# Round for Wild Pigs?



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Heading out shortly for a wild hog hunt. I've shot several in the past with a .270 with no problem, but in conversation with the outfitter he tells me that personally he uses a .223.

With that in mind, I think I'm going to just take my favorite little .222 Rem varmint rifle. It shoots great and I've killed lots of coyotes and groundhogs with it, just nothing bigger. I use 55gr bullets.

See any problem with this?


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Fishindude said:


> Heading out shortly for a wild hog hunt. I've shot several in the past with a .270 with no problem, but in conversation with the outfitter he tells me that personally he uses a .223.
> 
> With that in mind, I think I'm going to just take my favorite little .222 Rem varmint rifle. It shoots great and I've killed lots of coyotes and groundhogs with it, just nothing bigger. I use 55gr bullets.
> 
> See any problem with this?


Nope, I shoot them all the time with a 223 with 55 grain pills. Have also shot them with a 22 mag and had luck. Shot placement is king!


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

I've killed em with 22 shorts in a single six....
But my favorite close range is a 44 or a 12ga...


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

bobp said:


> I've killed em with 22 shorts in a single six....
> But my favorite close range is a 44 or a 12ga...


That’ll do a number!


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

The 12ga slug is an awesome round for close, under 100yds... It's got a whollop that's hard to match...Cheap... And expands readily, losing Energy in enough time to be a good round for dog work..

The 44....Well if you don't know I can't explain it lol..
I'll just have to show you the hole.it leaves lol... I'll.look for a pic


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Shot placement is even *more* important will small caliber light weight bullets.
I'd want something bigger in case you don't get perfect shot opportunities.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

I know guys who hunt wild hogs very successfully with high powered air rifles. As stated above, shot placement is the key !


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

never shot a pig with a 223 but having shot deer with them, you don't always get a exit wound.
deer don't often go far with a decent shot through the ribs , but if they are in thick stuff there may well be nothing to follow.

I wouldn't go on any hunting trip with just one gun , bring something else also so you have options


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## outgunu (Sep 14, 2006)

If you use the 223/5.56, shoot them in the ear or neck. Don't even try a shoulder/chest shot with light bullets and hogs. Be prepared for them to wiggle a while after the ear shot.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Fishindude said:


> Heading out shortly for a wild hog hunt. I've shot several in the past with a .270 with no problem, but in conversation with the outfitter he tells me that personally he uses a .223.
> 
> With that in mind, I think I'm going to just take my favorite little .222 Rem varmint rifle. It shoots great and I've killed lots of coyotes and groundhogs with it, just nothing bigger. I use 55gr bullets.
> 
> See any problem with this?


Depends on the hog, the terrain and your aim.
My Savage 270 leaves no doubt where that fella is. With a 223 sometime you may have to walk a piece. I suppose it is more about preference than anything. Refer back to my first sentence.


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## Dutch 106 (Feb 12, 2008)

Here in Minnesota we don't have the problem (at least yet) I have heard a lot of talk of using AR 15 in 300AAC Blackout for feral pigs. its not a cartridge for long range. But using 230 grain cast coated should knock them down you would think and that it is easy to set up with suppressor. but from what I'm reading there isn't much shooting beyond 100 yards! I'm currently building a 6.5 mm Grendal. I would think it would do at big pigs. Assuming some better bullets than FMJ, But have zero experience at anything heavier than Northern Whitetail. Aren't most of the paid hunts done over bait piles? Being old and decrepit I'd be tempted to use my M1A in 308 win. if it spent most of its time in a rack, with a 20 round box mag. with 150 gr soft points. You would think it should clean up.
Dutch


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## swampratt (Feb 1, 2011)

Did you go yet?
If you are proficient with the 270 and killed them with it then you know it kills them ..dead is dead.
I have taken 400+lb wild Not baited hogs with my .223 bolt gun and hand loaded 55gr V-Max bullet.
Right in the neck and she fell over sideways.
Another on the run got it in the crease of the shoulder and went 15 feet and piled up. the round exploded top 1/2 of the heart.
Put the bullet where it counts and enjoy your next few meals


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Dutch 106 said:


> Here in Minnesota we don't have the problem (at least yet) I have heard a lot of talk of using AR 15 in 300AAC Blackout for feral pigs. its not a cartridge for long range. But using 230 grain cast coated should knock them down you would think and that it is easy to set up with suppressor. but from what I'm reading there isn't much shooting beyond 100 yards! I'm currently building a 6.5 mm Grendal. I would think it would do at big pigs. Assuming some better bullets than FMJ, But have zero experience at anything heavier than Northern Whitetail. Aren't most of the paid hunts done over bait piles? Being old and decrepit I'd be tempted to use my M1A in 308 win. if it spent most of its time in a rack, with a 20 round box mag. with 150 gr soft points. You would think it should clean up.
> Dutch


My daughters bolt gun in 6.5 Grendel puts them down quick. She has also used it on axis and whitetail deer. That rifle is the reason I bought a barrel in 6.5 Grendel and building an AR chambered in it.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Try it with just dogs and a knife. It's really intense.


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

TedH71 said:


> Try it with just dogs and a knife. It's really intense.


Been days bro. Leave the dogs home.


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## Back2Basix (Dec 24, 2015)

What about 22-250 vs the 223?? 50-55gr nosler traveling upwards of 4000fps to the neck or boiler room would probably do some damage. And pretty darn accurate out to 400yds if scoped properly


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Back2Basix said:


> What about 22-250 vs the 223?? 50-55gr nosler traveling upwards of 4000fps to the neck or boiler room would probably do some damage. And pretty darn accurate out to 400yds if scoped properly


Been known to splash, had it happen twice


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## Back2Basix (Dec 24, 2015)

Texaspredatorhu said:


> Been known to splash, had it happen twice


Wow, I'd expect that on a steel target but not so much with a soft target. 

Never been hog hunting, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Back2Basix said:


> Wow, I'd expect that on a steel target but not so much with a soft target.
> 
> Never been hog hunting, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt


It will work but the lighter faster bullets don’t generally hold up and offer the penetration. Both times it happened to me they were what I thought were good hits at 300-350. The pigs acted like they were hit and then there was no blood at all. Probably not typical results and fmj’s probably would do better. Just an experience I had with my 22-250.


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

Not an expert by any means and never shot an American "hog". 

I have shot a few boar in Germany and Austria. For stand hunting generally at night I used a .270 and for the driven stuff I used a little REM M7 carbine in .350REM mag. I loaded 130 Nosler ballistic tips in the .270 and Nosler 225 partitions in the .350. Never had an issue with either. The .350 worked great on the running shots as shot placement wasn't critical.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

.222 Worked great. Head shots and dead pigs dropped in their tracks.
Just wrapped up butchering this morning.


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Fishindude said:


> .222 Worked great. Head shots and dead pigs dropped in their tracks.
> Just wrapped up butchering this morning.


Perfect! Now some good eating!


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Texaspredatorhu said:


> Perfect! Now some good eating!


Yep !
Wild pigs are one of the more underappreciated wild game animals in my opinion.
The hunt is usually pretty laid back and leisurely, odds of success are very high, and the result is some excellent table fare. I think they taste near identical to domestic hog, if any different, maybe just slightly tougher meat, but not much.


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Fishindude said:


> Yep !
> Wild pigs are one of the more underappreciated wild game animals in my opinion.
> The hunt is usually pretty laid back and leisurely, odds of success are very high, and the result is some excellent table fare. I think they taste near identical to domestic hog, if any different, maybe just slightly tougher meat, but not much.


Some of the ranchers around me will trap them, feed them out for a week or so and then slaughter them. Takes a little of the game taste out but I usually just shoot em and eat em.


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## Back2Basix (Dec 24, 2015)

Anyone see that video "Hog Hunting with Tannerite"??


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Back2Basix said:


> Anyone see that video "Hog Hunting with Tannerite"??


Nah, is it on YouTube?


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## Back2Basix (Dec 24, 2015)

Google it


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Videos like that give hunters a bad reputation, and will eventually end up getting Tannerite banned altogether.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

had someone blow up a car in a farm field this winter Near Milton Wis with tannerite or a home brew of it , that may get it banned , the farmer said he doesn't know who and he gave no one permission to be in his field ,I think it was an 90s jeep just shredded from the explosion. pictures in the article in the link

http://www.gazettextra.com/news/cri...cle_9384b87d-9b18-5649-a87a-748be9a71cfc.html


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Videos like that give hunters a bad reputation, and will eventually end up getting Tannerite banned altogether.


I agree.
Actually, I find it hard to believe that you can even buy Tannerite as easily as you can. Wasn't all that long ago we couldn't even buy firecrackers in most of the country.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

it s much safer to buy tannerite , a freind of mine was making his own, they had to reconstruct his hand as best they could he has a sort of a 3 finger crab claw thing going on and put his intestines back in , 6 months on a feeding tube. just buy it if you want to use it.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Fishindude said:


> Wasn't all that long ago we couldn't even buy firecrackers in most of the country.


Most fireworks are still illegal here.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

the only way most are selling so many fireworks here is that they rent a space a race track for a date right around the 4th of July and one later in the year they store takes out a fireworks permit for this space anyone who purchases their product is invited to these fireworks nights. 98% of the fireworks sold never make it to that night.

I have a co-worker who's brother owns a big fireworks store she takes the week before the 4th off every year to go help him with his store.


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## outgunu (Sep 14, 2006)

Maybe your hogs taste different than they do down here in Florida. Here you might as well leave the big hogs where they lay because they stink so bad. Yup, the meat on the big ones smells and tastes like crap. I even made sausage out of a stinky one and couldn't eat it. I'll only eat ones that are under 125 pounds.


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## swampratt (Feb 1, 2011)

Plenty of good food sources here like acorns and grasses along with hackberry and other trees that drop good eating things for the hogs.
I have killed a lot near the red river that borders Oklahoma and Texas and none of them have been stinky.
The males when the nuts drop start to get Pissy ..if nuts are up the meat is excellent.
Females do not suffer from that flavor.

Wife purchased a slab of pork ribs from wal-mart and they were pissy.
I like my wild killed ones best.


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