what is your preferred caliber for hog hunting

S

sandman31774

New member
some say 223 is fine...i disagree...i would want much more punch for a hog...not talking headshots....223 would do that...but body shots at 150yds and less.
 
While I am a hog dogger I would not intentionally hunt a hog with less than .30-30 I would not use a .243 but might use a .270.
Brent
 
I have shot hogs with rifles from 243 to 8mm RemMag, and my favorite for hogs and everything else is my 7X57 with 140 gr Noslers at 2750 fps. Good balance of power, penetration, and low recoil. Really, any round that will down a deer will kill a hog.
 
To me it depends on where the hunting is taking place.

In North America, I'd say a 7mm or .30 caliber would suffice.

In Africa (Warthog, Red River Hog/Bush Pig, Giant Forest Hog), I'd bump it up to a minimum of .338.

In Central and Eastern Europe (HUGE Russian boars), nothing less than a 9.3 something.

In Australia, definitely a 9.3 or .375.
 
Last edited:
We get some scary big pigs in the Aussie outback ... the .303 round is perfect for just about anything in our climate and so it is.
 
Sandmann, I've shot pigs both in my home state of FL and a couple places where the AF has sent me. I've never kept track of total count, but suffice to say its been plenty (probably ~ 50-60). Here's my observations:

My .308 w/150 gr SPs has never left me wanting. Everytime I've connected, they've gone down. I've had a bad shot or two and there was always enough damage to anchor the pig until I could follow up. Biggest pig was ~ 300 lbs.

My daugter shot her first pig last Nov with a .243 youth shooting the Winchester 95 gr silvertip. ~250 hoof weight sow, ~20 yards, pass through shot placed textbook behind the shoulder on the lower third. The pig stayed on its feet for 10 seconds, then dropped. I hunted with friends in FL for about 8 years who only shot .243 and every pig they connected with in the vitals was a done animal. A couple gut shot ones we had to track considerably. Most were shooting the 100gr SPs.

Groomsman in my wedding shot .270 growing up using the 130 gr SPs. The funny part was he had a hell of a time anchoring deer inside 100 yards, but hogs were not a problem. Bullet expansion was the issue. I watched him zap a doe at 90 yards. First shot, no reaction. Second shot, doe stands there, then trots off.:eek: We went up there thinking he missed completely, but wanted to look for sign to make sure. After tracking her 200 yards, we found both rounds within 1.5 inches of each other through the lungs. The exit wounds gave me the impression the bullet didn't expand. Smaller pigs might present this problem if the correct bullet is not chosen.

.223 is fine for head/neck or close range shots. I've done plenty of that with a Mini-14 doing extermination on ranchland. But your right, long range, light gr bullets, not the best choice.

Assuming feral pigs in the US and not going after Uber porkers in some unique area, I think anything from .243 up would work well. Just go with the heavier bullets in the smaller calibers if you decide that route.
 
Ok ... this is an example of the types of pigs you might encounter in the Aussie Outback. This pig was shot on a cattle station in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They shot it because it was eating their dogs!

giant-feral-pig.jpg


According to an article in the January 2007 issue of Sporting Shooter, however, the boar was shot on a cattle station in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The article notes that the giant was first spotted during a helicopter muster on the station. During a subsequent windmill run, the station owner came across the pig and shot it. The last of the available film in the camera was used to capture the one and only photograph of the beast. The scales used to weigh the animal had a maximum capacity of 200 kg (440 lb). However, the station owner estimated that the pig weighed around 220kg (485 lb) dressed. Sporting Shooter estimates the live weight of the boar would have been more than 300kg (660 lb). Although the region where this giant was shot is quite arid, wild pigs in the area are known to grow unusually large.
Click to expand...
 
Holy oinkers, Batman! That's a BIG PIG! I'd agree with the article, that thing's way bigger than 450!

Not sure if I would shoot that if I saw it or run away!
 
I've killed most of my hogs with a .50 muzzleloader using a 240 grain .430 XTP bullet in the short black sabot along with two Pyrodex pellets. Over 90% of them were bang flops.

Hogs are not hard to kill if they are hit right. The gun and bullet have not been made that will turn a gut shot into a bang flop 100% of the time. Have also killed some hogs with the .223 and the military M193 ball round: It works well on hogs.
 
I haven't personally hunted hogs, but I'm aware that around south and southeast Texas, where they're a problem, the .50 Beowulf is one favored hog hunting gun.
 
The .44Mag in either sixgun or levergun format. Also any one of three .30-30's. I like either a good cast bullet or the 270gr Gold Dot.
 
usually nothing less than a .308 and always pack a sidearm, at least a .357 Mag. But its been awhile since I have hunted hogs, need to find somewhere around here thats willing to get rid of some.
 
These days I hunt hogs mainly with my 308. For years though I hunted with a 22-250 as this was the only rifle I owned. I never lost any pigs when using the 22-250, but a 308 will drop them quicker specially if the pigs are running directly away & only present a rear-end target.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top