Which gun should I use?
 

I'm supposed to go hog hunting later on this month. I'm wondering which gun will work best. My 30-30 or my 7mmRemMag? Or the 8mm Mauser? I want to kill them dead.

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

All of the above. It's a hog, not a rhino! It's all about shot placement. I'd aim just behind the ear.

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

What range do you expect to be shooting them there hogs...??..

At ranges of 150 yards or less, any of the three would work fine..

If you are hunting big fields with long shots, use the 7mm mag..

At normal woods/brush ranges ( where I have hunted hogs) hit them in the heart/lung area and they will be very dead piggies very quickly with any of the three chamberings that you mentioned..

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

Over 100 yds, I'd go with the 7mm Mag. Under a 100 yds, the 30-30 is a good choice.

Either will kill hogs, I think the choice is more about distance and cover.

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

Agree!

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

Shot placement & type of bulletare more important that the size of the bullet. I use my 22-250 with a 53gr TSX Barnes bullet and after a couple doz. hogs have yet to have one go over 20 yards. You want a bullet that gives good penetration and you want to put it in the vitals.

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

yeah right last time you shot a hog you aimed just below the tail!:D There is one member on here that all he has is a 22 Hornet( but he shoots it very well) and kills them dead.Limit the distance and the 30-30 will do great with little recoil!Shoot them with 7mag in head and neck they will go bangflop.

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

All three will work...... In fact depending on where you're hunting they may be overkill. Heck, I've killed them with my bow! As stated, it's always about shot placement. Have fun and shoot the one's under 250 lbs. Those big old hogs taste terrible!

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

thanks for the input. i think since i'll be hunting open fields i'll probably go with the 7mmRemMag.my 3030 doesn't have a scope on it, i've been using it as a brush gun for deer and never got around to putting a scope on it. and the 8mm is awesome, but i guess i'm just killing pigs not people.... so anyway thanks everybody.

RE: Which gun should I use?
 

I know a lot of people say to aim behind the ear, but I do a LOT of hog hunting down here in the swamps of the dirty south. The ONLY time I take a ear shot is early in the year when I can only use a .22 rifle. And then, I very rarely pull the trigger. Actually, I don't shot behind the ear. I aim right for the ear canal. No bones to stop the bullet.

That being said, when open gun season starts that marks the end of my ear shots. I always aim for the area just above where the front leg meets the body. With my 7mm mag or 30-06, it will go in one side, through the heart, and out the other side. It will also take out the animals front legs. This makes it impossible for the hog to run away, and kills the animal quickly with as little suffering as possible.

Even with a 7mm mag, a hog isn't going to leave a blood trail like a deer, so shot placement is key. I can't tell you how many people I talk to tell me about all the pigs they have shot but never found. There is NO excuse for that!! If you shot a hog and couldn't find it then you either need to spend more time at the shooting range, or quit taking pot shots at wild game. In my 23 years of hunting hogs I am yet to loose one. BUT, quite often I will be trying to get a good shot off and end up letting the animal go because I wasn't able to get a shot placement I was comfortable with. Particularly during .22 cal. season.

My advise, a good heart shot with your 7mm mag.

Stan