RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

I'd go for the 7mm Rem Mag. I have an A-Bolt Stalker in 7mm and the recoil is nill in that gun. My brothers 115lb gf shoots the gun and it doesn't bother her one bit.

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

.280 remington. very under-rated, and still fairly user friendly.

you guys surprise me for the pigs, though. quite a few posts i've seen have mentioned some big calibres for pig hunting. whereasi'd have thought one of the quicker quarter bores would be sufficient. here in oz, even .243's are enough to take most of our boars. a roberts or 25-06 would certainly do the job. you guys must have some armour plated bacon over there.

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

Hello schoolcraft. You mentioned large hogs......large hogs to me are the 400 pound variety. That being the case, I would recommend the '06. The '06 gives the ability to shoot the 200-220 grain bullet that is real good medicine for large hogs .....then you can download with the 150/165's for deer and have the best of both worlds. Good luck and regards, Rick.

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

Scoolcraft, you will not find a hog that needs more killing than a 243 win or 260 rem has to offer. As a tough animal they are overrated. Just stay with a well constructed bullet and don't get sloppy with your shot placement. As for the short magnums I don't like the idea, the preformance is great but the short fat case isn't as friendly or reliable to chamber. No hog or deer will be able to tell the difference.

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

Exactly. Go to the Hog Hunting forum and take a look at the little piggies that Guess is killing with his .243. Maybe if you're talking about the 400-500 pounders, you might want something bigger, but for anything less, you just need to make a good shot with a good bullet.

Unless you're planning on some 300 yard+ shots, I really don't see that the increased cost of the rifle, the ammo and the additional recoil of a 7 Mag are worth it...

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

When I say "large hogs", I killed one bowhunting that tipped the scales at 563lbs. and one was trapped on our lease that weighed 602lbs.......so yeah, LARGE HOGS.
Does that change any opinions on caliber choice?

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

Just go with the 30-06 and you will have a wide range of fodder choices to handle everything from ground hogs to your 600+ Lb hogs. Agazillion choices ofbullet weights & types if you reload andvery wide variety of factory ammo that is available almost anywhere if you don't.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

I had a 7 mag as my first gun. It was a Browning SS also. I got rid of it a year later and bought a 280. The 7 mag is just too much gun for deer and not necessary for hogs. If your choices are 270 or 06 buy the 06. It will do everything you need and more. If your want more power buy the light mag loads from Hornady.

I don't know where you live but if it isn't out west where you will be hunting muleys, elk, or moose I wouldn't bother with the 7mag. That having been said if you do buy one go with the 140 grain Ballistic tips. Every Browning I have and I have a few was a tack driver with lighter grain Ballistics.

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

schoolcraft, first buy the caliber you want, otherwise you will never be happy. I do believe the two calibers I mentioned eariler will do on a 600 lb hog, provided good bullets and correct shot placement are used. But just so you'll know , I'd use my 45-70 because I love to hunt with it.

RE: Caliber decision....HELP!!!
 

Let me qualify my earlier statements while I have the chance. The 7 mag will do the same job as any of the other calibers mentioned and does not need to be limited to larger size game only. In my experience it just does the job on mid to larger size game better at longer ranges. If your are shooting over large fields then by all means go ahead and get the 7mag and be happy.

If not get the 06 or 270 and still do the job on the larger fields but carry a slightly lighter gun around in the woods.