# best .22 lr load to kill hogs?



## superman1275

I know many will throw up a red flag when I mention hogs and .22 lr but its for public land during small game season. I dont own a .22 mag so what round is best for .22 lr to kill a hog?


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## tgw925

I would focus on the shot placement more than the bullet you're shooting. Now days you have to scoop up what's available anyways. Put it right behind the ear and let her eat.


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## NCHillbilly

40-grain solids. Stay away from hollowpoints.


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## 95g atl

a good head shot


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## bfriendly

NCHillbilly said:


> 40-grain solids. Stay away from hollowpoints.



You always say that Hillbilly


CCI Stingers.......no doubt! Go Get you one!!


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## superman1275

Aren't stingers hollow points?


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## superman1275

Why solid over hollow point nchillbilly?


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## dtala

any 22lr in the ear hole will kill any hog alive....


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## kmckinnie

superman1275 said:


> Why solid over hollow point nchillbilly?



Solids penetrate the hog skin and mushroom. Hollows slow down when it opens on skin contact, so the penetration is compromised
Solids penetrate deeper on body vital shots, both will kill. Solids is the better choise.


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## Wild Turkey

I shot one in a trap with a 40 twice in the ear. The hog went crazy and didnt ho down. Not sure a 22 would do it.
Seen buckshot bounce off a hogs skull at close range.


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## superman1275

What's a good solid round?


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## Hunting 4 Him

Wild Turkey said:


> I shot one in a trap with a 40 twice in the ear. The hog went crazy and didnt ho down. Not sure a 22 would do it.
> Seen buckshot bounce off a hogs skull at close range.



A 22 will do it if it is placed right.  I shot a trapped hog back in feb. in a cage, facing me hit it just above the eyes and between the ears.  Dropped like a bag of hammers. I have also bounced or flattened solid 22 bullets in the hard parts of their head.  Like someone already mentioned that soft part right behind the ear will take them down too.


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## NCHillbilly

bfriendly said:


> You always say that Hillbilly
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CCI Stingers.......no doubt! Go Get you one!!



Not just me says it. Killed a lot of hogs and cows and sheep and things up to 1500 lb. steers with a .22. The hollowpoints just don't penetrate on tough bone and tissue on large animals like a solid lead bullet, trust me. Love me some stingers, my favorite all-around .22 round, but they're too fragment-y to shoot a big animal with, IMO. They fly apart on impact, which is not a problem with a squirrel, but is a problem with a 200 lb. hog.



superman1275 said:


> Why solid over hollow point nchillbilly?



What DTala said. penetration, penetration, penetration. The same reason people who hunt big, dangerous game in Africa with big calibers use solids instead of hollowpoints.


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## Apex Predator

If you have to shoot them head on make sure their head is down so your bullet strikes perpendicular to the skull.  If it hits at an angle there is a good chance of no penetration.


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## Okie Hog

Killed a lot of hogs with the .22 long rifle in traps and otherwise.    Always used solid point high velocity ammo.

Try not to shoot a hog that is looking at you unless its head is down.   i've had bullets ricochet off their heads numerous times.   Finally stopped shooting at hogs head on.

Wait until the hog turns sideways and put the bullet in the ear.  Sometimes they flop around a lot after being shot in the ear, just keep shooting until the flopping stops.  

Good luck with your hog killing.


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## superman1275

Aren't stingers hollow point? What's the best solid round out there?


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## Gl4di4torRr

superman1275 said:


> Aren't stingers hollow point? What's the best solid round out there?


Old thread. But I am doing research on this. Looks like the CCI Mini Mag copper plated round nose may be the best?


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## Nicodemus

22 long rifle solid. Either in the ear, the eye, or between the eyes if you can get the angle right. 

Stinger is the worst possible bullet you can use on a hog.


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## Gl4di4torRr

Nicodemus said:


> 22 long rifle solid. Either in the ear, the eye, or between the eyes if you can get the angle right.
> 
> Stinger is the worst possible bullet you can use on a hog.


Yeah, I was watching a ballistics video and I think CCI mini mag might be the best. 

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/target_mini-mag/6-30.html


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## Robust Redhorse

CCI Velocitor will penetrate best.


CCI Stingers will do more damage on lung shots (if they will chamber in your rifle - they won't chamber in one of mine).

I'd opt for penetration and get the Velocitors, if I could find them.


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## jrickman

I shoot mini mags at everything. I have about 4000 rounds on hand. It is pretty much all I buy.


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## sleepr71

I like the Remington Viper. Flat nosed solid,at 1500fps. Hit them between the eye & ear,broadside, and it’s lights out. Every time.


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## BassHunter25

After shooting lot of hogs in a trap. Solid point not hollow pt. And right between the eyes sits them straight down. I have yet to drop one in the ear. But I’ve only tried it a handful of times since in the trap I can wait for the between the eyes shot.


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## Mark R

I dont like the thoughts of a wounded animal . Shot placement  with a .22 has about got to be perfect . Any doubt dont even send it . There has been a couple I wish i had passed on


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## chrislibby88

Apex Predator said:


> If you have to shoot them head on make sure their head is down so your bullet strikes perpendicular to the skull.  If it hits at an angle there is a good chance of no penetration.


Truth.


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## chrislibby88

I prefer 22mag over longs, but both work well. I shoot CCI gamepoints, it’s a lead bullet with a copper jacket, open tip, not hollow point. I mainly target smaller pigs, but I have killed some larger pigs with them too. They penetrate better and fragment less than hollow points or ballistic tips,  it they still expand and give a wider wound channel than solids. There’s a lot of give and take with rimfire rounds, so pick your poison and learn to work within the restraints. On large pigs it’s headshots, between eyes and ears, or mid neck shot. On smaller pigs I just shoot behind the shoulder and they usually pile up. 
For anyone questioning the efficacy of a .22 I’m guessing half the pigs killed on public land die from rimfire, the other half by center fire rifles during the deer hunts. Early small game season might as well be pig season, I target pigs exclusively from small game opener to bow season. You will lose some pigs shooting rimfire, but I’ve lost an equal number shooting center fire and archery equipment. They are tough animals, and they often don’t leave easy  blood trails like deer do.


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## Timberjack86

Remington Golden Bullet, we used a bunch of them slaughtering hogs on my uncle's farm. Some penetrate the skull and keep on going.


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