22cal Airgun for Wildboar Hunting!?

I shot a boar years ago right behind the shoulder with a 150 grain Corelok from a 30-30 at 20 yards. Complete pass through, he flopped in his tracks, laid there a few seconds and jumped up and ran full steam right at me. Another one between the eyes dropped him a few feet in front of me. That’s a hunt you don’t forget. Think hard about a .22 airgun.
 
Hi guys
I recently bought a Stoeger Bullshark and would like to know if someone has experience with shooting hogs with a 22.cal Airgun
And if it would be managable what Pellets/Slugs would you recommend?
(At 50 yds i shoot 1cm groups)
I grew up on a farm. We raised beef & hogs. I have never shot wild hogs. I have shot lots of hogs & beef on the hoof for butchering w/ .22 shorts (hogs) & long rifle for the beef cows. Those distances were sometimes measured in feet ,but could be 15yrds. The energy from shorts would penetrate the hog's skull & (usually)
stop in the brain. The long rifles (solids) would penetrate into the shoulders (not good). Remember that a .22 airgun has significant low power compared to
a .22 rimfire short. I have a Bullshark in .22 and I have taken groundhog #3 of this season w/ it at 28yrds using 18+gr pellets . I needed 2 shots . I have taken
over 200 G-hogs w/ .22 caliber airguns at ranges up to 100yrds (slugs & pellets). BUT , I would not recommend any .22 caliber gun unless it was putting out 48-50 ftlb.s with a heavy ,hard slug,under 40yrd.s something the 'Shark can't do. Some folks have done it , for sure , I just think it all has to be perfect to do so.
Just my 2 cents. Enjoy the Bullshark.
 
No.

Shoot an appropriate weapon for the game you are hunting. A .22 pellet rifle isn't it.

IMG_9270.jpeg
 
Possible yes, ETHICAL, NO!

Not even possible unless things were perfect, the hog was small and you are a world class hunter. Even then it's a dangerous long shot that will probably not end well.

Only a leaving shot to the back of the head at 30 yards or under would be a good shot. Even then the angle of entry would have to be perfect. I wouldn't try to kill a hog in a chute with a pellet gun much less walking around unrestrained.

Airtanker 22...

A buddy with a suitable weapon ready to save your azz would be wise. A pair of shin guards and heavy chaps would be handy. Maybe a few pints of blood in the freezer just in case. Load that pellet rifle up and start the cameras rolling. I wanna see it.

If it works out the first time do it again! I'll subscribe to your YouTube channel!
 
Last edited:
I shot a boar years ago right behind the shoulder with a 150 grain Corelok from a 30-30 at 20 yards. Complete pass through, he flopped in his tracks, laid there a few seconds and jumped up and ran full steam right at me. Another one between the eyes dropped him a few feet in front of me. That’s a hunt you don’t forget. Think hard about a .22 airgun.
Thanks for your incredible story i will take note of that;)
 
Not even possible unless things were perfect, the hog was small and you are a world class hunter. Even then it's a dangerous long shot that will probably not end well.

Only a leaving shot to the back of the head at 30 yards or under would be a good shot. Even then the angle of entry would have to be perfect. I wouldn't try to kill a hog in a chute with a pellet gun much less walking around unrestrained.

Airtanker 22...

A buddy with a suitable weapon ready to save your azz would be wise. A pair of shin guards and heavy chaps would be handy. Maybe a few pints of blood in the freezer just in case. Load that pellet rifle up and start the cameras rolling. I wanna see it.

If it works out the first time do it again! I'll subscribe to your YouTube channel!

I will think about it
just because i think i'm crazy enough! I will let you know😜😂
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bedrock Bob
The only shot that could work on even a small hog would be a brain shot. The problem with a brain shot with a 22 caliber Bullshark is the fpe is too low for a lot of penetration in the thick skull of a mature hog. I would want something that at least could shoot through 3/4 plywood at the distance you want to kill a hog. My P35-22 will not do this. It will only shoot through 1/2 inch of plywood or mdf. That proved to be enough for a small raccoon (under 10 lbs) and probably would be enough to kill a similar sized hog but not a big one.

I'm not recommending a 25 caliber bullshark for this either but my P35-25 will shoot through 3/4 plywood. It has significantly greater ability to penetrate hard materials. I still would not use it on any animal bigger than 30 or maybe 40 lbs and then only for a good angle brain shot. It is putting out less than 1/2 the fpe of a 22 lr. The 22 caliber bullshark will be more like 1/3 of a 22 lr.

If you really want to hunt hogs weighing hundreds of pounds you need a big bore. At least a 357 and a 45 caliber or bigger would be my choice. They are big tough animals and can do damage to you.
 
I hate to keep belaboring this point in these types of threads, but there is a significant difference between a “hog” and a “pig.” I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I strongly suggest that y’all look these words up before posting confusing comments. People read what we post in some of these forums long after many of us forget what we posted.

@Airtanker 22 It depends upon the age and size of the boar. Is there a reason you’re limiting yourself to boars or are you just a new member trying to come up with creative and meaningful posts?
 
I hate to keep belaboring this point in these types of threads, but there is a significant difference between a “hog” and a “pig.” I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I strongly suggest that y’all look these words up before posting confusing comments. People read what we post in some of these forums long after many of us forget what we posted.

@Airtanker 22 It depends upon the age and size of the boar. Is there a reason you’re limiting yourself to boars or are you just a new member trying to come up with creative and meaningful posts?
Hi thank you for the explenation first
And yes there is a reason,couple day ago when i returned to my spinner targets i noticed more wild boar tracks so i was wondering if it would be possible
 
Hi thank you for the explenation first
And yes there is a reason,couple day ago when i returned to my spinner targets i noticed more wild boar tracks so i was wondering if it would be possible
@Airtanker 22 Interesting. Before I ask my next question I’d like to be sure we’re on the same page. Do you understand that a boar is a male?
 
I grew up on a farm. We raised beef & hogs. I have never shot wild hogs. I have shot lots of hogs & beef on the hoof for butchering w/ .22 shorts (hogs) & long rifle for the beef cows. Those distances were sometimes measured in feet ,but could be 15yrds. The energy from shorts would penetrate the hog's skull & (usually)
stop in the brain. The long rifles (solids) would penetrate into the shoulders (not good). Remember that a .22 airgun has significant low power compared to
a .22 rimfire short. I have a Bullshark in .22 and I have taken groundhog #3 of this season w/ it at 28yrds using 18+gr pellets . I needed 2 shots . I have taken
over 200 G-hogs w/ .22 caliber airguns at ranges up to 100yrds (slugs & pellets). BUT , I would not recommend any .22 caliber gun unless it was putting out 48-50 ftlb.s with a heavy ,hard slug,under 40yrd.s something the 'Shark can't do. Some folks have done it , for sure , I just think it all has to be perfect to do so.
Just my 2 cents. Enjoy the Bullshark.
In a butcher shop I saw a old cow take 5 regular 22 lr rounds to skull..Head to thick, didnt penetrate..a knife finished it.. A regular youg steer a 22 lr round worked perfect.. Same applys to hogs a 6 month market hog a regular 22 lr works..Old sow or boar takes alot more.. My custom 22 cal condors will shoot 55 grain at 1050 fps.. I want more penetration than regular 22 for thick skulls or older animals..
 
You absolutely must not have such a dangerous idea. Just last month, I also bought a Stoeger .22. A few days ago, I used it to shoot 11 rabbits. If I couldn’t get a headshot, the rabbit wouldn’t die from a single shot — some of them took 3 shots to go down. You can imagine how dangerous it would be to shoot a wild boar. Not only can it not penetrate the skull, it also can’t pierce the chest. You’d only end up enraging it, and it could charge and kill you. This gun only has 32 FPE. If your .22 can push a 34-grain slug to 1000 FPS and get a headshot, then maybe it could take down a small wild boar.
IMG_1838.jpeg