My uncle and I are considering going hog hunting and I am wondering what I should use. He has his .270 and I am on the fence abo

[DranDran]

My uncle and I are considering going hog hunting and I am wondering what I should use. He has his .270 and I am on the fence about using my 12 gauge, I can borrow a Ruger Deerfield Carbine in 44 magnum. Would buckshot or slugs be ok or would the 44 work better?

[99explorer]

I would choose the 12 gauge with slugs.
Those hogs can weigh upwards of 500 pounds with razor-sharp tusks and an armor-plated front end.

[DranDran]

What about 7.62x54R? My uncle has a mosin nagant too

[jhjimbo]

I would take the 12ga, load buckshot - slug - buckshot - slug. slug is first shot.

[99explorer]

jimbo - In law enforcement circles, that loading would be known as a "Candy Cane."

[DakotaMan]

If you are hunting from an elevated blind, you can use a .22 LR and shoot them beneath the ear. If you are hunting on the ground, you must assume they will be charging you to kill you. That may not always be the case but it does happen and you only have one life.

12 gauge slugs will stop a charging boar in his tracks like few other choices. A 300+ pound boar can actually stop a 130g .270 bullet in its chest shield. I know it sounds crazy but that shield is like a two inch thick leather plate that flexes to stop penetration. From point blank, a .357 won't penetrate more than an eighth of an inch. You will find all your buckshot on the surface of their skin in a head-on and they likely will not even know you fired a shot.

A .44 Mag has very little affect on them. I shot those clean through them and they never even flinched. They won't penetrate the shield in a head-on encounter but they will penetrate anywhere else. They have no shocking value though and I've actually had a big hog continue without any indication of a hit after being shot through the heart and getting the off fore leg broken. From his behavior, I could have sworn that I missed him completely.

They DO charge and they can kill you (I've participated in shooting 7 over 325 pounds and three of them were charging when we saw them). My recommendation is to assume you are hunting a wounded lion and prepare accordingly. They act more like a small rhinoceros than a farm pig.

Anything 7.62mm (.30 caliber) will work fine. If you are hunting from a tree, you typically won't have to worry about being killed and can use anything you want. Note that my buddy shot a 400 pounder just before dark with an arrow and it kept him in his tree all night. He thought it was going to tear his tree down before it was over. He was elated to see the rescue party the next morning.

[99explorer]

In some places, they are known as "the poor man's grizzly bear."

[DranDran]

We'll probably be on the ground and knowing him he'll probably shoot for the head/brain. What size buckshot is recommended? 00?

[Treestand]

Please DON'T use BuckShot! I live in a HOG State Fl. Use Slugs. Brenneke,Rem CopperSolid Sabot, they are the best Hog Stoppers by far.
The 44Magnum would be my 2Nd Pick~

[FirstBubba]

Hogs are tough, but they AIN'T bulletproof!
Any deer capable cartridge (.243 and up) is perfectly capable of taking ferals.
Don't know what kinda hogs you guys hunt, but I've taken plenty with plain ol' 2.75" high velocity number 1 buck.
Hogs won't "charge" unless provoked or cornered. Even then, they're likely just trying to escape.
If you REALLY want a hog to "charge" with blood in their eye? Get between a sow and her piglets! THAT, will get you hurt!
I've been dealing with ferals since the mid 60's and trapped hogs for several years.
They're big, nasty, ugly and tough, but they ain't bulletproof!

[M.A.T]

Use a shotgun with slugs. Phil Bourjaily's latest shotgun article was about tactical shotguns and his "Gear Tip" was about Lightfield slugs. These 12 guage, 3.5 in. slugs are 1 3/8 of an ounce and travel at a muzzle velocity of 1890 fps and generate 4759 ft-lbs of energy at muzzle putting it on par with a .458 Win Mag. That will stop a piggie.

[.30-06Hunter]

I have killed three boars. Two were killed with a .30-30 and one with a .45/70. Both did the job but it was amazing to see when I shot one with the .45/70 it hit him just to the side of head as he was facing me it traveled through his chest and exited around it's midsection on it's underside it folded for a second then ran as if nothing happened. This boar ran about 30 yards still being chased by dogs then stood there challenging the dogs for about 10 seconds before falling over. Both I shot with the .30-30 were broadside shots that had complete pass through. Both of those still ran about 50 yards. I have seen one shot with a .44 mag rifle and it had complete pass through and the boar ran about the same distance as mine. They are tough animals but will fall to a deer caliber gun with a shot to the vitals. They do have a thick armor like plate of cartilage type material around the neck and shoulders that needs to be avoided. As far as the 7.62x54R it would do the job fine as the power is between a .308 and a .30-06. I would want a gun that I could cycle faster than a Mosin though.

[mike0714]

hold the phone here. all of the cartridges and shot he mentioned will take hogs. As i have said many of times on this forum the best pig gun is not about its power but about where you will be hunting a 45/70 is not a rolling hills or farm gun and a .338 is not a forest or scrub gun. They each have different pluses and negatives. the 44 mag is accurate, easy to shoot, and quick to reload. yet it is not the most powerful. the key is to use a heavy premium bullet that is bonded or a jsp. they will have the energy and structural density to do the job most effectively. This is a gun best suited for mixed woods and open scrub. A shot gun loaded candy cane is great because it gives you the ability to put down a big boar fast and at close range. I would recommend this for tight woods or scrub where everything will be with in 50 yards and you may corner a pig or get between a sow and her piglets. The 7.62x54R is your open country gun rolling hills and farm fields. If It allows you to take longer shots and still have the accuracy and knockdown power required to do so effectively. Pick you gun and aim small. best of luck mike

[Safado]

Both the .270 and 12 gauge will work. I prefer 30 caliber typically using .308 or 30-06. My preferred hog rifle is a 30-06 with iron sights. I use 180 grain core locks or if expecting big boars I'll go with a 200 grain handload.

[Safado]

Dakota Man is correct in that all pigs can be taken down with a 22LR if you can put it in the right spot.