Need some help with a small caliber hog round (real small)

I am forced to do my hog hunting with a rimfire, most shots will be under 100 yards and I am not trophy hunting so I hope to shoot most of them under 150 pounds, What would you use .17HMR,.17Hornet,.17WSM, 22WSM. Not trying to be a dick but if you don't have any real world experience with a certain round please don't comment about it, I can and have looked up and read many articles about it but I want to hear from the guys in the field shooting flesh and blood not paper and B-Gel.

Again I know this is not the preferred round and I have plenty of center fire rifles for hogs on other land.

Thanks for your input
 
Use the 50 grain .22 mag jacketed hollow point rounds if you can find them. 40 grain should suffice too if they are all you can find. 150 yards is way too far though. I'd keep it under 80 yards and only go for behind the ear shots, unless they are under 40 pounds.
 
You're not going to find anyone with any "real world experience" shooting 150 lb. hogs with those rounds, as they are all inadequate. If you're concerned about nearby houses, etc. I would suggest a shotgun with 00 buck. If the landowner is just being a dick, tell him to keep his hogs and don't waste your time hunting his place.
 
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I've killed plenty of hogs In a trap with a .22LR. But... They were 5 feet away and took the shot behind the ear. If you are forced to only hunt with rimfire I would choose the .22 Mag. Like someone said earlier Make your shots very short and aim behind the ear. There simply isn't much room for error with any rimfire setup. The behind the ear shot is lethal but not always easy to hit, even in a trap at 5 feet.. Good Luck and shoot straight
 
This question is akin to "Which .24 centerfire is best for cape buffalo?" If you're going to hunt hogs with a rimfire, my advice would be to do lots of cardio and pullups, because you're eventually going to need to run and climb trees very fast.
 
The only place to hunt hogs with a rimfire is when they are in a trap and you are outside of it.

Do NOT underestimate the power and destruction of wild hogs!
 
While hunting squirrles I shot and killed three hogs with a .17HMR, but they were all less than 20 yards from me. Shot momma hog in the ear, then shot two little guys in the heads as they tried to figure out how to leave. It worked under that specific condition, but I would never call the HMR a good, or even passable, hog rifle.

Pray tell, why are you restricted to rimfires?
 
I have killed a lot of hogs with a 22 mag. I used to hunt a public hunting area that only allowed rimfire or muzzle loader.

Killed a bunch with the muzzle loader, but when they added the rim fire I started using my 22 mag. I was using CCI maxi mags with the 40 grain FMJ. That was giving good penetration and I always tried for the head.

I even killed a few with the 22lr but the mag is your best bet. The 17 mag would be interesting to try.
 
Originally Posted By: phuntHave you looked into air rifles if they are legal?

Yes they are legal and I am considering it. I really did not want to purchase an other gun that does not contain a small explosion going off it propelling a chunk of lead.
 
Originally Posted By: KizmoYou're not going to find anyone with any "real world experience" shooting 150 lb. hogs with those rounds, as they are all inadequate. If you're concerned about nearby houses, etc. I would suggest a shotgun with 00 buck. If the landowner is just being a dick, tell him to keep his hogs and don't waste your time hunting his place.

I would love to use a shotgun but slugs and buckshot are not legal. This is on a public wildlife management area with some pretty stupid rules. I am limited to rimfire, bow, small game loads out of a shotgun and muzzleloader.
 
Definitely .22 mag. It hits the hardest of all the common rimfires. Do not use hollow points. You want penetration more than expansion. Stick with brain shots only unless you are shooting very small hogs. Aim for behind the ear and keep shots under whatever distance you can consistently hit a quarter sized target. That's about what you are working with behind the ear. Stay away from frontal brain shots unless shooting downward. Be prepared to approach the animal quickly and put a finishing shot into the brain at close or point blank range. I have seen them get up and leave after only being stunned from a brain shot with a .22 and .22 mag. Both from very close ranges and both times with hollow points.
 
Muzzleloader?! Now you're talking. Decent muzzleloaders can be had for very reasonable prices. I've shot quite a few pigs with my .50 cal Encore.
 
Get yourself a low end CVA 50 cal muzzleloader with a scope, primers, powder and bullets you could probably keep it under 250. It will flatten hogs. Plus muzzeloaders are a ton of fun.
 
The PCP air rifles they had at the SHOT show this year were legitimate bigger game guns.

If you are serious about that location and if it would provide many targets that might be your best option. It certainly would not be the only application for your new gun.

Sendit
 
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