Hog Hunting help wanted

[Colonel Custer]

I'm wanting to go wild boar hunting, for those who do this please review the list of rifles I have available:

7.65x53 Argentine Mauser bolt action(I can shoot sub inch groups consistantly with it)

7.62x54 Mosin Nagant bolt action

8mm Mauser (yugo 24/47) bolt action

.44 magnum lever action Marlin

I will be carrying a .45 as a side arm just in case.

With the exception of the 44 I will be using spbt Privi Partisan ammo.

 

[Hansam]

I'm no hog expert (actually I've never hunted hog before so don't take my advice too seriously) but I'd say any of the listed rifles would suffice in taking hog. The .44mag has a tendency to drop like a rock after a hundred rounds so you might have to lob the bullet over to a hog farther away than that but I'm pretty sure a .44mag out of a rifle/carbine will do the job out to 200yds.

As for your side arm I'm hoping you're talking about holstering a .45LC as a side arm and not a .45acp. I love my 1911 and the .45acp round but frankly I'd consider it a bit (ok very) anemic for hogs. I've seen too many videos where an entire mag has to be emptied into the hog to even incapacitate it enough so as not to be a threat much less kill it.

 

[Doyle]

Any will work. With any of those calibers it will be shot placement that matters so take the one you can shoot best.

 

[Keg]

I have killed a number of hogs with a 1911..45 ACP.... Your rifles/carbine are sufficient....

 

[Mayor Al]

We used Win Model 100 in .308 and a Saiga 12 gauge Slug-gun last year in Texas scrub country to take several Hogs. This year we will use a Ruger 44 mag carbine (wife) and a Ruger Mini-30 7.62x39mm for me. I carry a Charter 44 Spl in a holster for 'back-up', and the 308 will be available if the guide thinks that power is a better choice.

Your 44 mag carbine should do fine in brush country. The Military rifles are powerful enough, but my be a bit un comfortable in close in country.

Much depends on the landscape where you are hunting.

 

[Jack O'Conner]

44MAG is a fine hog gun. I load Speer 270 grain deep curl bullet. Same trajectory as typical 240 grain bullet but better penetration.

Jack

 

[Eghad]

All of the above.

 

[BIG P]

The one you shoot the best,& can handle the fastest,Hogs dont wait around 1st,shot they haul ass. The .44 lever gun would good up close.Really depends on what kind of hunting your using,Stands,dogs,stalk.Even nights but all you have will work well Good luck.

 

[Water-Man]

Of the guns you have available, I'd go with the .44 Mag.

I've sent a few to hog heaven using a .44 Mag revolver, so your rifle will work fine.

 

[Scorch]

Any cartridge capable of killing a deer will drop a hog. Any of the choices listed will work fine.

I have killed pigs with 30-30, 7X57, 8X57, 8mm Rem Mag, 375 H&H, 11X60mmR Mauser, 357 Magnum, 45ACP, and 12 gauge. I recommend something easy to shoot rather than a cannon. Pigs can't tell the difference anyway.

 

[Saltydog235]

Pigs ain't hard to kill

Anything that you mentioned will kill one of those stinking vermin. You don't need an artillary piece to kill a pig, you don't need a sidearm or magnum anything to kill a pig and your chances of being mauled, maimed or killed by a pig are about the same as being struck by lightening. Heck the prefered method of most hog runners around here is to get a couple of dogs and a sharp knife, that's it. Some of you guys need to quit watching so many of these BS shows on TV that make these oversized rodents out to be dangerous game.

 

[arch308]

Hogs aren't all that hard to kill except the really big boars. Still at the proper range the 44mag will work just fine.
Hog hunting is not usually dangerous as they usually run away as soon as they see you but their eyesight is fairly poor and when spooked they can freak out and "charge" you. They can hurt you! I wouldn't consider them dangerous game but when cornered they can be aggressive and have been known to maim both dogs and people.
Your 45 sidearm is a good idea IMO.

 

[Saltydog235]

Big boars aren't any harder to kill than the piglets unless you insist on trying to shoot straight through the shields on the shoulders. Put it behind his ear or slip it behind the shoulder at the right angle and down he goes. He might kick a few minutes longer and thrash around a bit but he ain't bullet proof if you hit him in the right place. Heck behind the ear usually creates a thump and cloud of dust where it hits the ground so hard.

 

[rickyrick]

Shoot what you are most comfortable with and have the best ammo for.

I can take them all day long with a .223 to the neck or lower chest right behind the leg. Low-low chest I mean.

Also 9mm 45colt will work.

The neck is a fairly large target area. That's the best bet as the chest can be unpredictable a small percentage of time. The all famous head shot can have less than ideal outcomes also. The neck will most always put them down on the spot.

 

[Woody55]

Lot's of good advice up above.

I agree that any of those cartridges will kill a wild hog.

As for which weapon to use, it depends on how and where you are going to hunt. If you are going to walk through the woods things are going to happen quickly, and I suggest the .44 Mag Marlin. If you are going to sit in a tree stand and shoot out into a pasture, one of the bolt action rifles would be better.

At our place, you don't see much beyond 50 yards anyway. So I use a Winchester 94 in .30/30 with a peep sight. I actually unscrew the aperture and use the hole it screws into as the rear sight because the hole is bigger and it's quicker to line up a shot.

Whoever above said they don't hang around waiting to get shot is right!

 

[Keg]

Hogs are not hard to kill unless they are big old boars....They need to be hit in the right spot..(as mentioned).. This could be the difference in them falling in their tracks or running 2 miles first.....Smaller ones..no big deal....As far as their eyesight..they see much better than I used to think..and their sense of smell is very very good....If they sense anything out of the ordinary..they are gone in a flash....