I had one gun for years, and I shot dozens of California hogs with it - a .300 Win mag. A .30-06 would have done just as well, as shots rarely ran over 200-250 yards and most were 75 to 150 yards. Use a "super premium" like a Barnes X or Fail Safe in 150 gr, a partition or grand slam in 165 or 180 grains and you will kill a hog with no problem. Even a 165 or 180 gr Corelokt will work fine.
Frankly, any deer-class rifle with heavy-duty bullets kills them great, better in my opinion than a .45-70 and it can reach further if you need to. I do not care for a .30-30, as I had to finish off too many wounded by others. Just my opinion and experience...
I have a buddy who wants to start pig hunting. He has a 22, a 12 gauge, he bird and varment hunts and he would really like to go after some hogs. What rifle manufacture and caliber would you recommend for a dedicated pig gun?
He'd be hunting in California. Terrain can vary from wooded hills to flat grasslands to swamps. My guess would be all the terrains at the same time, we have short patchs of everything around where we live.
With such a varied terrain I would tend to go with a sythetic, stainless light - weight bolt action. Seems like a lot of toting up-and-down hill and through some sloppy ground, and a mid-range or longer shot might be called for. I'm certain others have good suggestions.
Unless you handload for him, he would best be served by getting a caliber for which there is a good variety (and retail availabiity) of loads, such as .308, 30-06, etc.
This isn't at all what I use, but I hunt fairly dense hardwood areas and handload my own 45-70, etc.
Hope he gets out for a hunt.
Posts: 733 | Location: N. Illinois | Registered: 21 July 2002
If you knew all shots would be 200 yds., and under, I'd get a Marlin 1895 in either a 444, or 45-70. If shots are farther, I'd probably go with a .30-06, and heavy premium bullets....JMHO
Mad Dog
Posts: 1184 | Location: Indiana | Registered: 17 June 2002
It depends if he is going to just shoot the hog or try to collect the meat- there are calibers out there that will debone the critter others will splat it then you have the ones that will just kill it!
good all round rifle 30-06 'I use a Winchester Model 70' light easy carrying and use ammo plentiful and getting cheaper- run the web for different brands - I have found and use a 150gr SA brand very cheap with great ballistics
Posts: 127 | Location: Mountains of North Carolina and Regions West | Registered: 24 October 2003
For an all-round pig gun a Remington Model 7 in 308 is hard to beat. I have killed lots of pigs with one... However I must say my Chapuis double rifle in 9,3x74R is EL SUPREMO as a pig rifle. Works pretty good on Black Bear too, and I hope to test it on Leopard and Lion this June.
Posts: 16134 | Location: Texas | Registered: 06 April 2002
I use a Savage 99 in .308 loaded with 180 grain RN Hornady Interlocks. My scope is a Nikon Monarch 2-7X. I also hunt in CA and set up my scope for a 200 yard zero. The bullets are about 1.5" high at 100yds and dead on at 200. This is an easy carriing and accurate combo. I don't think you can go wrong with a .308 for pig hunting in CA. Lots of cheap ammo for practice and doesn't destroy a small pig if you just want some meat. I'd look at the Model 7, Savage Sierra, and the Ruger Compact.
NoCAL
Posts: 167 | Location: Woodland, CA USA | Registered: 11 February 2002
I'm also tinkering with the idea of having a dedicated pig gun... I have a Benelli Nova now equipped with 4x on a B-Square side saddle mount. I do not know whether it would be best to purchase a Hastings Paradox rifled choke tube or to use a XX Full tube with buckshot. Any ideas?
Posts: 61 | Location: Deep Fork River Bottoms, Oklahoma | Registered: 09 February 2004
I like the 45/70 as a dedicated pig gun or a 9.3x62 or .375 H&H. Either of these three cut the mustard for me. And I like heavy for caliber bullets as a general rule.
Posts: 7505 | Location: Australia | Registered: 22 May 2002
I'd go with a 260 or 7-08 or even a 270. Anything bigger than that and you're just beating yourself up for nothing. I've shot a lot of hogs with a 223 (even a 17hmr for that matter) but it's a little light and if you don't hit them just right (behind the ear!) they may run a ways. Forget the shotguns unless you are REAL close!
I dont have a dedicated gun for anything except large dangerous game. That said there is no reason to not have a dedicated gun if you want one. I use a 243 for culling pigs but that is not the same as a first choice for hunting in the thick stuff. I pefer my 376 steyr for large pigs in the really thick bush but it is just that, a personal preference.
Posts: 4106 | Location: USA | Registered: 06 March 2002
He was thinking something around the 30-06 range. He is set on a bolt-action, a fine choice, but the calibe he was questionable about. I wouldn't worry about beating him up, back when we were on the wrestling team, he was the heavy weight. Even I, at 6'1", feel short standing next to him. He could probably shoot a 458 for pigs and show no ill effects, but he wants the cost of shooting it to be manigable. I was thinking something in 30-06 or 308. He like the winchester m70 and cz-550 among others.
have a think about a cz 550 in 9.3x62 it is a standard length action and the 9.3x62 can handle 232 gr bullets right through to 320 gr woodleigh's. I honestly feel for hogs it may be the best rounded calibre for pigs going around.
The cz 550 is a fine choice IMHO.
Posts: 7505 | Location: Australia | Registered: 22 May 2002
The only guns I own that are dedicated are the ones I carry at work...having said that the one I always seem to reach for...regardless of how many guns in the safe are in it's way, is my 30-06. It's not an extremely pretty rifle, a Savage M-110 with synthetic stock and a nice Leupold Vari-X3 3x9, a lot of the finish has been worn from dragging it thru the brush, but it shoots nice groups, seems like an extension of my arm, and just doesnt seem to miss...that alone is reason to use it....the confidence I have in it. I reload so cost of ammo isnt really an option, but if I didnt reload I would certainly want a caliber I could walk into almost any store and buy ammo for. So if I seem to prefer the 30-06 more than any other, forgive me. We have been together for quite some time now, and although I have other rifles, she is the one I turn to time and time again. It isnt flashy or built on a new case design, or have an exotic name and doesnt set velocity records, it simply .......works. Good luck and good shooting, Eterry
Posts: 839 | Location: Between Doan's Crossing and Red River Station | Registered: 22 July 2001
That level of confidence in a man's rifle is what matters most of all. Glad to see a "one gun" sort of fellow for a change. The 30-06 is a great all-around rifle with proper bullets and careful shots.
A worn and battered old rifle tells alot about it's life and it's owner. My guns get used and tend to show their use... they don't sit around in the safe much or I don't keep them very long. I've got a number of rifles and in fact am selling off quite a few of them for that reason - they're the ones I just never have ended up using enough to warrant keeping - I keep using the few favorites I've got and the others collect dust. I'm in the process now of trimming down my rifle battery significantly and simplifying things. I keep reaching for my old trusty .450 Marlin GG most of all. I like heavy calibers and find them fun to work with and shoot. Ruger M77 bolt actions are my favorite in bolt guns.
Posts: 863 | Location: Mtns of the Desert Southwest, USA | Registered: 26 February 2004
I have a 30-06 that I have taken many pigs with. Decided I wanted to try something different, so my "dedicated pig gun" is an AR-15 in 50 Beowulf scoped with an aimpoint.
Aint life grand.
Regards, PG
Posts: 153 | Location: Riverside, CA Lake Havasu, AZ | Registered: 27 May 2003
