What is enough gun when pig hunting?

kcult

kcult

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I'll probably go this coming Saturday and/or next Saturday and was considering taking my 5.56 SBR. The reason is because of the platform I'm hunting from. It's nothing more than a frame with a "floor" on top, about 5' off the ground. Sort of like the base of a raised blind, without the blind.

Here's a pic I took this past weekend. I watched a couple of does for about 20 minutes while I waited on pigs. The feeder is about 20yds away.

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I'm having to lie prone and my Ruger American was a bit cumbersome up there. More so because there was another feeder to my right that I was watching. It's also about 20yds away. You can see the barrel that the pigs have turned over.

Also, this pic is heavily cropped. There are clear shots to the left and right of where the pigs left the barrel.

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At this range, is there any reason not to use the 5.56, considering I'll be taking headshots? I downed a ~110lb sow with a 100gr .243 to the noggin this past Saturday.

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It kinda feels funny to be asking, but I do like to hear other's opinions and experiences.

Thanks, y'all!
 
I would tell you a 9mm with a quality self defense load is great.

Or what ever you carry as your CCH. If its good enough on the street, a pig is nothing.
 
Well, if I were hog-hunting I'd use a lever gun in 45c-
But that's just me...

Or maybe a 40s&w hi-point carbine with something in the 180gr range.
Again, just my .02

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If you’re going for clean, humane kills then 5.56 or 223 or 243 and a head shot is fine.

300 BLK suppressed is what some guys I know use for body shots as they can take multiple pigs without scaring them.

I haven’t hog hunted in years. A few years ago I got invited on a hunt and when I asked what calibers were acceptable for their group they said none. We have the dogs hold them and then we rush in and kill them with a knife. I declined to go. That’s not hunting.
 
I’ve been looking into and reading up on hog hunting for a few years now and this is a hotly debated topic. Some claim .223 is inhumane, others say you can use a .22lr. It al comes down to shot placement IMO.

Whenever I do finally get out there, I plan to use .300BLK supers, suppressed.
 
I do have a suppressed SBR in 300blk and I took a pig from this stand with it during deer season.

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I know I want to take a shorter gun and was considering my 5.56, since I haven't hunted with it yet.

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I have done some near contact kills on pigs. I wouldn’t use less than an .357 if you’re using a handgun. A big one under my legs took three 158gr Gold Dots in the head from point blank before it dropped. These aren’t the right bullets. Speer makes a handgun hunting round called the deep curl hunting bullet, the smallest is .357, made for deep expansion in thicker skinned game.

If you use 9mm, it has to be a clean, brain box shot. It’s not going to drop like being hit by a 300BLK or 6.8 super hit behind the shoulder
 
A Hi Point 995 Carbine would be perfect for this. One head shot, one folded up hog.
 
Chdamn said:
If you’re going for clean, humane kills then 5.56 or 223 or 243 and a head shot is fine.

300 BLK suppressed is what some guys I know use for body shots as they can take multiple pigs without scaring them.

I haven’t hog hunted in years. A few years ago I got invited on a hunt and when I asked what calibers were acceptable for their group they said none. We have the dogs hold them and then we rush in and kill them with a knife. I declined to go. That’s not hunting.
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What would you label it?
Its killing a nuisance/getting some meat up close and personal.
Chasing hogs with dogs is great fun.
 
Chdamn said:
If you’re going for clean, humane kills then 5.56 or 223 or 243 and a head shot is fine.

300 BLK suppressed is what some guys I know use for body shots as they can take multiple pigs without scaring them.

I haven’t hog hunted in years. A few years ago I got invited on a hunt and when I asked what calibers were acceptable for their group they said none. We have the dogs hold them and then we rush in and kill them with a knife. I declined to go. That’s not hunting.
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I watched a video of this a few years ago out in Kansas I think. You are correct, it’s not hunting and it’s very far from humane. Only way I could kill an animal that way would be for survival but even then there are cleaner methods than what I saw.


Pigs aren’t considered a game animal there so basically anything goes but you can’t take any game animal with that method.


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Tailhunter said:
What would you label it?
Its killing a nuisance/getting some meat up close and personal.
Chasing hogs with dogs is great fun.
Click to expand...

Nothing personal against people who want to go that route. To me it’s just brutal for brutalities sake. If I was starving and only had a knife, no problem. Hell I’d attach the knife to a stick, hide in a tree and Rambo that MF’er.

And if I’ve shot an animal that’s down but still hasn’t figured out it’s dead I’ve never had any qualms about cutting it’s throat.

And I grew up hunting deer in drives with dogs so no issues there either. But we shot them with buckshot.

So if it’s your thing fine. But to me going in with a knife is slaughtering not hunting. And I’ve slaughtered pigs too so it’s not a squeamish thing it’s just not for me for wild hogs.
 
They places that I've hunted requires a minimum of .308 to ensure they're not going far.

I've shot pigs in the head with a .308 and saw them still running like nothing had hit them. A second shot in the pump house put them down quickly. I've even attempted to dispatch farm raised hogs with a 9mm headshot with it not getting the job done.

Seems to me that shot placement is key, but I would hesitate using a 5.56 on a hog if I were interested in recovering it.
 
I've seen them shot with a suppressed 22LR behind the ear. In the vitals, sure a .223 out of no less than a 10.5" barrel should lay em flat and kicking no problem. I would probably not hunt them with my 7" 5.56 pistol.
 
For feral hunts I’ve used 5.56, .300BO and .308win ... with good results with all. After we realized shooting them was not really putting a dent in the population and starting pen catching (they must be killed in the pen not removed alive per NC Wildlife regs). To dispatch them mainly I use a G17 with 124gr FMJ to the brain or 5.56 with 64gr Speer Gold Dots from a rear broad type shot to the lungs/heart when a little to fat for a 9mm to the brain. You should check out pig’s anatomy for broad shots due to the vitals placement and thicker hide at the shoulder. The best non-brain shot to the heart/lungs is about 45° off to the rear broad shot to miss the front shoulder and leg bone along with thick tissue ...
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Keep in mind I have no experience hog hunting but a shotgun and buckshot would be ideal given 20 yard range. We used to do a lot of deer drives and I have rolled multiple deer numerous times out to about 50 yards.
 
I'm not a hunter but I've seen a few youtube videos from europe where they drive them with dogs and whatever they are using makes them drop fast! It almost seems like shooting clays since they are taking the shots as the boar run across a road or trail.
 
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I put three rnds of 270 federal soft points into the one I killed at Chestnut Ridge 20 yrs ago. Pigman and Dap use 300WinMag a lot.
 
Have some fun with it, dial up a .375 H&H. After all, a feral hog could be considered to be “dangerous” game. Wouldn’t recommend it for high volume shooting, but I don’t think you’d have any problems dropping them.
 
Sounds like a good excuse for a 45-70. One shot effectiveness and multiple rounds in case the piggy brings friends. . Throw a red dot on and have at it.
 
I am heading to FL next month for a little pig plinking and I am planning on carrying a 300 aac. I feel like that will be adequate on those swamp pigs.
 
Chdamn said:
If you’re going for clean, humane kills then 5.56 or 223 or 243 and a head shot is fine.

300 BLK suppressed is what some guys I know use for body shots as they can take multiple pigs without scaring them.

I haven’t hog hunted in years. A few years ago I got invited on a hunt and when I asked what calibers were acceptable for their group they said none. We have the dogs hold them and then we rush in and kill them with a knife. I declined to go. That’s not hunting.
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I've killed a few hundreds hogs and have been right there on thousands of hogs killed in this method. It is hunting just the same as anything else, and it's one of the most effective ways to remove them from a tract of land. You go and shoot one or two and that's great and all, but tomorrow the other twenty you didn't kill will be eating instead of grieving for their buddies, and that's crops/seed that someone has paid for. I will agree that there are those who do it to try and be macho or make it sound macho who have mental insecurity issues, but most people who hunt them with dogs are just normal guys who like to hunt with dogs. If you are squirrel hunting with a dog and he catches him on the ground, is it inhumane then to snap his neck? Or do you let the dog mangle him? It's just a part of taking game.
 
I have als
KnotRight said:
I do not hunt any more but really think that I would like to go hog hunting with my Rossi 92 44 Mag in a 16" barrel.
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We had this exact conversation last night. I told my buddy that I would like a Henry big boy in 45-70 for hogs and he said "heck that 44mag beside it would do well too". I feel certain it would be bad juju on pepa piggy!
 
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