Deer and Hogs -- a rifle for both??
 

New guy here --- limited $$$, so looking to get a rifle for both whitetail and hogs..

Q: what caliber? .270 30-06 .308 ??


Would appreciate any / all suggestions.

Thank you and have a blessed Thanksgiving.

I've killed pigs and deer with all three that you mentioned......any one of witch is a good choice for an "all purpose" gun since your limited funds only allow one. All three are popular, easy to find calibers with an abundance of choices in each.

Good Luck with your new purchase

I had the same question a while ago. Settled in on a Browning X Bolt in .30-06.

all 3 are good choices. ammo readily availible. ammo about the same price on all 3.recoil slightly less on the .308 but so slight you properly wouldn't even notice.

All 3 are great choices I'd go 30-06 so if someday something larger is on your hitlist you'll already have enough gun for anything in north America.

When in doubt, think of what O'Connor would do. Get the .270.

I would say the 30-06 or the 308 alot of ammo to choice from and some surplus out there,

There are a lot of ole' .30-06's setting around collecting dust.

Buy a used one, clean it up and head to the range to insure your zero and get to know "one another".

You'll never need to look back, especially since your on a budget !!!

What ranges will you be hunting from? Will you be hunting from the ground or in a stand for hogs? Would you prefer following a wounded hog through thick brush with a bolt action and scope on top or would you prefer a lever action or semi auto with open/ iron sights? These are also questions to ask yourself.

In my opinion, if I was hunting in the woods, where there might be thick brush around, I wouldn't want a bolt action with a scope. First of all, I wouldn't need it because in most situations like that you are seldom offered a shot in hardwoods over 100 yards. It happens but seldom. Second, I would not like being on the blood trail of a wounded hog that just lead me though some thick brush. First of all, most bolt guns have longer barrels than lever carbines or some semi auto carbines causing them to be harder to swing or raise up for a shot in thick brush. Second, if you had to get a second shot off in the brush, would it be faster to get it off with a bolt action or a lever or semi auto? Now im not saying it cant be done, I know guys that are VERY fast with their bolt guns. The question is, How fast/ comfortable would you be in that situation. Perhaps you might be more comfortable with a lever or even semi auto? It is up to your comfort zone and also has alot to do with how and where you would be hunting. If you are hunting in hardwoods where shots are seldom over 200 yards, a 30-30 will kill both hog and deer up to those ranges. If you are hunting in open feilds, then by all means a bolt action in the rifles you mentioned would be more than adequite for the job. Just remember Remington and Browning make semi autos in the calibers you mentioned. If you would be hunting both hardwoods and feilds/ brush ect.... one of these might be better for you as they can be purchased in a carbine and have iron sights, they will offer greater range than a 30-30 or something similar ( provided the shooter is capable of those ranges with open sights) So in the case you were tracking a hog and you were lead into a brushy area, you could draw up fast, have full veiw with open sights and not have to worry about the possiblity of cycling another round in a bolt action if the need for a second shot was neccesary.

I know this is a long drawn out post, but these are things also to consider. its not always the question of whether a certain rifle round can kill a deer and a hog, it has alot to do with what the hunter is more comfortable with in his hunting situation.

I'm just saying that in my opinion, I would feel more comfortable tracking a wounded hog through brush with my Remington 7400 carbine chambered in .308 with iron sights than with my Remington model 700 chambered in .308 with a scope and a 26 inch barrel. These are both rifles chambered with the same cartridge, but one might be better suited in one situation than the other.