I tried to open the action on the old Marlin 336 30-30 as quietly and slowly as possible. At the first little click of that lever coming out they started to spook. I went ahead and ran the gun got down on a knee and took a shoulder shot at the only broadside Hog. By the time I let the thing go this hog had faced me completely... I didn't see that. All I knew was I had hit this thing somewhere and it was on the run screaming. My stomach turned thinking I had just gout shot the thing. I ran the gun as fast as I could attempting to slam it on the run. At that moment it's backside gave out and it was spinning like a bucking bull on the ground now at maybe a football field or better.....way further away than i wanted to be, but I took the second quick shot stopping a nice 130 pound meat Sow with this actually going right where it was supposed to. Through both shoulders.( The first shot entered back on the rib cage and exited out through a real nice Ham on the same side.
It did stop it for me though I was lucky to hit some bone and no guts.) My dad bought me the Marlin( a 1982 marlin 336 30.30 made the same year I was born) when I was 12 for Deer but I never even shot more than 20 rounds out of it Until I was 26. I grew up shooting. I had shot Lots, lots, lots of bird, squirrel and Raccoon with my 22. but never anything medium size. My whole life people would ask me what hunting rifle I had and I would tell them. People would laugh and tell me that it wasn't enough gun yadda yadda yadda. I tried all sorts of ammo before the hunt worried that the old 30-30 wasn't enough gun. Come to find out with the Iron sights at 50-100 yds just regular old 150 grain core lokts or Power points shoot the most accurately.... I was kind of bummed as I had wasted a ton of money on all this Leverevolution. I couldn't control that stuff at 50 yds to save my life.... although it was by far the most effective at 200. I took the scope off the rifle and wanted the first hunt to be with the iron sights.... so I couldn't see a target with the sights at that distance. My little brother has a Glenfield Mod. 30 and he swears by 150 gr. core lokts. He's taken many Deer , no pigs though
He told me when I was leaving for the Hunt, " just take the 150s and watch the bone fly" he couldn't have been more right. I made some mistakes and was extremely nervous and jittery but I learned a lot. When the freezer gets low I'll be back out there and hopefully I can do it better next time. I think The head shot is the way to go with these Hogs.
I couldn't sleep the three nights after getting one....... 
He knows that I absolutely love that particular Rifle. Pics on the way!!!
? They just flat out never called me back, so I was never even given the chance to "qualify". People are a lot less likely to help out 27 yr old first timer as they are a 12 yr old. 
We have 1 place to go up there and it's a needle in a haystack. Would be awesome to Hunt all that land that is clearly marked otherwise all along 162. 
I've been looking at the Puma(because I can't seem to find a Marlin anywhere) in 44mag. Hopefully the Hog hunts will start to open up for me a little bit. I have just had such bad luck trying guess and chase shadows on BLM. I also don't know very many people into hunting the pigs. It's really me and a childhood buddy who had never gotten a shot off at anything bigger in our lives. He took his first hog just a week before I did with a Marlin 336 in 30-30. He bought that rifle at BIG 5 for $379 not long ago. I would say 3-4 months after we saw a huge Russian Sow taken with the Mighty 1985 in 45-70. He was asking me what hog rifle he should buy, and I recommended the 336 because that big sale was on. A 336 for under 400... He snatched it up and says he'll never buy another rifle. I was trying to show him the guide guns, but he feels just fine with what he's got. The hog he got was much bigger than the one I got. and a lot more feral looking. The one I got was on his Birthday, so he's got the fire as well. Two young guys out there running, iron sighted Marlins in 30-30. 
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