feral hogs to kill - bullet and rifle confusion

[rbernie]

My top choice would be an AR chambered in 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC..

Mine as well. (The scope is a 1.5x-6x/42, by the way - just about right for woods-to-moderate distance work...)

Prior to this rifle, I used an AR-15 in 7.62x39:

7.62x39 loaded with decent 125gr bullets is a little light for 400+lb pigs, but for the normal 100lb-250lb porkers it works very effectively.

Barring the use of semi-automatics (either because of state regs or cost), I think that a Marlin levergun in 30-30 or 35 Remington would be just about perfect. If recoil is an issue, get a decent slip-on recoil pad for it.

I would not value a 6.5lb rifle at the expense of a suitable chambering. In other words, I'd rather carry a 30-30 in a 7.5lb rifle than save a pound of weight and carry a 243.

 

[Davo]

The SKS is perfect, and you can get one for around $200 bux.
Put a scope or red dot on it if youd like.
Just curious...how old are you? The Marlin lever should be a good choice if you dont mind the open sights.

 

[mustanger98]

Well... I see all the SKS fans have piled on...

Texasred51, IMO, you cannot go wrong with that Marlin .30-30. But while I like 150gr RN's in my leverguns, you may want to step up to 170grainers for the hogs, just to have a little extra. I would. As for recoil, while someone else suggested a slip on pad, you can also get those strap-on recoil pads that go on your shoulder so you don't have to alter the rifle's stock.

Now, being that I shoot handloads a lot of times, I'd pick that 170grainer and know the speed it's supposed to be running and sight in accordingly out to 200yds. However, you said your longest shot is 125 or so, so I'd suggest dead on at 25yds and bust a clay bird at 100yds should do it. Iron sights is fine for that, for me, but you know your eyes better than anybody on this board.

 

[TehK1w1]

Nonsense, anyone knows that the minimum acceptable cartridge for hogs is 470 Nitro Express...
Seriously though, a 30-30 should be fine. I hunt hogs with either a .270 win or a 444 Marlin, but 30-30 is plenty big enough if you are a decent shot.

 

[jpwilly]

Your Marlin 336 weighs only 7lbs and holds 6rnds of 30/30Win with an overall length of 38.25" from what the specs read. An SKS holds 10rnds of 7.62x39mm and weighs 8.8lbs and is 40.16" long. The Marlin is light weight that's why it recoils more. The SKS would be more pleasent to shoot but will be more gun to carry around.

I would take a good look at the new Ruger Mini 14 6.8SPC it was designed for light recoil and as powerful as the cartridges we've been talking about.

 

[dstorm1911]

hmmmm just wondering how many local shops she is going to find 6.8 at??? while ya will find 30/30 as mentioned in every mom and pop gas station, the SKS is a very common hog stopper an AKM 47 will be a lil lighter in the same caliber with shorter barrel and very low recoil especially if ya put an ak74 style muzzle break on it, ya can mount a red dot very easily and it literally becomes a matter of settin the dot where ya wany the bullet to go....



The 30/30 ya already have however will be fine though, if ya find ya need optics forget the scopes in low light they will become a liability look at red dots and here is why I mentioned AK 47 above, at single rail to the barrel (not as tacticool as 4 rail hgs etc.. but its all ya need) add a remote switched light to that mount put a cheap Wal mart $30 red dot on a low profile side rail mount from Kalinka optics $46 now go with a 20 round hungarian magazine ya don't need the extra weight or length of a 30, in low light put the dot on the shadow then turn the light on and squeeze the trigger a good lithium powered zenon bulbed tactical light will be a lil brighter than a headlight and mounted right on the barrel it will verify your target just before ya fire it will also minimize the muzzle flashes effect on your night vision...... out here our varmints are the two legged kind (smugglers) or the coyote kind have used a very similar setup as described above but onea my custom AKs that I build the red dot is a higher dollar version that ya don't need for your purposes and the light is a streamlight variety....... ya can go very cheap with the whole package by visiting Military gun supply in FT Worth or Cheap than dirt right down the road from em get a WASR (yea I know ya'll are in shock LOL I normally would recomend a pro built anything over a WASR) for your purposes it'll serve fine and is cheap and a lighter base than the SKS they can also sell ya the light rail, stop at Wal mart for the red dot then mail order the mount from Kalinka and ya'll be ready for hog slaughterin for around 5 bills ......... or give the Marlin a try with your light held ready..... the AK will allow for very fast target acquisition but a red dot on the Marlin (don't anyone have a stroke its a functional deal not asthetical LOL) Will accomplish the same thing ya just will only get one hog at a time as opposed to 3 at a time

 

[1911user]

I'm not a big lever-action fan, but I've got to go with the 30-30 crowd in your situation. It's almost a perfect match for your stated needs plus you already have it. Unless, of course, you were looking for a good excuse to buy something new. In that case, the 30-30 is woefully outdated and inadequate and must be replaced ASAP....

 

[Frog48]

hmmmm just wondering how many local shops she is going to find 6.8 at???

She says she lives in Austin... theres several Academy locations there, and Cabelas is only 15 minutes south of downtown.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Bullets on the heavy side and on the slow side is the way to go with hogs. 35 Remington would be my choice. The faster cartridges just break up with no penetration when hitting their heavy and very dense sinew and cartilage, it's like built in body armor.

 

[Jeff F]

That 30-30 will work just fine. I've seen more hogs killed with it then any other caliber. Where I used to live there were hogs running wild everywhere, most all the old timers had a 30-30 lever gun of one brand or another behind the seat or up in the back window rack of their pickup. There was always some good hog meat available in that town just for the asking.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

another poster beat me to the suggestion to let some hunters know you have a hog problem and let them do the honors! that 30-30 will do nicely, put a recoil pad on. myself I use my Mini-30(7.62X39 - AK, SK round) with 150 gr. slugs. when I ain't using my muzzleloader.

 

[0007]

If these are javalina sized or a little larger, a Marlin in .357mag with a 160-180(better)gr bullet should be more then enough. I have friends in Florida that use that combination for ferals on their property there.

 

[robert garner]

Texasred.
Go to your gunshop and let the fellahs know you've got a hog problem, free tea for the biggest and the most hogs. problem solved!
Guess I've too much scots in me! good luck
robert

 

[skinewmexico]

My next hog gun is going to be a supressed 300 Whisper. Assuming I can get the wife on board. Otherwise, I just shoot whatever I happen to be carrying. It's a shot placement thing.

 

[jkingrph]

Learn to shoot the Marlin. For someone not used to recoil it seems bad, but is really at the lower end of recoil scale for a good effective hunting rifle/cartridge. 30/30 's probably have killed as much or more game/large vermin than anything else in this country, the reason being that it is chambered in lighter/handier rifles such as your Marlin or the Winchester 94. The little extra weight helps control the recoil so don't look for something extremely light weight.

Use what you have and save the money for something you really enjoy, unless you simplely want a new gun, then go for it.

I have a little Ruger #1( single shot) in the old 7x57 Mauser cartridge that would be great, another mild cartridge would be the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser cartridge. Some companies offer new rifles in these old cartridges which have stood the test of time , over 100 years, and are very mild on the shoulder.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Since you've allready got a marlin .30-30, just put a scope on it. It will add a little more weight since you are recoil sensative. Don't worry about the recoil as it will be very mild.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your dad. I lost my day about 2 years ago.

Good luck, Ken

 

[Frog48]

visiting Military gun supply in FT Worth or Cheap than dirt right down the road from em

You realize Fort Worth is ~3 hours from Austin, right? Not exactly close enough to just drop by to browse on a whim...

 

[TX1911fan]

As always, bullet placement is going to matter here. I was just on a hog hunt with friends. 3 hogs taken, one with a 30-30, one with a 270, one with a .223. All about the same size (70 to 110 lbs). The 30-30 too 3 shots to put the hog down, the 270 took only one, but the hog ran for about 100 yards before dying. My .223 shot was to the head, and it dropped where it was shot. I purposely shot at a smaller one, and if I was hunting large hogs, I'd probably take slugs or a larger caliber (I have a 300 win mag that would do fine, I imagine). But, you can take hogs with a .223, you just have to make the shot count.

 

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

Here's a thought. If you're going into the brush, get a good shotgun - either a 20 gauge or a 12 gauge, pump or autoloader. Load with either buckshot or slugs. It'll do the job out to 50 - 75 yards. If you're in the thick stuff, a pump or autoloader loaded with these kinds of rounds will do the job.

Given her concern about recoil, slugs are the LAST thing I'd recommend.

 

[1911austin]

then I went to the gun store, egad! I never heard of most of these calibers, but the guy there was pretty concerned that I would be up against a dozen of these hogs at a time, so he suggested a .223 or a .276 something (maybe 09) in a Kel Tec auto rifle at 5 lbs.

Ok, I have to ask. Were you at the Cost +10% gun shop when you were told this?

 

[Lonestar.45]

I'm glad you're giving that Marlin another try. I think a 30-30 is just about one of the best hog guns there are, and to me, don't seem to have much recoil at all. I bet that Marlin is already tapped for a scope, I'd put one on, just because of the low light conditions when hog hunting. A good scope sure helps in those early am late pm hours. If the recoil still bothers you, maybe get a slip on recoil pad, they're inexpensive and they work.

As for a lightweight gun, they're fun to carry, but usually not at all fun to shoot, and if you're recoil sensitive, that would not be the way to go in my opinion. Also, do not let any gunshop clerk talk you into anything you don't think you need or want, you did good coming in here and asking around before buying.

I've got friends out on RR 12 between Dripping Springs and Wimberley, and the hogs just moved into their area within the last year. They've already shot several and they have tons of pictures from the game cameras they've set up. This past year has been extremely wet as you know, much much wetter than normal. That country out there is real rocky and usually dry. My guess is that the population has exploded with all the wet weather and they've moved into areas they don't normally go, but once the normal drought routine starts again out there next summer, you'll see those hogs move down off the rocky hills and into the creek/river areas, and you won't see near as many.

In the meantime, enjoy some porkchops!

 

[ocharry]

hi Texasred51 welcome to the THR,,,, if i were in you shoes and unless you just don't want to change your dad's rifle i would find a good gunsmith or stock maker,,,,, and i would take your 30-30 to him and have him cut the stock and put a nice recoil pad on and put a dead mule in the stock,, it will make the gun a little heavier but if installed right you will be able to shoot it all day and not feel like it killed you to do it and have an easy caliber to get shells for,,,,, i have to do this stuff for my wife to shoot the big boomers

she is 5'2 130# ,,,,just a thought

if we lived closer together i would fix your ol thuty-thuty for ya and you would like the results i betcha

ocharry

 

[JonB]

So my question is - How's the bacon from these hogs you guys are talking about?

I live in SD so I haven't had the chance to hunt hogs....yet.

 

[jay43]

50 Bmg

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Stay away from the kel tec's. I've never been impressed with their quality control or lack thereof. Your marlin is a much better rifle for your intented purpose.