Caliber question

I have never shot a hog, ( where I deer hunted the past 10 years had no hogs). I am on a new lease now and have been told there are plenty of hogs. Can I take a hog with a 6.5 Creedmoor caliber rifle, or is 30 caliber plus preferred.

I won't claim to be an expert but I have killed a few hogs. I will answer, hopefully others will chime in too. The hogs I've killed were with a .30/06 and a .50 caliber muzzleloader. But if I'd had a 6.5 Creedmoor in my hands I would have taken the shots without hesitation (as long as I was not shooting a varmint bullet). I believe the majority of experienced hunters would tell you that any caliber (and bullet choice within that caliber) that is suitable for deer is suitable for hog. Choose a suitable bullet, i.e. don't use a match/target bullet, varmint bullet, or full metal jacket... use a hunting bullet built for terminal performance in big game and you will be fine. A "heavy for caliber" hunting bullet will be more likely to hold together and give you good penetration, in 6.5 looks like this would be 120-140 grain. Good luck.

I would wager that the majority of hogs that are killed died from a .22 caliber bullet....

Killed two in the last week with an AR in 223. If you got hogs that 6.5 won't kill I'd sure like to see some pictures!!

MYRX said:

I have never shot a hog, ( where I deer hunted the past 10 years had no hogs). I am on a new lease now and have been told there are plenty of hogs. Can I take a hog with a 6.5 Creedmoor caliber rifle, or is 30 caliber plus preferred.

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Agree that most any good deer rifle should work fine for most any hog. Caveat being that unlike deer, hogs vary greatly in size and toughness. If looking to shoot meat hogs of 20-125 or so pounds most anything and bullet placed correctly will get you some loin & chops for the grill.

Should you happen into a big boar of 250-350 pounds, it's a very different animal. The big boars of that weight and larger typically have a pretty tough shield that I've seen be all of 2+" thick just under the hide in the neck & shoulder areas. Sows of this size (or bigger) will not have any shield nor will a barred hog (from my experiences).

How tough is the shield on a big boar? I've seen the shield on a very large boar stop a quality 270gr bullet (Gold Dot) out of a .44 mag Carbine in the onside shield at 45 yards. The wound(?) never even bled, not a single drop. I've seen a 225gr SP out of a .35 Whelen (2700+ FPS) fail to exit a large boar on a 50 yard shot. Killed him graveyard dead, but it was a 100 yards tracking job in thick woods in the pitch dark to find him.

Also seen a large boar have a premium 200gr bullet from a .325WSM fail to exit when shot through both shoulders at 75 yards (bullet pictured below). So, I'm simply saying that killing hogs can vary in how difficult it might be, especially if a head shot (ear as well) is not practical. If you do head shoot a big hog, it will also ruin the skull, if you wanted a Euro mount, BTW.

Good Luck and hope you get you some good BBQ!

Skull from a large Georgia boar as compared to a 200+ pound Tennessee buck's skull.

Friend of mine was hunting South Texas on a hog hunt a couple of months ago, carrying a scoped 308 semi (sporterized M-1) and a .44 mag revolver. He fired 4 "big game" rifle rounds at an approaching boar at between 200 and 75 yards, before pulling the .44 and firing 5 hollow points at it. He finally put it down at 10 feet with his 6th hollow point .44 planted in the boar's forehead. According to my friend, only the last shot penetrated, and he thought he had somehow missed with all nine prior shots. He admitted to being too scared to even try to get out of the way, when he just stood his ground and kept shooting.

Turned out, he hit EVERY time but the 308 shots hit neck and shoulders, penetrated into muscle, but never bled, three of the .44 hollow point rounds bounced off the big hog's head (leaving long scrapes in the hide) and two were buried in the back of his neck. Big hogs can absorb a lot of punishment, and will keep moving long after fatal shots. The only "fast" stop is a head shot from a direction that will penetrate the surprisingly thick skull!

If you hunt with 6.5 try for heart/lung profile shots. They WILL go down with a good shot, because the 6.5 Creedmore is heavy enough and has enough kinetic energy to go deep. If a big tusker (rare in Georgia) charges you - go for penetrating head shots, not shoulders!

Go for right behind ear and you will not have any worries.
Damage proof is in the photo.

I like to shoot hogs a little differently than deer. On a broadside hog I shoot alittle high and forward as opposed to behind the shoulder on a deer. Double lung/spine and they never take another step. That creedmore will work just fine.

Thanks for the input

I shot a huge boar in a trap with a 9mm. dropped like a rock.
All about shot placement.

you can kill a 400# boar with a .22 mag if you place your shot

on a broadside hog, I am aiming for the ear, right where it meets the head or just under. plug that ear canal, and he won't go anywhere.

5.56 (with right bullet), 6.5 (Creed or Grendel), 6.8 SPC.... all good hog calibers.

Ohoopee Tusker said:

I like to shoot hogs a little differently than deer. On a broadside hog I shoot alittle high and forward as opposed to behind the shoulder on a deer. Double lung/spine and they never take another step. That creedmore will work just fine.

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This. The vitals on a hog are mostly under the shoulder, more forward than a deer. A broadside shot behind the shoulder may only hit guts.

saltysenior said:

I would wager that the majority of hogs that are killed died from a .22 caliber bullet....

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And rim-fire at that.

I heard someone ask a similar question the other day about .243 in a gas station and an old man gave the most succinct and applicable response I think I've ever heard to a question like this. He said, "Man I tell ya, if you can't kill him with one shot from that rifle, he ain't gonna be no good to eat anyhow so go on and shoot him full of holes and leave him for the buzzards. They don't mind bloodshot meat a bit." I bout died laughing.

I shoot hogs with what every I have in my hands. I carry a 22 mag a lot in the off season. Got good range. Varmits are the target.
Your 6.5 is more than enough rifle. Even thru the plate.
Hogs have big heads. Most of us go for that on a still hog. Neck meet head area.