Hogs

[Rich Jordan]

A future possibility has just opened up. Given Texas feral hogs hunted at a ranch that lets hunters come in 3-4 times a year to thin the hordes. What rifle and sidearm (for backup and coup de grace)

I'd have either 10mm pistol or .45ACP pistol or revolver for backup.

Other boards are all over the place on suitable calibers for long and handgun depending on if they're concerned about punching through the front 'mantle' of the hog.

My options excluding an M1 Garand because at this point I need optics

Henry .45-70
7.62x51 AR
6.5CM AR
6.5 Grendel AR carbine
.300BLK AR carbine

All suitably equipped with optics and appropriate ammo, factory or home grown depending on caliber.

All calibers have been ID'd as suitable by other folks but I've hung out here longer so looking for your opinions.

Thanks

[Weetabix]

I'm leaving Thursday evening to go shoot hogs in Texas. I'm taking an AR10.

Haven't decided on the sidearm yet - CZ75D PCR (night sights) or maybe a 686.

ETA: I have no experience shooting hogs. I just figure a .308 ought to do. I'll be interested to hear what others say.

[HTRN]

Are we talking hunting or vermin management?

Because if it's the latter, some kind of suppressed, subsonic autoloader with wizard eyes is the way to go.

[Vonz90]

A future possibility has just opened up. Given Texas feral hogs hunted at a ranch that lets hunters come in 3-4 times a year to thin the hordes. What rifle and sidearm (for backup and coup de grace)

I'd have either 10mm pistol or .45ACP pistol or revolver for backup.

Other boards are all over the place on suitable calibers for long and handgun depending on if they're concerned about punching through the front 'mantle' of the hog.

My options excluding an M1 Garand because at this point I need optics

Henry .45-70
7.62x51 AR
6.5CM AR
6.5 Grendel AR carbine
.300BLK AR carbine

All suitably equipped with optics and appropriate ammo, factory or home grown depending on caliber.

All calibers have been ID'd as suitable by other folks but I've hung out here longer so looking for your opinions.

Thanks

I have only shot a couple of hogs, both with 8x57 IS. I would think any of the ones you mention would work, but I would probably pick the 7.62x51 all else being equal.

[Langenator]

I used to know a guy, his family owned a bunch of land (title acquired back when Texas was a country).

He used a suppressed 6.8 SPC with IR night vision scope for hog control. May have had an IR spotlight, not sure.

[Weetabix]

Our trip got called for weather. We decided we didn't want to spend the weekend in a ditch in Oklahoma. I am sad.

[Rich Jordan]

I'm told by those going now that they do night hunts for folks with NVDs or thermals. They _may_ lend one or two devices but I have no details. I don't have any such devices, just various normal scopes on all of the above rifles.

It is vermin management but the person who went once before said that you can generally harvest the tenderloin and the rear leg meat (the ranch provides storage and processing into primals for a fee, full cutdown for a little more money) if you want, just bring a large enough ice chest to carry it back.

I have GEco 170gr soft points for the .308, and some deer cartridges for the 6.5cm; cowboy loads for the .45-70. the others I would have to locate or handload appropriate ammo for. I probably have the components to do that for any of them.

[HTRN]

That's not what I meant

Hunting is pursuit of game to be taken quickly and cleanly, under sporting circumstances.

Vermin control is about killing as many as possible.

You have a 300 blackout? Do you have a suppressor? Shoot heavyweight subs through a can, ideally from at least a hundred yards, to not spook them.

A PVS-14 thin film is $2600 at TNVC right now:

https://tnvc.com/shop/ngi-pvs-14-xls-ge ... -usa-tube/

Add in a Larue Cowitness mount:

https://www.larue.com/products/larue-ta ... -14-lt114/

[Combat Controller]

For a night hunt with thermals last year I used a 6.5 grendel and Doc Russia used a 6.8 creedmore. I historically have settled on a .44 mag lever gun and a .44 mag model 29. Goes through the brush easy. I just built a couple of .458 SOCOMS I intend to use. Since I am now in FL and have not hunted piggys here I am not sure if it is an improvement but I can't imagine it's too terribly different than Texas other than the wet. I also will be bringing them to TX for some pig hunting there soon. Side arm if not .44 is always a 10mm Delta Elite.

[Rich Jordan]

HTRN,
Not interested in shooting critters without the effort to make it a "humane" clean kill even if the purpose is deverminating; vermin or game animal. That doesn't include 'sporting' requirement for vermin. Driving, trapping, etc, ok for vermin. But not going to willingly punch holes in any vermin that leaves it to die hours or days later; that to me would be a major failure.

In this case my understanding is they are treating the hogs as vermin but they don't want a lot of carcasses left out to rot either. Just making some money accommodating some hunters and providing lodging, guides, and the processing services.

My .300BLK is a carbine. No suppressor because I'm still in ill annoy, but I've got some subs and the parts to make more as well as a good selection of heavier supersonic bullets that would work. I assume unsuppressed subs would be a little less alarming to a group of hogs but no idea if enough to make a difference.

I would love to have NVG or thermal device. Its going to have to be a cry once and just buy the damn thing, similar to finally getting a quality spotting scope.

CC, I keep looking at buying the parts to make a .458 Socom but then I keep looking at the price of brass or ammo and chickening out. I do not need yet another new caliber after the recent fortuitous (raffle) acquisition of the .45-70 Henry and the following purchases of ammo and reloading tools and components.