Hunting with my MOSIN

[Slick4k]

I've got a chance to go hog hunting later this summer and I'm planning on taking both of my Mosins, a 91/30 and a M-44. I was wondering if anyone else has hunted with theirs and what loads you used? I've got a lot of PPU 150 gr soft points and alot of 174 gr. match loads that I can use but would like anyone else's experience.
Thanks for any help.
Slick4k

[ShootnMathews]

I have hunted with mine some.

I killed a doe first with Winchester white box metric loads which had a 180 grain soft point. And it was devastating on the deer. Blew a softball sized hole threw it which half of a lung and some guts fell out of as it ran about 30 yards.

Second was a coyote that I shot with some 150 grain Nosler Ballistic tip hand loads. These are 308" dia. Bullets but my gun shoots them well. The shot blew both front legs off and a softball sized hole threw it.

Last kill was a 5-1/2 year old whitetail buck at about 100 yards with the same Nosler load as the coyote. Bullet did not exit but the deer just fell down and flopped a few times.

I have some .311" 150 grain Hornady sst bullets that I'm am working on a load with for hunting. I haven't had time to work on it for a while but it was shooting around an inch. Close enough for hunting.

Here is a pic of the buck.

image.jpeg

[farmerboy78]

I used the sierra 180gr soft point over 54gr 4350...works darn good!

[Grindl]

A couple of years ago ; my Brother took a Rocky Mtn. Goat using my Archangel 91/30 , 26" barrel .
Altitude : 13,000+
Distance : Over 300 yds.
Load : 53.2gr A-4350
Bullet : 174 SMK
Up-angle of shot was about 30 degrees .
Normal bullet hole going in , and between a golf ball / baseball sized hole coming out . Goat dropped like it was pole-axed , straight down , and dead .

[ShootnMathews]

A couple of years ago ; my Brother took a Rocky Mtn. Goat using my Archangel 91/30 , 26" barrel .
Altitude : 13,000+
Distance : Over 300 yds.
Load : 53.2gr A-4350
Bullet : 174 SMK
Up-angle of shot was about 30 degrees .
Normal bullet hole going in , and between a golf ball / baseball sized hole coming out . Goat dropped like it was pole-axed , straight down , and dead .

That is awesome. I have started to use the SMK on a deer for several years but never worked up the nerve. I have read that the 30 cal bullets do well on game. One consistent thing I keep reading about ALL open tip bullets (match and hunting versions like a Berger VLD hunting) is to use a pin, needle, paper clip , or anything like that to stick in the meplat. You want to make sure there is no blockage and that the hollowness goes down to normal depth. It seems the ones that are blocked do not expand and pencil through.