I'm considering purchasing a Ruger Mini 30 for use on hogs. I have plenty of the traditional bolt guns for deer - but no semiautos. I'd like some feedback from people that have shot pigs with this round. What brand/bullet have you used. In looking at the ballistics it appears there plenty of power, but just would like some live action reports. Thanks! (Also, any opines on the Ruger Minin30 are welcome as well)

dfwroadkill has been very successful with his.

Yes, I have killed a lot of hogs with this round. I bought an Olympic Arms 7.62 x 39 as a plinker a while back. The 7.62 x 39 ammo is cheap and I thought it would be fun. Turns out that the oft battered Olympic Arms has never jammed on me and has been extremely realiable and accurate. You sometimes have to work to find variety in this round, but I eventually tried quite a number of them. Funny thing is, in mine, the old, cheap Russian Brown Bear steel cased, FMJ runs like a dream...not a single issue. I suppose despite having numerous AR's, including 3 in .308, I have killed more hogs with that weapon with those rounds than any other....and it ain't bad on the shoulder either.

I'm sorry I can't help you with the Ruger mini 30...

Hope this helps...

This is my Mini 30 that was also my Dad's go to deer rifle. I haven't had a chance at a hog yet, but it dropped a good size doe and this old guy this year in their tracks. It is a little picky with ammo. If you get one there is a guy I had work on it last year that specializes with Mini 14/30's.

as of late I'm using the Herter's 154 grain, their 123g is also good. I inherited a ton of Russian as well.

nice deer, sir Edit: nice looking rifle, have a russian, i think shoots the 7.62 x 54

I've shot two coyotes behind the house with the Herters 154 gr SP with my AR-15. And a couple years back, the same ammo accounted for two hogs that were chest-shot with complete pass-through. I shot another hog with a 123 gr HP of unknown make that may have also been Herters, but I can't remember for sure.

Cabelas runs fantastic sales on Herters ammo from time to time, like less than $5 for 20 rounds. Although Herters is an old American name with plenty of nostalgia, the 7.62x39 fodder is made in Siberia and is steel cased and Berdan primed. Still, it's fine spray-and-pray ammo, averaging a bit over 2" from my Model One Sales upper.

Your Ruger should give similar performance.

I use the 123 HP out of an SKS and it knocks them down nicely. I use it for my 4 wheeler gun, open sites and 10 round standard magazine. When they cross my path I grab it and start blasting. Where we hunt its dusty as hell and I'm too cheap to put a nice gun on the 4 wheeler for just banging around. It's an old beater gun but holds a nice group at 100 yards. HP is the only way for me, FMJ just doesnt leave much of a hole for blood trails if the shot is off. I shoot for the ear/neck.

YES SIR!!!

they work fine

You should have no problems, I actually built "a hog gun" using this chamber as my platform for an AR build. The rifle was a little tricky to get running, but now runs perfectly fine. It has no problems on a hog and prefer it to my .223 AR.

My son and I shot many, many, many pigs with a pair of SKSs.
Moved over to AR platform and was pleasantly surprised how accurate the 7.62x39 can be when shot out of a decent barrel.
My first AR upper didn't like HP ammo but shot everything else quite well.
My second AR upper ate anything I threw in it and still does.

Just for grins, I picked up some new Winchester brass and some Hornady SST bullets in .310.
It works quite well on pigs and deer with those handloads but defeats the cheap ammo thing....