Who's done it? Ear, or midpoint between ear and eye for broadside? Ammo selection? Range?


Coon eradication got me to considering this.

An old H&R 22 mag revolver is all I use for dispatching in traps, that is my only experience. I have a couple of larger corral traps and routinely drop hogs on the spot with between the eye shots and ear hole shots. Most of the shells i use are a variety of hollow points, since the shots are typically 15-20 yards or less.

Eye if they’re at an angle where the bullet will travel to brain or cns.
Ear ( in, slightly behind or slightly under).
Base of skull.
Neck a triangle starting at the ear hole following top line back ending up about 4” wide and about 4” behind ear.
My go to shot is just slightly behind the ear.

Ive used;
Cci 30gr JHP +V
Cci 40gr JHP
Cci 40gr TMJ
Cci 40gr game point
Federal 50gr game shock
Hornady 30gr vmax
Hornady 45gr FTX

I’d use whatever is most accurate out of your rifle.
The POI will be wildly different using the above, find what your rifle like best then sight in with that ammo.

Thanks. Marlin XT-22 mag. Bushnell Banner 4-12. I'll start with CCI 40 GR JHP. What range you drop them at with a well placed shot?

How far do you want to shoot? A .22 subsonic will drop them at 40 yards, with a well placed shot. The trick, of course, is being able to make a well placed shot, even on large boars. As the power/penetration/destruction of a bullet goes down, the need for precision of proper placement goes up.

Would have to be at feeder, feeding which is 100 yards.

^^^^^ This.

And for those 'planning' on head-shots....please consider that except for the tail, the head of a hog is the one feature that is moving the most. So you may have to 'time' your shot.

The brain-pan on the average hog is about the size of a large hen's egg. When using minimally powered cartridges...accuracy will be important, you can't be just 'close'.

Consider also the relative accuracy level of the rifle and shooter with respect to distance. Unless your rifle is the exception....most (in that price tier) will shoot 1.5 to 2 MOA at 100 yds. If yours is doing better...its a definite 'keeper'. So...I'd say keep your shots 75 yds. and under.

I'll have this dialed in to a 1" group or less at 100 yards before attempting it.

Some of the shot placement locations are larger than what I had expected. A hit in this area would fragment part of the skull, creating shock and projectiles that would do some damage. I put them on the ground where I shoot them, with my .308 and 6.5 putting a good bullet where it belongs. This head shot stuff is new to me, and I can't wait to try it.

You might well do it. Each rifle and barrel is different.

I have a CZ 455 that has 3 different barrels. (.17 HMR, .22LR & .22WMR)

I can get sub MOA from the .17 no problem @ 100 yds. (5 shot groups). Same thing with subsonic .22 LR @ 50 yds. but I can't seem to manage better than 1.25"-1.50" with .22 mag @ 100 yds.

Add a little wind into the mix and all three open up (especially the .17).

BUT....I've had dozens of rifles over the years and you just have to shoot them (with different ammo) to find out. You can get 'match' subsonic .22 LR ammo, but you are at the mercy of the ammo manufacturers for other rimfire offerings. Some lots shoot better than others.

Hope yours shoots really well. We certainly need more hogs killed.

If shooting head on...do not shoot between the eyes, be sure to go between the eyes and up about 4' on an adult hog. I have shot hundreds of trapped hogs with a 22 pellet gun and 22. Between the eyes is sinuses and it is not a good shot unless using a center fire that will do a lot of damage and shock.

So with a .22 mag 40 gr. and a 50 yard zero, you are about 2" low at 100 yards and then things fall off pretty quick such that you are about 8" low at 150 and 21" low at 200. I think I would definitely want to keep my shots inside 100 yards. At 100 yards, you are looking at about 40% more energy still, than a .22lr 40 gr at the muzzle. .22 lr contact skull shot should be able to put a hog down just fine, if you shoot the right spot. So you would still have plenty of energy at 100 yards, given you shoot well.

I keep posting this guy's video because it makes a really good point about precision shooting with an inferior caliber. He says it was a 400 lb hog. I don't know that it is that big, but it is certainly a substantial hog...and he did it with a .22 subsonic. Mind you, he knew his shot distance, his dope, and he waited to take the exact shot he wanted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J7kgpIaGeI&t=196s

Good stuff. Thanks. Got optic and rings coming from Natchez, hopefully have it by Friday, get it set up and try it in on something live next weekend.

My Marlin 22 magnum shoots best with the CCI and Fiochi TMJ rounds and it will put three into just over an inch at 100 yards with a lot of ammo it likes. This said how hard would it be to move up to 75 yards?

Put those fierce little bullets in their eye socket or their ear hole, and they be down and out.

7 headshots from .17 HMR FMJ to bring this one down.

Dang...it hung around for 7 shots!

Wonder if it thought the first 6 were mosquito bites....;)

Probably just doing the death dance.

Ya'll ought to check out gatewaytoairguns.org. There are couple guys over there that shoot pigs regularly with air rifles. Not all big bores either, talking .22 and .25 cal pcp's and most recently a guy using a .177.

It's not like the gamo videos though, they are very accurate and powerful guns and some of those guys do experiments with hogs heads and stuff to learn more aboit anatomy and etc.

Still it's very doable with a powerful and accurate pellet rifle so moreso with a good rimfire if you know the anatomy of their heads.