30-30-

[Troggy92]

I am gonna buy a lever gun for hogs in California. My choices are Marlin 336 in 30-30 or 35 Rem. and the 45-70 Guide gun. I live how the guide feels ans the 336 for that matter but my concern is ammo cost and availbility , recoil , and "enough gun". I know the 45-70 is plenty but never shot one so dont know how bad recoil is. The 30-30 is so easy to shoot but I'm concerned about not having "enough gun".The 35 Rem. is better I'm sure, but ammo seems hard to find these daysand it's cost is going up. So... that leaves the 30-30 looking pretty good to me but dont wanna be under gunned. Any one have any thoughts on this?

 

[doccherry]

I have a 30/30 Win 94 Trapper and it's great for hogs. Barnes makes an X bullet for the 30/30 [if you handload] and it will go right thru most pigs or tear the heck out of the shoulder area, dropping them on the spot, as long as you keep your shots to 100 yards or less. Great slug and the 94 is so light and fast that you can carry it around all day without wearing your shoulder out. I have open sights and a side-mounted scope and I doubt if the whole rig weighs more than 5 1/2 pounds. I also have a Marlin 1895 45/70 and it, too, is great for hogs, but only if you handload or buy souped-up cartridges. Most factory 45/70 is downloaded so people who shoot old Trapdoors and the like won't blow themselves up along with their rifles. The factory 45/70 and 30/30, in my opinion, are marginal because the bullets are not really designed for all the gristle and girth of hogs. With the 45/70, if you handload and take it to the max, you've got a really good hog cartridge but you'll pay the price with the recoil. You get used to it [or it destroys you---one or the other], but in my opinion, if recoil is an issue, go with the 30/30 with handloaded Barnes X bullets.

That's my 2 cents but it's really only worth about 1 cent.

 

[RKRIII]

I was considering the guide gun as well, but ended up buying a BLR in .308. The BLR is nice and handy just like the guide gun, but the ammo is easier to find. I've been very happy with my BLR so far. Anyway, that's something you may want to consider.

 

[Troggy92]

What about the hotter Winchester's "Silver tip" bullets?

 

[Rancho Loco]

There's another big bore option if you are so inclined...

Model 94 Timber Carbine in .444 Marlin.

I have one and love it - I haven't hit a hog with it yet, but I'm on my way out tomorrow with it for deer - but I happen to know there's some hogs around.

Recoil isn't bad - I installed a pre-fit Decelerator pad, but it is noisy.

Off the shelf Hornady 265gr. flat points at a MV of 2200+ fps will handle any hog... And just about anything else in N.A.

 

[DILPRXO]

I'll vote for the Guide gun..I've had mine for a couple years now and its a wonderful lil cannon.

Joking aside don't let people scare you with regards to it's recoil..sure you can get monster stopper loads from Garret or Buffalo bore that will clean your clock when you touch one off..I just use the plain jane Remington stuff..kicks like a 12ga dove load but is a wonderful tranquilizer on hogs out to about 100 yards.The 300 grain Winchester is another load I've been playing with..it shoots flatter than the Remington but its a hollow point and I haven't tried it on game yet..good luck with whatever you decide on.

 

[Troggy92]

Ya know what I don't hear too much about is the .35 Rem . Any one have the scoop on that cartridge? What range does it have on hogs and how much better than the 30WCF or the 45-70?

 

[manfreddy]

.35 Remington:

.35 REM

 

[Raybow]

Don't let people scare you about not having enough gun in order to get through the gristle plate on a large boar. All of the calibers listed here are going to put a hurt'n on a porker at normal hunting distances (I never seen too many hogs that like to hang out in the middle of grain field where you can throw a round 400 yards at them).

I have shot a lot of animals with both a 30/30 and a 45/70 (only in Ruger #1), and with quality amunition they are going to drop Mr. Bacon within seconds. However, I must say I am partial to 45/70 just because you can load it for what you are hunting for. Once it is stuffed with some hot hand loads or some of those awful creations from Buffalo Bore (touch one off and "awful" with be explained) you will be just right for a close range brown bear. On that other hand, the factory 300gr hollow points give out enough punch to destroy any hog out their in its effective range (about 150 yards), and those factory 405's are just fun to shoot.

When it all comes down to a tusk being stuck in your leg, most of the time it is shot placement that makes or breaks you. If you put in the boiler, it will go down.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Raybow]

I hate typo's

 

[NatureDriven]

I'd have to agree with you Raybow, shot placement is definitly the main element in dropping those squeeler's where they stand, or run for that matter. I hunt all pigs with my Ruger .257 MKII and have dropped each one of my three pigs this year dead with one well placed shot. One in the boiler maker (240 lb's) and two right behind the ear.

I've even seen an 80 lb taken with an .18

Good luck Troggy92

 

[songdog]

They'll all work but I'm partial to the .45-70. It's simply more versatile at the end of the day. You can shoot the factory "trapdoor" rounds that are very mild and shouldn't bother your shoulder a bit or you can step up to the Garrett/Buffalo Bore heavy duty rounds and be ready for the toughest game on the planet. If you handload you can go anywhere in between.

 

[bubba]

How does the 450 Marlin compare to the above? Is ammo readily available? I know it s good medicine for pig, I believe field testing was done on Tejon with this rifle/round.

 

[Rick]

I've only seen 2 hog shot with the .35 Remington, but both were by the same guy and both were one-shot kills. I've seen several hogs shot with the .30-30 and can't say the same. If I was to use my .30-30 on hogs, I would use the factory load that comes with Nosler partitions. (Federal, maybe? I have a box at home.) A much better choice is the BLR in .308 or a Marlin in .307 or .356. I've seen hogs dropped with .22 mags, but wouldn't recommend it as a hog gun.

 

[New Pig Hunter]

Just to complicate things and add "more choice".....

the rifle I just bought is of the old Winchester BigBore94 series. Mine is in caliber .375 Winchester.

I've been doing a lot of reading at two levergun forums and the .375 Win can easily be handloaded to be "plenty of gun" for everything in North America.

Cheers,

Carl

http://shootersforum.com/forumdisplay.htm?f=42

http://leverguns.sixgunner.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2

 

[jrifenbark]

No need to handload. 170gr. Corelokt or Nosler Particians will do just fine out to 150 yds. If you want to extend your range, then go up to a .308. In that event, RKRIII has the right idea.

 

[Lone Wolf]

I'd choose the 1895G over a 30-30. I hunted hogs with both and simply put the 45-70 does the job in short order. I've had the 1895G since the first came out. It's topped with a Leupold 1X4 and makes a great hog gun.

 

[Troggy92]

Rancho loco how'd you do on you'r deer hunt?

 

[Rancho Loco]

Didn't see a thing 'cept for big piles of fresh poop....I mean - a whole herd must have dropped their loads and skeddadled when they heard me coming.

I'm leaving right now for another morning set-up.