South Texas hogs: 44mag, 308, or 300 Win mag?

[Richard.Howe]

I'll be hunting hogs in south Texas for the first time next month -- can-not-wait! We'll be stand hunting over feed, but I suspect I can talk the owner into doing some ground-level hunts as well.

My firearm selection is limited to the following:

Ruger SRH 9-1/2" 44 mag
Browning A-Bolt 300 Win mag (w/ scope)
Steyr SBS in 308 Win (w/ scope)

Before anyone says, "get a .45-70," what might you recommend I select from my currently-owned armory?

Another piece if info: I'm a handloading fiend, so if a particular chambering would only be appropriate with a particular load, let me know that as well.

Thanks!
Rich

 

[LeonCarr]

The .308, loaded with 165 grain Nosler Partitions for getting through the tough gristle plates on a hog, and carry the SRH in a shoulder holster loaded with 300 grain XTPs for backup. I recommend the .308 over the .300 WM for faster follow up shots and less recoil, both of which are important when you might run across a herd of 20 or 30 hogs .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[DigMe]

Any of those three guns will be just fine. I'd say shoot the one you're most comfortable and most familiar with. Personally I have a blast hunting hogs with my pistol (.357mag BH) so that would my preference UNLESS you anticipate having long shots over open spaces. Where I hunt it's almost all thick mesquite, cedar, oak and pecan groves so I don't get long shots.

brad cook

 

[Preacherman]

I'd go with the .44 Magnum, but that's just personal preference. If I wanted a long gun, I'd want something light and manoevrable, either a .30-30, or a .44 Magnum, or a .45-70 lever-action carbine for preference (and either unscoped with ghost-ring sights, or with a Scout-style forward-mounted scope, as I assume the shots are likely to be within 100 yards or so).

 

[rexelbion]

You might also want to consider a BMG for distance shots!

 

[St. Gunner]

.300 mag with some good stout handloads. Maybe some 200gr Nosler partitions or something along those lines. You shouldn't be asked to make long shots, it ought to be 100yds or less shooting here. So shoot the heaviest bullet you can out of the gun in the strongest you can find. Barnes X's work well if you can get them to shoot. Main thing is remember most of a hogs vitals lay between the shoulders and the heart is low in there. I'd been shooting a .280 and 175 Speer Grandslams but just got rid of the rifle. I'll be shooting a .270 for awhile until I find a good deal on a .338 win mag. With the .270 it'll be 150gr Noslers most likely.

The .44 mag would be alot of fun to hunt them with, I do alot of bowhunting for them and that makes it a bit more challenging and interesting.

As to the .308, many a hog has been killed with it, but it also doesn't always have the oomph to push through the other side and leave a good blood trail. I have a friend who shoots one and I would guess that on big hogs(over 200lbs dressed) he looses one out of every 8 because he doesn't get an exit.

 

[H&Hhunter]

As to the .308, many a hog has been killed with it, but it also doesn't always have the oomph to push through the other side and leave a good blood trail. I have a friend who shoots one and I would guess that on big hogs(over 200lbs dressed) he looses one out of every 8 because he doesn't get an exit.

St Gunner,

I've alaways recomended the .308 as a sensible minimum on hogs. And I still believe that today, but I've got to tell you. I've started using Barnes 168gr TSX and I've killed about 6 hogs with them including one pretty good boar 250Lber or so. All of those little buggers exited I am very happy with that bullet in a .308.

That being said my all time favorite hog gun is a .375H&H loaded with 270Gr X bullets. No questions about a blood trail. Same would go for a .338 as they're pretty close in power and performance. My second favorite hog gun is tied between a Marlin in .45-70 and a .470NE double gun. Edge double because it handles so smooth and fast.

PS

I've never had a hog survive a hit from the .470NE although I have had one take two bullets once and the count is well over 30 and rising.

But to answer the original post I'd go with either the .308 loaded with quality tough 165 or 180 gr or the .300WM loaded with 200 gr tough bullets.

 

[DigMe]

Man I wish it were easier to find cartridges loaded with x-bullets. I don't reload and it's pretty hard to find Barnes X even in .30-06. The only place I've ever personally seen them for sale is Gander Mountain in Houston and the only weight available was 180gr (not that I have a problem with 180gr). Anyone know a good internet source for those?

brad cook

 

[H&Hhunter]

Dig me,

You might try www.midwayusa.com or www.midsouthshooters.com. I am a reloader so I don't have that problem. I know that Hornandy custom loads the Barnes but I just don't buy loaded ammo. Good luck.

 

[Werewolf]

On the subject of HOGS...

I might have a chance to do some ground level feral hog hunting in about a month. Lots of trees and undergrowth in the area so I imagine 50 yds would be a really long shot and expect 25 to 35 yards.

The stoutest weapons I have is an M1-Garand and a .44Mag Raging Bull. But I'd really like to use my Win M94 in .45 Colt as at the ranges I anticipate it would be much more handy in closed terrain than the M1. I'd like to try the .44 but have never hunted with a pistol before and lack the confidence to get a good hit on what I anticipate will be a moving target (maybe moving directly towards me).

Would .45 Colt be adequate? If so what load? I imagine a 300gr LRNFP would do the trick but from some of the things I've read and heard about feral hogs I'm really not sure.

Inquiring minds wanna know...

 

[St. Gunner]

Werewolf,

Despite stories of man eating, child stealing, acting like rabid killer dogs, feral hogs are not much worse than any other critter we hunt. You corner a crippled whitetail, he'll gore you. Corner a crippled coyote, he'll bite you. Corner a crippled hog, he'll make a pass at you. I've been shooting them since I was 12 or so, i've been really hunting them hard for ten years now. Last year I passed the 3,000 mark for lifetime kills, I sit at 57 for the year as I type this. I've been hit by a hog one time a couple weeks ago and she was just trying to get away from some dogs. I got in close contact with one Wed. in a small tank, the dogs had her, she went under and almost drowned the dogs, and when they backed off she happened to surface right in front of me at about 3'. She came right to me and I didn't have time to draw a gun or a knife. I just grabbed her ears, got her turned sideways, and drowned her by holding her under. If that had been a bear, couger, or even a deer in that tank I would have been crippled or killed. Hogs are mean when cornered, but they are not the rampaging killer beasts some make them out to be.

Use the .44 or the .45, both will work well. Have fun, they are a blast to hunt, they are smart, hard to kill, and yes if you cripple and corner them, they will try to eat you. But they won't just come at you for no reason 99.9% of the time.

Its the .1% that make it a sport to live for. I've had a couple cripples try to make a go at me, but most of the time they don't have the gas left. I've been shooting them off the ground stillhunting lately with my bow and my 5yr old daughter in tow. I'd never put her in a situation I didn't think was safe.

 

[Grayrock]

I have a similar quandry- which gun to use in the short term (ie- buying a different gun is NOT an option right now.) The choices -in increasing diameter:
several .22's (for those in the ear & eye shots!)
Mini-14 (.223)
bolt action .270Win
Marlin lever .30-30
Rossi 92 in .45 Colt
12 ga slug.

I'll be hunting in west central Texas hill country.

Side arm choices: 9mm Taurus PT-99
Security Six .357 4"
Vaquero .357 (4.75" or 5.5")
Taurus Millenium Pro PT-145 - .45ACP

 

[DigMe]

.30-30 or 12ga slug. .30-30 if you think you might have shots over 40 yards or so. .270 if you think you'll have shots over 100 yards. Either of the .357s for sidearm.

brad cook

 

[cookiemonster]

I agree with the 44 mag and 308.

44 mag with 300 grain XTP's will fill your plate real quick.

Long range would do good with a 308 and a good 180 grain slug...

that 300 Winnie is too much gun for what your after.

Darrell

 

[Jalexander]

Man I wish it were easier to find cartridges loaded with x-bullets. I don't reload and it's pretty hard to find Barnes X even in .30-06. The only place I've ever personally seen them for sale is Gander Mountain in Houston and the only weight available was 180gr (not that I have a problem with 180gr). Anyone know a good internet source for those?

Hey Brad, aren't they building a Cabelas up in DFW? I know they're building one down in Buda, and in my experience, Cabelas has a pretty impressive ammo selection.

James

 

[mike1966ga]

Gun for hogs?? man all you need is a sharp knife, strong rope, and a good dog. next you will be telling me that you need a .375 H&H for chickens

 

[mbartel]

Garrett makes a .44 mag load that is ideal for busting big pigs. It is a 330 gr. hard cast +P .44 mag Hammerhead. In your 9 1/2" SRH this load makes an honest 1436 fpe. This bullet will completely penetrate any hog you are likely to encounter...side to side, or end to end. And if you still think you need more....go to the Buffalo Bore website for the ultimate .44 mag load. They offer a .44 mag +P+ load that delivers a 340 gr cast bullet at 1478 fps and 1649 fpe, out of a 7 1/2" barrel. Add a little to that for your 9 1/2" barrel. Slam one of these loads into a pig's shoulder, and both shoulders get smashed...end of hunt

 

[DigMe]

Hey Brad, aren't they building a Cabelas up in DFW? I know they're building one down in Buda, and in my experience, Cabelas has a pretty impressive ammo selection.

Maybe in Grapevine or something... they built and just opened a Gander Mountain just over in Corsicana though and I think they have as good an ammo selection or better.

brad cook

 

[Jalexander]

Found it. They're opening a 230,000 square foot store in Fort Worth at 35W and Hwy 170. S'posed to open May 26th.
Yippee.

James

 

[Buzztail]

Gun for hogs?? man all you need is a sharp knife, strong rope, and a good dog.

Well said, Very well said.
to that I'll add that if your going to shoot them, the .44 will do the trick as long as you do your part

 

[H&Hhunter]

Well said, Very well said.
to that I'll add that if your going to shoot them, the .44 will do the trick as long as you do your part

Guys it all depends on how you are hunting them. If you are shooting them over a bait from a stand you've got time to aim and place a shot then just about anything will work. If you are hunting them with hold dogs or even bay dogs then a knife or a spear or any kind of gun is just fine.

If you are spot and stalk and jump shooting them often the only shot you've got is a reverse head shot. In that case you need something that will pentrate a bit to get to the vitals. On a big hog the .44 usually ain't gonna cut it. And that is why I go back the the .308 or something simular as a good starting point.

 

[DigMe]

If you are spot and stalk and jump shooting them often the only shot you've got is a reverse head shot. In that case you need something that will pentrate a bit to get to the vitals. On a big hog the .44 usually ain't gonna cut it. And that is why I go back the the .308 or something simular as a good starting point.

A .357 mag loaded with hard-cast bullets penetrates hogs very well so I can't imagine that .44 mag would not. The last one I shot penetrated completely through the torso at a diagonal angle. I've also seen hard cast loads in the past go in one side of the skull and out other. My method of hunting is pretty much stalking and jump shooting.

brad cook

 

[H&Hhunter]

Brad,

Have you ever stuck one through a pelvis then all the way through the guts past the diaphram into the vitals? Maybe it will maybe it won't depending on how big the hog is and how far away it is.

I have personally witnessed a .44 mag absoloutly bitch slap a little 150lb hog with a 270gr gold dot straight up the rear. Put it right down but didn't kill it right away. It took another finisher from a different angle.

I have also seen a 330gr Garrit hammer head break in half on a shoulder shot. And we lost one of the biggest hogs ever taken (it was killed a year later) on our place due to a .44mag. That Boar was hit in the shoulder then popped three more times as it ran off.

It was killed almost exactley one year later in almost exactley the same spot with a .284. The shoulder shot bullet was found crumpled up on the shoulder bone down low. It just didn't have enough pop to get through nearly 4 inches of shield all that muscle and then the bone. That boar weighed over 300lbs when we finally killed him and he was a sack of skin and bones he'd lost a bunch of weight.

I watched a guy shoot a small hog 100lb class right in the sweet spot with a contender in a .44 mag shooting 300Gr XTP's hog went down floped around for a bit. Hog got up ran off. He bled good for about 200 yards then dryed up right before crossing onto the neighbors property. We never recovered him.

So I'll say it again the pistol rounds work good most of the time but should be considered marginal on big hogs and not 100% reliable on any hog unless you've got a really good shot. That's been my experience with them in any case.

Just out of curiosity how many hogs in 300+lb range have you killed with a .357 while jump shooting?

 

[DigMe]

never had a shot on a 300lber on our land so I guess I can't speak to hogs that size. The big ones around here are usually in the low 200s.

brad cook

 

[H&Hhunter]

Brad,

I'm not trying to be a jerk. It's just that what I'm refering to is large framed tough old boars which are rare enough. But we get a couple of bruisers every year and you never know when or how they'll come about so I like to be prepared just in case.

I'm not saying that a proper load out of a .357 won't get "er" done only that there are probably some better choices in my mind of what I'd like to be carrying.

Greg