Hog/boar/pig gun

[spike.t]

For feral hog eradication I successfully used a LWRC REPR in 7.62×51mm NATO scoped with a 3-9x50 Leupold VX-R . A 1.5-4x 40 mm scope or a red dot would also be good IMHO. The pork fed us for a year.

Don't believe you can have them in oz

 

[BigSteve57]

Don't believe you can have them in oz

Ah right. Sorry. I also screwed up on the ammo which was really the important part of the post. It matters not what rifle you use, IMHO. The rifle is indeed chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO but I actually used Remington 308 Win 168 gr Barnes TSX for hunting purposes. It is a fabulous hunting round. Very accurate.

EDIT: the ammo # is HTP308W2

Hogs are very aggressive BTW. Gut piles were gone in as little as 30 minutes as the next sounder to move through got a whiff.
Be careful out there.

These were typical:

This was about 1/2 the take - about 10 cu ft here. Another 7 1/2 cu ft was in the upstairs freezer. We ate for a year. Also made lots of bird suet from the fat rendered from the burger.

Our first meal was a couple of huge trays of lasagna made with hog burger:

 

[mdwest]

my primary pig popper here in the US is an AR15 type rifle.. 556 will drop about any hog with the right bullet and good shot placement... I'm building an AR upper reciever in 350 Legend now.. with the .350 Legend there shouldnt be a pig anywhere in North America that cant be taken... I've also got a .300 BLK option for the AR..

all of that said (and understanding that having an AR in OZ probably isnt an option..)... I've hunted and killed dozens of hogs with a simple ruger american compact in .308.. Its a tiny little rifle with a 16" barrel, short stock, etc.. I've found it to be excellent for pigs, deer, etc. when you know youre going to be shooting at 150 yards or less.. with 165gr TTSX its devastating on the porkers.. I've never had one move more than an inch after being hit by that little rifle..

 

[JPbowhunter]

E

308 win would be my first choice, excellent round for hogs, but any of the 30’s work fine. Just bought a Merkel RX Helix Explorer which has a straight pull action that cycles very quickly with a 5-round mag (5+1)...6.5 lbs without scope, 21” barrel, quick to shoulder and aim, so should make an excellent hog gun. Going to mount a Leopold VX-6HD 2-12x42 on it. Not sure if they are available in your neck of the globe but you might want to check one out if they are. I’m going with three barrels for mine, 308 win, 300 win mag, and 9.3x62. All have Merkel’s very good open sights on them and barrel/caliber swap takes about 30 seconds. Can pretty much do anything with that setup.

Trust me you wouldn't want to take a merkel rifle on this type of hunt! Bulldust and nice rifles don't make for good bedfellows.

 

[JPbowhunter]

JPbowhunter, I like your idea of a peep or ghost ring on a lever action 30-30. I have that setup on a 336 Marlin in 35 Remington. The William's 94/36 sight is what you are looking for. However you will have to install a slightly taller front sight. BTW I put that sight on both of my sons model
94(s) one in 30-30 the other in 32 Win. Spl. I bought the Marlin for $75.00 at a Pawn Shop. Bubba broke the stock and repaired it with some glue and a couple of wood screws. The dang thing shoots so good that I never had the heart to replace the stock. BTW I put a green optic up front, I think it shows up a little better.

I don't think I have the angle eject model so my understanding is that something like a lyman receiver site will be required. Don't think Williams is available in Australia. Not sure if the Lyman still requires a new front sight?

 

[Fastrig]

E

Trust me you wouldn't want to take a merkel rifle on this type of hunt! Bulldust and nice rifles don't make for good bedfellows.

The Explorer model is their “abusive environment” model....not designed for case queen duty Guess nice is relative, but I typically buy good rifles as tools and put them through their paces in the field, just like I do with Snap On wrenches for the shop.

https://www.merkel-die-jagd.de/en/products/guns/bolt-action-rifles/helix-explorer/

 

[bruce moulds]

jp,
those sights can be used with the insert screwed out for a ghost ring type sight.
bruce.

 

[JPbowhunter]

jp,
those sights can be used with the insert screwed out for a ghost ring type sight.
bruce.

I was thinking of trying that out, glad to know it works! Thanks mate.

 

[Shootist43]

The Williams sight I'm talking about can be used on top eject Model 94(s)

 

[flatwater bill]

Shootist.........I have that Wm's sight on a model 94 in 375W. It is so great, but wish it was steel and not aluminum, as it is vulnerable. Shot a lot of pigs in Oz with a 94 in 30-30..........which did just fine.............FWB

 

[JPbowhunter]

Just to keep things ticking along while i have the thread going. Any suggestions for factory ammo.
Thinking either:

Remington hog hammer (barnes tsx) $38/box

Winchester power point $30/box

PPU soft point $25/box.

Federal Fusion $34/box.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

FWIW my Interarms Mark X (Zastava) rifle in .25-06 Remington with 24" barrel provided admirable service for me on a hog hunt back in Spring 2019. However I'm a meat hunter and use a scope to take skull and neck CNS shots. No tracking, maximum meat yield, and maximum quality meat with no extreme exertion after I take the shot.

For your objectives, I would select a blunt tip bonded bullet design such as Norma Oryx. No need for a sleek polymer tipped projectile.

For my thoughts regarding the rifle, I have a Remington 7600 pump with polymer furniture that I thought about making a dedicated brush gun with a 18.5" .308 barrel I picked up for $50 on eBay. Replacement polymer furniture, if ever needed / desired, is widely and inexpensively available, same for aftermarket 10 round magazines. Faster multiple shots than a bolt action (for me anyway) with no issues of "stuff" interfering with a semi-auto action.

It's currently sporting a 22" .243 barrel as my initial thought was to use it as a first rifle for a nephew who was asking to get into such things before his mother (my sister) dissuaded him from it last autumn. I think there's an Aussie firm that sells a part that makes barrel changes a breeze for these rifles. Same magazine for .308 as .243.

https://www.lumleyarms.com/7600--7615

 

[Kawshik Rahman]

Are you more comfortable with a bolt operation rifle or an under lever operation rifle ?
I have had clients use both the .308 bore by Winchester ( which was called 7.62 millimeter in India in our time ) and .3030 bore by Winchester , with great effect on boars . I made one personal observation : Some people find it faster to operate an under lever a little quicker than cycling a rifle bolt ( of course this varies from person to person ). In terms of accuracy and power , neither are lacking for pigs. If l were shooting them from a distance , l would opt for the .308 bore. If l were close to them and there was a possibility that one of they might charge at me , then l would opt for a .3030 under lever rifle .

 

[bruce moulds]

jp,
at those prices you would have to try the ppu stuff.
2nd try would be power point.
there is a fair bit of it sold in oz.
in my 308s I used riverbrand reloads which were quite fast opening and very effective.
I believe pigs succumb to shock more than some animals.
bruce.

 

[JPbowhunter]

jp,
at those prices you would have to try the ppu stuff.
2nd try would be power point.
there is a fair bit of it sold in oz.
in my 308s I used riverbrand reloads which were quite fast opening and very effective.
I believe pigs succumb to shock more than some animals.
bruce.

I'd agree with that, I shot 3 boars ranging from 50 - 70 kg on the recent trip with my '06 and 150gn power points, they all folded like a well shot duck!

Those prices and ammo's are in Melbourne which is a bit of a drive. Locally it'll be whatever they have in stock.

 

[GeoffB]

Just to keep things ticking along while i have the thread going. Any suggestions for factory ammo.
Thinking either:

Remington hog hammer (barnes tsx) $38/box

Winchester power point $30/box

PPU soft point $25/box.

Federal Fusion $34/box.

For the .308 I can recommend the Buffalo River/OSA brand 308WIN ammo with the 135gr Sierra HP at 3000fps.
These are made over here in Australia by ADI/Thales.
All my pig hunting buddies and I use these.
Hit a pig at any angle standing or on the run and they just smash them.
I go halves with my mate in a 480 round bulk tin and they end up at AUD$1.38 per shot.(Cleaver Firearms, Brisbane price)
They are 0.13c more per round than the PPU rounds but far more effective in my opinion.
They are also available in a standard 20 round box if you want to try them first.

 

[JPbowhunter]

For the .308 I can recommend the Buffalo River/OSA brand 308WIN ammo with the 135gr Sierra HP at 3000fps.
These are made over here in Australia by ADI/Thales.
All my pig hunting buddies and I use these.
Hit a pig at any angle standing or on the run and they just smash them.
I go halves with my mate in a 480 round bulk tin and they end up at AUD$1.38 per shot.(Cleaver Firearms, Brisbane price)
They are 0.13c more per round than the PPU rounds but far more effective in my opinion.
They are also available in a standard 20 round box if you want to try them first.

It's buried in a post a few back but I ended up buying a 30-30. Cheers anyway mate

 

[IvW]

9.3x74R/12ga Combination,open sights
7x65R/12ga Combination, opensight and QD scope release with see through mounts
12ga/12ga SxS, 24 " barrels,ghost ring sight fitted

 

[perttime]

What kind of distances do you expect to shoot at?

 

[IvW]

from 1-200m...