Whats a good rifle to take hog and small game?

[Zachary Varney]

Whats a good rifle to take hog and small game?

[buckshot89]

brother bear, that is an oxymoron if i've ever heard of one. your best bet is to hang the rifle and go with a shotgun. you can mount a scope on many models and you can find models that hold patterns as tight as a a rifle at a hundred yards. then if you want to switch to small game, swap out the barrel and go with shot. however, i have killed a pig with a 22 cal pistol, given it was very close range and it wasnt a wild pig, it was one bought for slaughter. imagine a cross between their eyes and aim two inches to the right and squeeze. clean kill, knocks them down, puts them out and cut their throat. you could look at a .17 hmr, or 22 mag, but i dont know about the penetration with these two for a wild hog.

[DakotaMan]

Russian boars are big and dangerous. If you are hunting on foot, bring enough gun. These beasts are a lot more like a rhinocerous than they are like a farm yard pig. They are as fast as a deer, accelerate faster than a deer and they can attack at the slightest provocation. Their tusks are razor sharp and can cut several inches deep before you know you have been hit. Big boars (over 300 pounds) have been known to stop a 140g .270 bullet in their leather-like chest shield with a frontal shot (I know it sounds ludicrous until you see it happen). With an adrenalin rush, you can put holes clear through them and they just keep coming. A .22LR would kill them with the perfect brain shot but you seldom see that when you are on foot. If you are on foot, I suggest a 12 gauge slug gun as one of the best. The 45-70 is great too. Anything of .30-.30 or larger knockdown power will work fine. Just avoid the frontal shot if you can. I have had a need for frontal shots with charging boars and the 12 gauge slug stops them in their tracks when few others do. I have actually seen .357 Mag bullets stopped in the shield without 1/8 inch penetration. If you hunt Russian boars, don't take them lightly. You might get an easy shot or on the other hand, you might die trying. I use a .25-06 with confidence and I shoot a lot of varmints with that too using 75g bullets.