Caliber for piggies

[seckert]

All the pigs I have shot have been with a .308. Mostly head shots. The ones that were shot in the lungs never ran any farther than a similarly hit deer.

 

[Revolting Peasant]

We pour corn out in a long narrow line down ranch roads and senderos. I have nailed three with one shot several times. Got four once or twice but had to get Jagdterriers out to track the last one. After the bullet goes through two hogs it's anybodies guess where that bullets path is gonna take it. Two is easy with just a little patience. Most of those are with a .308. I use a 6.5 Grendel AR for a ranch rifle and thermal gun. .223 and 200# hogs means tracking with the Jagds unless you get a DRT shot.

 

[Revolting Peasant]

Helicopter hunters and high volume night hunters in my areas are mostly using AR's in 7.62x39 right now due to ammo costs and availability.

 

[Revolting Peasant]

I used a 375 H&H for a few just for my own research (amusement). At 50 yards a 270 grain Winchester silver tip will penetrate 36" of boar vertebra before coming apart. I was attempting an end to end pass through. Quite dramatic boom flop on that one.

 

[jbenevides89]

I always have 2 setups for hog extermination here in SC.
300 blackout AR with a 16" wilson combat barrel. I load 125 nosler ballistic tips over H110 as hot as I can get them ~2400 fps before pressure signs. I keep a green Wicked hunting light on the end and a cheap firefield scope on top for the ones we drive up on or sunders that we can get inside of 80ish yards of. Its light to carry, its manigable in the front seat of a jeep while blowing through fields with the doors off, and those rounds are devastating when they connect. Just fast enough to expand well, just slow enough to stay inside and transfer every bit of energy possible.
Setup 2 is an AR10 in 308 with a thermion XM50. 178 ELD-X factory loads. This is for the lone pigs in the fields, or if we have one patterned and can slip in before he shows up.

 

[Lou270]

Any will work for pigs. I personally feel pigs are tough critters. Of what you listed, I think 308 is "ideal" choice.

 

[Olevern]

I have hunted pigs in S. Texas for a number of years. My preference when I started was the 45-70 in Marlin cowboy and a custom Siamese Mauser. I was trying to keep the loads for both down to a level that the Marlin could handle so as not to get different loads mixed up in the field. Then, on a whim I bought a Ruger 458 Win. Mag and decided to take it with on a trip to Texas. Loaded Down to about my max in the Siamese Mauser and had a ball with it.

Added a Winchester model 70 in .458 and have been taking both these guns, downloaded to top level II loads, really liked the Rem 405 grain soft point for this application but now as these are no longer available I'm using my cast bullets in this weight range and the Speer 400 grain soft point.

Funny thing, the rancher friend in S. Texas I hunt with mostly uses an old Winchester lever action in 30-30...it's old and beat up but I'd wager it has accounted for thousands of pigs.

You don't need all that much gun, just good shot placement.