“...and I know my .223 isn’t recommended....”
Dunno about so called “recommendations”, but a .223 loaded with 50-60 gr. Nosler ballistic tips seems to work just fine on em. It’s more shot placement than anything else. I’ve seen one guy take one with a .17HMR round right to the head and she dropped like a rock.
I know a government (Texas) trapper that runs ‘em down with dogs and sticks a knife in them.
I have a box of Remington Hog Hammer .223 cartridges - box says they are Barnes bullets. Picked them up when ammo was scarce but have never fired one.
My good buddy Phillip uses a 17HMR for hogs, squirrels,rabbits, and Turkey’s head shots to the hogs they go down like hit with lightning. For small game walk about targets of opportunity hunting I usually take a 10.5” 1:7 5.56 with full power 62gr core loc and also mags full of handloaded 55gr FMJ loaded down to 1500fps over the crono. All my ARs have adjustable gas blocks with wing nut robs I just mark the spot to cycle the light rounds vs the full powered switch over is 45 seconds to drop the mag and turn the screw. FMJ loaded light do short work on rabbits and squirrels while leaving enough meat to eat them.
I always carry Gods caliber the 10mm Auto 15+1 in my Glock been tree’d by a sounder once and 6 rounds of 44 mag was not enough to dissuade them. I recommend anyone hunting hogs to always have a sidearm with something with a 4 in the caliber.