Hey guys, what do you think is the ultimate hog hunting caliber? My favorites are the .30-06 and .45-70. The .30-06 gives kill power at a distance, and the .45-70 gives you a ton of kill power up close with big bullets at slow velocites.

NH_Hunter

NH,
From a practical point of view the 308 & 30-06 are perfect for EVERYTHING!!! but you know.....buying guns is part of the fun

The ultimate caliber is the one you shoot the best with! Mine is a 44 Mag levergun, makes me feel tall and handsome, and I ain't either one!

Hunting Hogs is probably the single best reason for the 45-70 to still be chambered in lever, bolt, single shot, and double rifles, that I can think of! However almost anything will kill hogs if used properly! I have a friend who only uses a Ruger No1 chambered for .243 Win with 100 gr bullets for all his hunting from coyote, to elk, and I've never seen him shoot an animal twice, or loose one! That is an exception, however, and not something I'd reccomend, to just anyone!

I would say any of the .30 cal cartridges would be the thing best used, for all ranges, and bush conditions! Like most 45-70 fans, I consider it to be one of the best for woods hunting of just about anything in North America, if used with good handloads, and quality rifles!

Lately, it seems there are a number of folks who think it is a good idea to shoot Cape Buffalo in Africa with 45-70s! Though this can, and has been done,it is still only a stunt, IMO, and also something I would not reccomend to "ANYONE"!

[ 10-13-2003, 01:17: Message edited by: MacD37 ]

The .30's are good, i guess. I just like big bullets going at slow velocities. That is why i might get a Ruger #3 in .45-70 for deer and boar. Maybe elk if i can. Then i would get a nice 300 grain partition going at about 2000-2200 FPS and nighty night mr. elk!

NH_Hunter

I live in Texas and have shot my share of hogs. I use a 300 Weatherby with a 180gr. Nosler Partition bullet. I have never lost a hog using this set up. I lost one hog about 5 years ago on a lease in South Texas. I hit it behind the shoulder using a 6mm and the 100 grain Nosler. It went about 55 yards. I knew I hit it but with no blood to follow and the thick south texas brush and cactus I absolutely could not find it. Three days later I noticed the buzzards in a mesquite tree, I went to where they were looking and found my hog. The shield on the shoulder of a 350 lb boar is tough to shoot through for this reason I now use the 300.

I use a 300 Win. Mag. Browning BAR and 220 g. RN Sierra bullets loaded @ 2430 fps. Since I never shoot over 200 m. and and mainly at 30/60 m. due to the dense brush (driven hunt), I found that the fat, slow RN bullet has more knocking power, boars fall faster, 90% of time immediately, and meat damage is lesser - Lorenzo

I like the marlin 45/70 lever gun for hogs and I also like my cz .375 H&H with hornady 300 gr rn's.

Next trip I will try my 9.3x62 on the pigs I reckon that will be a really well balanced pig round. I also want to whop some with the .458 Lott.

Yeah I know my 30/06 will easily do the job, but I reckon the big bores do it better from any angle and they kill better.

I've only taken 2 hogs(150lbs,250lbs) but I used my 45-70 with devastating results using Federal's 300gr factory ammo. I hunt in Florida and the area I normally hunt hogs rarely presents a shot that would be more than 75-100 yards. I do have a 270 WSM that I'm going to give a try next time.

Lance

45-70 is a good one for sure.

I've had good luck with the .270 Winchester. I've used both the standard Nosler Partition and the Partition Gold. homepage

[ 10-14-2003, 23:02: Message edited by: rimshot ]

.30/30 still works for me

I've been mighty pleased with the results of my 6.5X55 with 140 grain Barnes. However, next spring I'll use my .338 with whatever bullet I choose for African hunting - just for practice!

I built a custom Sako in 358 Win specifically for use on hogs and black bear. Works great with 225 grain Sierras. All shots under 150 yds and all one shot kills.

[ 10-15-2003, 22:12: Message edited by: DOCTOR LOU ]

Hogs! Something I have experience with! I have been trying to eliminate hogs from my property for a little over a year now and have killed almost 50 (yes I keep a log). I have shot them with everything from a 17HMR (only gun I had at the time) to a 7-08 and 270. I've only had a couple run off after being shot and they were shot with a 223 in the shoulder. Also had a friend shoot one with a 22-250 in the shoulder and he ran a ways too. The largest boar I have shot was shot with a 221 Fireball in the head (just behind the ear) 110 yards away. The bullet went in and stayed there. The boar just fell over, didn't even wiggle. This one had tusks about 3 inches or so long. I've been shooting these from a elevated stand, if I was on the ground might want a little more "firepower". The ones I shot with the 7-08 and the 270 dropped pretty quick. All were shot either in the shoulder or the head. The 7-08 seemed to kill a little better, but that could be my imagination. I killed a few with the 17HMR, all were shot in the head. Nice thing about the 17 is that it is quiet. When you shoot one about 100yds away, the rest of his friends just kind of stand around looking at their buddy laying on the ground and you can shoot a few more before they run off. Good shooting!

One disadvantage of being transplanted to the Pacific NW is no Georgia Hog Chasing!!!

I grew up around Brunswick: SE Georgia Coast, rivers, swamps, lots and lots of hogs back in the 1950's and 1960's. Also had the luxury of hunting on private land: For those in SE Georgia, it was Paulk's Pasture, back in the days before it "Went Public".

I used a 22 Hornet, Dad used a 222 Rem. This was before hog hunting became so popular, and with care, one could stalk up to a group of hogs and make careful head shots. I have even shot them from tree stands in the acorn bottoms. Like GaHunter's 17HMR, the Hornet allowed multiple kills before the herd scattered. I shot one from above, I was in a tree stand about 15 feet off the ground. Lots of acorns under the Oak tree. This one was a big sow, the 45 grain Hornet went between the eyes and popped both eyeballs out. Got another young sow as the first one dropped and gave a few kicks.

So, we enter 2003 and below is a hog gun I just finished for a gent in San Diego, CA. Just a little more power than my old Hornet.

458 Win Mag, 21 inch barrel, aperture rear sight, red fiber optic NECG front sight in a Masterpiece Ramp, bedded in a fiberglas stock. Weighs 8-1/2 pounds. It will mainly be used for hog hunting in California, but is in Montana now on a Elk hunt in heavy timber.



[ 10-16-2003, 06:08: Message edited by: John Ricks ]

25-06 will cover all the bases!! Close up...blow the stuffing out of him! 500 yards...How dead is dead!!!??? A good friend of mine (and yours too..varminthunter) has killed the dickens out of them using his 17HMR!! It's whatever you have available when the pigs come up!!! Put a good shot on him and eat tenderloin tomorrow!!! GHD

hard to choose, i've taken them with everything from

22mag (legal in texas)
10mm pistol
45lc pistol
223
257
708
7mag
308
358 (my preference for a long time)
376 steyr... (this Works)
416 rem

and seen them taken with
223
243
270
284
300 win
30/30
30-06
338
416 taylor
416 rigby
450 marlin
450 alaskan
458 win
458 lott
and the god allmightly
577 nitro....

right now I've got these waiting to take one or a dozen
45/70
458 win
500 jeffery
58 x 58 kodiak

and mike's got
470 mbogo

just ready and waiting....

in my opinion, anything bigger than a 358 just lays waste to em. a 577, face on, is spectacular... never seen anything go from charge to dead so fast

30 cals are good enough for just about any shot situation.
257-7mm... hmm, okay, they work well, but i've seen more second shots with these

22 to 6m... I don't usually hunt pigs with those... but they'll do just fine, with good shot placement and a little time.

overall, I have to say my absolute all time favorite is STILL the 358 winchester

jeffe

nah, i don't like hunting pigs.....


[ 10-16-2003, 17:57: Message edited by: jeffeosso ]

I have used a .308, and found it inadequate, then I stepped up to a 8x57, it has worked very well. Next I will try my .35 Whelen.

John Ricks, nice to hear from another "Georgia Boy"! I grew up in the 70's hunting the river bottoms in high school. Met a few of the "old-timers" that literally lived in the swamp. Their weapon of choice was usually a bolt action 22 rifle. They'd probably get a kick out what we consider necessary to kill hogs with.

From a European viewpoint, the 9,3x62 is the "typical" and recommended wild boar cartridge. Of course, this somewhat idealized view mostly has in mind the large specimina, not the 0-2 years old ones which make up 90 % of the bagged animals.

Carcano

I will agree with what gahunter2 said about the oldtimers. My great uncle used a 22 Long rifle ( he thought the 22 short was a little light for woods hunting ) or a 30 caliber carbine when deer season was in. He killed many wild hogs ( and deer too ). All domestic hogs were killed with a 22 short.

Well, out here hogs are open all year 'round but most of them are on private land and it costs to hunt them. Not that I mind, the poor farmer needs something to make up for their rootin' and eatin'. I started out with a 7x57. It worked right well. So did my .375, and my .318 WR. I don't think your undergunned with any of these . . .

For the close range shots I use a 12 Ga slug. For the longer range stuff a .300 Win Mag.

I've only taken two boar, one with an 8 X 57 the other with a 45-70, so cannot comment on an ultimate hog caliber.

What I did learn in this little bit of experience that bullet construction is almost as important as the caliber. My 45-70, for example, was loaded hot with Remington 405 gr SP. At the 10 yard range I shot the 280# boar at the bullet did not penetrate that well. Would have been great if he was a bit further away or if I had used a bullet of stouter construction.

Here lately i have been useing my "TC" with either the 35rem bbl or the 45win mag bbl, both work great, for a long time I use a lever action Marlin in 256 winchester and took over 30 hogs with it

45/70 lovers,

woodleigh has a 405 gr 45/70 bullet that is the ducks nuts for big pigs it expands and hangs together much better than the speer 400 or rem 405. I suppose it would want to as it's dearer, but just a thought for all you 45/70 lovers out there

Gentlemen

For moonlight hunt 7X64 and larger would do. For driven hunts a 8mm to 9,3 is about perfect.

/ JOHAN

I took my first boar this spring with a 240 wby mag, 100 grain nosler partition. I think I usually would take my 7 mag, but wanted to show that the 240 was perfectly capable, and it was.

Like Capstick wrote, hogs here get so big because they eat sheep or they eat sheep because they are so big. A friend of mine shot one weighing 270 kilograms and much heavier boars are recorded. That�s a lot of pork my friends!. Not in the same league of yours. Thus I use a well proven recipe: a 375 H&H with 270 grainers, the better scope I could afford and a hochsitz (we do hunt during the night).

I too have shot hogs with a 222 and 22 Hornet...I like a 25-35 best of all and a 30-30 second....but whatever you hand me will work, I have never found them hard to kill...Most I have killed were shot with some deer caliber rifle while I was hunting deer, same with Javalinas..

Naintal,

I have used the 300 gr Hornady .375 300 gr Round Nose on Hogs and they worked really well.

Might be worth a try.

I'm often culling on my place, 90% of the time I use a 6PPC varminter and head shoot them.

However I have had to one I thought I wounded with a quartering running shot and another a friend wounded with a shoulder shot.

The aenemic 6PPC has worked well enough, though I wouldn't grap it if I was heading out specifically looking for pigs.

Recently I worked up a load for .375H&H usinf 210gn X bullets wich gives me good flat tradjectory and expansion when I need it, conversly very little when it's not needed.

Anything from a .243win up will work just fine, so do the .22cal centerfires if you are careful about where you hit them.

The ultimate pig smackin' cartridge is...356 Winchester

Robb

For those of you who are still hunting hogs with a rifle, you are missing out on a lot of fun.
Get yourself a pistol/revolver with opensights.
I prefer a super blackhawk or Bisley in either 44 or 45 colt for my pig stickin'. I think it greatly adds to the fun and the sport of killing pigs.

Also you could get a pit bull to grab the pig by his ear and use you trusty pocket knife to stick him. Also exciting.

My preferred caliber: 45 colt or 44 rem.
Most exciting caliber: 5 inches of carbon steel

David

.358 WIN with a 250gr Speer bullet.
Able to reach out if needed but also lots of horsepower for up close stopping.

My .300WSM firing 190gr molyed Sierra Match Kings has given perfect instant kills on 2 at near 700 yds and 1 slightly more than 50 yds, so for me it is the "ultimate".

I have also exterminated hogs with .10mm and .45ACP pistols out to around 40 yds, and .270Win and .338WinMag rifles to more than 250 yds, and a 2nd shot was never used nor needed with either one.

600g bullet running at 1850fps out of a .458 Win Mag.

My .480 Ruger has served me well on hogs. Big bullet, moderate velocity, dead hog. Going to try my .416 Rem Mag out next month on some hogs in Florida.