SmallCaliberCentral

Howdy fellas, Question about good hog hunting calibers. A couple buddies of mine went hog hunting in Georgia and Tennesee last winter and have been trying to get me to go with them next year. And they may have me convinced to go. But I was wondering if I need a better gun. I have a 270 that shoots 130 gr Nosler Ballistic tips around 2" at 100 yrds. But my buddies think I should try to get a heavier bullet for hogs. I've tried several 150 gr bullets including Partitions and the accuacy is not good. The best I've been able to get is 4 -5 " at 100 yrds. My other option is my old 45-70 loaded with some 400gr Remington Sp at around 1800 fps. It's powerful enough to smash hogs, but it's not much over a 100yrd gun. One buddy says to get a 308 and the other says a 30-06. So I don't know. I hate to buy another rifle which might not shoot heavier bullets any better than my 270. Besides after I tell my wife what the hunt itself costs, a new rifle would be out of the question. My 45-70 gives 2 - 3 " groups at 100 yrds with open sights and if I put a low power scope on it - it should print pretty good, maybe I should just try and use it. Maybe the shots won't be too far. That 1895 Marlin just kicks the heck out of me though, and I get the flinches pretty bad after a few shots. I'm not really sure what I want to do. Any advise ?

Your 270 with 130's is better than a bigger bullet at slower speed......IF....you use a GOOD bullet with controlled expansion that will penetrate. Something like a TSX.

What the 270 slightly gives up in caliber, it more than makes up for in speed.

The 270 is more than enough. If you use good bullets you can hunt pretty much anything in North America with it. Just ask Jack O'Connor. I think you've just got to find a bullet that you/your gun like. I won't ever shoot a big game animal with a balistic tip. (besides a tipped copper bullet) I killed a whitetail with a Hornady SST once and the bullet came out in two places. It killed the deer but I can see where things could have gone wrong. I don't think you'd need partitions for hogs, but I'm sure you could find lots of heavier bullets, or copper bullets for that matter as acloco pointed out.
good luck..

You may wish to consider spending a few bucks with a good gunsmith with your 270 to accurize it a bit before spending bigger bucks on a new rifle.

Sometimes, the accuracy can be improved substantially by relatively minor fixes. These might include recrowning the muzzle, freefloating the barrel, glassbedding the action, and sometimes even a thorough cleaning of the bore. There are a number of companies, in addition to qualified local gunsmiths, that you may consider. Two of the bigger companies would include Hill Country Rifle, and Shilen, but there are many others to consider.