Hog hunting question

[growr]

A dear friend of mine used to live in Georgia and we have talked some about going back for a hog hunt. Something I have wanted to do for a very long time.

Was wondering if my Springfield Armory M1a with a good scope would be a good choice? Probably use my standard load of 41.5 grains of IMR-4895 and a 165 Sierra Game King.

Too heavy of a rifle to use in the field? I don't have any thermal imaging for the rifle....have many other choices of bolt guns....

Thought about my 6.5 Swede 700 Remington, my Savage Axis .243, my Remington 788 in .308, another possibility would be to use my Grandfathers Savage 99 in .250-3000 with some 85gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets.

I have several great shooting AR's from my NRA Service Rifle days...

I even gave thought to using my H&R M1 Garand!!

So fellow members that have actually been on a hog hunt...what are YOUR thoughts?

Randy

 

[6518John]

Randy—I don't know what time of the year you are planning on hunting but here in Arkansas it is still well into the mid to upper 90's and probably will be for another month. The heat, coupled with the habitat where you typically chase hogs, sure makes for the lighter the rifle the better. I think the .223 with 60-70 grain bullets are just about perfect. Plus it allows for quicker follow-ups.

This is a great video. Plus this type of shot placement gives you the greatest margin of error when you are hunting the speedy devils. I don't think they stand still more than a second or two in a day.

I simply don't think there is a need for any hard kicking, wooden-stocked rifle. .223 or .243 are plenty in my opinion if you shoot them correctly.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM. They are a blast to hunt, and they desperately need to be thinned out everywhere they are found.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGjSGe8-fqM[/ame]

 

[Pisgah]

Every gun you've mentioned would do. Not knowing exactly how you will be hunting, I'd say take the one that will be most comfortable to tote.

 

[Munsterf18]

.308

I live in GA, and kill hogs every year. I've taken a number of them with the .308 and the 165 grain Sierra Game King. I think it's a great load for that. It would work great.

I think your setup for daytime is perfect. If you decide to go to night vision, I chose a lighter rifle to offset the big scope. I'm using an AR in 6.8 SPC for that.

Most of the guys I hunt with use bolt guns, even with the night vision. All of them are using the .308. Most of our night shots are 100 yards or less. That 165 is deadly. Those of us using less than a .308 always attract attention.

Good luck.
H

 

[bronco45]

788 Remington 308

 

[JM4151]

Hunting hogs. The last 3 or 4 that I have shot I did so with a 6 inch 44 mag. One shot works perfectly! Shot one in Tenn last month.

 

[Xfuzz]

I manage a 6500 ac East Texas deer lease.
We kill 60-100 hogs a year by trap and the younger
guys hunt them year round.
As stated, shot placement is key....right behind he ear.

Don't know if you stand hunt or walk. But, no need to tote a
heavy rifle.
One of our hunters has a Ruger .22 mag/surpressed...he
can normally down 2-3 before they split.

 

[6518John]

Hunting hogs. The last 3 or 4 that I have shot I did so with a 6 inch 44 mag. One shot works perfectly! Shot one in Tenn last month.

I truly admire men like you and Vonn (he posted a nice hog he killed a year or two ago with a Ruger or Colt SA I seem to remember) that can kill hogs with a handgun. I am lucky to kill them with a rifle or 12 gauge with 3 inch 000 buck!

 

[nachogrande]

A BIG CONSIDERATION HERE.

The areas hogs are most often hunted in can be quite dense/thick/wet/muddy with an unscheduled dip in mucky/brackish water NOT UNCOMMON, SO I would not bring your prettiest most treasured gun. I see an awful lot of un scoped shotguns & levers being used for ground hunting. From a tree stand, mainly scoped bolt actions, or levers.

 

[BAM-BAM]

There's another thread up right now... Lounge I think "Hog hunting stories"...
experienced guy talking about the rifles he's used ..... #1 choice was a .243...but had a whole lot of options he's used.

 

[jwk]

I've killed hogs w a 223 and wasn't impressed w it's performance. I dont want to have to blood trail them particularly in warm weather when snakes are active. Where i hunt you have small clearings surrounded by fairly thick brush. Before i tore up a shoulder and quit bowhunting ive crawled through brush in the dark blood trailing an animal using a flashlight to see. Buzz Rattle gets your undivided attention. I use either a 30-06, a 308 or a 270 because that is what I deer hunt with. Anything from a 243 w a good bullet up will do. Keep in mind other than really old boars I eat every pig I kill unless I'm giving wild pork to either nonhunting friends or friends too feeble to hunt anymore. BTW wild hog, properly processed and prepared is delicious. If you have a grinder wild hog ground up and just seasoned w salt and pepper makes a tasty meat patty on a bun or a biscuit. You don't have to be a master sausage maker to enjoy good eating. . Slow smoked pork shoulder makes excellent pulled / chopped BBQ meat. Who doesn't like pork chops or cook the loin whole either slow smoked or roasted?

Had a buddy who shot a hog between the eyes w a 223. He had just straddled it to start field dressing it when the pig rose from the dead between his legs. All he had done was KO the pig bouncing the bullet off the pigs skull. No sure what type bullet he was using. Fortunately Lasuras the pig didn't hold a grudge and left the scene without putting up a fight. When I got there a few minutes later to pick him up my buddy was pale white and still shaking. Took a big pull of whiskey before he could tell me what happened.

Yes you can kill hogs w a 22 LR but I prefer my hogs dead right where they stood when I pulled the trigger so I can get them dressed and on ice ASAP. Use a good deer rifle, a big bore handgun or a 12 gauge slug. If it isn't deer season mount a flashlight on your rifle. Not as good as a night vision or thermal scope but will do the job at reasonable ranges. Best aiming point is just behind the base of the ear. Heart lung shot tears up meat.

Finally if you're trying to eradicate hogs go w an AR preferably suppressed. They will run off and die but if you're just killing hogs you don't have to track them. Not my cup of tea but I'm not a farmer or rancher w pigs destroying crops or pasture.

Enjoy your hog hunt.

 

[jack the toad]

Last 3 I downed was in rough terrain and under dense heavy cover (waist high brush with some thorn thickets). I used 12 ga 2-3/4 00 pretty effectively except on third oinker which went wide after being shot and a buddy downed him using .22 mag. All 9 pellets connected in front shoulder which tore it up pretty bad and amazed me how fast and hard a 3-legged pig can travel.

 

[nachogrande]

A HEADS UP.

Just cuz they are dead, doesn't mean they are finished moving. This came as a surprise to me when trying to lift a 100# pig into my pickup, ALONE.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

Ruger no 1 in 45-70.I am a nostalgic guy and like hunting with single shot and cast bullets.
When you connect with one,the bullet(425gr at around 1500fps) goes right through even lenghtwise.The little tank will spin around,run 15 to 20 feet at most and pile up pretty well dead.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Hog says, "I met my end time from a 150 grain.308 bullet right behind my left ear."

 

[6518John]

That .308 did not even knock his hat off or wipe the smile off his face!

 

[Double-O-Dave]

A photo of my first hog kill from last year. It fell to a 150gr. Remington Core-Lokt round from my Savage 99C in .308 Winchester at about 30 yards range. The hog never knew what hit it - DRT at the shot (Dead Right There).

Good luck,

Dave

 

[rich5674]

M1A

Here's me with a 160 lb hog this spring. Shot right where I'm supposed to as shown in posts above with 160grain Speer rnd nose soft point from my 308 Garand. Hog didn't even flinch but did about 10 steps and fell. I never saw the herd stand still for a second to take a precision shot. I wouldn't use less than your M1A with a low power scope and premium bullets OR Remington 180 round nose bullets. Multiple fast shots and targets are a possibility

 

[tpole]

I live in Georgia and unfortunately I've got hogs. Killed 'em with arrows, bullets, buckshot, and once a turkey load.

You might think of packing three or so weapons to camp--their use depending on conditions.

If I were stalking in woods or swamps, a pump shotgun, no plug, with 2 3/4" #4 buck. I use a pre-war Ithaca 37 with rifle sights. Very light, very fast.

If I were shooting fields, a scoped AR is hard to beat, esp. for the follow-ups mentioned above.

And I'd also carry a handgun because, well, this is the Smith & Wesson Forum! My go-to is a .38/44 Outdoorsman with 158g SWCHP on top of 13.5g Win 296.

 

[DWalt]

Nothing magic about shooting hogs. About any CF caliber will be OK if you can hit in the right spot. Many Texas hog hunters use 00 Buck or rifled slugs successfully, but the hunters I know seem to favor AR rifles shooting the .300 Blackout or the 6.5 Creedmoor. I am not a hog hunter, but if I were, I'd probably use a .30 Carbine.