What bullet for hogs?

[Vector32]

I am going on my first hog hunt this year. I am sure I am overthinking this, but what bullet are you guys using? I have a gas 6ARC and a bolt 6.5PRC. I will probably take one or both of these.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Literally what ever is handy. Shoot them in the face.

 

[ethanbillingsley]

Plant it in the ear and it won’t matter. I hunt pigs year round and have killed them with .22lr to .300 win mag just for fun. They all work.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Leave the bolt gun at home...around here you put as much lead down range as possible. Pick up the eaters leave the rest for the buzzards. You can't eat em all.

 

[Rich M]

Hogs are nowhere near as tough as people make them out to be.

Poke em in the lungs and they are dead inside 50 yards. Head shot kills em right there.

 

[Geedubya]

Best not to use a "vamint bullet".

Something along the lineo of an Accubond, Partition, Interlock, ELD-x, TSX, Core-Lokt etc would be preferable.

Shot Placement trumps when it comes to pigs. My favorite shot is this.......
Think of drawing an imaginary line between the ear and shoulder. Try to place your bullet about 2" below the ear along that line. That shot severs the spine, they drop and paddle. No tracking.


270 Winchester, 130 Gr. Nosler Accubond.

I prefer a larger heavier bullet when shooting hogs in case I make a bad hit, so I will have two leaky holes shedding blood in case I decide to track.

However, with proper shot placement 6mm or 6.5 mm will work just fine.


240 Weatherby, 80 gr. Nosler Partition.

ya,

GWB

 

[sierracharlie338]

Best not to use a "vamint bullet".

Respectfully, I would wager that more pigs have been killed with “varmint bullets” than all of the others you mentioned. To imply you need a 6mm or bigger to kill pigs is silly.

But that’s the beauty of this country. Do what makes you happy.

 

[BamaSE]

I recommend the 6mm arc. If you get turned onto a sounder you will need the semi-auto for follow up shots on the runners. I am vested in 6.8mm spc. And it has been a pig slayer for many years on both day and night rigs. But if I was starting today I’d go with 6mm arc. More killing power at further distance and it appears to be a round that is gaining popularity that will be here for the long term. I am putting together one now I plan on dayscoping with a NF NX6. Once the F2s release.

 

[IW17]

The cheapest bullet you got for what you shoot. Just hit the head, neck or break bone in the shoulder.

 

[Superx3]

Literally any 6mm or 6.5 bullet will work. My favorite pig gun when I used to hunt them quite a bit was 22-250 with 55 gr v max. Hard for anything to live when vitals are jello

 

[TxLite]

Recently I used an 11.85” 556 sbr and 55gr vmax. I was coyote hunting but the opportunity presented itself at about 75 yards. The first hog dumped on the spot but required a follow up shot when I got up to it. I hit several on the run and could hear them getting thumped as they ran away. Later I confirmed while watching thermal video. After they stopped I was able to drop a second around 250 yards. The others that were hit were not recovered.

Then last weekend a buddy and I smoked 2 with 7mm-08’s while coyote hunting. I was shooting 150tgk’s (hit in the neck behind the head, exited shoulder) and he was shooting 120sst reduced recoil loads (same shot placement, bullet was visible against far side hide). Both dropped with proper shot placement.

All that to say, I’d avoid vmax or similar for that use, but likely whatever you’re using in your rifle will work just fine with the right placement.

 

[willfrye027]

Either of those should work well.

Are you doing a population control type hunt and blasting away? Or hunting spot and stalk for a trophy boar?

Whatever bullet you would use for deer is fine. A big boar will have a pretty thick shield and if you single lung or hit one far back, they can be very hearty animals and go a long ways. Make a good shot with a good bullet and they are no tougher than a deer or elk.

Lots of different styles of pig hunting…where I hunt it’s open country spot and stalk with lots of 300 yard + opportunities so I am mostly using the same gear I hunt any western big game with.

Big sounders in a field at night…maybe an AR

 

[kcm2]

Yes, you can head shoot them with most anything. However, pigs move a lot. A bullet that holds up and penetrates will do much better if you're trying a lung shot, penetrating a shield or shooting at a good boar quartering away. I always want a bullet that will penetrate and preferably leave an exit hole.

 

[flytrue]

Yesterday evening, 20 yards, .22 mag. Dropped in her tracks. around 200 lbs.

 

[surfr716]

Shot this one last month with a my 25 prc and a 133 berger in large open country. Pig showed no reaction to the shot but only made it about 10 feet. Entry on the shoulder, exit behind the offside shoulder, the exit hole was large enough i could put my hand through it into the rib cage. I opened the diaphragm to find nothing but chunky blood, and what was left of the heart. I dont know what youre chasing, as theres a large difference between a 100 lb boar and a 300 lb one, but i can tell you a pig can suck up some lead, and when they get fat like this they dont bleed worth a damn. Shoot something you have confidence in and hit them solid enough you dont need to chase them.

 

[Geedubya]

What bullet for pigs.

I became a Great Grandpa recently so perhaps that officially makes me a "Fudd".

Be 3/4 of a century old this year.

I've been killing hogs since I was 11 years old. These days, perforating porkers thermal, suppressed is my passion/obsession.

A bud and I quit counting last year at 700+ that he and I had dispatched on our hill country lease alone since july of 2019 when we started a tally.

I got my Sig Cross chambered for the 308 Win. in 2023 and now have over 200 thermal kills with it alone since then using the 150 gr. Norma Soft Point Factory fodder. Lately I’ve been shooting an AR chambered for the 300 HAM’R, using the 130 Gr. Speer Hot Cor bullets.

I say that as a preface to the following.

My bad. I should have been more specific in my opening statement.

I should have said that………IMHO, a small caliber varmint style bullet is not my preference overall when it comes to perforating porkers.

I/ve done it on numerous occasions and will continue…….

Charles Daly Little Sharps, 218 Bee. 46 Gr. Win. Hollow point.

Merkel k1, 223 Rem. 55 Gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip

Armalite AR-15, 223 Wylde, 62 Gr. Speer Gold Dot

Armalite AR-15, 223 Wylde, 62 Gr. Speer Gold Dot

I in no way meant to imply that a 6 mm or 6.5 mm bullet is not sufficient to kill pigs.



As stated in my OP, "I prefer a larger heavier bullet when shooting hogs in case I make a bad hit, so I will have two leaky holes shedding blood in case I decide to track."

I say so based on my experience over time.

The OP mentioned a 6.5 PRC.

I have dispatched quite a few with the 143 Gr. ELD-X using my Browning Max Long Range chambered for the 6.5 PRC cartridge......

I also like the 26 Nosler, 142 Gr. LR Accubond

the 6.5 Leopard (6.5-300 WSM), 140 Gr. Sierra Spitzer

The 6.5-284, 130 Gr. Nosler Accubond

The 260 Remington, 130 Gr. Nosler Accubonds



6.5 x 55 SE, 156 Gr. Norma Oryx

But these days, my most used is the 308 Win. a plain ol' 150 gr. Norma Soft point.

Applied judiciously, it will leave a blood trail a blind man can wade in should the porker not be DRT.

ya,

GWB

 

[Superx3]

Recently I used an 11.85” 556 sbr and 55gr vmax. I was coyote hunting but the opportunity presented itself at about 75 yards. The first hog dumped on the spot but required a follow up shot when I got up to it. I hit several on the run and could hear them getting thumped as they ran away. Later I confirmed while watching thermal video. After they stopped I was able to drop a second around 250 yards. The others that were hit were not recovered.

Then last weekend a buddy and I smoked 2 with 7mm-08’s while coyote hunting. I was shooting 150tgk’s (hit in the neck behind the head, exited shoulder) and he was shooting 120sst reduced recoil loads (same shot placement, bullet was visible against far side hide). Both dropped with proper shot placement.

All that to say, I’d avoid vmax or similar for that use, but likely whatever you’re using in your rifle will work just fine with the right placement.View attachment 1063398

Im guessing 3700fps vs 2700fps might be the difference in our mileage