Author Topic: feral pig gun? (Read 3301 times)

Fox hunter · « **on:** March 09, 2013, 07:28:39 PM »

Hi all,
Im keen on shooting some feral pigs and occasionally deer. I was just wondering what would be a good gun for these two animals something that is cheap to run and not really hard to get a licence for and strong enough to kill them.
cheers fox hunter.

geezerbiker · « **Reply #1 on:** March 09, 2013, 09:29:30 PM »

Where do you live that you have to get license to own a hunting rifle? If I were looking at a new bolt action rifle on a tight budget, I'd look at a Savage. I like H&R single shots but I wouldn't hunt pigs with one unless I had a buddy next to me for a back up shot on a POed pig...

Tony

Fox hunter · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2013, 11:12:42 PM »

i live in western australia so we can only use centre fire rifles, shotguns and rimfire rifles what calibre wdo you think would be a good one to go geezerbiker?

FPH · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2013, 07:27:35 AM »

How large are your deer?

STUMPJMPR · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2013, 08:32:40 AM »

It appears that you have deer there as large as our elk. I would probably look at .308, .270, 30-06 or anything else within the same range that is readily available in Australia.

kynardsj · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2013, 09:58:53 AM »

+1 on what STUMPJMPR said.

geezerbiker · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2013, 11:04:21 AM »

It's hard to be a .308 or .30-06.

Tony

Oldshooter · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2013, 12:37:48 PM »

License huh? Guess we better get used to that......sorry I drifted off for a minute.

Don't know if you can get a semi auto there but a 30-06 in a semi auto or bolt action. A 308 would be adequate as well.

RPRNY · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2013, 12:40:40 PM »

Advice as per above but you may also have a number of value for money rifles in your market chambered in. 303 British. It's a great caliber and would serve you well. I would imagine your terrain is fairly wide open and there are plenty of 200 + meter shots? .270 .308 30-06 .303 would all serve you well.

I recently had a friend give me a magazine he had picked up during a trip to Oz called "Bacon Busters ", all about pig hunting. I see that Oz has its share of odd folk too ;-)

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

Fox hunter · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2013, 01:12:07 PM »

Where i live in WA deer can be quite rare the main pupose i would use the gun for would be pigs. the pigs can be in range from 10m-200m away i was thinking about a 30/30 lever action how do they go?

RPRNY · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2013, 01:39:22 PM »

30-30 lever is a great rifle and will kill pigs and deer fine - out to about 150 meters. With a scope and Hornady's Leverevolution ammo 200 meter deer are possible but given the relatively small kill zone for pigs and their ability to absorb non kill zone shots, I would not recommend the 30-30 (which I love) for your intended use. A flatter shooting 30 cal would be better for your longer distances.

Not sure what else is available in a lever gun for you there. Savage 99 and Browning BLR were made in .308 for example and the BLR several other calibers already mentioned in this thread. .356 wcf .348 wcf and .375 wcf are all lever gun calibers that would suit you but they aren't exactly available on trees.

I'd be looking for a .303 sporter...

45-70.gov · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2013, 01:53:28 PM »

another for 303 bolt....or anything close to that
low powered scope would be nice too

better yet a red-dot if you hunt in poor light

FPH · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2013, 02:02:05 PM »

MY coworkers killed seven hogs this year at the distances you mention. They both took .243s.

Fox hunter · « **Reply #13 on:** March 10, 2013, 02:02:35 PM »

Ok thank you all for your help and advice it is very appreciated i will have a look around for something like a .270.
cheers fox hunter

Land_Owner · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2013, 02:57:21 PM »

Good choice the 270. Savage makes a wicked one that right out of the box is stainless steel, tactical black, accurate, looks great and is very cost effective. When strapped to a 3 X 9 variable power scope you are good to go in the bush at 25m or field to 200m. I like to use 150 grain Nosler Partition hand loads and have never had one that stayed inside a hog, failed to impart a signifigant amount of energy on pass through, or, if I did my part, failed to drop the hog before it got into the really thick stuff where retrieval was impossible or nearly so. Good luck.

dougk · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2013, 03:17:02 AM »

Quote from: Fox hunter on March 09, 2013, 07:28:39 PM

Hi all,
Im keen on shooting some feral pigs and occasionally deer. I was just wondering what would be a good gun for these two animals something that is cheap to run and not really hard to get a licence for and strong enough to kill them.
cheers fox hunter.

You should look at combo gun that has both a rifle and shotgun. Savage, Valmet, Baikal, Staggsbilt USSG are some brands that come to mind. The Baikal is being imported in the US under the USSG name, they are about $550. Combo guns are highly effective for hogs at all ranges. I use a 12/30-06 combination and have never been in a hog or deer hunting situation where I felt another gun or caliber was needed.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2013, 04:46:56 AM »

Quote

I use a 12/30-06 combination and have never been in a hog or deer hunting situation where I felt another gun or caliber was needed.

Well I guess not! That's awesome fire power for any North American game.

Mikey · « **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2013, 02:11:29 PM »

What, hogs and deer, 200 yds - 303 Brit, easy. Easy to scope, caliber is more than adequate, might be a lot of them around.

swordfish · « **Reply #18 on:** March 21, 2013, 02:02:53 AM »

A 30-30 lever action is simple, quick, and will get the job done inside 200 meters. I favor the Marlin design. I mention the 30-30 because it's not expencive, but there are quite a few other cals in Lever Action design that will do the job and are a lot of fun. Ammo availability might be the deciding factor for you. See what your local shops carry.
I've seen Land Owner carry a Winchester mod 70 fetherweight in 270, that I drooled over, that cal will take any game you have in Oz. but wouldn't be my choice for your buffalo there, though it would work. The advantage of the 270, 30-06 is distance. A dingo running off with a baby at 250 meters would be a job for a bolt action in the 270, 30-06, 300 win mag, If you want to shoot that dingo coming into the camp for the baby, a Lever Action in 30-30, 35 Rem, .357, 44 mag, 45 Colt, 45-70, 38-55, would be a better choice.
All of the rifles mentioned by others above will do just fine.
Let us know what you decide on. Sorry to hear about all the gun law changes that have happened since I left Oz. It's a shame.
Enjoy your hunts.
Fish

gstewart44 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 22, 2013, 06:00:42 AM »

My newest little carry gun for swine is a Lee Enfield No4 Mk1* that had been shortened and a LeeSpeed front sight and stock put on it. I stole the thing from a pawn store for $150. Being in Oz you should have a better supply of good .303 Brit than I do in Florida, but that round knocks pigs down with authority. The longest shot I'v made with it is only 120meters but it has taken 5 pigs/hogs in the past 2 months. I love it.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #20 on:** March 22, 2013, 06:12:28 AM »

It is hard to beat the WWI calibers or the dirivitives for a hunting rifle.
So 6.5X55 Swede, 7X57, 30-06 - 25-06, 270Win, 338-06 , 303 Brit, 8X57, 7.7 Japanese, 308 Win - 243, 7-08, 358, 338
Ammo is usally pleantyfull and in a wide variaty of bullets. I would pick a soft point heavy for the caliber and be done.
I think 308 Win would be perfect for deer and pigs as a single gun to do both. But any of the others would work well.

gstewart44 · « **Reply #21 on:** March 22, 2013, 06:46:04 AM »

I read a thread on here a couple of years ago and it was one of your fellow Aussies that had his worn out SMLE bored out to .35 cal. He said it was an Aussie wildcat cartridge called a .35 Territorian or a .35/303
I couldn't find any load data for it but it seems it would be a good short to medium range hog load.

streak · « **Reply #22 on:** March 22, 2013, 06:59:29 AM »

Quote from: Fox hunter on March 10, 2013, 01:12:07 PM

Where i live in WA deer can be quite rare the main pupose i would use the gun for would be pigs. the pigs can be in range from 10m-200m away i was thinking about a 30/30 lever action how do they go?

Fox hunter,
What part of Western Australia do you live?
I was in Perth for a couple of years back in the early 70`s!
I liked going up into the Darling Range area. Do you know if any part of this area is open to hunting?
Hogs have probably moved into this area since I was there. Always saw a lot of trophy size Spanish goats with great head gear!! And of course the ever present wallabies and roo`s!!
As others have mentioned the .303, .308, and the venerable old 30-06 are adequate rounds to handle any size " piggy" that you might encounter! My personal favotite would be the 30-06 with the old standard 180 grain SP Remington Corelokt!!
Lot`s of luck and keep us posted!

gstewart44 · « **Reply #23 on:** March 22, 2013, 07:44:44 AM »

I found the link on the Territorian.....it was a project Jacko was workin on for pigs
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php?topic=215261.0

Mtwoodson · « **Reply #24 on:** June 12, 2013, 12:10:15 PM »

I shoot hogs with a 375H&H or a 45-70. They may be overkill, but they die quick and easy.

streak · « **Reply #25 on:** June 12, 2013, 05:25:37 PM »

Quote from: Mtwoodson on June 12, 2013, 12:10:15 PM

I shoot hogs with a 375H&H or a 45-70. They may be overkill, but they die quick and easy.

I would not say overkill! Just good insurance, especially the .375 H&H!!

GH1 · « **Reply #26 on:** June 18, 2013, 09:20:39 AM »

For a low priced gun with plenty of oomph, it's tough to beat a Mosin
GH1