My hunting arsenal was designed for hog stalking on public land. So after trying a few options I wound up with my fav hog stalking rifle during small game season... a semi-auto Magnum Research .22 magnum. Absolutely lethal head shot weapon accurate as far as I could typically see with minimal bullet drop. Love that rifle. During Primitive season I used my el-cheapo CVA crack barrel .444 with Prostaff scope. A very lethal shot to virtually anywhere on the hog's body. Then normal Firearms season was my lever-action .444 so I could take more than one hog if the opportunity presented itself. Those are my fav three hunting rifles.
But now that I'm getting into deer hunting, and hunted a lot this past season, I'd like a new rifle (imagine that!) specifically for taking white tail during normal Firearm season. I missed two shots this year with my .444 at 200 and 225 yards. I've never had range practice over 100 yards, so I've got to get that range time in this off-season. However, that .444 packs too much of a punch for deer hunting. For hog stalking, I want maximum controllable stopping power for relatively close shots (ave 40 yards maybe). That's overkill for deer. I borrowed my son's .270 for a hunt this year and really liked the way it shot. At 100 yards, the .270 brings about as much feet-pounds of energy (2350) as the .444 (2300), but has a reduced kick which has to help with accuracy. Additionally, the ballistics coefficient of the .270 is so much nicer. The .444 drops like a brick in a bucket of cement. Zeroed at 100 yards, the .444 will drop 16 inches at 250 yards compared to 6 inches for the .270. Also, the .444 has the heavy bull barrel whereas my son's .270 is much lighter and easier to swing around in a stand. So, obviously the .270 is a better load for white tail hunting at an average of 100-250 yard shots, but I've not tested other calibers.
You guys have been doing this a lot longer than I have (presuming you've deer hunted for more than one season), so I wanted to see which calibers you prefer for white tail regular Firearms season at 100-250 yards.
Then it's time to shop Will also get a nice scope in the $500-$750 range that allows maximum light in. The hogs don't move at dusk and dawn as much as deer, so definitely need to address that as well.
But now that I'm getting into deer hunting, and hunted a lot this past season, I'd like a new rifle (imagine that!) specifically for taking white tail during normal Firearm season. I missed two shots this year with my .444 at 200 and 225 yards. I've never had range practice over 100 yards, so I've got to get that range time in this off-season. However, that .444 packs too much of a punch for deer hunting. For hog stalking, I want maximum controllable stopping power for relatively close shots (ave 40 yards maybe). That's overkill for deer. I borrowed my son's .270 for a hunt this year and really liked the way it shot. At 100 yards, the .270 brings about as much feet-pounds of energy (2350) as the .444 (2300), but has a reduced kick which has to help with accuracy. Additionally, the ballistics coefficient of the .270 is so much nicer. The .444 drops like a brick in a bucket of cement. Zeroed at 100 yards, the .444 will drop 16 inches at 250 yards compared to 6 inches for the .270. Also, the .444 has the heavy bull barrel whereas my son's .270 is much lighter and easier to swing around in a stand. So, obviously the .270 is a better load for white tail hunting at an average of 100-250 yard shots, but I've not tested other calibers.
You guys have been doing this a lot longer than I have (presuming you've deer hunted for more than one season), so I wanted to see which calibers you prefer for white tail regular Firearms season at 100-250 yards.
Then it's time to shop Will also get a nice scope in the $500-$750 range that allows maximum light in. The hogs don't move at dusk and dawn as much as deer, so definitely need to address that as well.