" WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Would like to know,which caliber rifle to use in hunting hogs in calif.Thank you

RE: boar hunting
 

The caliber argument on here is ongoing. There is a daily question about which caliber is best for deer, elk, moose, hogs, you name it. But that' s what the forum is for I suppose! The answer most common on here is any reasonable caliber that you can shoot well. Shot placement is more important than caliber etc... I personally use a 45/70 for most of my hunting needs, sometimes something a little longer range, sometimes a .45 colt or a .44 mag. I would venture to say that if you are going after large hogs, anything in .270 or larger with a controlled expansion bullet would suffice. For smaller hogs, in this month' s issue of Guns and Ammo, Craig Boddinton took his daughter on a hunt in CA and used a .260 with great success, and chose the 7mm-08 as the gun that she would use in the future. Good luck with the hunt, and welcome to the forum!

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

There' s a lot of folks like their " big bores" in medium power for the close range shooting. I like my 12 ga slug gun!!

If you anticipate 100+ yard shooting, a .270 and bigger is in order. A .30-06 is always in order...it just always seems applicable.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

358win
35whelen

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

As a hog hunter in the WV, I go with my slug gun. I used to take my 270Win, but decided penetration for that breast plate is what I need.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

I' ve hunted hogs in Cali more than a few times, and I would say that you better be prepared for some rather long shots. It is not uncommon to have opportunities presented out to 250 yards or so, and I would recommend the .308 class of cartridges (.260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem and .308 Win), and the .30-06 class (.270 Win, .280 Rem, .30-06 and .338-06) as the best all-around choices. I hunted mostly with a .270 Wby Magnum and it did a fine job, so don' t exclude things like the 7mm Rem Mag.

Remember to use the heavier bullet weights for whatever you choose, and make sure they are of the controlled-expansion type. A .270 Win shooting 140-150gr bullets is a very good benchmark and you can base your decision off of that.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Sounds like a place to use a good 338 win with 250 grain partitions

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

I use 308 and to this time I´m not a disappointed...

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Thanks for all the replys,I' ve been talking with my brother and he suggested a 300 rem. ultra mag yes- no ? thanks

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Well, the 300RUM would work. Only reason I don' t take it in WV is the 26" barrel. I know the CA hunting is different however. In WV, basically they are on a steep mountain with alot of briars with no shot over 30 yards. Not a place for a long barrels. I wouldn' t mind to try my hand at that long range hog hunting however

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

what the heck kind of boar. u hunting that would need a 300RUM??? stick with something differant . i have seen tons apon tons of these 300 and 7mm RUM' s that are 95-99% that have been shot less than 20 times. most where traded in due to too much kick and the cause of flinching.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

So Quilly, do you think that Slug gun kicks any less? I have seen large boar laugh at being his in chest with a 270Win. They got a chest plate like armor. Not like those whitetail you hunt. And one mean one gets close enough, he can do some damage to ya. I mean idealy, you want a broadsided boiler room shot. But it doesn' t always present itself. These RUM aren' t for everyone I agree. But don' t everyone get tired or seeing people trying to sway people away from rounds because they kick hard. I mean this is a gun forum.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

A .300 RUM is more than enough gun for hogs in California. They are not easy to shoot well, either (they kick REAL hard).

One of the best boar hunters I know uses a .25-06 with 120gr Nosler Partition bullets exclusively. If you want to be abused by your rifle, by all means get the Ultra Mag. You certainly don' t need it, however.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Thanks for your replys,From what I' ve read today is that 300mag will kick me a little.So I' ll look at 270,308,and a 25.06.Haven' t hunted sense I left FL.years ago and my knowledge of guns are slim.Thanks for all the help

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

30-06 with 190 Grain Hordady spire point or 200 Grain Partition. Anything from bore to Bear.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

big country..

never hunted boars . but do you really need a 300RUM to hunt boars? i would think for someone who has just stated that he has not hunted since FL. might get tunred off real quick to a kick like that and get frustrated with flinching and loss of an animal. that is al i am stating.

if you can find a 35whelen i would say go with that with 225gr. TBBC' s

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Nope, but you don' t even need a high powered rifle to hunt boar or deer. You do it cause its convenient for ya. Anything over 100gr going over 2500fps is overkill. Any extra effects is gravy

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Like I said before a good point to start with a long range hog killer would be a 338 win mag at the low level. You can then work up to a good 378 Weatherby or 375 Rum for the stubborn tuskers... Heck they come equipped with Kevlar shoulder blades on the California edition.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

30-06 has worked for me in the past, 165 gr partitions are my bullet of choice for boar, my buddy shoots 180 - 200 gr bullets out of his 300 winmag.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Wow, sure a lot of high power advocates here.

I think any good 30-30, 170 grain bullets, with open sights would do the trick. Easy to shoot, easy to get a follow-up shot with, and open sights is the ticket if a large boar decides to hunt you.

RE: " WHICH RIFLE" boar hunting
 

Thanks folks for all the great input.Talk with the guide and we came up with 270.Now it' s between a ruger or browning.My thanks to all who reply.BIN