Muzzleloader hunting for hogs.

[sja384]

Hello Everyone,

I am looking at going on a hog hunt this spring, the guides have told me that there are some hogs that go 400 plus pounds on the ranch. I am currently shooting a 90 gr. charge of triple7 and a 250gr. T/C shockwave out of my Omega, this combo workd well on whitetail deer. This may seem like a stupid question, but is the current powder charge and bullet weight i am shooting sufficient for large hogs or should I move up to heavier bullet and powder charge? Thank you for your replies.

[alsaqr]

This may seem like a stupid question, but is the current powder charge and bullet weight i am shooting sufficient for large hogs or should I move up to heavier bullet and powder charge? Thank you for your replies.

I doubt there are many 400 pound hogs on that ranch.   I have killed dozens of hogs with my Encore and the 250 grain SST/Shockwave bullet.  90 grains of 777 will do fine.  The 250 grain SST/Shockwave bullet does a good job on hogs when you shoot them in the right place:  The shoulder is the wrong place to shoot a hog that weighs over 200 pounds.   I like to put the bullet in the hogs ear if he is close.  Neck shots are also good.  For quartering away shots I like to put the bullet low and pretty far back in the ribs. 

A hogs heart and lungs are lower in the body than those of a deer.   For heart/lung shots hit the hog low and to the rear of the front leg.

A good link.   

http://www.texasboars.com/anatomy.html

[simonkenton]

You are in good shape for hog hunting with that load.
I have killed lots of hogs with a .50 patched round ball. I always shot right behind the shoulder, just like you would for a deer, and made the lung shot.
I made six one shot kills in this fashion, none of those hogs made 50 yards. I also killed 7 more hogs with the 30-06, made the same shot.
Biggest hog I killed was 180 pounds.

I did not find the hogs to have a tiny lung area, as shown on that texas link. Maybe Georgia hogs have bigger lungs than Texas hogs.
I just put the bullet an inch behind the shoulder and it was time to crank up the smoker.

I wouldn't shoot a 400 pound hog. While we killed and ate scores of hogs in central Georgia, they all were 200 pounds or less, and they were all delicious, except for one 450 pound monster my buddy shot in the neck with a 30-06.
The meat on that boar stunk so bad you couldn't stand to be in the kitchen while cooking the sausage.
Threw the sausage to the dog and he wouldn't eat it.

We threw that monster out into a field, I hope it didn't make the buzzards sick.

[sja384]

Thank you both very much Alsaqr and Simonkenton for taking the time to reply to my post. I think I will try to shoot a mid sized Hog since I have heard from others as well that the larger hogs aren't fit to eat. I think I will stick with the load that I am shooting now and see what happens when I go on my hunt in May. I will either try a neck shot or a shot into the lungs. Thank you both very much. Take care.

[Redhawk1]

Your load and bullet will work just fine. Skip the neck shot, and just poke a hole through the lungs, now if you get a real close shot, right below the ear is a great place to shoot them as well.

Good luck on your hunt, and like others have said, keep to the 200 and under for eating hogs.

[Lawful Larry]

I picked up a T/C Big Boar in .58 cal. and will use it for pigs.  I am shooting a PRB with 95 grs. of the real deal and getting good results.  I will take her in the woods next season.  Here she is:



As far as conicls, I have yet to find one that works.  It  has a 1 in 48" twist andshould shoot conicals well.  But I love the idea and work it takes to find one that will. 

[sja384]

That is a fine looking rifle Larry. I wish you well on your hunt and hope you get to break your gun in right.

[simonkenton]

Larry I would love to go hog hunting with a .58 roundball.
Knowing how lethal the .50 roundball is on hogs, I know the .58 would be a real winner.

[Huntsman1]

WOW Larry, that`ll definately put the "Show Stopper" on a hog.
Happy hunting

[Lawful Larry]

Just few more photos to drool over:









Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I paid only $200 for it (NIB)!

[Semisane]

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I paid only $200 for it (NIB)!

Dang Larry, you could have done the decent thing and kept that to yourself.  Now I have to hate you.   
 
 
 

[Lawful Larry]

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I paid only $200 for it (NIB)!

Dang Larry, you could have done the decent thing and kept that to yourself.  Now I have to hate you.   
 
 
 

Thank you my half sane friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!