Ideal piggy gun ? ? ? ?

[howie1968]

Good  post,  i  have  a  little  better  understanding  what  you  mean now.  i  realize  the  22   or  any  centfire 22 cal  is  not  ideal that  is  why  my  weapon  of  choice  now  is 45-70  which  happens  to  be  one  of  your  favorites.   I  also  hunt  to  put  food  on  the  table   for  my  daughters  i  dont  make  a  whole  lot  of many   and  i  have  to  make  my  shots  count   regardless  of  caliber  or  guage   i  rarely  shoot  past  50  yards  at  anything  alive  more  times  then  none  i  have  some  sort  of  rest  and   do  my  best  to  make  the  most  of  whatever  caliber  i  possess  if  i  were  wealthy  i  could  afford  better  guns  or  equipment   i  would  never  shoot  at  an  animal  running   or  even  walking  i  wait  until  they  stop  and  look  away   or  down  i  did  make  a  mistake  and  got  careless  on  a  good size  sow  last  summer  and  did  not  put  a  good  shot  on  her  and  lost  complete  confidence  in  the  gun  and  ended  up selling  it  and  to  this  day  it  still  bothers  me.   i  realize 22   are  not   by any means sufficent  but  the  part  of  TX  where  i  live  there  are  alot  of  poor   folks  who  only  have  a  certain  22  mag  or  22  ive  had  many  old  timers  tell  me   boy   why  you  shoot  so  much   when  buying  ammunition   they  tell  me  i  shot  have  an  animal  for  every  shot.  i remeber  buying  some  223  fmj   from  wal-mart  the  other  day  and  the  guy  whom  i  have  alot of  respect  for  as  a  hunter  asked  me  what  i  was  hunting  this  time.   I  told  him  some  pigs.   this  guys  said  to  me    Boy  alls  ya  need  is a  22.   I  may  not  have  the  experience  as  some  of  you  fine  gentleman   but  i  have  killed  more  pigs  than  most   i  generally  hunt  every  day for  them where  i  junt  there  are  no  houses   for  8-10miles  so  these  are  truly  wild  pigs  maybe  not  full  russian   but  still  aggressive  and  they  still  get  me  excited  and  make  the  hair  raise  on  the  back  of  my  neck  every  time  i  see  one   i  appreciate   your  advice  and  have  the  up  most  respect  for  you  Coug,  you  have   taught  me  alot  from  your  posts

[les hemby]

i also respect everyones opinion that 22rf is not a hog gun and not trying to argue with coug but at the very start of all this steve357 said on the WMA he hunts it is the law, on some TX WMA this is the same way. i would rather by far have a (i like my marlin 1894P 44) but in some places this is not possible because of the law. some laws are stupid so we must work to change them. no matter who agrees the law is the law and you will either work within those limitations, go to jail, or not hunt you decide. given the choice of 22mag and #4 shot what would you choose because like it or not in some areas that is the choice. i dont think anyone is stupid for working inside the law even if the law itself is crap

[Steve357]

The thing that rubs my fur the wrong way is when someone that doesnt even know you talks down to you or discounts your whole way of life.  In this state hogs are not a game animal. No season is open just for them. You can only hunt them with what is leagal for the season that is open.  That means that from mid-Sept. until the end of Feb. you can either use a shotgun with rabbit or tree rat loads or a .22 of some kind.  If you run up on one or want to hunt hogs during gun deer season you can shoot them with a "real" rifle.  Those are your choices, thats it.   You either hunt within the law or you stay home.

Unitl I started reading these boards I never even heard of people hunting hogs with major caliber rifles.  The fellows here that really hunt hogs use dogs and shoot them with pistols or wade in with a knife to finish them.  Does that make every one here wrong?  No.

Mr. Coug, until this I really enjoyed reading your posts. But I see now you are small minded and have no intrest in anyones opinion other than your own.  My name is not johnny, it's Steve.  I do not consider myself an upstart in anything I do.  I am 35 years old and have been a police officer for 17 years and am chief where I live. I grew up in the woods and wild places in this state.  I killed my fist deer at 10 with a single shot .410 shotgun with a slug.  I guess you'll tell me thats not enough gun for whitetails.  Seemed plenty of gun for every kid I have seen grinning from ear to ear over that first whitetail.  


My point is. I hunt hogs with the same firearm that eveyone I know hunts with.  That is simply the way it is done here.  If you were here Mr. Coug you would use a rimfire or you would wait for deer season to open.  

Or you could stay home and make yourself feel important by talking down to people you know nothing about over the internet.

Steve

[les hemby]

u can make due with what you have if you have tol. Howie1968 how many hogs did you kill with that 223? and 1 got away?pretty good record dont you think. i doubt 30-30 could of done any better. a landowner in kaufman co. in tx told us that a game warden shot a 300lb hog on his place in the plate at about 40yds with a 300mag the bullet exploded and didnt penetrate the hog turned and he shot him in butt they tracked hog about 2 miles and finally found him. which i feel was a very poor shot but with adrenallin pumping i would have made it also. my point is if we just looked at this one eppisode we would have to say 300mag aint big enough for hog. by the way i havet fired one yet but am gonna get one but i think the marlin 45-70 guide gun would be the best hog gun under the sun.but only when legal. and howie it is a shame to ever loose a animal but rest assured they have been lost to alot bigger rounds than 223. a person like you said at 50yds with a scope a rest and a shot to ear is pretty much set for any cal BUT i bet it was way more fun to hit that one with new 45-70 wasnt it :shock:  :?  

[howie1968]

4  shots   4  hogs  with  the  223  no  kicks  squeals or  anything  quick  humane  1  shot  killes   i  lost  the  sow  with  a  marlin 30-30 170 gr  core lokt   i  had  shot   prob  over  20  hogs  with  that  rifle  includiong  my  biggest  2  boars   but  that  sow  had  got  me escaped   gone

[howie1968]

yes  it  was  an  awesome  feeling  watching  that decent  sized  boar  drop  in  its  tracks,  after  a  double  sholder  shot   i  have  used   a  223  30-30 50 cal muzzle loader 30-06   and  a  375H&H   and  that   ole  45-70   put  him  down  with  the  biggest  nastiest  exit  woundyou  could  imagine   correction  i  have  not  lost  one  with  the 223  the  one  i  lost  was  with  a  30-30  and  it  was  my  stupidity  i  rushed  the  shot  was  excited  and  did  not  follow  through,  just  a  silly  mistake   for  184.00   i  love  my  NEF 45-70  it  is  accurate  with  anything  and  point  of  impact  has  varied  so  little  that  i  can  throw  a  300 gr  hollow  point 400 gr round  nouse 405 cast and  520  cast  and  at  100  still  be  within  an  inch  of  each  other  open  sighted  the  heavier  bullets  hit  a  little  higher

[les hemby]

yet no one gripes about the 30-30 :?

[howie1968]

lol   i  do  understand  what  they  are  talking  about though  but  like  other  posters  state  that   in  some  areas  the  22   is  the  only  lawful  firearm   i  personally  if  thats  all  i  could  use  right  or  wrong    i would  not  let   that  keep  me  from  the  woods  i  would  take  a  perfect  shot   and  turn  away  anything  less than perfect and  send  that  40 gr  predator hollow  point  in  between  the  eyes   or  in  the  ear  hole  i  just  asked    a  guys  land  who  i  hunt  on  he  happens  to  be  a  farmer   and  he thought  i  was  crazy  fro  bringing  a  45-70  he  even  thought  the  30-06  was  to  much  him  and  his  boys  use  22  rifles  on  the  farm  for  everything  dispatching  axis  and  sika s   hogs    rams  anything  that  needs   to  be  put  out  of  there  misery  even  cows.   i  would  not  shoot   a  pig  in  the  body   by  any  means  not  even  with  a  223   but  a  guy  from  work   shot a   smallish  pig  behind  the  front  shoulders  angling  forward   and  killed  it  1  shot  1  kill  not  perfect   but  he  has  his  ham  sandwich

[willis5]

law is law, but I wouldn't want to have a 22 in my hand when pig hunting. Georgia WMAs require small game arms during small game season. the reason is, that they don't want people having deer weapons in the woods when not in season. If they did allow it, people hunting could say that they were hunting pigs but really be hunting deer.

I think that the only way that I would hunt pigs with a 22 mag is if i had catch dogs and I walked up and popped one in the ear hole... I am still a little leary of that if they have soem size to them... I would rather hunt on private land or just hunt them during deer season when I CAN use a suitable weapon. Don't bust Coug's chops for stating his opinion. Everyone has one... it just so happens that his opinion is worth taking. IMHO

[les hemby]

i second howies last post and will get out of discussion. the only thing i can add is chasing them with duct tape,knife,spear,arrow,etc probably aint right bright but it happens and with success.and would like to add on tx wma it is also small game gun for small game season not all time. sorry to offend anyone :toast:in to way do i mean to imply that 223 or rimfire is good for anything but calm well placed stand hunting shots. neither would be my first choice but either would be a choice :wink:

[coug2wolfs]

I have done some research in the Texas Fish & Game laws, and nowhere do I find what you guys are saying is law?  Please furnish some evidence of this.

If in fact what you say IS the law, then I am amazed that somebody like Greenpeace, PETA, or some other radical group hasn't climbed all over this as it is wide open.

I wish all to know that I have never been on these boards for popularity purposes.  I come here, read the stuff posted, most of it good.  On occasion I reply, add my 2 cents where I have experience and figure it can add to the overall attitude of the post.

Like GB, I am old. Having said that, I have spent countless thousands of hours in the woods hunting, probabley three times that in shooting and getting ready.  These 22 tales just don't jive with what I have seen.

Once I tracked a couple of coons into an old hollowed out tree.  There was maybe 6 inches between the gun muzzle and those fat coons.  Two tubes of 22 lr bullets were emptied on those coons and they were still far from dead.  Most of the bullets were just under the hide in the fat.

When I was a kid I popped off many a phesant rooster with the 22 lr in a Remington bolt gun.  Also shot a pile of squirrels, rabbits, and a few muskrats when I was running the trap line. At no point, even in those young years did I entertain shooting anything much bigger than that listed, simply because I had no desire to chase wounded game all over the place.  Nobody had to tell me this, it's just plain common sense.

If in fact the lowly 22 rimfire were such a punk round on everything that walked this planet there would be little else available on the gun racks.  Does anyone NEED a 378 Weatherby to kill deer?  Hell no!  Is it effective?  You betcha.

Is the 30-30 a good killer on game?  Depends on whose hands it's in.  In the right hands, a man who knows how to shoot, holds his fire until the shot is neigh perfect, well that man can kill game with a 30-30 even when it SHOULDN't!   That same man will also tell you he wouldn't reccomend everyone do it.

Keep in mind that once all we had was the 30-30, 32, 38-55, and the 35 Rem.  The bullets then were far inferior to what we have now, the powders available then did not yeild the best in terminal ballistics.  Yet those boys came home with the bacon.  There were no tricksters then, no one foolish enough to risk the winters meat supply on a "Hail Mary" shot.

We have evolved in our technology to a point where it is possible to cleanly kill a game animal at well over 500 yards.  We have better rifles, better bullets, better optics, rangefinders, and even wind detectors.   And with all this technology, how many people are actually capable of utilizing it?  The answer is suprisingly few.

We're humans, full of nerve bundles. We shake, we shiver, we get excited when we see game.  Those 1 MOA groups off the bench open up to 6 and 8 inches in the field, and that's on a good day!  So you'll pardon me when someone wants to pop game with a 22 lr or 25 acp exclaiming that they'll just pop em right in the eyesocket!  Uh huh.....

You see, I have always taken my killing rather serious.  No stock Volkswagon will ever win the Indy 500, but there is no harm in some nimrod attempting to do so.  Killing on the other hand places all of the rules of error on the victim.  So if you decide to light up a brown bear with a 223 and it don't work for dogsnot, who suffers? You?  Nope, the danged bear.

It amazes me the amount of "credible" evidence to support a claim.  "Yah man, I knew this old timer who kilt crocodiles all day long with a BB gun...."   Strikes me as odd that it's always somebody else pulling this stuff, and not the teller of the tale.  Perhaps, the teller KNOWS it's not the right thing to do and don't want to face the music.

Like everybody else, when I was 20 I figured I knew quite a bit.  When I was 35 I felt I knew more.  When I turned 50 I found out how much I DIDN'T know,  comes with age.

I'm open to about anything, except foolishness that can get someone hurt, or, causes undue suffering on game animals.  And that includes varmits.  Even they deserve a quick and merciful dispatch.

I am anxious to see the WMA laws that state subclass weapons are a MUST.   Federal law ALWAYS overrides local law, perhaps we can get this fixed  :wink:

[les hemby]

coug i pretty much agree but go to tx WMA #705  there really is several more and like you when i was a kid i shot a skunk about 10 times with LR still had to dig him out from under a fence post pile to kill him. i wouldnt leave the house to hog hunt with a 22mag or LR but if i were small game hunting and saw one at right angle and close i would probably shoot it, and 223 is not a hog round but TBBC does suprisingly well. the bullet holds together and usually exits Federal markets them as deer bullets. i wish howie1968 would shoot a hog with one  (only in ear ) and give a report from someone but me (blows the whole other side out) :shock: . i can assure you and everone else i am a responsible hunter and will not take a shot unless animal is still and i know its dead when i pull the trigger. i will agree about adrennalin and excitement,BUT i am not real sure some of them old men still get excited kinda like the eskimos with 222 they live with the animal and know their livelyhood depends on that animal some of these old men have killed one everytime they run out of meat so see it is kinda like they are at a slaughter because hog is calm dont even know anyone is in the woods and a little pipsqueek round turns his lights out just like a tame hog at butcher they have done this so many times not exciting anymore. and will say it is only on WMA land a 22 must be used during small game season other than that we can trap,spotlight,run over with truck or anything else (not that i would)but in tx hog is not a game animal. i also believe a skunk,coyote,hog,child mollester,pollitician or anything deserves no less than a 1 shot kill :wink: yes the 22 cal can be used for calm hog but if hog is mad it may not be pretty. i do not encourage anyone to hunt hog with 223 but if going to use a good bullet. fmj slips through TBBC blows a huge hole

[coug2wolfs]

Les

It's not for me to decide who, and who not should attempt the trick shots. Marginial in the right hands CAN get it done, but I don't believe all the time, even in those same hands.  An undisturbed animal can sometimes be killed with a whisper.  But as we know, this isn't the norm either.

I think everyone would agree, humans are easier to kill than hogs.  Why then, does the swat team NOT use 22 rimfires???  No sir, and they don't use even 22 center fires.  How about STARTING at 308, and if distance is in the cards the 300 Winchester Mag.

Now with that said, we DID use the 223 in Nam, but it was knowing that the 223 would more likely wound that lead us there. You see, in combat, it's better to wound em than kill em outright.  That way you have the wounded enemy, and a couple more tied up to care for him.

I'm still waiting to hear some sane reason to use the 22 rimfire on things bigger than bunnies.

[howie1968]

my sane  excuse  is   that  IF it  were  the  only  caliber  i  possesed then  i  would  use  it   is  what  i  were  saying  some  of  us  are  not  fortunate   to  have  the  money  to  buy alot  of guns  but  luckily  i  work  enough  odd  jobs  that  i  am able  to  buy  a  rifle,  matter  of  fact  i  did  buy  a  22 mag  the  other  day. but  i  am not  going  to  go  try  it  out  on a  hog   for  an  experiment.  that  is  what  my  45-70  is  for.  when  hunting  with  my 223   it  was  the  only  gun  i  possesed.  i  had  to  sell  my  guns  ue  to  vehicle  probs   but  i  was  fortunate  that   a friend  had  this  223  and  let  me  pay  it  out.   So  Coug let me  ask  you  a  question?  say    if  a  223  was  the  ONLY  weapon  you  had  would  you  use  it?  and  to  what  degree   i  uhnderstand  you  live  in  the  wilderness.   lets  say  for  some  ungodly  reason  you  lost  your  rine  firearm  collection  and  was  given  a  223   do  you  think  you  could  make  it  work?  not  being  a  smart  alec   just  curios   another  ?  what  is  your  favorite  round  for  the  45-70?  and  what  do  ya  think  of  the  winchester  300 gr hollow points?  thanks  in  advance

[les hemby]

and there is a absolute difference in a fmj in nam and a sp,hp,tbbc,np, or any sane hunting round everyone knows fmj even in 30-06 is not a hunting round.you know i would hope to god there have been improvements in ammo since then. if you havent seen a tbbc hit anything at 100yds and in then i dont think you really have an opinion on it since you would be one of the ones that truly dont know. cant compare a military bullet with a sporting round as this probably does not compliment your experience :roll:and to be perfectly honest i would agree on LR but on 223 catch up times are changing and so is ammo the elmer keith way works but so does speed and bullets designed for the job.mr coug with all due respect ya must have tougher criminals than us to cause here most all swat uses 223 except snipers which use 308 and 300 and 223  and entry which uses 9mm and 45 and 40 carbines usually HKor AR. Not doing crack raids in wilderness they have to worry about overpenetration with 308. they know 223 with right ammo is 1 shot 1 kill. not wound for someone else to take care of but a center of mass instant kill. i would almost venture to say that every year more hogs and deer are lost to 30-30 than 223 simply the ones that use small cal. make their shots count. with a 30-30 unless you hit in ear or neck you will probably be tracking.the 30-30 blows a hole in lungs. the fast 22's (223,22-250,220swift,etc actually vaporizes them. holes cause it to take longer to run out of air. you vaporize the lungs and it is instant. this must be seen to be believed. the 223 is good for 100 and in with tbbc and 22-250 is good for 200 and in even with lung shots. this must be seen most stuff never takes a step they stand there and try to because small cal's dont have much knockdown but turn off air turn out lights. you know people rely on 30-06 with tbbc for moose so with a size to weight relation its kinda silly to think the 22's with tbbc wont kill a hog. if you havent tried this well try it then come back and tell me it wont work until then you are one of the ones that GB lit up as you call it because if you are going off of 40 yr ago experience then you truly dont know.no disrespect meant just fact ammo has changed.

[coug2wolfs]

I can say straight up, I have no idea in Hell what a tbbc is.  But too, yhe last I checked, the laws of physics and ballistics have not changed.  Mass in motion is energy, the amount thereof proportional to the mass.

Sure, we can hoss em up to 4000 fps and come up with some terrific energies.  Still comes down to enough retention to at least get into the vitals in order to work.  Then at times, even when it does work, said critter didn't read the same stuff we did and decides to trot off under that there bush and check out.  Course with no proper exit wound, we have no blood trail to follow.  Then, I hope you track like my maternal Grandfather.

We don't need to visit the all you can afford game.  Not when anyone can bop down to Wally World and at least come up with a Marlin or 30-30, shells at $8:00 for 20.  NEF Handi Rifles are dirt cheap and shoot well. Nah, if you're gonna hunt, then do it right.

"If it were all I had....." Nope, wouldn't get caught in that scenario.  When it came down to the last finacial crash, all the guns went save a very few.  Kept the -06 since that can be shot with 110 and everything in between to 220.  I believe I have it covered without much undue suffering.

What I shoot for hogs would simply laugh at 22 stuff, maybe even piss off a few.  I for one would not get excited about having to stop a charge with such a pissant gun.  

To the question of the 300 Win Hp in the 45-70....WICKED killer on deer, not so on larger hogs.  In the 300 grain persuasion the Nosler partition shoots wonderfuly accurate and does a bvang up job on rooters.  My favorite is the Hornady 350 round nose, and if you really want to rip em up, the Speer 400 FN at 1800 to 2000 fps just slams em dead where they stand.

I grow weary of this foolishness, 22 cal stuff on hogs.  You guys that have it set in your minds that this is adequate hog medicine are convinced of it, will continue to do it in spite of what I, or anyone else says about the subject.  May as well keep doing it, one day you'll see the error of your ways.  Just hope ya'll don'y get ripped up to bad in learning the lesson.

If the 22 rf is the berries for hogs, then in proportion, the 243 should be as ideal on fish fed browns.  Make sure the insurance policy is current right about the time you get the balls to try it  :wink:

[HWooldridge]

I've been reading this thread with interest and will add only a couple of personal experience stories - no theory.  BTW, I live in South Central Texas and hunt everything that lives in the brush country.  I'm 44 and have hunted since I was 6 years old.

1973 - Hunting quail; the guy I was with had a bow plus a Colt 22 Woodsman.  I had a 12 gauge with 7-1/2 shot.  He shot a 150 lb porker thru the lungs with an arrow.  It ran into the brush and we gave chase.  We finally located the hog on his knees at a range of about 10 feet in heavy cover with the arrow sticking out of both sides.  Frank took out his Woodsman and emptied the clip into the back of the hog's head.  I watched the bullets dig little furrows and zing off into the bushes.  The hog jumped and spun in mid air then started clacking his teeth.  We fell backwards in much haste then I shot him in the head with the shotgun at 6 feet or so.  End of story.

1983 - Again hunting quail with a different friend.  Hog in heavy cover so my buddy changes out the birdshot for two #1 buckshot shells in his 12 double plus takes his 4" S&W 357 Mag with hot 125 gr handloads.  This pig was about 300 lbs.  Stuart shot the boar six times with the pistol at about 15 yds and every bullet left big white gashes in the hide shield but the pig still stands.  The next shots are from the shotgun and the pig dies.

2002 - Late in the evening during deer season, I see a black 150 boar right at dusk at around 125 yds.  I put the scope crosshairs on my old Marlin 45-70 on his shoulder amd squeezed.  The 300 gr Sierra SP went thru the near side and stopped under the hide on the other side.  I shoot a very hot handload so I was very surprised to find the bullet, which was a nice mushroom.  I weighed it after washing away the blood and meat and it weighed 292 grains.  The interesting thing was that the rifle recoiled and came back down in time for me to see the hog pile over on his left side.  He squealed for a split second and did not move again.

I've killed more but these are factual and personal accounts that come to mind.  My grandpa also used to butcher domestic hogs and he always used a 22 in the head.  It was rare that he took two shots but it was at point blank in a fenced pen.  I am not offering any opinions about the right caliber but I either use the 45-70 or my .54 muzzleloader.

[jhm]

Coug and others{  I am no expert and I only shot my first hog last tue. I used a 357 mag. it took 5 out of 6 b-4 I felt comfortable to aproach it, and when I did I gave it the 6th one to be sure, There is no way I would go after them with a 22 cal on purpose and if IO ran into one while out there with only a 22 I would pass on the shot, I was able to hit this hog with the first 5 and I thought I was doing a fair job, never again even though I killed the hog I wished after the 1st shot I had more gun, maybe not a 45-70 or anything in that class but a hell of alot more than any 22 can provide,    JIM

[coug2wolfs]

And that's my point guys, why play the edge.  The 357 is surely a Hell of a lot more than the 22 , and even that required multiple shots.

I have favored the 45-70 and 444 for big rooters because it does the job, right now.  Of course that's not the only choices, but for crien out loud use something that's got at least half a chance.

44 mag handguns with 300 grainers, hardcast, sure, go for it if you can lay your lead. 30-30, 35 Rem, sure, have at it.  6.5 Swede, yah, 7mm-08, go for it.  Just leave the damn 22 at home  :wink:

[les hemby]

i will agree with everyone on one coming at me 22 centerfire is definately for a calm hog from a stand. with one coming at me i want alot more than 22 or 357, but have read several articles ( i dont have one) but have heard of several tines where 454 took 6 shots and still have to look for it. i will say shot placement is everything no matter what you use. thanks for a debate coug no hard feelings. actually i wouldnt recommend buying a 22 centerfire for hogs but if you have the right bullet they will work(not on mad hog) Coug check into Trophy Bonded Bearclaw (federal) i understand where you live there is really big game. they make this in big cals. 30-06,338 etc this is somewhat like a swift a-frame. unlike a fmj they expand but still hold together. as far as i know this is the only big game bullet for 22 centerfire is the reason i use it. it works. full mushroom with almost 100% weight retention. not trying to sell you on 22 but check them out for your 338 and 06. i am going to shoot them in my 243 this year. they come in federal premium but also in component bullet i think. after seeing them in 22 i am a believer. i think they could probably stop a train in 338. they started out for big dangerous game and carried the bullet over to 22. for moose and big stuff this could be perfect.(not in 22) coug if you have a 223 try them (not on hogs) on a crow or something they hit hard. i will say also that i would not probably shoot a northern deer with this see our deer are around 100lbs our big game is hogs with about 250 being my biggest so we are really on a different set of requirements on a rifle. i have seen 30-06,223,270,243,30-30,44mag,22-250 work but i am going to buy a marlin 45-70 just for mad hog in brush unless you would recommend a different kind. howie really impressed me with his hitting within a inch with all different bullet weights that matters to me but will probably shoot winchester supreme. coug have a nice day also would like a 45-70 for night hunting(legal here)

[coug2wolfs]

Les

I hold the Trophy Bonded bullets in high regards. I killed a 285 pound black bear boar stone dead with a 250 grainer out of a 350 Rem Mag.  That bullet looked some queersome when I dug it outa em, but it sure did do the job.

In the 22 cal arena, I would imagine it would do better than most as far as penetration, but of course, the question is, what are we penetrating?  For example:

Now would ya have the seeds to light this one up with ANY 22 cal?  This is 500 pounds of Russian boar...DRESSED!  :wink:

[rdnck]

Now THAT'S a sure 'nuff HAWG!  Good going and congratulations, Coug.  Shoot straight, rdnck.

[les hemby]

coug point taken i dont think tx has one that big congrats. we are definatey arguing a point from a different standpoint i must admit i have heard of a very few that big here. reckon you probably wouldnt want to make that one mad would ya

[les hemby]

someone correct me if i am wrong but i dont think we have any true russians i think most of ours is either domestic or cross bred with domestic, and i have heard several different places russians are bigger and meaner. and coug if that was charging me i would feel about as good with 223 as 30-06 either way it aint gonna be pretty LOL. what cal. you shoot it with (please no one take that to imply that i think 223 is equal to 30-06)just that your probably screwed either way :wink: gotta go to work ya'll have a good day

[HWooldridge]

Les,

Most of the Texas hogs are feral but there is Russian blood in some areas of the state.  The Spanish brought pigs over in the 1500's so that's where the first ones in Texas probably came from but some people also brought in Russians to cross breed over the years.  I have seen some red and white pigs that could have been some kid's 4H project and some that are real wooly.  I killed one last year that was solid black and had long hair but was fairly narrow and tall.  He was a young boar and the tushes were just starting to protrude but they were pushing out to the side.  I don't know if this was a Russian but he looked different than the other ones we've seen in the area.

BTW, I do think we have some 500 pounders walking around in the back country.  If they can stay in a wild area and eat well, they'll do it just to stay away from people...Hollis

[Ironwood]

      You were joking when you said that hog weighed 500 pounds weren't you coug?  A little trick photography there, huh?   Looks more like about 200 maybe. :-D  :-D  :-D  :-D

How about this hog?  What do you think he would weigh?  And this is a Texas hog.  

[coug2wolfs]

Ironwood, that one was on the scale, and you may feel free to contact Hillside Outfitters in Auroa Maine to verify it.  No trick photography, straight up picture.  The 475 Linebaugh did em in with one shot at 35 yards.

That one you got layin there might make 250, but I'd lean more to 160/170 pounds.  Still a damn nice pig.

And of course, they are different strains.  The Russians are easy to tell from the rest, their hair is split, or in the form of a Y.  Don't believe Russians in the next to pure strain would fare that well in the heat of the south.  We got some brusiers here in New England, but they are even BIGGER in Canada.

I reckon we argued about the calibers long enough, now we can dispute the pictures.  Hell, it's something to do right?

If memory serves me right, I danced with you on Hunt America on the very same subject, using pissant calibers on big hogs.  I see no need to revisit it here.  You have your posture, I have mine. To each his own.

The folks that have bought up 45-70 Marlins and 444's have all been happy campers when using them on big rooters.  Narry a one has sent me a response exclaiming that I was a store roarin (censored word) for the reccomendation.  Howsomerver, if they follow your advice, I am suspect that you will lose some fan mail  :wink:

[Ironwood]

Awwwwwww never mind.  it's not worth the hassel

[coug2wolfs]

:lol:

[willis5]

ironwood

how much did it weigh?