Acceptable Accuracy For Hog Hunting

[Chas1]

IMO recoil is just something you get used to. If you're a regular shooter, you learn to ignore recoil. If you shoot a heavy cartridge once or twice a year, it gets your attention.

Actually as I got older I liked recoil less. A 300 rum at 50 was ok. At 70 and 80's not fun at all.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Actually as I got older I liked recoil less. A 300 rum at 50 was ok. At 70 and 80's not fun at all.

I have to agree, somewhat. Young or old, no one really likes recoil. :>)

As I age, I shoot the big magnums less because I've come to understand that with accurate rifles and modern bullets, the less powerful cartridges get the job done without all the BOOM!

 

[338 dude]

True Story:

A few weeks/months ago my brother and I were shooting rifles at our local range when a member and his guest showed up. The guest was there to sight in his 300 Win Mag for an out of state hog hunt. He fired a few shots at 50yds then moved his target to 100yds and fired a few more. He cased his rifle, thanked us for our patience and left. I didn't think much about it, as it seemed a normal zero check to me. As I was putting my target stand back in the house I could not help but notice the grouping on his big black circle target. I have never hog hunted, so Ill ask those of you who do. Would you head to the field with this?

I personally would not, but how is a hog any different than a deer? I demand more accuracy from myself and my rifle!

 

[Wyoelkhunter]

I've sited in mine for a particular range for bear hunting over bait(40yards), and then shot it at 100 just for curiosity sake. I would never leave it that way for general hunting, but if they were hunting hogs 50 yards away they'd probably be fine. The sad thing is a lot of people think "sited-in" means it'll hit what you shoot at, and don't try to understand ballistics or accuracy. 6" groups at 50 yards if 50 is the max distance...fine. if there's a possibility of a 100 or farther shot, not fine.

 

[highfinblue]

I've seen this with 2 different people at a private range.

First, guy & his son.
Every year just before deer rifle season.
Show up, staple paper plate at 50 yards.
Then proceed to pull a beautiful Weatherby Mark V in 300 WBY out.
3 shots each.
If the 3 shots hit the plate, they pack up and leave.

One couple showed up for a few weeks straight.
Both shooting 300 Win Mag. They were getting ready for a guided moose hunt in Nova Scotia.
Using 18" Shoot & See targets set at 100, 200, 300 yards.
At 300, they each barely had 3 shots on the target.
I asked why they thought they needed 300 Win, when a smaller cartridge with less recoil would work?
Let the lady shoot my Stevens 200 in 7mm-08AI.
She put 5 rounds about the size of an orange at 300 yards.
Claimed she liked shooting my rifle much better than hers.
Go figure!

Not only was recoil much less, but I would guess you have a good trigger on your rifle, makes such a huge difference in my shooting. I hate heavy, creep, and anything else besides breaking like glass.

 

[Citified]

I experienced the paper plate test when I flew back east to hunt in a large leased plot of land.
Since all the hunters travelled long distances to get there by air or truck the head guy wanted to check zeros the day before the season opened. We went to an open area and the test was from a picnic table on a paper plate marked in the center with a sharpie at about 100 yards. Mine was off 1/2 inch vertical which was probably due to the altitude change and easily corrected. Some of the other guys there thought if you were in the paper plate you were good to go. Scary.

 

[Web1350]

IMO recoil is just something you get used to. If you're a regular shooter, you learn to ignore recoil. If you shoot a heavy cartridge once or twice a year, it gets your attention.

I, personally, am not recoil sensitive but, even so, when I'm zeroed in on any target whether it is paper or live I don't notice it.

 

[emp1953]

20+ years ago I bought me a 3x9 Leupold. That same year for Christmas my girlfriend gave me Weaver 6x. For over 18 years I carried that Weaver with me as a spare, just in case. At year 18 I was flush enough to buy a second rifle and put the weaver on it. I now took a second rifle as a backup. And yes I had the Leupold lose zero and no longer track and my weaver scoped rifle saved the hunt. Leupold replaced it since it was so old. Shooting is a place for Murphy's law to creep into everything. And it eventually does. Both shot minute of deer which was good enough for me.

 

[TxHeartShot]

True Story:

A few weeks/months ago my brother and I were shooting rifles at our local range when a member and his guest showed up. The guest was there to sight in his 300 Win Mag for an out of state hog hunt. He fired a few shots at 50yds then moved his target to 100yds and fired a few more. He cased his rifle, thanked us for our patience and left. I didn't think much about it, as it seemed a normal zero check to me. As I was putting my target stand back in the house I could not help but notice the grouping on his big black circle target. I have never hog hunted, so Ill ask those of you who do. Would you head to the field with this?

That's about my group at 100 yds for how I shoot hogs...30-06 with Ruger M77 with open sights sending 220 gr Core-Lokt rn just rolls 'em!

 

[bpwsm]

IMO, not good enough for any animal.. by a lot. If that were my gun, I would be checking everything from scope and rings to screws, bedding, trigger and myself. I had a Savage in 300wsm a few years back, some of the time it would shoot 1/2" groups but most of time I would be all over the place. Checked everything gun wise, but it just came down to me flinching at the shot. It was sold for a heavier rifle...

 

[JustMe2]

With what hoggs do to my land I don't mind wounding them to go and die elsewhere.................saves on cleanup and feeds the yotes, bobcats and whatever else is around here!

Where do you live in Texas? Maybe members could help you shoot them big praire dogs.

 

[skipglo]

Are we looking at 2 different targets, shooting different calibers ? Are we just supposed to judge the splatter target ? I would be curious to know if the last 3 shots at the bottom right were his last shots ? If so I would say he was GTG. Perhaps the other shots were to get acclimated to the recoil. Or adjust the scope. Perhaps he knew which shots he knew he pulled. Was he shooting different ammos ? I would need more info to judge. Just saying.

Saved my question....same thoughts here....could have been testing new reloads and found the sweet spot.

 

[Roughrice]

Moa accuracy is plenty good for hogs!
The big question is … how good are you with follow up shots on moving targets?

 

[JustMe2]

I don't know how much of this was in jest, but I had something like this happen at my place with a guy that I allowed to deer hunt my land. Long story short, he didn't get a deer and when I was next on property, I found one of my LARGE oaks next to my gun range had a target on it and 20-30 rounds shot into the target and tree. I call up my buddy and asked if he did any shooting while "deer hunting" and he explained that he needed to sight in his rifle so he put a target on one of my trees. When I asked why he didn't use my targets on my gun range (400 yard rifle range with tables at 50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards), he said because he hadn't asked permission to use my range. Well, he didn't ask permission about shooting up a tree that is probably over 100 years old AND he did use my rifle range, one of the shooting tables from which he shot the tree. He didn't even bother taking his target from my tree. Needless to say, he won't ever be on my property again.

There are people out there, pretty much like you explained and I experienced.

The point is that your little story isn't far from what I have experienced.

This is the mind set of most city folks. The country is lots of worthless stuff and a place to bury nuclear waste, windmill parts, dead bodies, and anything else they don't want in the city. They don't see any value in a tree, corn field, pasture, etc. and will drive across a muddy field making large ruts and think, "wow, that was fun, look what my 4x4 can do."