300 Win Mag vs Hogs... Does bullet "really" matter?

[CraigC]

Good rifle for bean fields, far from ideal for typical hog hunting.

IMHO, bull selection ALWAYS matters. In this case, it depends entirely on the hog. Big difference between a hundred pound roaster and a 400lb trophy with 2" of gristle plate and 300lbs of sass. Either way, best to use a bullet that stays together in the mid to heavy range. A heavy bullet will kill a small hog deader than fried chicken but a light bullet may be disastrous on a big hog.

A 6.5-20x is way too much scope. Probably too much for what you're already using it for but some folks like big glass. For hog hunting, you'd be better off with iron sights than that big sucker. I'd suggest you augment your rig with a quick detachable 1-4x.

 

[LoonWulf]

Id have to disagree about changing the sight unless you have time to do so and then practice. A "proper" sight for short range shooting that a user hasnt had time to adjust too could be much worse then a big scope they are good with. I had a 6.5-20x50 on my primary hunting rig for years, mostly cause i got it cheap was clear and held zero, and i shot a good deal of game i side 50yds with it no problem. It wasnt ideal but i was used to it.

As to bullet selection. Id stick with a heavier load as suggested just to be safe. I shot one med size (maybe 150ish) pig here with my 300 when i had it and the 180balistic went clean thru it. And ive shot a bunch with everything from 22lrs at near point blank to 7 mags at range. Ive found them to be quite good at taking bullets and keeping on going, so i prefer to break bones if possible, and i like more bullet weight when doing it.

 

[CraigC]

Id have to disagree about changing the sight unless you have time to do so and then practice. A "proper" sight for short range shooting that a user hasnt had time to adjust too could be much worse then a big scope they are good with. I had a 6.5-20x50 on my primary hunting rig for years, mostly cause i got it cheap was clear and held zero, and i shot a good deal of game i side 50yds with it no problem. It wasnt ideal but i was used to it.

Whether you're used to it or not, the lower power scope will be a huge advantage when a hog emerges at 50yds (or a lot less) and you're used to shooting at 200-300yds. Familiarity doesn't always overcome having the wrong tool for the job. Hogs don't always give you a lot of time to line up for a shot and the time you use trying to find that 50yd hog in a 6x scope can be all the time he needs to make an exit. I've had them come trotting in and they were mere feet away before I was able to get the sights on them.

 

[alsaqr]

Hogs don't always give you a lot of time to line up for a shot and the time you use trying to find that 50yd hog in a 6x scope can be all the time he needs to make an exit. I've had them come trotting in and they were mere feet away before I was able to get the sights on them.

That's my experience too. i like a power setting of 2.5-4. Never had a problem killing deer or hogs at 250-300 yards with a low power scope.

BTW: With the exception of some USMC rifles all the sniper rifles of WWII used scopes with 4X power or less.

 

[LoonWulf]

I agree guys, all of the guns i now use when im intentionally hunting pigs have 1-1.75 as the low setting, they are ideal, and yes 4x scopes are plenty out to 300+/- yards no problem. Ive also shot most of the pigs ive gotten inside of 50, many inside of 30yds. I do mostly hunt fern forests, only open spots ive taken pigs are papaya fields, and above tree line on maunakea. Believe me im not arguing that the smaller scope would have a major advantage.

The issue is unfamiliar equipment. Honestly my first responce was you might wanna take a whole different rig, but as he stated this is his primary hunting rifle, that didnt seem like a viable option. Working with what he has seems to me to be better than changing around his rig for one hunt. Tho if time permits it might not be a bad option.

 

[FL-NC]

The AR I hunt with has a compact Horus blackbird- 1.5- 8x. Lots of flexibility from darn close to the effective range of the rifle.