Take the one you shoot best, offhand. Pigs don't always cooperate and show up when you are in the stand, if there is one.

Either cartridge is adequate.

Aim more forward on a pig than you do on a deer.

On a related note, I have an upcoming feral hunt and was planning on using an 8x57 with 185 grain Remington CoreLokt soft points. Think these will be decent or should I splurg for some Partitions.

I was hoping to get one bullet for both whitetail and hogs, and feared 200 grain partitions to be too much for our little eastern whitetails. I can still get dedicated hog bullets though...

Crazyquik , I have shot hogs here in CA with 150 REM CL out of an 06 , 55 REM SP in my 22-250 , 150 Hornady SP in the 8MM Mauser and both the 75 Hornady HP & 100 Hornady BTSP . There was alot of variables in ranges , but I've found that if you put one right in back of the front shoulder or the head they die . I am currently working on a 185 REM loading for my 8MM , I feel when I get the load right , I will have an excellent pig thumper . Advice to Stormbringer , shoot the gun you have the most confidance in , or better yet shoot two hogs one with each gun , then tell us about it .

I would go with the one I have the most confidence in. Having said that, you can always eat right up to the hole, so take the big one. We usually try for a shot in front of the shoulder, they cant take much of that. But they dont often cooperate either. Best of luck, and lots of pork...
Good luck and good shooting,
Eterry

MY favorite hog rifle is a Ruger 44 carbine. Used a 375 H&H in Africa to shoot a huge bush pig and a large wart hog. used 300 gr solids, both head shots.
Use a heavy for caliber bullet, at moderate velocity.A hogs chest area is covered with a thick ,tuff tissue . High velocity bullets sometimes do not penitrate.

I would use a 175 fail safe (a semi solid)in 7mm at moderate speed. good luck.

I have shot more feral pigs in texas with a 25-35 than anything else, quite a few with the 60 gr. Hornady in a 222 plus many assorted calibers and they all work fine, certainly not a hard animal to kill IMO....

If they have any Russian in them they get a little tougher around the shoulders but not behind the shoulder...

The key question in my view is if the hog is near brush, make a shoulder shot to anchor it (head if you are close enough), and a boilerroom shot if you are in the open.

Either caliber (cartridge) you have will work just fine for hogs. It isn't as much the cartridge as it is the bullet used.

Myself and 3 buddies just got back from a 3 day hog hunt in Texas. We (collectively) killed 28 hogs in 3 days. One of my buddies was using a 300 win mag and some factory ammo - I don't recall what bullet. He only had 1 complete pass through and that was on a smallish hog (around 75lbs). Another buddy was using his 25-06 and 101gr EXP Groove Bullets. He killed 4 hogs and all were broadside shots - either double lung or double shoulder shots. All were complete pass through shots. I had 3 doubles using a 127gr EXP Groove Bullet with complete pass through on all six hogs (with 3 shots). I was using a 7mm mag.

Last year (Jan 2003) we had a young lady using a 257 roberts and 101gr EXP Groove Bullets and she shot her 150lb hog broadside, quartering to her and had complete pass through and dumped the hog on the spot.

Use a tough enough bullet and the hogs will fall. The best shot placement is: Broadside, base of the neck. That shot with a tough enough bullet for a complete pass through will drop them.

Don

either one should be OK - Remember that its the rifleman, not the rifle that matters. personally I use a 6.5X55 130 or 140 grain Barnes XlC. Lots of penetration and DEAD hogs. My true preference though for hogs is a 7' hog spear behind a couple of good catch dogs......

We have taken hogs from 150 to 400 (guide's estimate) with '06/Rem 150 coreLokt and 270 Win with PMC/Barnes. Hogs went 25 or so yards with shoulder shots. PMC/Barnes pig, the big one, charged the guide on three legs. Guide emptied 9mm at the pig. That shot passed through, took out the off leg just below the joint.

My opinion either caliber/bullet you listed will do. Our shots were 150 yds, 70 yds, and the big pig at 200 yds.

Near San Luis Obispo, CA.

Regards

Groove Bullets,
Would you be kind enough to post photo's of the 7mm EXP bullet's that was used for harvest of six hogs. Also what is the velocity out of your 7mm Remington mag as well as the twist ratio. Did the 7mm EXP bullets mushroom half way or part way back?

I've had great result's with my 8x57 with a mild load pushing a 170gr Speer Hotcore to 2500fps.

Here is a link to pictures of the 7mm EXP (and others) after our penetration test. I would have to say that by viewing the exit wounds on the hogs that the petals came off and the back of the bullet drove on through - as designed. There are a couple of pictures at the bottom of the page from a hog I killed last year at the same ranch.

http://www.groovebullets.com/performance.html

Since none of the hogs, this year, stopped any of the bullets, I can not say for certain what happened to the bullet. I can only go by the exit wounds.

My 7mm mag has a standard twist, 24" barrel and pushes the 127gr EXP at 3440 FPS, 10 feet from the muzzle.

I should note that I killed 3 coyotes on this recent hog hunt. One was quartering away (basically gut shot) and it went about 30 yards after the hit. I had one at 150 yards, broadside, double lung shot, and it dropped in its tracks. The exit hole on that coyote was about 3/4" in diameter.

Don

My personal favorite cartridge for pigs is the 385 Win. Lou

I like a little more grunt for grunters so pig calibers for me start at 30/06 minimum. I like the .375 H&H with 300 gr RN hornady's that bullet loaded to around 2500 fps will flatten the biggest hog and offer some good expansion. I also like the 45/70 round as well. The round that I reckon will work great but have not rtied yet is the 9.3x62 mauser the 270 gr speers at 2500 fps should also floor any pig.

In your case take the 7mm and load it with the heaviest bullets you can get for it.

BTT. My normal pig gun is a 223; either my Mod 7 Remington or when I'm looking for Coyotes too my AR15. I don't shoot pigs over 100 lbs anymore and the 223 does a wonderful job.

I'm not sure where I saw that stat - I think it was in our annual freebie booklet from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission, but I'm not sure. I do remember that the previous record was 800+ pounds, taken in the coastal region near Corpus Christi.

Genetically this does not seem implausible; as somebody else noted,the Outdoor World stories have a huge photo of a 1000-lb. Russian boar taken in Russia.

European game sites list wild boar weight ranges as up to 350kg (770 lb.), so 1000 pounds for a record animal doesn't seem impossible to me.

If I claim a record weight for any trophy of mine I'll have documentation - meanwhile I try not to be jealous of those who've done better than I have!!

Hey Patentnonsense; That hog that was killed in Texas was shot by a bowhunter. A picture and article was in the Denison Herald about 2 or 3 years back. It weighed 1079 pds. fielddressed. In the picture it was in the back of a pickup and it sure like alot of Russian was in it. I can't find the picture or I would send it to someone that could post it.
I have myself seen them about 8'long and about 750 pds.here in southern Okla. My biggest was about 300pds., but I wounded one at 560 yds.with a 3006 one evening about dark.
I bought a 300 Wby the next day.He went into a very large and thick willow thicket and by the time I found enough frinds that I knew could shoot well under stress it was dark. The bullet did not expand enough and the hole plugged with fat,and I run out of a blood trail very quickly.
Also yes it was a laser mesured 560 yds.and he did go down for about 60 seconds.This one would have went about 600pds.
I've seen several go through the local slaughter house that went in the 5 to 6oo pd. range. I hunt on Lake Texoma in southern Okla.and they really can get big on the Federal game refuge nearby. Digger

Here in Florida we like to shoot 'em with handguns.

The bigger the hawg the bigger the handgun.

It jes ain't sportin' wid a rifle... <grin>

Up to 150lbs I like my 10mm EAA Witness
Up to 250lbs I like my 44mag Super Blackhawk Hunter
250lbs and up... Well I have a 500S&W Encore barrel being made since I met a monster in a deep cypress swamp and my 375 Contender barrel started feeling like a toothpick...<grin>

$bob$

Well, you started out pretty good and then finished up with a one-holer. You don't wanna meet up with that guy in the swamp in the gloom with one shot, do you?

Both will do the job fine, several experianced hunting buddies hunt pig with .243 Win. without problem so the 257 AI should be fine using 120 Partitions. I would opt for the lighter of the two 7mm Mag loads you mention as it has been my experiance that the heavier 175 Partitions do not consistantly expand in pig sized game being designed more for Elk/Moose size game. I have had them shoot straight through as if they were FMJ rounds. My 2 cents. Good luck.

Quote:

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I will be hunting pigs for the first time with my brother in Northern California. I am considering two rifles/calibers for the hunt. For those with pig hunting experience I would appreciated your input and advice.

257 AI shooting 120 grain partitions.

7mm Rem Mag shooting 154 interlocks or 175 partitions.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

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What about his brother? At least get a bayonet on that thing.

GAK!!! Good point...

Maybe my Glock 20 in 10mm should be on my hip?

$bob

Ive used 45/70 on alot of hogs works well for one thats are charging you. 7mag would be great

Now you're talkin'. I quit taking my 500 Linebaugh Redhawk because an aimed follow up shot was too slow.