Rem 870 w/rifled Barrel or Marlin Guide in 45-70 for Hogs?

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vitesse9

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Thinking of trading my mini 30 for something with more punch. Primary purpose will be hogs. Range probably won't get beyond 50 yards. Will buy a 30-06 next season for deer and longer ranges. This gun will only be needed to fill the close range niche.

The Marlin Guide gun is a fine piece, but it's a little expensive and I doubt I'd get a lot of use out of it beyond a hunt or two a season. On the other hand, I would get an improved choke barrel for the 870 and thus also have a verstile, short barrel shotgun for the truck or around the house.

Any thoughts?
 
Guide guns aren't all that expensive. But, you could certainly get an 870 and an extra barrel for the same price. Frankly, I believe that the 1895G is the premium hog hunting tool out there, but as long as you kept your shots under 50 yards, an 870 with slugs wouldn't be such a bad step down. Lord knows you'll have more gun for more seasons.

If you go with the 870, do this: put GOOD sights on the shotgun and make sure the trigger's pretty good. Then take a sissy bag and your shotgun and several brands of slugs to the range, and see which brand your shotgun likes best. There's usually a pretty wide disparity between the best load and the worst for a given shotgun. (But don't forget that sissy bag-- slug testing from the bench can make for a very sore shoulder!)
 
A 45-70 works well for many things ,boar, deer, moose, elk ,etc .Factory 300s are fine for deer , sighted in at 100 yds they drop 5" at150 and 12" at 200 yds.A marlin should give you 1 1/2" groups at 100 yds.
 
#1 hog huntin' buddy has 45/70 guide gun and loves it.

But, 870 still a good choice for somewhat less $. And at least Remington now offers "low recoil" slug loads (1200 fps) that have plenty of energy and are plently flat out to at least 50 yards. I got another 5-pack yesterday at Sportsman's Warehouse for $2.50. Not too hard on the shoulder or the budget.

Out of my 870 with screw-in modified choke and factory bead sight, from 50 yards they group about "minute of pie plate" for me from standing position. Which is good enough for the typical heavy cover and hogs we hunt.
(Game warden said "Kill 'em if ya can. If ya can't kill 'em, just put as much lead in 'em as ya can. They'll eat each other." ) :)
 
Both the .45/70 and the 12 Ga slug gun are good hog killers. Both of them have a lot more versatility than just being hog guns. I think you should buy both.
On my last hog hunt, I took my Remington with the 20 inch rifle sight barrel, and a Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag.
 
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