Lever action calibers for Hogs

[336ER]

I have shot an awful lot of them with my 1894 in 44mag.

Don't mean to be argumentative, but did any look like this one? This is the one that did not die (as is always claimed) from a shot just behind the ear. He's the one that did not even bleed from a shot directly to his shoulder which actually did not quite fully penetrate the shield, which was very thick & tough. Bullet was a 270gr Speer Gold Dot (deep curl). Two more shots to his underside (shieldless, of course) and a final one at 10' to his neck (2nd to his neck), as he again tried to get up, finally killed him. In the picture with the 1894 leaning against him, you can see the shot placement from shot #1. You cannot see #2, because it never even bled. Those are the bullets found while caping him; #1 was against his vertebra and #2 almost made it through the shield. I absolutely agree that a .44mag & 30/30 will work very well for most any hog you might encounter. I will simply tell you that when I hunt this same area (like I did this past weekend) which has a lot of free-ranging big hogs, my choices start at the .356, .358 & .375Wins and go up.

[WV67]

Don't mean to be argumentative, but did any look like this one? This is the one that did not die (as is always claimed) from a shot just behind the ear. He's the one that did not even bleed from a shot directly to his shoulder which actually did not quite fully penetrate the shield, which was very thick & tough. Bullet was a 270gr Speer Gold Dot (deep curl). Two more shots to his underside (shieldless, of course) and a final one at 10' to his neck (2nd to his neck), as he again tried to get up, finally killed him. In the picture with the 1894 leaning against him, you can see the shot placement from shot #1. You cannot see #2, because it never even bled. Those are the bullets found while caping him; #1 was against his vertebra and #2 almost made it through the shield. I absolutely agree that a .44mag & 30/30 will work very well for most any hog you might encounter. I will simply tell you that when I hunt this same area (like I did this past weekend) which has a lot of free-ranging big hogs, my choices start at the .356, .358 & .375Wins and go up.

Good grief! You have monsters like that in TN?

[john m]

I shot 354 pigs in 7 months in Australias northern territory with a mod 94 44 mag most were one shot kills including large boars in the 300-400lb bracket ,some didnt fall over that easy and needed a second and even 3 or 4 to put down.It's bullet placement that works, once piggy is charged with adrenline it will soak up a lot of lead.I had to finish a few charging pigs only feet from my legs one was shot from the hip and his head was only 1ft from the muzzle when I fired.You do need enough power for when things go bad and some thing that is quick for follow up shots.A boar of average size will make a serious mess of your legs and the rest of you if given the chance with only average tusks.The largest boar had tusks 10 1/2"I hate to think what they could do to a person.Pigs are smart tough critters that deserve respect.
John

[geartow]

The largest boar had tusks 10 1/2"I hate to think what they could do to a person John

I would like to see pics of them!

[Roan444]

I am a fan of the .35 rem on hogs, but have seen the .444 make shorter work of them. JMO.

I have made my 35 the hog gun with reloads and the Hornady 200g JRN with either 31g Reloader 7, or 37.5g of 3031.

[336ER]

Good grief! You have monsters like that in TN?

That hog was killed just outside Wrightsville, Ga. We have now hunted there 4 straight years and killed 3 hogs over 260 pounds; 2 big boars and one huge sow. The sows have no shield whatsoever and in my opinion, a 150 lb boar is a tougher character than a 300 lb sow. But, I still am not wanting to stand in the way of a departing 300 lb sow!

[336ER]

I shot 354 pigs in 7 months in Australias northern territory with a mod 94 44 mag most were one shot kills including large boars in the 300-400lb bracket ,some didnt fall over that easy and needed a second and even 3 or 4 to put down.It's bullet placement that works, once piggy is charged with adrenline it will soak up a lot of lead.I had to finish a few charging pigs only feet from my legs one was shot from the hip and his head was only 1ft from the muzzle when I fired.You do need enough power for when things go bad and some thing that is quick for follow up shots.A boar of average size will make a serious mess of your legs and the rest of you if given the chance with only average tusks.The largest boar had tusks 10 1/2"I hate to think what they could do to a person.Pigs are smart tough critters that deserve respect.
John

I have a Buddy in Australia that also culls game there. He's killed lots and lots of hogs, but none this size. After being chased back up onto his ATV by a big wounded one and killing him with a one-handed shot with his 45-70, he fully agrees with me about large hogs, close-up. I couldn't care less what someone else with experience uses, but when someone new wants to know, they should know the whole truth.

[GaGuideMan]

A vast array of calibers will work as seen from the different posts here. I've personally killed them with a .223 and they drop like sacks of potatoes. The situation is that with especially boar hogs, you may not want to use what works when everything goes right but what works when everything doesn't. See what 336ER had to deal with? Heavier foot pounds of energy and grains of lead sure do make things safer.

[Scott1970]

The pigs can get big in Tennessee. One shot from a .45-70 dropped this one like a sack of potatoes. I'm have no doubts smaller calibers can do just fine, but I'm absolutely positive about the capabilities of my preferred caliber.

[Shorty 45-70]

I like the 45-70, 45-60 (on my wish list) 444 Marlin, 44 mag rifle or revolver. The 30-30 will work too, I just like the big bore stuff better.