Pig hunting...what gun do you use

[Deerhunter]

I have gone pig hunting the last 2 years. They have been DIY public land spot and stalk hunts.

I took 3 guns with me, not being close to home having back up guns just in case is a good idea. I took a Remington 700 in 270, Remington 870 12 gauge with slugs and a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington.

I have carried the Marlin as my main gun both years. The first year I shot a 90 pound sow. Last year it was more about getting my buddy on a pig as it was his first trip. He got a pig. We saw some more but couldn't get shots. Always a fun couple day trip with the guys.

This year I just added a Marlin 1894G in 45/70. So the shotgun will not stay home.

What guns do you guys like to use for pigs?

For me there is just something about those lever actions I really enjoy

 

[Doyle]

Choice of rifle depends on the location. If I'm sitting in a tree stand over a feeder, I want something light and short (my Remington Model 7 .260). If I'm waking around in the swamps fighting brush and other nasty stuff, I want something easy to totally disassemble and clean if it gets submerged (Stainless T/C Encore). ETC.

Hogs aren't hard to kill - they aren't bullet proof. Choose the rifle that fits your needs at the time.

 

[Bella]

I went boar hunting once, about twenty years ago. I hooked up with a guide just outside of Santa Rosa, California. It was a hunt with dogs.

The guide told me that scopes were not allowed, open sights only.

All my rifles were scoped at the time. I was trying to figure out which one to descope. Some didn't have open sights, so those were not going to work. Besides, I had them all sighted in and wasn't thrilled at the prospect of having to go through that again.

I was a local gun when I spotted a single shot rifle with open sights. It wasn't even expensive. I asked to look at it. It was a New England HandiRifle chambered in 45-70. It only held one round, but the shot over dogs was going to be measured in feet, not yards.

I purchased and used it. Result was one shot and one dead young sow.

 

[Deerhunter]

Doyle

That is why I like the Marlin lever actions. Short and easy to carry around. I have only done spot and stalk walking through the nasty stuff. Finding pig sign near water and looking for pigs.

30-30 will kill a pig with no problem. Just so happens that I stumbled across a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington that was made in 1976 and it was the right price. Then this Marlin in 45/70 came along at the right price at the right time.

 

[Husqvarna]

tikka t3 308 with scope for when I hunt a blind watching a feeder,

tikka t3 9,3x62 with aimpoint when hunting with the dog or just stalking and driven hunts

used an argo in 9,3x62 to for a season to, liekd that gun to

I don't see the point of a shotgun and slugs, slugs are so slow that your aim ahead is huge if they are runnning

wouldn't mind a sbs doublerifle in something potent

 

[Saltydog235]

Whatever I'm deer hunting with in a stand.

Pits, Catahoulas, Curs and a sharp knife with a .357 if it gets hairy with more than one.

 

[1tfl]

Most of the time I use my Remington model 7 in .243Win.
In my experience the .243Win works well on hogs...even large ones.
Of course, you have to hit the right spot for it to work but that's true for any caliber.

 

[tahunua001]

we don't have wild pigs here. I have used 6.5 grendel to put to slaughter domestic pigs, did the job quite well. if we ever do get those buggers out here, that's the first gun I'd take.

 

[thallub]

Since about 2000 i have killed a couple hundred hogs with .50 and .54 muzzleloaders.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll268/alsaqr/Osama-1WinCE-2.jpg

Sometimes i take an AR-15 to a stand near a feeder.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

My favorite hog gun is the Marlin 1895 lever gun in .45/70, but NV and thermal optics won't handle it.

An AR15 in 5.56 became my choice after that for a while, but wasn't optimal for me. Reduced recoil was great, but I had to be a much more choosy about shot placement and bullet selection.

Last year, my caliber of choice was the .308 in an old Rem 788 bolt gun and I killed a bunch of hogs with it until medical issues temporarily necessitated something with less recoil and I went with the 6.5 Grendel. Recoil is notable in the .308, but the performance is terrific and there are a lot of ammo choices you can make to find optimal loads for your gun.

The 6.5 Grendel (AR15) has been outstanding. It seems to be a an excellent compromise between performance and recoil. The nice thing about the reduced recoil is that it not only allows you to stay on target better after the shot, but allows for quicker followup shots. The high section density of the typical round (I use a 123 gr Hornady SST) allows for very good penetration. It isn't a .308, but it is a helluva lot more than a 5.56 and the recoil isn't much worse. So far, my first double in one shot, largest weighed hog (264 lbs), and longest kill (205 yards, at night) have all been with the Grendel.

I like video my hunts through the scope (when I remember to hit the switch, LOL) and the reduced recoil (compared to .308) allows me to stay on target in the video even when shooting off of shooting sticks.

Double Kill (also showing low recoil on short shooting sticks)
http://youtu.be/-LqjPNmhahs

Biggest Hog
http://youtu.be/6txddnqz7gg

Examples of shooting off of tall (standing) shooting sticks and low recoil...

2nd hog is 120 yards... http://youtu.be/IZxPD7e1tvc

Running hog... http://youtu.be/5YQotnc4EcU

You can probably accomplish the same with the 6.8. Performance should be very comparable and there are a lot more bullet/ammo choices for it.

 

[Rmart30]

In the thick stuff I take the 20 ga 870 with slugs as most shots will be under 50 ft.

Rest of the time Im usually carrying my model 7 in 7mm-08.

Where I hunt most shots will be in the 50-150 yard range and I only take head/neck shots if im carrying a rifle and havent had one go more than 5 ft from where it was standing when I pulled the trigger.

Ive shot em with 223, 243, 7mm-08 and 30-06 if thats what I was carrying at the time.

 

[Deerhunter]

I am glad we don't have a lot of hogs here in VA. There are some small pockets of them. On the other side of that I wish there was some place closer with a bunch that I could go kill a couple a year.

 

[Roadkill2228]

Take whatever you feel most natural shooting with. That being said, I'd have to say forget the shotgun though, you seriously limit your options. Your .270 has the most power and it'll be easier to hit them far out...but if I had to pick from those options the lever gun would be my obvious choice. The shooting can get fast and furious hunting pigs (at least where I live - we don't have near as many up here in saskatchewan as I hear the southern US does but we have then none the less and they are a supreme nuisance to cattle owners up here) and the fast follow up shots and quick handling of the lever gun is a real advantage, and anything beyond 30 yards no shotgun round will compare to a rifle

 

[Saltydog235]

I am glad we don't have a lot of hogs here in VA. There are some small pockets of them. On the other side of that I wish there was some place closer with a bunch that I could go kill a couple a year.

If you don't have them then consider yourself lucky. We have a saying around here, "There is land with hogs and land that's going to have hogs." If there is a food source, sooner or later they will be there.

 

[MarkCO]

First hunt was a T/C Encore with a .444Marlin and a S&W .41Magnum on my hip. Second I had a Rem700 in .308 and a 10mm DW Razorback on the hip. I have since used some AR15s in larger calibers, and that is likely what I will stick with.

 

[Deerhunter]

I hear you Saltydog. We already have pigs running around in VA. They just aren't spreading nearly as bad as they do in other states. Not sure why that is though.

With the 3 guns I have taken on my 2 trips, the shotgun has always been the last one to come out. The Remington 700 in 270 will come out when we are sitting a field edge.

The slug gun is good for the thick stuff. I use if for deer all the time. Mostly though I take the Marlin 336 and use that pretty much the whole time.

I now have a Marlin in 45/70 so the shotgun wont make the trip next year.

 

[SPEMack618]

I'd stick with the Marlin in .35 Remington.

I got a 336C in .35 Remington for Christmas last year, and it has become my do everything gun, except ducks and dove.

 

[Unlicensed Dremel]

Same as deer, 'cept ideally a smidge bigger in case of a big one. .30-30, .270, .280, or .30-06 (whereas I might use .223, .243 or .260 for deer).

The biggest deer can top out at 180-200 lbs around here. The biggest pigs, though rare, can be more than twice that (400+). And - AND - said big ones have an extremely thick gristle plate that deer don't have.

Turnbolt of course. I don't hunt with anything else now. In the past, I had "dedicated walking pig rifles" in 12 ga rifled slug (Rem 1187), and a Marlin 1895 in .45-70. I also thought about building a pig specialist in .50 Beo on an AR15. But in the end, turnbolts win out as being lighter and eminently reliable (and less kick than that slug gun or .45-70).

My actual main pig rifle right now is in .280 Rem - Weatherby Mark V Ultra Lightweight (customized), simply because that's my go-to general-purpose North American hunter, for stuff pronghorn or larger, but smaller than elk.

 

[gunrunner1]

This is mine, in 5.56mm.

 

[Brotherbadger]

If I'm setting out looking for hogs? AR15. If I'm deer hunting and happen to see them? Either my Marlin 336, or Model 70 in 7mm Rem Mag. All are great options, depending on the range.