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Acceptable Accuracy For Hog Hunting

My hunting rifles don't leave the safe on a hunt (for any animal) unless they can print 1 moa or less and preferable 1/2 MOA with a quality bullet at 3000 fps or more. I say quality bullets because I've had to put down wounded elk twice now and they were hit well but the bullets did not perform as expected. We were fortunate to recover both animals, one the same day and one the following day. The place we hunt boars in calif has nice sized animals and their live weights have ranged from 150 lbs to over 300 lbs. Average size is about 180 to 230 lbs. Skinned and gutted the carcass weight will be much less than 50 % of that weight. They have not been hard to kill, as long as the location of the shot placement is behind the shoulder. Most of our shots have been under 100 yds so the pie plate accuracy std will work!!!
 
What some consider good enough would not pass most shooters on this website's test as even marginal accuracy. I once took a guy on an elk hunt. He had lived in Montana his whole life and had never killed a bull. I had lived here for three years and had killed three bulls three years in a row and we had become pretty good friends. He asked if I would take him hunting and I said I would but he would have to go to the range with me to show his gun was sighted in before hand. He told me the gun was shooting great but he would gladly meet me there. Friday rolled around and I headed to the range to meet him. I had been there for about 45 minutes before he finally showed up. I told him I had already placed a target at 100 yards for him. He sat down with his Remington Semi Auto 30-06, flopped it across a backpack and began to blaze away as fast as he could pull the trigger, jumped up and said hows that. I could not see any holes in the target, through my very inexpensive spotting scope, so I told him we had to wait until the firing line was cold an we would go down and check. Upon further inspection he had not even hit the target. I said I thought you told me the rifle was shooting great,he said "oh that's good enough to go hunting with". Hence why he had never killed a bull elk, obviously.

I think that a considerable portion of pig hunters in general, from what I have witnessed on the six or so pig hunts I have been on in Texas, feel a bullet in the pig is good enough. For me I want to shoot them in the right or left eye, depending on which way they are facing, in the center of the pupil. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
 
What some consider good enough would not pass most shooters on this website's test as even marginal accuracy. I once took a guy on an elk hunt. He had lived in Montana his whole life and had never killed a bull. I had lived here for three years and had killed three bulls three years in a row and we had become pretty good friends. He asked if I would take him hunting and I said I would but he would have to go to the range with me to show his gun was sighted in before hand. He told me the gun was shooting great but he would gladly meet me there. Friday rolled around and I headed to the range to meet him. I had been there for about 45 minutes before he finally showed up. I told him I had already placed a target at 100 yards for him. He sat down with his Remington Semi Auto 30-06, flopped it across a backpack and began to blaze away as fast as he could pull the trigger, jumped up and said hows that. I could not see any holes in the target, through my very inexpensive spotting scope, so I told him we had to wait until the firing line was cold an we would go down and check. Upon further inspection he had not even hit the target. I said I thought you told me the rifle was shooting great,he said "oh that's good enough to go hunting with". Hence why he had never killed a bull elk, obviously.

I think that a considerable portion of pig hunters in general, from what I have witnessed on the six or so pig hunts I have been on in Texas, feel a bullet in the pig is good enough. For me I want to shoot them in the right or left eye, depending on which way they are facing, in the center of the pupil. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
For me it is 2" under the ear with a 223 SGK 65gr. Their legs fold up under them and don't move!
 
A classmate of mine has a meadow along the river that stretches 2-3 miles long. I called him up and asked "what do want to do about your bacon farm"? He was confused for awhile and then said "shoot them up"!
 
I am in the "animals deserve a clean kill" club, and I wouldn't own a rifle that shoots like that, it will obviously kill a pig at the ranges it was shot. Effective accuracy. I wonder how many of those ol' eastern and southern boys have trusty thuty-thuties or slug guns that aren't even that good. You know…slug guns and lever-actions are only "accurate enough to kill deer out about a hunerd yards."
Don't know about your "trusty thuty-thutie," and from your tone, really don't care. My pre '64 trusty .30 WCF will reliably put three rounds in a three inch circle at 150 yds. all day long, and that is well accurate enough for a deer or hog clean kill at the range a 170 gr. round is made for. With iron sights.
 
7.62 x 51 NATO, and lots of it....



Looks like great fun, and great way to educate every hog in the county.....assuring they will always have hogs decimating the land, have hogs to hunt. That's a prime reason so many areas are over run with hogs.....hunting them, killing many, leaving some for seed, educating, breeding smarter hunt resistant hogs. Wait til they get their own mini-guns to shoot back..... :) :) :)
 
Take a old fence post put it in the ground at 50 yards and nail a snuff can long ways on top so the bottom faces you then do the same with a soup can at 100 yards when you get good at taking the bottom out of each you have just learned how to hunt most any animal including pigs and no hunting party will ever object to you joining there party or be worried about there safety or ethics on your part.
 
For me it is 2" under the ear with a 223 SGK 65gr. Their legs fold up under them and don't move!
Reminds me of a 223 story.
Years ago I went to drop a friend at my hunting spot. When we arrived a 200+ hog was out about 75 yards and I drew my 223 and sent a 45 tipped bullet that hit that massive jowl and jaw bone just forward of where I intended! The bullet splashed and dug an ice cream scoop size hole but never penetrated! Thankfully my friend had jumped out for a backup shot from a 25-06 to end him.
Switched bullets for that 223 truck gun after that.
 
Don't know about your "trusty thuty-thutie," and from your tone, really don't care. My pre '64 trusty .30 WCF will reliably put three rounds in a three inch circle at 150 yds. all day long, and that is well accurate enough for a deer or hog clean kill at the range a 170 gr. round is made for. With iron sights.
Sorry, no offense meant at all. My tone had a smile and was pure respect for those folks. Just saying within the limits of the gun and shooter any weapon is effective. I bet you would shoot I critter farther with your 30WCF than I would with my 35Rem…the gun will do it, I can't, old eyes. The original post was about 3" @ 50 yds? That would be real good for an archer and no one would argue the effectiveness of a bow…at those ranges. If it had been a lever action no one would have condemned him. Just saying that at 50 or 100yds, that target shows he can hit a pig in the kill zone for a quick, ethical kill. As for the gun…if that's all it can do, something is broke or it needs to be scrapped for parts.
 
True Story:

A few weeks/months ago my brother and I were shooting rifles at our local range when a member and his guest showed up. The guest was there to sight in his 300 Win Mag for an out of state hog hunt. He fired a few shots at 50yds then moved his target to 100yds and fired a few more. He cased his rifle, thanked us for our patience and left. I didn't think much about it, as it seemed a normal zero check to me. As I was putting my target stand back in the house I could not help but notice the grouping on his big black circle target. I have never hog hunted, so Ill ask those of you who do. Would you head to the field with this?
Absolutely NOT!
 
Since this thread resurfaced, Ill ask a question as we don't have them here (yet) so I don't and have never hunted them.

I was always under the impression pigs are highly intelligent animals like dogs (coyotes) and required long shots if not chasing them down in vehicles.

So, those of you who hunt them without vehicles at what ranges are the majority of your shots? Please note if your stalking or stand shooting over bait.
 
Since this thread resurfaced, Ill ask a question as we don't have them here (yet) so I don't and have never hunted them.

I was always under the impression pigs are highly intelligent animals like dogs (coyotes) and required long shots if not chasing them down in vehicles.

So, those of you who hunt them without vehicles at what ranges are the majority of your shots? Please note if your stalking or stand shooting over bait.
Well I have hunted hogs six or seven times. I have shot them at 10' with a bow on a spot and stalk, 20-100 yards from a blind and at over 400 yards with a rifle on a "there's one on the hillside and jumped out of the Ranger, laid on the private logging road over my pack and let him have it and over 600 yards from a sit watching a hillside in Northern California for pigs to come out right before dark to feed. Their eyesight sucks, they hear and smell really well. If you have the wind right they will literally walk right up to you if you don't move. If they hear or smell ya they are gone. Just my experience. I am sure there are thousands of guys on here that have way more hog experience than I do that you could grab some great info from. Hunting and shooting hogs might be the second best thing in the world..... :)
 
I have killed pigs while still hunting, over baits and just sitting in a field waiting for them to come out and start rooting it up. Allen hit a lot of the high points. Their vision is lousy but their nose and ears are very sharp. Shot them 20 yards to a bit over 150.

I am happy with any rifle load accuracy wise that groups an inch or less @ 100 yards for big game. I like to get under 3/4 for a varmint rifle. My longest kill was on an elk @ a lasered 340 yards. I always try to get under 400. I enjoy seeing an animal at longer range and stalking to get closer.

I only get to do that out west. The hunting in my home state is mostly under 200 yard shots.
 
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