attention: all members who have hunted wild hogs

[yongxingfreesty]

1.what do you think of the .223 rem out of the arsenal ak slr106fr?
going hog hunting and want it to be a humane kill.

2.behind the ear or above the front two legs?

idea is to bring the .223 and pack lots of ammo, but have other options.
have semi-auto .308 and .308 bolt action(too slow, 4+1 and cheap scope)

 

[TCB in TN]

For me it would depend on the terain, the hogs in question, and which rifle I shot better. If you are looking at the average 150-200lb hog, the the .223 is ok. Most of the time a well placed shot into either the heart/lungs or brain pan will get it done! Now, with larger hogs, and especially in heavy brush or longer distance shots then bigger is always better. Either way, put your 1st shot where it should be and the follow up, while nice, is probably a moot point! I have killed quite a few hogs, and never felt undergunned with a bolt rifle.

 

[LeonCarr]

I would shoot either of the .308s at hogs before the .223. Hogs are notoriously hard to down even with proper shot placement and the .308 is a much better stopper than the .223.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Shawnee]

Shot placement and bullet perforance are what kills - not caliber or noise. My son in S. Texas shoots a few dozen hogs a year with some up to about 350 lbs. with a .204 Ruger bolt-action. Head shots only. I've shot several DRT with a single-shot Ruger #1 .243 "through the shoulders". Largest dressed at 170 lbs. which means it was probably 320 lbs. or better "on-the-hoof"

 

[HB]

agreed

Let me preface this by saying I have never hunted hogs.

Shot placement and bullet perforance are what kills - not caliber or noise./QUOTE]

That is good advice. Buy some high quality bullets, not some 55gr plinkers, and make sure they are accurate in your rifle. Have a good time.
Hogs are now invading Missouri so maybe I'll get a shot

HB

 

[MCgunner]

I think there are far better guns and calibers. I have an SKS set up for night hunting. At LEAST it shoots a .30 cal round. Inside 100 yards it's accurate enough. I hunt in daytime with a Remington in .308 or sometimes a Savage 110 in 7mm rem mag. Don't wanna tickle 'em, I wanna STOP 'em. The smaller ones ain't that tough, though, this is true.

A big hog really IS armor plated. A light varmint bullet won't make it through the gristle plate, much less exit the other side. I've seen a 150 game king out of a 7 mag fail to exit a 350 lber, why I normally load with 160 partitions for hogs in that caliber. I'm still experimenting with the SKS, though. I'm not ready to say it's good. I'm sure it'd work if I can get a good load for it. I need to try some of those 150 Wolf loads, sound like they'd be a bit better than the 123 grain stuff.

 

[Ed4032]

I use shot gun slugs on wild hogs. Even that takes a couple of shots sometimes. A 223 may work but I think the slug work better.

 

[mbt2001]

I agree with the sentiment of most of the posts above. The .223 isn't ideal, but I think it would work fine provided that you allow for proper placement. I would use the FMJ bullets and go for the neck. Spine / Neck shots are often overlooked on hogs, but they really make the best target, as the spine is lower down (see pic) just track one inch behind the ear, break the shot and they go down.

The below picture is a bit on the anatomy of a Hog. I would study this and others so as to get an idea of where you need to aim. Hogs a just different enough that the vitals aren't quite where they should be. See how low down the back bone is? The only problem I have with the AK type rifle is that they are not know for terrific accuracy, so you would certainly want to keep shots inside 100 yards, preferably at 75 and under.

 

[yongxingfreesty]

thanks guys, looks like i will be using the socom 16.

now another question, do you think the eotech is good enough? or should i just use iron sights?

 

[Shawnee]

Good Post, MBT !!!!!

The "through the shoulders shot that I mentioned actually is intended for the spine and is "located" by placing the shot at the top and crowding the front of the visible shoulder. Even a hit back onto the edge of the shoulder will disrupt the spinal cord and anchor the pig anyway.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Depends more than anything on bullet construction. And goes without saying, shot placement. Vitals shot, Win 64 gr power point, or heavier. Head shot, 75 gr Hornady TAP to penetrate, in case you shoot from the front of the forehead.

Better yet, use the .308. It'd be a shame to run across a big hog, and have too little gun and wound & lose the animal. Personally, unless in a pinch, I wouldn't use anything smaller than .30-06 for hogs which can be tough and mean. .30-06, .35 Whelen, .45-70, or 12 ga slug would be my choices.

Soccom 16==> good choice. Eotech is fine; preferred in fact - excellent optic for hogs - quick sight acquisition.

 

[BullsEye10x]

I'd use at least a .30 caliber cartridge. A few weeks ago, I shot a ~ 175 lb. sow right in the chest with a 30-06 180 grain Silvertip. She did NOT die quickly, and actually tried to run away! Several minutes later I had to end her suffering with pistol. I was kind of bummed out for awhile thinking I pulled the rifle shot. I felt better about that when we gutted her out, because it turned out I hit her right where I was aiming - the bullet broke both shoulders and destroyed the heart/lungs. From now on I'm going for head shots whenever possible.

Good iron sights will work out to 100 yards. Anything past that and I'd want at least a 2-4x optic for correct shot placement. Bring a pair of binoculars either way to help pick out a tasty-looking pig Good luck!

 

[MCgunner]

Most hogs are taken at night around here. They are active at night when the heat is down, bed up in heavy cover during the day. Oh, I've gotten a shot at 'em in daylight before, but if I'm going after hogs, not just taking opportunity shots on a deer hunt, I hunt at night. Can't really afford a gen 3 night vision scope, so I set up the lighted reticule 3x9x40 you see in that pic with the spot light. I may improve that with a surefire in the future and I have a 1M CP spot beam for back up use with red lens. I am thinking I may pick up a night vision monocle, too, for seeing around me without the light. I set this up on the SKS as a dedicated night hunting hog gun because, well, I had it and wasn't doing anything with it other than range fun. It's plenty accurate to any effective night range, most hogs being shot well under 100 yards anyway even in daylight, and it's got enough punch with a decent bullet IMHO. It's close to .30-30 ballistics.

This thread got me off my duff and I ordered 100 rounds of Wolf 154 grain soft point to play with. I've been told it's good hunting ammo. I hope it shoots somewhere close to my plinking ammo, but heck, if not, it's only $5.49 per box of 20 and I can order 500 rounds from Midway for $120 if I like the stuff. I have about 1700 rounds of FMJ 123 grain stuff, guess you can call it a rainy day ammo stash. I bought it back when I could get 1000 rounds for less than a hundred bucks. I have reloaded 7.62x39, but with ammo this cheap and not having to chase the cases, heck, the Wolf is pretty attractive. The 7.62x39 is pretty minimal, but I really think it's enough. I also have confidence in .30-30 Winchester for hogs with the right bullet. Finding a good bullet is key for penetration of a big hog's shoulder area. In .308, I like Barnes bullets. I handload 'em.

 

[MaterDei]

I took my first wild hog last week with an AR. .223 did the job fine for me. I don't know how hogs normally react when they are shot. When I shot this one he didn't run at all. He went straight down. It did squeal for a bit until I shot it again, this time in the head.

My family had some fine smoked ham this week. Yum!

 

[RubenZ]

I've brought down Javelinas with a .17hmr just for practice


.223 is perfect for them.

I took one down with a .270 and it flat out died on the spot.

 

[KINGMAX]

my choice

Rifle = Remington .270 using 170gr bullet, with a back-up pistol, S&W 686-1 in 357 magnum, loaded w/ silver tips.

You do not want one of these 'Wild Hoggs', brush up against you. Once out of the 'hog pin', these guys go into another life style, and change physically. Their snouts will begin to get broader and flatten out. The hair will change, become coarse, more like a wild boar, and develop a powerful set of shoulders. The tusk will become a lethal weapon, and if you make contact w/ them, it will require some stitches and a big ole shot of antibiotics.

Unlike a Bear, a hog cannot climb a tree. If you hear one coming, and cannot see it, find you a tree, ditch your kit, (keeping the pistol), and be ready to climb. A hog can smell food along way, that means he can smell you too.

Happy HOGG hunting

 

[alsaqr]

This has been a good hog year for me so far: Got 14 of them to date. Most of my hogs have been killed with a .50 muzzleloader. My shots are picked carefully and the hogs usually drop in their tracks. Most of the hogs here are European boars or crosses. Too much is made of a boars "armor." On many occasions my muzzleloader bullets have gone throught both shoulders of big hogs.

Until last week I had been charged by hogs twice: Now make it three times. Was walking past a big mud hole, paying no attention. A big sow came out of that mud hole after me. This was a close call. Side-stepped her once and she turned and came back. Hate to kill a sow with pigs but am not going to get cut up by a hog if it can be avoided.

Lately I have been hunting hogs with a .223. The round used is the military M193 FMJBT. It is a very good hog killer.

You do not want one of these 'Wild Hoggs', brush up against you. Once out of the 'hog pin', these guys go into another life style, and change physically. Their snouts will begin to get broader and flatten out. The hair will change, become coarse, more like a wild boar, and develop a powerful set of shoulders.

Good post: Also their tails soon become straight and their butts become narrower.

 

[3pairs12]

I would make the .308 my first choice. However the man who owns the land that I lease shoots 2 a month with a .22 right in the ear. I haven't seen him do it but ha claims that it drops them. With GREAT shot placement the .223 will be fine.

 

[Cypress]

I spend most of the winters here in TX trying to keep hogs from destroying our hay meadows and pastures. I own a .223 and would only take a shot at a hog with it if I knew I could hit the hog's BRAIN(not head). These are unbelievably tough animals. The last boar I shot had an exploded small caliber bullet lodged in his backstrap and an FMJ .30 cal lodged in his shield. He wasn't limping when I shot him. Both wounds had healed up fine. The shoulder shot is the only shot if you want a sure anchor. At night I hunt with a .270 which usually stays in the pig with accubonds or core-lokts. I use a 45-70 in the day. Yes thats overkill but a .223 is too light in my opinion. Whatever you use if the hog doesn't drop give him an hour or so to bleed out. I'm not one of those who like to talk up the aggressivenes of hogs but if they do lay down to die and you spook them up, it will be a long day of tracking.

 

[give]

from all i heard about shooting hogs i would stick to a head shot,dont they have that thick grissel plate on their chest?

 

[Triple S]

I have killed a A LOT of hogs. By far, the biggest has been (I have caught bigger, but that's another story) a 412 pound Bar that I shot with an AR. I hit him twice, real quickly behind the front left shoulder, quartering away with 2- 55 grain soft points at 40 yards. After the shot, he ran about another 20 yards and was done. Now, was this the ideal set up for "everyone" on such a large hog? Probably not, but it was the gun I had at the time, I took careful aim, and placed my shots where they needed to go. In fact, most of my hogs have been killed with .22 centerfires. No, you do not want to try and hit a 180+ pound boar in the shoulder (shield) with a .22 centerfire, but in the head or in the lungs/heart, quartering away will do the trick. Until most people can obtain experience hunting hogs, they should stick with their common deer rifle and correct loadings. What gets most people in trouble is by selecting the wrong bullet (Ie. Varmint types) and trying shoulder shots. Most anything will kill them in the head, but trying to shoot 180+ pound hogs in the shoulder with light bullets does not work. It does not take a large caliber gun, just the right bullet with the correct placement.

 

[mlw332]

Every hog I have killed except for one has been with a .22 pistol, but we use dogs and can get a point blank shot to the ear. Alot of the guys hunting with us shot an ar15. with proper shot placement most calibers are humane.

 

[alsaqr]

The shoulder shot is the only shot if you want a sure anchor.

This is not my experience at all. Many of my hogs have been shot quartering away. A shot low behind the shoulder does it every time for me. They usually do not go over 20 yards after being hit.

 

[yongxingfreesty]

dont feel like moving the eotech from my arsenal ak. looking for one local,

im going to shoot the 150gr .308 soft point bullet made by monarch. this bullet any good?

 

[wideym]

I use a FAL paracarbine with an EOtech and Corelock ammo. Since I am a lazy hunter and do not want to chase/track a wounded pig, spine shots work for me.