Could a soft point or a FMJ 223 penetrate enough for a heart/lung shot? also would a 40 grain ballistic tip work with a head shot? I was thinking it might blow up on the skull!

Either should work well on head shots, but boiler-room shots are iffy. If the bullet doesn't encounter any large bone like the shoulders, it'll work, but hogs never stand still. I personally would want something a bit bigger. Will it work? Yes. Will it work reliably? That's another issue entirely.

I agree with Whitworth. It will work, but something larger would be better.

Just the other day, a 17 hmr killed two hogs so surely a 223 will!

Yes, with head shots. No argument there, but when you try to hit the vitals, that is where you could get into some trouble. I've seen .223s used on deer and it's just too damn small for reliability's sake.

I'm just a common pig hunter, not an expert, not a guide not nothing. Just someone that consider pig hunting as one of the most challenging hunts and I have dedicated many years trying to be a better pig hunter.

Sure now and then we all hear that a farm worker here or a farmer there has killed some pigs with a 22 lr or something similar, but the question is...how many times they have left behind wounded animals..??

It has common sense to chase an animal that can weight 400 lbs with a caliber invented for smaller game ?

I see the use of a smaller caliber for shooting pigs or any other big game animal as selfish, any small movement of the pig and you will have a wounded animal.

Your question is: can a 223 kill a pig ? the answer is yes, it can be done, but having so MANY better options it doesn´t make much sense for me.

L

quote:

Originally posted by Lorenzo:
I'm just a common pig hunter, not an expert, not a guide not nothing. Just someone that consider pig hunting as one of the most challenging hunts and I have dedicated many years trying to be a better pig hunter.

Sure now and then we all hear that a farm worker here or a farmer there has killed some pigs with a 22 lr or something similar, but the question is...how many times they have left behind wounded animals..??

It has common sense to chase an animal that can weight 400 lbs with a caliber invented for smaller game ?

I see the use of a smaller caliber for shooting pigs or any other big game animal as selfish, any small movement of the pig and you will have a wounded animal.

Your question is: can a 223 kill a pig ? the answer is yes, it can be done, but having so MANY better options it doesn´t make much sense for me.

L

Exactly! Well said, Lorenzo!

I'll second what both Lorenzo and Whitworth have said. I've used a .223 in situations where an exit was not acceptable, but shot placement has to be absolutely perfect. I used a Sierra 53 grain BR-HP as it penetrated sufficiently but would not retain ample integrity to exit on shots inside 150 yards. I always placed the bullet directly into the lungs and got dead piggies after death dashes of 30-80 yards.

With that being said, there are much better calibers out there, and when I used a .223, it was basically in ADC-type situations and not actual hunting.

Here in the top photo is one of several I took with a Contender carbine in .223. But look at the pictures below that ( first is a 353 pounder taken with a 7mm Bullberry & 120 grain TTSX) and think about what a misplaced .22 caliber projectile would do on an animal of this size. A big, mature boar has thick, mud-caked hide, cartilage and fat that can soak up an inadequate bullet like a sponge and bone structure that is taxing on any bullet.

Yes, a .223 will work, but there is absolutely no room for error.

Without knowing your actual experience with hogs or your skill level with your firearms, I can't with clear conscience recommend a .223 but instead would suggest another caliber more suited to the task.

And just for the record, a 40 grain BT from a .223 won't "blow up" on the skull of a hog.

Trashcanman,

Due to the nature of your question I might infer that...
you have not shot many hogs,

you may or may not have a rifle of a large caliber than 22. If you do, use those. Your recovery rate should be better.

by boar you mean of the male gender. Twenty pound male shoats are not that hard to kill.
Two hundred fifty lb. boars and up usually have about an inch of caked mud on their hide and up to 1.5 inch thick fat and gristle under their hide. As much as I like ballistic tip hunting bullets in calibers of .264 and up, I sure would not want to rely on a 55 gr ballistic tip and a heart shot to bring down a large boar

I've killed hundreds of hogs in last 45 years or so. From any where with an old recurve bow,
22 lr, shotgun up to 45-70. Hit them right and they are not that hard to dispatch. Hit them wrong and you'll never find them.

When using a 22 caliber, I would use something like a 53 gr. or heavier barnes tsx, a 60 gr partition, or 75 gr hornady hollow point (if you have a 1-8" twist barrel). Shoot them about two inches below the ear on a line between their ear and shoulder. If your bullet has the correct placement as described above and sufficient mass and velocity, it wil sever their spinal column and they will drop and paddle (DRT).

Use enough gun, you won't be sorry!
GWB


A friends son made a "Heart Shot" on this boar at 130 yds. with 243, 100 gr. core-lokt. Waited 20 minutes after shot. Tracked 100 yds before this hog charged me and knocked me down. He ran off and I followed another 30 yds or so. He charged again and I put 7 45 acp jhps in him before he dropped at my feet. I DO NOT MAKE HEART SHOTS WITH SMALL CALIBERS

All of these were shot in the right place, with rifles of sufficient caliber and appropriate bullets. I did not have to track one of these as they were DRT (dead right there)


375 H&H, 260 gr. accubond


9.3 x 62, 250 gr. accubond


35 whelen, 225 gr. ballistic tip


338 RUM, 225 gr. partition


308 winchester, 150 gr. sierra game king


7 mag., 140 gr. accubond


7mm-08, 140 gr accubond


270 winchester, 150 gr. corelokts


257 weatherby, 100 gr. partition


240 weatherby, 85 gr partition. Shot behind the ear.

Trashcanman,

Bobby is the resident whackmaster when it comes to hogs. He won't steer ya' wrong.

Me, I'm just a kill artist. That is, when I draw, I draw blood.

GWB

GWB,

You have some beatiful rifles there !!!
One question, I remember seeing in one of your trail cam pictures a VERY big blond pig, one with some black spots...have you ever shot him ??

L

Lorenzo,
thanks for the kind sentiment. One of the few things about which I have more passion than hunting is collecting long guns.

As to the big blonde pig with some black spots, "quien sabe"?
I shoot lots of hogs and do not remember every one, especially if I do not take any pictures. I also hunt with 9 other guys. They also kill a few hogs. I do not always know about, or see the hogs they kill.
Perhaps it might be the one you were thinking of.


This one was shot by one of my buds. I do not have pix of him other than on my game cam.



I had taken four guys with me to my lease when my friend Platte took this hog. We weighed him at 315 lbs. But he is more white and black. Could that be the one you were thinking of?


Don't think this one has ever been taken. Since this pix is in '06 he's probably long gone by now


Another one I took a while back

GWB

Haha good pigs.

Indeed I was thinking in that pig of the first picture !! every time I see that picture my blood preassure goes up

L

Lorenzo-

GWB's photos of that boar stick out in my mind, too. There are just a lot of things that are impressive about that boar, especially the depth of the chest.

I am fortunate in having taken quite a few hogs, but as to GWB, he's put enough pork on the ground to make Hormel jealous...

223 works,, but aint my first, or 10th choice... head shots only .. dang it, that round was designed to WOUND men, not kill boars....

don't even think about a shoulder shot

7.62x39 is several times better, even wolf hp ammo... if you have a bolt gun...

308... its hard to get alot better, but a .375 is ALOT better and a 458 is even better... though my 416s tend to whackem!

.510s allow you to reach end to end...

there's NOTHING i like hunting more than pigs

Great photos guys!!! Thanks for posting them.

You Southern Boys sure have a fun (and I imagine sometimes serious!) source of fun and groceries

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
223 works,, but aint my first, or 10th choice... head shots only .. dang it, that round was designed to WOUND men, not kill boars....

don't even think about a shoulder shot

7.62x39 is several times better, even wolf hp ammo... if you have a bolt gun...

308... its hard to get alot better, but a .375 is ALOT better and a 458 is even better... though my 416s tend to whackem!

.510s allow you to reach end to end...

there's NOTHING i like hunting more than pigs

Yeah, Jeff, I too haven't found a hog that liked my .416 either!

Seems like I'm the odd man out about the 223. My hog hunting was primarily at night from stands so shots were inside 100 yds all the time and in moonlight or with solar yard lights. I shot about 300 hogs over a 6 year period from frying pan sized to over 300 lbs.

I started with a 270 making shoulder shots but I had too many occaisions where there was an unseen hog behind mine that got hit and ran or a ricochet wounded another animal.

I switched to my 220 Swift thinking that would end the pass-throughs and ricochets. I was right and with time and practice I found myself making head shots exclusively because the Swift tore up too much fine pork.

After a while the Swift just seemed like too much gun and I down-sized to my .223. I probably shot the last 100 hogs with that rifle with no lost animals, including the bigger ones.

In fact, it was plus or minus 100 bang-flops because all were head-shot or in the neck just below the skull. Hog bones seem brittle when hit hard and the vertebrae shatter into many secondary missles that would tear the neck to pieces.

So I think the more accurate answer is yes, a 223 is a completely adequate round for hogs if your hunting conditions support good shooting.

I'd go a little further and say any hog under 100 lbs is DRT with a 223 with any reasonably placed shot and a good bullet. I used 53 gr Hornady match hollow points in the Swift because they are tough as nails for a 22 caliber and 55 gr Balistic tips or the Sierra 52 gr HPBT in my two .223s.

Tiggertate,
I don't think your the odd man out at all. If anything I think you are confirming what a number of us have said. In addition you have the experience, ability, appropriate bullet and as you indicate, were making head/neck shots, not heart or lung shots.
GWB

The poor 223, it always seems to get drawn (along with 22LR and 22MAG) into these open ended questions of "Can I hunt an ABC animal with XYZ cartridge?"

My philosophy is always a firm "well, ahhh..... it depends."

I will say right now that if I am in a position to go hunting and no matter what pipsqueak of a caliber I have, if it is legally allowed I'd rather be out hunting with it instead of sitting around somewhere wishing I was hunting. Even if I see 20 animals and have to pass on all of them because I can't take an effective shot that would be a piece of cake with a loudenboomer caliber it is still a good time.

Now the other end of the spectrum is if I were going to hunt something largish, or even mediumish, I sure wouldn't even consider purchasing a 223 to do the job.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
My philosophy is always a firm "well, ahhh..... it depends."

I think this has been the best answer.


Tiggertate,

I would not hasitate shooting pigs under 100 lbs (50 kilos) with a 223, with a Barnes bullet must be perfect, it will even work for a shoulder shot in big pig, they are not made of steel, but it must be a PERFECT shot.

Maybe I am less lucky than you, but for me, shooting hogs at night with or without moon at 100 yards are not a piece of cake, or at least is not for every one, 100 yards at night is a looong distance, pigs get smaller and nerves play their part. If there is a bunch of them it will be even more difficult to make THAT perfect shot, it's so difficult to have a good boar baited that I just avoid adding more problems and I shoot with something that even in a not so perfect shot you can track it down and finish him.

But I must add that must be a blast sniping them with a very accurate 223 carbine

L

Hi, Lorenzo. I mislead you and the board when I said "inside 100 yds". I meant very inside 100 yds. The longest ranges being between 70-75 probably.

Those were made with artificial light from solar garden lights hung above the food plots; lighting the hogs.

Most moonlight shots were 35 to 55 yards.

I should mention too that it took a season or two to find the right scope and such long night shots would not be possible without it. I used a Swarovski with a #3 German reticule which allows one to frame a precise shot inside the heavy bars without having to see the fine cross hairs. I couldn't have seen a regular duplex reticule well enough to make many of those shots.

i may have not been clear.. if i had a SLING SHOT i would hunt pigs, and a 223 is a darn sight better ... but not my first choice

I agree with jeffeosso. After having shot hogs with 338 250 30-06 220's ect and not getting pass through shots. I prefer tougher bullets of fairly decent caliber. Next time I just might take my 416 because I can.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
I agree with jeffeosso. After having shot hogs with 338 250 30-06 220's ect and not getting pass through shots. I prefer tougher bullets of fairly decent caliber. Next time I just might take my 416 because I can.

That is precisely why I've used my .416 and my .458 Lott -- because I can -- and there's no better reason!

I hope you come back for information Trashcanman. Packy

I'd love to get one with my new .450 Marlin! And every other caliber ever produced


My name is Justin

And I am a Hog hunting Addict

Hellooooooo Justin!

Yes, yes and maybe.

Trashcanman,

Hopefully you believe that your questions got proper and adequate attention. Good luck to you in your hunting whatever you choose to shoot.
GWB

yes, no problems encountered with the many I have shot with my AR.

Good post.

I am taking my young sons hog hunting in a few weeks & was considering a .223

They are not great shots & not likely to hit behind the ear. I will probably step up to a .243

quote:

Originally posted by Boarman:
Good post.

I am taking my young sons hog hunting in a few weeks & was considering a .223

They are not great shots & not likely to hit behind the ear. I will probably step up to a .243

How old are they?

A Hit with a .223 does far better then a miss with a .243.

I hit a 250+lb hog directly behind the shoulder where the heart is located with a .243 & 95gr bullet and he took off squealing, stopped after 40 yards, looked around, and trotted off. blood was on the ground where impact was but I'm thinking it was inadequate.

.243 with a neck hit, .223 with a head shot

Wouldn't suggest either on larger boars

Bugle,
They are 8 & 10.
I will purchase premium ammo on the trip

Will let you know how we do

ptaylor
What bullets do you use on them with the AR15?
I have a pig shoot coming up I may get invited to and I'd like to kill a few with some different rifles if I have the chance and my .223 is one of the guns I'd like to get bloody. I have some 60 grain Nosler partitions that group pretty darn well in my mini 14 that would be good for the occasion.
I will also bring my 9.3 a 6.5x55 and my trusty .257 bob. Leaving my 30/06 at home because it always kills everything without much fuss.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:Leaving my 30/06 at home because it always kills everything without much fuss.

And that's a bad thing?!

quote:

Originally posted by Buglemintoday:
...a 250+lb hog directly behind the shoulder where the heart is located

a hog's heart is right ON the shoulder, and very low, as compared to deer/elk.. I learned the hardway that a classic "behind the shoulder" results in a tracking job.. and had to drill it into hunters I was guiding, every time

http://www.dixieslugs.com/anatwpig.htm

I'll include a couple pics

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by Snellstrom:Leaving my 30/06 at home because it always kills everything without much fuss.


And that's a bad thing?!

Nope!
Its just that I've killed about everything with that 30/06 and its time to bloody some other rifles. The 30/06 and 180 grain bullets has worked with almost boring efficiency for me on Elk, Deer, Antelope, Mtn. Goat, Bighorn Sheep and basically anything I point it at just falls down dead!
Including Hogs.

Thanks for posting that picture Jeffe, Hogs are put together a bit different than some might expect, Bears can be a bit misleading too.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
ptaylor
What bullets do you use on them with the AR15?
I have a pig shoot coming up I may get invited to and I'd like to kill a few with some different rifles if I have the chance and my .223 is one of the guns I'd like to get bloody. I have some 60 grain Nosler partitions that group pretty darn well in my mini 14 that would be good for the occasion.
I will also bring my 9.3 a 6.5x55 and my trusty .257 bob. Leaving my 30/06 at home because it always kills everything without much fuss.

If your have a 1x9 twist use the 69g MK anything faster use the 77gr MK and run them as hard as you can and keep the shots close (depending on your barrel length), under ~100 yards. You want the bullet to fragment and you need velocity to do it.