Where do you aim

[Feldhege]

This post worked, finally.

So my question is this. Where do you aim when you are hunting hogs. This topic came up while at a gun show with a friend of mine. I told him I was going to use Federal vital shok 300gr Hard cast bullets in my DW 44 mag with 8" barrel for my first hunt with him this fall. He said he would not use those for the following reasons.

1. He would use 240 gr so you don't have to keep re-sighting in the gun after the hunt.

2. The 300gr would kick so much that it would hurt your hand and not make the hunt much fun.

3. I told him I was going to aim for the shoulder so I could do the most damage and make sure I didn't lose the hog. He said I should aim behind it so I don't ruin a good piece of meat.

So any opinions? I have only found one site so far that actually talked about where to aim to effectively kill a hog. Would like some "real-world" advice on getting ready for the hunt.

Thanks,

[Redhawk1]

I have hunted hogs with my 44 Mag and used the 300 gr. hard cast bullets. I aim for the front shoulder also. I have dropped them in there tracks. The recoil of the 300 gr. bullets is not much more than the 240 gr. bullets. So people like to shoot right behind the shoulder and I have heard some that will shoot them in the head at close range. Like I said for me the shoulder shots work great.

[VTDW]

I hunt for meat so shoot hogs behind the ear, or between the ears if I am elevated.

Don't make the mistake of shooting behind the shoulder unless they are quartering away as the hog vitals are toward the front of the shoulder and the heart is way in front and low.

I use a Speer 300 FP in my Redhawk to carry but use a 290 gr hard cast from my .444 for hunting the hogs.

Dave

[Graybeard]

It's real nice to plan out in advance where you're going to aim but the facts of life is the hog has a say in that. It all depends on the shot presentation the hog allows you. I really don't recommend the shoulder tho on a large hog. That gristle shield is some kinda thick and tough and that's not the ideal bullet placement when they reach 300 pounds or more.

I've shot between the eyes when a hog was 15' off my toes and it worked fine. I've shot most into the heart/lung area when the shot presentation allowed it. I like that shot but it's not always do able. You can't go wrong with a neck shot placed tight behind the ear either. It just all depends on the angle presented to you.


Dunno who told you that the 300 Federal load was gonna kick so bad it would hurt your hand but I've fired several hundred of them in a day in S&W 29s and 629s lots of times. Can't say I felt any particular pain. Now I wasn't using the Federal load but my hand loads that were just as hot or more so.

You need to use enough bullet on hogs and to me a 300 hard cast is about right. But you need to know where to put it from a lot of possible angles not just one. If it's a really big one avoid the shoulder gristle plate if you can.

[Feldhege]

Thanks all,
   I too will be hunting for meat so I guess I will have to change my idea of shot placement. Anyone have any sites where I can learn about where to shoot depending on what position the hog is in? Also, anyone got any targets of hogs? I know they are made (the paper ones) but can't find a place to order them. Anything that will help make it a successful hunt would be appreciated.

Thanks again,
  Robb Feldhege

[Greybeard]

See what Kevin's got over at www.texasboars.com He used to have some pretty good info of that type there. If you post tell him  Graybeard sent you.

[VTDW]

Bill is correct!  Texas Boars is just about the best site for hog hunters.

See ya there

Dave