7.62 x 39 an ok hog round?

[locknload]

I was just woundering if any of you guys have used a 7.62 x 39 round to put down a pig? I have a russian SKS that is collecting dust in my safe and I was debating putting a synthetic stock on it turning it into a pig gun.

Any thoughts or comments?

 

[rydtime]

I also have one collecting dust in my safe. The only problem that I see is that mine shoots pretty large groups at 100 yards. not the most accurate gun.

 

[scott0san]

I have a scoped Mini30 and have shot one hog and one doe with it. After the hog I put the gun in the closet and only use it for paper targets any more. both shots were around 45 yrds and even with quality ammo it took 3 shots to put down the hog and 2 for the doe. I you are like me it takes too much work to find a pig on public land here in CA so dont blow the opportunity with a crap gun/ammo combo

 

[Speckmisser]

There are much better pig rounds than the short 7.62x39. It'll work in a pinch, but it's definitely not up to the job as a go-to pig gun.

Remember, you CAN kill them with anything, even a .22. But just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Use enough gun. If you want a military-style gun or round, go to the full-sized .308. Save the SKS and those underpowered Russian .308s for the target range or popping rotten fruit out behind the barn.

And to those who repeat the mantra, "It's all about placement." Forget it. It's about more than placement. Most people can't even get perfect placement at on paper targets that don't jump, run, duck, and turn.

Placement is critical, but that is too often as much a function of luck as skill. When that luck turns bad, you want enough gun to make up for your error.

 

[SDHNTR]

NO. That round was meant for war, not big game hunting.

 

[larrysogla]

Speck,
As always you hit the nail on the head. SHOT PLACEMENT?????? Like Speck said, the big, BIG majority of hunters only take a few rounds practicing at the range to get good??? with their gun, if ever. Most people DO NOT even fire their gun for years and then they go out Boar or Deer hunting and EXPECT shot placement to bring down their Big Game. Shot placement is VERY critical, but like Speck said and says over and over again, most people CANNOT make shot placement under stressed, heavy labored breathing, NO steady rifle rest, adrenalinized trigger fingers REAL WORLD hunting conditions. I am sometimes tempted to pop the Texas hogs with a .30 caliber M1 carbine or a Mini 14 .223 rifle BUT I defer to time proven hunting wisdom that an overgun is always going to kill at a higher percentage just because the bullet will reach the vital organs(with good construction bullets) EVEN with an undesirable OFF ANGLE shot and/or the powerful heavy bullets will smash bones and pass thru creating so much trauma and non-survivable body injury that the animal is already dead on it's feet even while it is still running away. I like to stack the odds in my favor starting from the purchase at the Gun Shop by sticking to powerful rounds and good construction bullets that will smash bones and destroy vital organs even from an OFF ANGLE shot. Squeaky rounds are only good for head shots at close range from somebody who regularly fires their guns to be good at hitting the head every time. Boomers are for smashing bones and destroying vital organs of uncooperative and wily Big Game. 'Nuff said.

 

[locknload]

Thanks guys - that answers my question.

 

[fdkay]

Tech-sights makes a dandy aperature sight for the SKS, even so, it is not as accurate as an AR. It also depends on the style of pig hunting you do. Here in South Texas, we hunt from condominiums, I mean stands. You can select your shot and your pig. I used my SKS to take two deer in Va, shot placement on both was excellent (as much luck as skill) and it droppped both of them where they stood. With that being said, I'm really with the other guys on this, if you would like to use a military style rifle, one in .308, 7mm, 6.5, 7.62x54 or '06 would be the way to go. Now, if you had to go into the brush after a pig, that light handy carbine with ball ammo would be a good choice. Ten rounds of utterly reliable firepower are hard to argue with.

 

[rydtime]

definitely not a good pig gun but the bayonette may help if you piss the hog off, and it charges you.

 

[Bwana Turtle]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Here in South Texas, we hunt from condominiums[/b]

That's a scream.

A friend of mine in Michiganhas one on 6x6's and you do your shooting from the porch. Ah, roughing it !


I guess it depends on whether you reload or not. People have said numerous times here that a .30-30 could really seal the deal. The ballistics for the two rounds are real close so . . . .