round like the x54r, and especially so out of a short version...... lighter is not your friend!


I ran into a pile of 125gr .311" jacketed bullets this summer in a small shop ..... this winter I'll be working on a plinking load for the m-44 .....
 
Too heavy. And too big/bulky.

I also don't have any optics for it, so IMHO what would I gain by using it? I can't imagine the extra fire power would be needed...
 
The hard to use safety on a mosin is this worst thing I see about using it for hunting. Very hard to get off. Only other solution is to have a empty camber.

I lost a chance at a good buck some years ago when I decieded to take my k31 hunting. Safety is the same idea as a mosin but a little easier. The buck came up on me from behind I was fumbling with the safety and he was just looking at me. He took off buy the time I had it off and was ready to fire. The k31 never went with me again.

Just something to think about.
 
These old milsurps: the easiest way is to have the bolt open, close it chambering a round when ready, fire at animal. No fumbling.
 
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