Shot placement on a hog with a 22 rifle

[JeffK]

Best bet to kill the hog will be behind the shoulder; however, may not be all that easy to find it.

Do you have any smaller caliber rifles?

[Silvey]

Eye hole

[batmaninja]

Being his first possible animal kill, I really want to recover it.

Why risk it with a rim fire? If anything I would oversize the gun to ensure a clean kill, or have a backup, that is a real gun. Its on the coon thread, I shot a coon twice in the face from about 5 yards with a .22 and it just made it mad.

[dustoffer]

I try to imagine a line from ear-hole to eyeball, and put my shot mid-way between the two on the line. If they are facing me with their face in a corn pile---just a bit above a line from eye to eye. But---this is not at a range beyond 25 yds.

[Bowtech Lefty]

Best bet to kill the hog will be behind the shoulder; however, may not be all that easy to find it.

Do you have any smaller caliber rifles?

Why risk it with a rim fire? If anything I would oversize the gun to ensure a clean kill, or have a backup, that is a real gun. Its on the coon thread, I shot a coon twice in the face from about 5 yards with a .22 and it just made it mad.

I have .223 youth rifle that I have yet to let him shoot. I may have him try it out before we go hunt to see how it feels for him. Thanks.

[Dry Bones]

My brother kills LOTS of hogs with a 22. Anything larger then that is like a magnum round to him.
He does shoot the soft pocket behind the ear or in the ear. Your Son could take the very low heart shot, on a smaller hog, but even then recovery will be iffy. I would agree with a few other remarks here, let him shoot something a bit larger. Would not take much. even a 223 would be more adequate than the 22 in the body.

I will add this as it seems appropriate here.
Last season my son and I were scouting around and just enjoying a day in the woods. I had my 270 on my shoulder just in case we spotted a hog I wanted. Well we did spot some pigs and my son (9 yrs old) hammered one with that rifle at just over 200 yards. I know that sounds like a BS story, but he had a very solid rest and shoots the 22 and 223 at the house. That was his first time with my larger rifle. I was nervous he was going to get scoped, but he held it good and all worked out.
-Sometimes you just have to let them try. Another note to that. I missed one in the brush a few weeks later MUCH closer, and will never hear the end of it.

[Gunnyart]

Aural Cavity just to be contrary.

[Jason Slocum]

A suppressed .22 long Rifle our of a Ruger Mark IV will not kill a 130lb pig at 50 yards with 2 shots to the body... The scoped rifle wasn’t quite ready when I walked up to the feeder.

Jason Slocum

[Graysonhogs]

Best bet to kill the hog will be behind the shoulder; however, may not be all that easy to find it.

Do you have any smaller caliber rifles?

I prefer my hogs DRT

[glen]

Let him shoot that 223 the first time on a live hog. He won’t feel it or hear the difference

[smokeless]

Put him on a AR and watch the show. I head shoot them with mine. No tracking necessary.

[SwampRabbit]

I have done it with a 17 hmr but not a 22.

x2

I was actually quite surprised what 17 grains did to 50-60ish pound pigs. Bang, flop, dead

Curious about this. I've got an 17 hmr that my daughter could easily shoot. I've never considered it, because I figured it would require an earhole shot just like the .22 would be, other than the fact that the 17 hmr would give you a more accurate round to the noggin at further distances.

But are you suggesting that a 17 hmr to the body would do the trick? I kinda didn't want to have to take the AR route (don't want to bother buying another gun.)

[AntlerCollector]

Curious about this. I've got an 17 hmr that my daughter could easily shoot. I've never considered it, because I figured it would require an earhole shot just like the .22 would be, other than the fact that the 17 hmr would give you a more accurate round to the noggin at further distances.

But are you suggesting that a 17 hmr to the body would do the trick? I kinda didn't want to have to take the AR route (don't want to bother buying another gun.)

I've killed hogs with heart shots with my .17. Also with head shots. I prefer it over my .22

[AntlerCollector]

Thanks for the input, looks like I will have him place one in the ear hole. I have trail cam pics of varying size hogs so I may have him try for a smaller one. Being his first possible animal kill, I really want to recover it.

Just be prepared for a screaming, squealing, pig flopping all over. You may need a finishing shot. If you think that will traumatize your kid then get him an AR.

[Quackerbox]

Curious about this. I've got an 17 hmr that my daughter could easily shoot. I've never considered it, because I figured it would require an earhole shot just like the .22 would be, other than the fact that the 17 hmr would give you a more accurate round to the noggin at further distances.

But are you suggesting that a 17 hmr to the body would do the trick? I kinda didn't want to have to take the AR route (don't want to bother buying another gun.)

I shot 2 in junction last year. First pig ear holed at 50 yards. Bang, flop, dead. Group ran a bit. Second shot was hurried and hit pig dead in the shoulder in line with the leg. Bang, squirm a bit and dead.

Ive be a .17 fan since it came out and owned one about that long. I like it better than 22mag. Its been more accurate and deadlier than a 22 mag for me out to a ranged 238 yards

I only shoot 17grn v-max in mine