# .223  or .270 for hogs



## krgreen (Feb 21, 2009)

im looking to start hog hunting and was wandering could one be taken with a .223 or would the trusty .270 get the job done right.


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## lostacres (Feb 21, 2009)

Use the .270. You will end up with more hogs at the end of the day. All Day.
LA


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## Big7 (Feb 22, 2009)

lostacres said:


> Use the .270. You will end up with more hogs at the end of the day. All Day.
> LA



.223 is a pea shooter!
.270 all day long.


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## hatchrooster (Feb 22, 2009)

I'd say the 223 if you shoot it in the head it not going no where plu it would be cheaper then the 270.I got a 270 and like it though.


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## arich_5 (Feb 22, 2009)

If you shoot them in the head, either one is fine. Definetly go with the .270 for shoulder shots. I've shot them with a .270 behind the shoulder with a complete pass through and had very little blood but found the pig within 30 yards. I'd hate to take a shoulder shot with a .223. Hogs are tough and IMO don't leave blood trails as good as deer.


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 22, 2009)

I only use a 22-250 on Hogs....or my pistol


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## bfriendly (Feb 22, 2009)

*Depends.........*

Depends WHERE you are hunting. IF you are hunting private land and can use whatever you want, then I would get a .270

If you are hunting WMA's you will have more opportunities getting a .22 mag(small game is a Longer season)
Heck for that matter, a .22 mag is plenty IMHO!

I dont see why so many people think you need a CANNON to drop a porker


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## Craig Knight (Feb 22, 2009)

lostacres said:


> Use the .270. You will end up with more hogs at the end of the day. All Day.
> LA





Big7 said:


> .223 is a pea shooter!
> .270 all day long.



you 2 are cracking me up. The 223 will do the same thing that 270 will with a single shot to each hog, that little pea shooter will drop'em dead with a shot to the head and no meat lost.


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## Lostoutlaw (Feb 22, 2009)

bfriendly said:


> Depends WHERE you are hunting. IF you are hunting private land and can use whatever you want, then I would get a .270
> 
> If you are hunting WMA's you will have more opportunities getting a .22 mag(small game is a Longer season)
> Heck for that matter, a .22 mag is plenty IMHO!
> ...



Couldn't have said it any Better.............


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## RipperIII (Feb 22, 2009)

...All I know is this,...I shot two small hawgz 40-50# each running with my .270.
I hit the lead hawg right behind his right eye passing out behind his left ear, he dropped and flopped for quite a while, the other broke hard to my left, hit him behind the left shoulder passing through the front of his right shoulder...gapping hole, he fell dead still...then crawled off 5 yds.
I was shooting winchester 140gr. ballistic tip which opened quarter sized holes even at the entry. Those hawgz moved much longer than any of the deer I've shot, all of which dropped with out so much as a twitch...


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## lostacres (Feb 22, 2009)

Craig Knight said:


> you 2 are cracking me up. The 223 will do the same thing that 270 will with a single shot to each hog, that little pea shooter will drop'em dead with a shot to the head and no meat lost.



Speaking from LOTS of personal experience, if you have a choice, the .270 is the better of the 2. I never said that the .223 will not kill a hog. However, you have to be a good marksman too.  Field conditions do not always present the best shots. Here, the .270 has the advantage and you will always go home with more bacon.
LA


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## Jamie Brett Jr. (Feb 22, 2009)

Weatherby 240 magnum


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## lostngawoods (Feb 22, 2009)

223 is a plenty,(yes 270 is a great round) besides, makes it more sporting, like archery, makes you a better Still hunter, more sporting 223, might make you a better shot, if the shot doesn't present it's self, there's always another day, another hunt, also shooting a Accutip etc, will give you a blood trail,,,,,,,,,,,


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 23, 2009)

if the .270 is better of the 2...then why is the .223 used in military....trust me...270 messes up meat.....22-250 perfect for me


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## whchunter (Feb 23, 2009)

*Amen*

22-250 gets my vote for the places I hunt. I sometimes carry a 357 pistol as well.

However if I was hunting thick brush and most shots would be less than 30-50 yards, I might go with a 30-30, AR-15 or a shotgun w/slugs. Might tear up more meat but I would feel better about my stopping power and follow up shots at close quarters, like a charging sow or boar.


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## RipperIII (Feb 23, 2009)

chiefsquirrel83 said:


> if the .270 is better of the 2...then why is the .223 used in military....trust me...270 messes up meat.....22-250 perfect for me




don't you think..."messing up meat" would be the military's objective?


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## RJY66 (Feb 23, 2009)

chiefsquirrel83 said:


> if the .270 is better of the 2...then why is the .223 used in military



The city slickers and boyz from the hood that have never discharged a firearm in their lives are easier to train on a recoil free round that they are not scared of.  Ammo is smaller and lighter making it easier to carry more rounds in less space.  Since the .223 is quite capable of killing or maiming human beings, ( and in war maiming is as good or better than killing), it is easy to see why they use it.  

Big game hunting is a different situation.  You don't need hundreds of rounds for a full auto weapon.  Unless you are a child, frail woman, have an injury, or are a complete wuss, the recoil of a .270 should not be an issue when fired at game.  Unlike war, maiming in the hunting arena is not acceptable.  Your objective is to put the animal down as quickly as possible, and as others have mentioned, you don't always get a perfect shot.  Therefore, in a nutshell, the .223 cannot hold the .270's jock as a big game round.....not now, not ever.  

You can get by with a .223 on deer and pigs with outstanding shot placement and the willingness to wait for it.  Why anyone would WANT to escapes me, always has and always will.


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## brooks_fc (Feb 23, 2009)

Use the .270 unless you plan on taking head shots everytime. You will lose a lot of hogs with .223 shoulder shots.


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## krgreen (Feb 23, 2009)

well i am a city slicker and a man from the hood. I learned too shoot well before i went into the marine corps and enhanced my marksmenship skills. Before you speak on issues, you need to find out the facts such as any one who has never fired a weapon before is more trainable no matter what type of round due to the fact that they dont have any habbits incorperated into their shooting like for example when you jerked the trigger and missed the trophy of  your  life.


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## RJY66 (Feb 23, 2009)

krgreen said:


> well i am a city slicker and a man from the hood. I learned too shoot well before i went into the marine corps and enhanced my marksmenship skills. Before you speak on issues, you need to find out the facts such as any one who has never fired a weapon before is more trainable no matter what type of round due to the fact that they dont have any habbits incorperated into their shooting like for example when you jerked the trigger and missed the trophy of  your  life.



I am also a city slicker and did not mean it derogatorily. You and I may have had opportunity to grow up around guns in our younger years, but many if not most in our situation have not, and I feel pretty comfortable saying that the majority of military recruits today have not.   It remains a fact that recoil has a cumulative effect, that shooters are worn down by it, and regardless of your experience, a round with a lighter kick and report will always be easier and more pleasant to shoot....especially for newbies.  I have shot enough to know that.  That is but one of the reasons they use a .223 instead of a .270 class round which is what the guy asked.  That does not mean it is a better big game round and even though you are marine
I would still use the .270 on hogs if I were you.  You asked for opinions so I gave mine. 

By the way, thank you for your service in the Marine Corp.


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 23, 2009)

I have shot most hogs in the shoulder with a 22-250 and never lost a hog or anything matter a fact....


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## georgiabuckbuster (Feb 23, 2009)

just go in between and use the 243 like i do i havent lost a hog yet


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## Rays123 (Feb 23, 2009)

truthfully id pick the ol marlin 30-30 anyday over those. dont know why i just love that gun for hog hunting i guess


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## bfriendly (Feb 23, 2009)

> truthfully id pick the ol marlin 30-30 anyday over those. dont know why i just love that gun for hog hunting i guess



Great point, and this is a GREAT HOME DEFENSE gun as well.  My bud has one and I was never really a fan.

 But, after watching a show about the 30/30 Lever action and seeing just how versatile they are because they are so compact.  Also being lever action makes it right or left handed; I have a right handed .22 mag, but shoot left handed.

Did I mention they(30/30) will KNOCK THE STUFFING out of about anything?  Now I am wanting one real bad!

This may NOT be the gun to take your 250+ yard shot with, but we are talking about taking pigs right?  You will be lucky to ever get a shot at a pig further away than maybe 50 yards; prolly more like 20.


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## Raven10475 (Feb 25, 2009)

Ok I have read some of these replys and I have to make some comments, first to chief squirrel The 223 is used by the Military because of NATO, military used to carry .308 then Nato wanted us to be able to save the ememies life after we removed the threat. 

 To Jamie Brett: I like ur quote but no I would not take a bullet for this country but I sure would make the other guy take one for his...

Bottom line if all you have is a 270 or a 223 use the 270...


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 26, 2009)

Raven10475 said:


> Ok I have read some of these replys and I have to make some comments, first to chief squirrel The 223 is used by the Military because of NATO, military used to carry .308 then Nato wanted us to be able to save the ememies life after we removed the threat.
> 
> To Jamie Brett: I like ur quote but no I would not take a bullet for this country but I sure would make the other guy take one for his...
> 
> Bottom line if all you have is a 270 or a 223 use the 270...



From someone with experience...VERY RECENT.....military uses .223 due to accuracy, durability of projectile in flight, and penetration....weapon itself...compact and made for swift action....i was hammered this in training....therefore....if I am walking in the woods stalking a hog....223 in the bush is my friend.


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## lostacres (Feb 27, 2009)

chiefsquirrel83 said:


> From someone with experience...VERY RECENT.....military uses .223 due to accuracy, durability of projectile in flight, and penetration....weapon itself...compact and made for swift action....i was hammered this in training....therefore....if I am walking in the woods stalking a hog....223 in the bush is my friend.



Maybe if yoy need way more than one shot. There is not a test out there, where the .270 round would not outshine the .223 for accuracy, durability of projectile in flight, and penetration. A Browning BAR would give you 5 rounds easily. Hogs are not that hard to kill, it usually only takes one well placed round with nearly any decent caliber and the hog will go down.
This thread started out asking which one was the better and the .270 is easily the best choice of the 2.
LA


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## DYI hunting (Feb 27, 2009)

.223 is a marginal bullet for a hog, but will do the trick.  It requires more shot placement and the proper bullet selection than larger calibers and there is less room for error than with a .270.

I have taken both hogs and deer with an AR-15 using both Sierra 65 gr Game King & Barnes 62 gr Tripple Shocks.  I have never had one run on me.  Given the choice, I would rather use something a little bigger like 6.8 SPC.


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## lostacres (Feb 27, 2009)

pimpincjh123 said:


> hey you can NOT use a deer rifle for hog hunting out of deer season only a small game rifle may be used



That is totally untrue. You can shoot a hog with any rifle that you choose on private lands,  at any time during the year. Only on a WMA do you have to use small game weapons during the small game seasons.
LA


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 27, 2009)

pimpincjh123 said:


> hey you can NOT use a deer rifle for hog hunting out of deer season only a small game rifle may be used



you can use a deer rifle....that is only for wmas


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## brooks_fc (Feb 27, 2009)

Unless you're a sureshot every time, use the 270. I would like to know if anyone has killed a 200+lb hog on here with a 223 or 22-250 with a shoulder shot. I dont think there will be too many that can say that.


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 28, 2009)

Me!


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 28, 2009)

22-250 shoulder shot with Federal 55 grain Sierra BT HP


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## lostacres (Feb 28, 2009)

chiefsquirrel83 said:


> 22-250 shoulder shot with Federal 55 grain Sierra BT HP



One of the WORST type bullets that you could have shot. I am glad that you recovered that hog. Hollow point bullets come apart, especially at high velocity. They are not designed to penetrate large bone density and tough hide like that found on the Wild Boar. If they run, there will not be much of a blood trail to follow.
The .270 with good bullets is still the better choice of the 2 rifles mentioned.


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 28, 2009)

I guess you hunt with me all the time then and I didn't know about it....I have shot plenty of hogs head, neck, and shoulder with the bullet and never ran over 50 yds....might not be designed for it but 22-250 is my ultimate hog/coyote gun


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## lostacres (Mar 1, 2009)

chiefsquirrel83 said:


> I guess you hunt with me all the time then and I didn't know about it....I have shot plenty of hogs head, neck, and shoulder with the bullet and never ran over 50 yds....might not be designed for it but 22-250 is my ultimate hog/coyote gun




My son has also shot several hogs with a 22-250 but with Nosler Partition Bullets that are designed to stay together and limited to behind the ear shots. 
This thread was not about the 22-250


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## devil-dog (Mar 1, 2009)

good shot placement with either round will work.


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