I was recently asked what to buy if you wanted a rifle designed to hunt deer and hogs in thick brush,
here in florida by a neighbor who is getting rather pissed at the damage hogs do to his 50 acres
(yes he lives out in the middle of a rural area bordering a WMA)
hes called the local FISH & GAME dept about the damage,
and he wanted a rifle he could use once deer season opens,
I told him,
(youll rarely need to take shots over 100 yards in most areas on deer or hogs)
Hogs in florida are hunted on private property all year,
as they are considered vermin,
as they destroy millions of dollars in farm crops and do lots of property damage every year
pictures are NOT his property but hes seeing similar damage
well that answer depends mostly on your budget and personal preferences,
if you have to have a kick butt and take names carbine I doubt you can improve on a BLR.
I've found these two lever actions both dependable and accurate
THE BROWNING BLR in either 358 win or 450 marlin caliber chamberings
I received a brief e-mail asking why I seem to be promoting the 450 marlin and 358 win cartridges in the BLR
I'm not promoting any caliber or action type,
simply pointing out what I see rather frequently, being used.
they easily shoot tight groups and can be used on anything,
even ELK out a 250 plus yards in skilled hands.
(certainly the most versatile choice,
but it could easily cost near $1000
with a scope and mounts extra)
the marlin 1894 in 44 mag is about the most common and well liked carbine around here and loaded with a lee 310 grain cat bullet over 21 grains of H110 powder its certainly very effective out to about 140 yards...
most hogs are shot at less than 60 yards, and I can count the deer I shot in florida at over 150 yards,
with several fingers left over on one hand,
cost generally runs close to $500-$600 currently on the 44 mag carbines
these Norinco sporters are an excellent choice in my opinion,
but are hard to find,
and generally cost about $475-$550
certainly, a 16"-20" barrel AR15 has become very popular in this area
keep in mind your limited to use of a 5 shot magazine in florida (while hunting)
prices vary with options but $650-$800 should get you a decent example
I would suggest a heavy varmint barrel in a 16" version
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