what caliber is best for shoting hogs

I've killed them with 223, 243, 257 Roberts, 308, 30-06, and the almighty 300 win mag. All of them work.

Personally I like .30 calibers.

45-70 works for me. I hate to chase them after the shot.

whichever gun that u have closest at the time of seeing the hog.... and as far as what size bullet, whichever one is in the magazine and or chamber.

.223 in the ear

.308 30.06 762X39 12ga slug I have used all these. Just use what ever you have and shoot best with.

ive used 9mm 7mm, .45, 30-30, 30.06, .223, .243,.270, .22, a knife, a swift hatchet to the head, 7mm magnum, and that might be it....

I'm with altez, .243 and up, I aim center of the neck. break the neck and everything stops right there.

I shoot all my hogs in the face or the ear. I like the meat, so I shoot all of the little pigs I see. If they are over 150 lbs I let them walk. But there are times when I love to hear the " SMACK of a good placed head shot no matter what they weigh. Dead is dead, but a big gun makes a good smack!!

45-70

You guys are making it to hard to decide. First we need to know if you prefer Ford, Chevy or Dodge?

I keep forgetting Toyota and Nissan make the full size versions.

Just for the record...I don't own a Toyota. Just giving ya a hard time.

We could have fum with this!

Who shoots better a Ford owner or a Chevy owner?

Marvin you know a CHEVY owner shoots hawgs the best. By the way my two younger cousins have done some great work with your calls.

Thanks for the info about the calls. I will have to do a study on that Chevy shooting. Bet if I apply the government will give me a grant to do a study about that.

I have killed a couple of hogs up to 250lbs with a 17hmr while shooting turtles on my pond. If shot placement is in the ear, you are okay. If you miss though you better head for the truck! I would say for safe kill, a 223 on up....

the electric windows lower faster as well.

it all depends on were you place the bullet or i use my 22-250 all the time but then again if i hunt with my 270 ill use it sometimes a 30 carbine

.270 or a .45 if you're close enough. lol

This is the only thing that will work...

30-30, 270, my bow....

50 cal for sure..lol

Bullet weight should be atleast 5% of the weight of the hog.

So you are saying we should stone the hog to death???

no he is referring to a cannon ranging from a 2in ball to an 8in ball.

Had good luck with everything from Spear-Archery-.222-.50bmg and most inbetween

Or grape shot, then you can take out multiple.

Definatly .50 cal. But shot from this!!!

A .50 is prefect. Dont even need to skin em. Just take you some ziplock bags to carry the chunks home in.

I drive a jacked up Tundra. It kicks. I shoot a 35 Whelen with 225 Nosler Accubond bullets. It kicks too. No worrying about next shots, Pick a spot near the vitals and you are home free.

i say use a .270 but look into getting a bow it will change your life i promise

Has anybody ever used a .204? I have a .204 that I used for shooting coyotes and bobcats with and I would like to find out how well it would work on pigs. I shoot hornady 40 grain v-max bullets.

.204 will work fine with the right shot placement. I really prefer the behind the ear shot with the smaller calibers, but realize sometimes thats hard to do when trying to put the truck in park...hold the light and get a shot off at one running mack8 across a field.

I killed this guy with a .204 ruger. One shot 4inches behind the ear = grave yard dead!

Nice hog, cant wait until I can try my .204 out on some hogs. Thanks for the advice guys and the pics.

30-06

i use a .260 and i love it...its kinda hard to find bullets tho. behind the shoulder or in the head, works both ways

Hi guys, my first post here.


I'm a very, very junior hunter (have hunted things that shot back, though I never saw combat, recently started hunting hogs)

Went out with an experienced friend who has a hog problem, he generally uses .30-06/.30-30 and .45-70 because it's available.

First and second time out used a .44 levergun, no pigs, but Mr. Coyote had a bad day.

Upcoming hunt, brother and dad are going. Brother's never been, using 7.62X39mm, dad hasn't hunted since Vietnam, he's using 12ga with slugs/buck. I'll use either the .44 Mag or 5.56mm.

Aside from "shoot them in the ear/shoulder" any particular recommended loads for those calibers? Softpoint vs FMJ, etc.

.223 Ar-15 is my favorite gun/caliber to hunt hogs with.

I've only used a 30-06 up to this point, but I'm going to try an AR-15 this year with 60 gr Nosler Partitions in 223. My preference is a behind the ear shot, but that's not always possible. I figure the partition bullet will hold together the best and still penetrate well if I have to take a shoulder shot. A couple years ago I shot a hog on the run and hit him in the lower jaw with a 30-06. It completely blew off his jaw and he flopped around a little bit til he bled out. So another way to analyze this would be to ask "What caliber is best for shooting the jaw off a hog?"

how much does that mogan weigh?

Rack hunter, don't listen to these guys, they are going to get you killed or hurt. If you plan on hunting hogs from the ground, you need atleast, the very minimun, a .458 mag rifle with a good zeiss or comparable scope that is 4-16x50 and a .500 S&W revolver side arm for a backup. Make sure you carry plenty of ammo for both.

If you are hunting from a stand, you can go a little lighter, like a .375 H&H. You don't necessarily need a side arm up there, but if you get down out of the stand to walk to your kill or walk back to your vehicle, you definately will need the sidearm.

Holy crap... Go a little lighter, like a .375 H&H... WOW.. A well placed shot with a 22 mag will stop them in their tracks....

sometime u have to make up for not so well placed shot.... im for using a bazooka....

x2..... but wouldn't recommend it if they are under the feeder.

If I cant drop one with my standard .270 deer rifle or my .357 mag side arm I have no business hunting anything. IMO

i really hope u are attempting to make a lil funny heree with lots of sarcasm....... heres some hogs killed while on the ground with a 9mm handgun... i do it all the time!

Hello Everyone......
My dad and brother are coming to Texas in April for a hog hunt and want to know what the best calibers are. My dad has a .243 that he would like to use, but that seems a little light to me. The hunt will most likely be for meat hogs, 150 lbs or less. I will probably use a .308 or 30-06.


________________________
pycnogenol

.243 is fine.

aaaahhhhhh hah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

You guys are killing me.

I like my Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54R- has a bayonet just in case! Let the cheap rifle bashing begin!

No cheap rifle bashing here, I love the Mosin and have taken a few hogs with one. You gotta love the huge fireball that comes out of the barrel when you shoot the thing.

Nice photoshop!

Since you are meat huntin' you are gonna head shot anyway. 243 will be plenty with an eye shot!!!!

Have killed one with a .22-250 at about 125 yds. Head shot. No problem, went right down. Cousin has shot many with .22 mag. A .243 will do the same as a .22-250 if placed. I would go with a .270 or bigger to be sure, but the other calibers will do fine. Have not hunted enough to have experienced it, but keep a pistol with you cause they could do some damage if one gets to you. A big sow came running at my brother from about 40 yds. All he had was his rifle and was able to drop her. But could have been bad.

Shot gun 12guage slugs

Dude. Stay on the ground and be still. They cant see you. Only take a 44 mag. After you shoot, be still. You can usually get 2 when they come back to eat their little brother. Its a rush. If you dont have a heart attach you will do it again.

thanks everbody