Posted: 12/27/2023 12:31:29 PM EDT
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I'm looking at going hog hunting on public land in Feb.- Mar. The areas call for rim fire if big game season is out. I have a Ruger in 17 wsm. Should I run what I have or get a 22 mag.? Not my first hog hunt but I would like to hear from guys that have done it with either cartage. Thanks |
| The 17 WSM has about 100 ft lbs more energy than the heavier 22 mag and the bullet design is more accurate, the question is penetration….. That said I have no time behind anything in 17 cal and know of multiple kills with 22 mag coyotes, gators, beef etc. I wonder if the rules would allow a muzzleloader hogs are tough critters I’ve shot one with a 30 carbine and not recovered it. Who ever made the rule is an idiot. 12 ga would definitely be a good option. |
| I imagine the 22M with solids and limited to head shots w/in 100 yards... seen them empty out live trapped pigs with a 10/22, but yeah center fire is best, |
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This information is a general statement of law and procedure and not a substitute for specific legal advice from a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
This information is a general statement of law and procedure and not a substitute for specific legal advice from a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
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Originally Posted By Mytus: Um, neither...and if you live in a state where this is the only option, that's some unethical stuff. What about a shotty with some 00? Think we may have some WMAs that are rimfire only. We've got a million acres of it, we have some crummy rules too. |
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| 22mag works great or hogs. Smaller pigs get shot straight up the front leg 1/3 to 1/2 up the shoulder. Larger pigs at the base of the ear. The 17 will work fine too. Use a solid bullet in the 17 for the penetration. We go to pig camp several times a year where we are limited to rimfire. BCA’s 22mag makes it a lot of fun. Don’t miss that brain. |
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Originally Posted By Bangflop: 22mag works great or hogs. Smaller pigs get shot straight up the front leg 1/3 to 1/2 up the shoulder. Larger pigs at the base of the ear. The 17 will work fine too. Use a solid bullet in the 17 for the penetration. We go to pig camp several times a year where we are limited to rimfire. BCA’s 22mag makes it a lot of fun. Don’t miss that brain. I’ve killed over 50 hogs with my WSM. Right behind the ear drops them just fine with 20 or 25 gr vmax. Personally I’m not a fan of the Vmax, but it does fine in that situation. Most of my shots are 125 to 150 yds. |
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Attached File I shot this one in the neck with my .22 mag recently. Probably an eighty yard shot, and she dropped in her tracks. It's not what I take for hog hunting, but it's what I had with me and it got the job done. |
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Originally Posted By Mytus: Um, neither...and if you live in a state where this is the only option, that's some unethical stuff. What about a shotty with some 00? Some stated have weird laws. I think it's Florida and Louisiana, since there is no season on hogs and the way the laws are written you can only carry on public land a gun that is legal for hunting you end up with some time periods where a rimfire for small game is all that is legal for hogs. You take a shotgun with buckshot and they will assume you are poaching deer. You just have to take your time and only take ethical shots. That means the pig is standing still and you can put one in it's ear hole. In that case a .22 mag works just fine. The season isn't unethical, the hunters are. |
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Originally Posted By EBR-Okie: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/350389/1000003076_jpg-3414426.JPG I shot this one in the neck with my .22 mag recently. Probably an eighty yard shot, and she dropped in her tracks. It's not what I take for hog hunting, but it's what I had with me and it got the job done. 17 WSM isn’t my go to for hog hunting by any means. However we’ve got a feed setup at 140 yds from our campfire, and hogs regularly come into it. Being we have neighbors close by, and with a suppressed 17 we can’t typically shoot several before they scatter we stick with it. When I shoot my 22 Creed or 6 Creed they run instantly at the first shot. I have yet to have a hog take a step with the 17. I’ve shot twice as many with my 17 HMR, as I’ve had it much longer than the WSM. The WSM hits considerably harder, and with a 223 sized suppressor it’s just as quite as my HMR. So WSM it is. |
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Originally Posted By Pelican34: I'm looking at going hog hunting on public land in Feb.- Mar. The areas call for rim fire if big game season is out. I have a Ruger in 17 wsm. Should I run what I have or get a 22 mag.? Not my first hog hunt but I would like to hear from guys that have done it with either cartage. Thanks Just noticed your avatar, did you fly on HH3's? |
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Originally Posted By Urimaginaryfrnd: The 17 WSM has about 100 ft lbs more energy than the heavier 22 mag and the bullet design is more accurate, the question is penetration….. That said I have no time behind anything in 17 cal and know of multiple kills with 22 mag coyotes, gators, beef etc. I wonder if the rules would allow a muzzleloader hogs are tough critters I’ve shot one with a 30 carbine and not recovered it. Who ever made the rule is an idiot. 12 ga would definitely be a good option. Same for coyote. Taken multiple coyote with the CZ457 in 22mag. All one shot kills, less than 100 meters. |
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Originally Posted By VaFish: Some stated have weird laws. I think it's Florida and Louisiana, since there is no season on hogs and the way the laws are written you can only carry on public land a gun that is legal for hunting you end up with some time periods where a rimfire for small game is all that is legal for hogs. You take a shotgun with buckshot and they will assume you are poaching deer. You just have to take your time and only take ethical shots. That means the pig is standing still and you can put one in it's ear hole. In that case a .22 mag works just fine. The season isn't unethical, the hunters are. Exactly. On public lands we can archery hunt all of the season. But certain WMA's are allotted certain days for a 'primitive' rifle or a regular rifle. If its not a 'gun' day for deer you can only hunt archery. Or for small game. Which means a rimfire or shotgun with bird shot (no buck/slugs allowed). Since I'm not opposed to de-boning pigs and grinding the meat to fill the freezer. My selection is .22Mag. Because its what I had. And I talked to a lot of guys that specifically kill hogs on the WMA with a .22 mag. Its fairly thick so we are talking 50-70 yards shots on average. According to them smaller hogs they'll shoot heart/lungs no problem. Bigger pigs they go head. I'm more of a headshot for pigs with a .22 mag because I like a sure thing. No experience with the .17 personally. As a nuisance animal we should be allowed to take them year round with whatever. But they want to cut down on dudes running around on WMAs with rifles when its limited to bow season only for deer. |
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Originally Posted By WoodHeat: In this thread I find out that I live under a rock. I didn't know the .17 WSM existed. Holy hell. It's been on the market for something like a decade? Franklin even has uppers & mags for it. |
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I use .22mag on hogs all the time. It's how I get the makings for pulled pork in the insta-pot. Shoot the under 15lb ones and it's just about as easy as cleaning and cooking a chicken.  It will work on bigger hogs just fine. I usually use a Ruger Single Six to kill them in the trap. |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: Holy hell. It's been on the market for something like a decade? Franklin even has uppers & mags for it. Originally Posted By backbencher: Originally Posted By WoodHeat: In this thread I find out that I live under a rock. I didn't know the .17 WSM existed. Holy hell. It's been on the market for something like a decade? Franklin even has uppers & mags for it. I have no excuse. I even owned a .17 HMR for a while too. I guess it just wasn't on my radar. |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: Holy hell. It's been on the market for something like a decade? Franklin even has uppers & mags for it. Originally Posted By backbencher: Originally Posted By WoodHeat: In this thread I find out that I live under a rock. I didn't know the .17 WSM existed. Holy hell. It's been on the market for something like a decade? Franklin even has uppers & mags for it. Don't feel bad, I ignored it for years. Then I got it and I'm shooting it 4-6 nights a week. Really a great caliber for nighttime predator hunting. I have the same Ruger 77/17 that OP mentioned. The Bmag is great as well. Franklin F17-L is coming next. |
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My WSM is identical to my other rifles. I built it for my boys to learn on, and it quickly became one of my go to rifles for killing pests. Coons, hogs, and coyotes aren’t safe around it. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By VaFish: Just noticed your avatar, did you fly on HH3's? Originally Posted By VaFish: Originally Posted By Pelican34: I'm looking at going hog hunting on public land in Feb.- Mar. The areas call for rim fire if big game season is out. I have a Ruger in 17 wsm. Should I run what I have or get a 22 mag.? Not my first hog hunt but I would like to hear from guys that have done it with either cartage. Thanks Just noticed your avatar, did you fly on HH3's? Yes. I was a Flight Mechanic, but most of my flight time was on the 60. |
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Originally Posted By Pelican34: Yes. I was a Flight Mechanic, but most of my flight time was on the 60. Originally Posted By Pelican34: Originally Posted By VaFish: Originally Posted By Pelican34: I'm looking at going hog hunting on public land in Feb.- Mar. The areas call for rim fire if big game season is out. I have a Ruger in 17 wsm. Should I run what I have or get a 22 mag.? Not my first hog hunt but I would like to hear from guys that have done it with either cartage. Thanks Just noticed your avatar, did you fly on HH3's? Yes. I was a Flight Mechanic, but most of my flight time was on the 60. A family friend was a HH3 and 60 pilot. Captain James OKeefe. He just wrote a book. "Talk Cool Fly Cool" |
| I love the 17 WSM. Have bmag and a Franklin. Odd that I usually go for the bmag. It has killed many coyotes, prairie dogs, raccoons, a beaver and several pigeons. About the only rifle I shoot anymore, both spend lots of time in tractors and both can use my Pulsar Thermal. Savage has a much better trigger. Savage did finally release the a17 in WSM, might end up with one of them also. Go on Gunbroker and get several thousand rounds of ammo. |
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Originally Posted By dirtyboy: I love the 17 WSM. Have bmag and a Franklin. Odd that I usually go for the bmag. It has killed many coyotes, prairie dogs, raccoons, a beaver and several pigeons. About the only rifle I shoot anymore, both spend lots of time in tractors and both can use my Pulsar Thermal. Savage has a much better trigger. Savage did finally release the a17 in WSM, might end up with one of them also. Go on Gunbroker and get several thousand rounds of ammo. I’ve been picking up 500 rounds at a time for the last year and a half or so from Academy. It’s not easy to find, but it’s not impossible like it was for a few years. By the time I decided to build the rifle ammo was in short supply, so I made myself accumulate 5K rounds before even ordering the action or barrel. Well just say that I’m well beyond ammo concerns at this point. Lol |
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Originally Posted By dirtyboy: I love the 17 WSM. Have bmag and a Franklin. Odd that I usually go for the bmag. It has killed many coyotes, prairie dogs, raccoons, a beaver and several pigeons. About the only rifle I shoot anymore, both spend lots of time in tractors and both can use my Pulsar Thermal. Savage has a much better trigger. Savage did finally release the a17 in WSM, might end up with one of them also. Go on Gunbroker and get several thousand rounds of ammo. That is very interesting. Wonder how the trigger is on that. |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: That is very interesting. Wonder how the trigger is on that. The bmag trigger is a little different but it is light and crisp when it matters. Now and then it will fail to extract an empty. Franklin runs pretty good if it agrees with the magazine. I have 5 mags, 2 don't work the others work well. Franklin sent me 2 new ones as the 2 spares I bought with the rifle, wouldn't function. Can't visually tell any difference in them. The .17 WSM takes one hell of a hammer strike to fire. I originally had a JARD, with hammer upgrade, and it failed to fire about 25% of the time. Not sure how well it would work on pigs, likely little penetration but lots of damage. Pigs under 50 pounds should be no problem. Large ones would be fun to try. |
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Originally Posted By WTXTremor: My WSM is identical to my other rifles. I built it for my boys to learn on, and it quickly became one of my go to rifles for killing pests. Coons, hogs, and coyotes aren’t safe around it. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/567462/IMG_0069_jpeg-3430646.JPG @WTXTremor You built a 17wsm? Didn't know anyone was doing that. Details? |
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Originally Posted By dirtyboy: The bmag trigger is a little different but it is light and crisp when it matters. Now and then it will fail to extract an empty. Franklin runs pretty good if it agrees with the magazine. I have 5 mags, 2 don't work the others work well. Franklin sent me 2 new ones as the 2 spares I bought with the rifle, wouldn't function. Can't visually tell any difference in them. The .17 WSM takes one hell of a hammer strike to fire. I originally had a JARD, with hammer upgrade, and it failed to fire about 25% of the time. Not sure how well it would work on pigs, likely little penetration but lots of damage. Pigs under 50 pounds should be no problem. Large ones would be fun to try. Originally Posted By dirtyboy: Originally Posted By backbencher: That is very interesting. Wonder how the trigger is on that. The bmag trigger is a little different but it is light and crisp when it matters. Now and then it will fail to extract an empty. Franklin runs pretty good if it agrees with the magazine. I have 5 mags, 2 don't work the others work well. Franklin sent me 2 new ones as the 2 spares I bought with the rifle, wouldn't function. Can't visually tell any difference in them. The .17 WSM takes one hell of a hammer strike to fire. I originally had a JARD, with hammer upgrade, and it failed to fire about 25% of the time. Not sure how well it would work on pigs, likely little penetration but lots of damage. Pigs under 50 pounds should be no problem. Large ones would be fun to try. @dirtyboy I bought a Franklin F17L upper a few months ago to give the 77/17wsm a break. I've had no FTF issues with any Geissele SSA-E and Winchester 20gr. Been putting it to good use on predators. |
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Originally Posted By rgaper: @WTXTremor You built a 17wsm? Didn't know anyone was doing that. Details? It’s not cheap, but it’s identical to their big boy rifles. Zermatt RimX action is a rimfire 700 footprint action that takes 700 stocks, triggers, and bottom metal. It’s wearing a Manners CS stock, Lothar 20” barrel, and Leupold MK5 optic. I wanted my boys to learn on the same rifle. Fit and function are identical. Unfortunately at the time of build Lothar was the only pre fit barrel option available besides TS Customs, who I refuse to use. The Lothar shoots fantastic, but it’s much heavier than I’d like. Shortly after Preferred Barrels started making a WSM prefit in carbon, which is what I really want. Its weight would be much more inline with their other rifles. I’ll swap the barrels eventually just not a rush at the moment as they’re still shooting 100% from tripods and bipods. https://northlandshooterssupply.com/actions/zermatt-arms-rimx-rimfire-action-and-accessories/zermatt-arms-rimx-rimfire-action/ |
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Originally Posted By WTXTremor: It’s not cheap, but it’s identical to their big boy rifles. Zermatt RimX action is a rimfire 700 footprint action that takes 700 stocks, triggers, and bottom metal. It’s wearing a Manners CS stock, Lothar 20” barrel, and Leupold MK5 optic. I wanted my boys to learn on the same rifle. Fit and function are identical. Unfortunately at the time of build Lothar was the only pre fit barrel option available besides TS Customs, who I refuse to use. The Lothar shoots fantastic, but it’s much heavier than I’d like. Shortly after Preferred Barrels started making a WSM prefit in carbon, which is what I really want. Its weight would be much more inline with their other rifles. I’ll swap the barrels eventually just not a rush at the moment as they’re still shooting 100% from tripods and bipods. https://northlandshooterssupply.com/actions/zermatt-arms-rimx-rimfire-action-and-accessories/zermatt-arms-rimx-rimfire-action/ Originally Posted By WTXTremor: Originally Posted By rgaper: @WTXTremor You built a 17wsm? Didn't know anyone was doing that. Details? It’s not cheap, but it’s identical to their big boy rifles. Zermatt RimX action is a rimfire 700 footprint action that takes 700 stocks, triggers, and bottom metal. It’s wearing a Manners CS stock, Lothar 20” barrel, and Leupold MK5 optic. I wanted my boys to learn on the same rifle. Fit and function are identical. Unfortunately at the time of build Lothar was the only pre fit barrel option available besides TS Customs, who I refuse to use. The Lothar shoots fantastic, but it’s much heavier than I’d like. Shortly after Preferred Barrels started making a WSM prefit in carbon, which is what I really want. Its weight would be much more inline with their other rifles. I’ll swap the barrels eventually just not a rush at the moment as they’re still shooting 100% from tripods and bipods. https://northlandshooterssupply.com/actions/zermatt-arms-rimx-rimfire-action-and-accessories/zermatt-arms-rimx-rimfire-action/ @WTXTremor Super interesting, thanks for sharing. Seems like the barrel manufacturers' availability has changed based on just a quick Google search. |
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Originally Posted By VaFish: A family friend was a HH3 and 60 pilot. Captain James OKeefe. He just wrote a book. "Talk Cool Fly Cool" Originally Posted By VaFish: Originally Posted By Pelican34: Originally Posted By VaFish: Originally Posted By Pelican34: I'm looking at going hog hunting on public land in Feb.- Mar. The areas call for rim fire if big game season is out. I have a Ruger in 17 wsm. Should I run what I have or get a 22 mag.? Not my first hog hunt but I would like to hear from guys that have done it with either cartage. Thanks Just noticed your avatar, did you fly on HH3's? Yes. I was a Flight Mechanic, but most of my flight time was on the 60. A family friend was a HH3 and 60 pilot. Captain James OKeefe. He just wrote a book. "Talk Cool Fly Cool" I am going to get his book. I flew with a then Lt. 'Chopper Bob' Yerex that he lists as one of his hero's in his acknowledgements. |
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Originally Posted By Pelican34: I am going to get his book. I flew with a then Lt. 'Chopper Bob' Yerex that he lists as one of his hero's in his acknowledgements. Originally Posted By Pelican34: Originally Posted By VaFish: Originally Posted By Pelican34: Originally Posted By VaFish: Originally Posted By Pelican34: I'm looking at going hog hunting on public land in Feb.- Mar. The areas call for rim fire if big game season is out. I have a Ruger in 17 wsm. Should I run what I have or get a 22 mag.? Not my first hog hunt but I would like to hear from guys that have done it with either cartage. Thanks Just noticed your avatar, did you fly on HH3's? Yes. I was a Flight Mechanic, but most of my flight time was on the 60. A family friend was a HH3 and 60 pilot. Captain James OKeefe. He just wrote a book. "Talk Cool Fly Cool" I am going to get his book. I flew with a then Lt. 'Chopper Bob' Yerex that he lists as one of his hero's in his acknowledgements. I enjoyed his book. It's on Amazon. I was in the Army but actually served with one of the people he mentions then Ltcdr Vivian Cray. OKeefe grew up across the street from my wife, was best friends with my brother in law, was at my wedding. Ive seen him off and on over the last 36 years and had not heard the stories in his book. It might be routine stuff for you. |
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Originally Posted By VaFish: I enjoyed his book. It's on Amazon. I was in the Army but actually served with one of the people he mentions then Ltcdr Vivian Cray. OKeefe grew up across the street from my wife, was best friends with my brother in law, was at my wedding. Ive seen him off and on over the last 36 years and had not heard the stories in his book. It might be routine stuff for you. I started the book. It brings back a lot of memories. Talk cool fly cool is a thing. I was taught, talk cool hoist cool. During my flight phase of training I was overwhelmed at first by the amount of talking I had to do on a hoist and I sucked. I was very timid at the door during the hoist. The AC voiced his opinion that I wasn't ready. My instructor asked him to fly around while he talked to me. We unplugged and he gave me the facts of life speech. That I had the best enlisted job in the world. That the Coast Guard was spending a lot of money on me. That I had worked hard to get here. He also explained that the pilot talks calm but is busy with flying. I have to talk calm while I con him in for the hoist. Then he told me to get in the door and hoist like I enjoyed it. I did and the rest of my training flights were great. About the parties. Being enlisted I never attended one, but heard pilots talking about them while flying. One pilot covered the basement floor of his quarters with sand and fake palm trees for a party. His peers were impressed. Pelican |
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Originally Posted By Mytus: Um, neither...and if you live in a state where this is the only option, that's some unethical stuff. What about a shotty with some 00? Nonsense. I've killed hogs with a 22mag. You have to be selective with your shots, but 40gr to the brain housing group plants them right where they were standing. |