Thread: A good calibre on pigs

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Reading through, the question needs asked - 'Are you a confident (as in quick on target), deadly accurate field shot ? If you can say "I am a stone cold killer, the grim reaper of rabbit killers" then a 223, 250 etc is the go but if there is going to be a bit of buck fever shakes then a 308 or 270 is where it's at. With the bigger cal even a stuffed up shot will be curtains for the pig

Good point sir. So now Im on the look out for a canon

Haha, yeah, hopefully most of it will be from a rest or bipod and not free-standing.

Moral: Dont bother with boars, they aren't good for anything anyway. shoot a 50 - 80 Lb'er

These were shot with a suppressed 223


These were shot with 300WSM two shooters

I like 222 up for pigs always try to shoot them in the head. But if you’re not confident head shooting go slightly larger caliber and put one in there engine room.

Originally Posted by Mr300WSM

These were shot with a suppressed 223
Attachment 141526
Attachment 141527
These were shot with 300WSM two shooters
Attachment 141528
I like 222 up for pigs always try to shoot them in the head. But if you’re not confident head shooting go slightly larger caliber and put one in there engine room.

Mate are you telling us the wee fella showed Dad up and bowled em all!
Yuumy yummy yummy ,I feels pork in me tummy

Originally Posted by kotuku

Mate are you telling us the wee fella showed Dad up and bowled em all!
Yuumy yummy yummy ,I feels pork in me tummy

He’s got a few more footy seasons before he can use dads boomstick

1 centerfire to do it all?

308. Decent hunting ammo is cheap as through belmont, you can get soft shooting loads, subs, big longs, whatever.
Every brand of rifle chambers for it. etc etc.

The trouble with pigs is the range in size. Most calibers will handle mob pigs under 100lb. But I can almost guarantee like 90% of hunters, when you see a mob you will not be able to help yourself in going for the biggest! Its understandable. I have seen a 180lb boar stop a .270 projectile with its shield and shoulder blade. But thats also a rare event.
Get a 6.5 of some sort ( Grendel,Creedmoor, .260 or 6.5x55) would be my advice. Its not too big, but you can use it for pigs, deer goats and maybe some small game if you wish.

over the years Ive shot pigs with .30/30 out to 150ish yards
.270 out to 250ish
.223 out to 150ish and some 140ish lb boars too
.308 at spitting range
.12ga under 30 yards
7.62x39mm
.22lr...and wouldnt do it again if had another choice.
surprisingly Ive shot more with the ,223 than any other,because it get carried more than the others...the barnes ttsx has really really changed that wee round into giant killer....
as others have said,use what you already have and if its a .224 centrefire,load it with monos....best eating meat by far is sow under 100lb and boar under 80lb....even if you only take out the hams and back steaks it is well worth the effort.

Got many a pig with a pointy stick, aka 303 bayonet on the end of a piece of hardwood, no lion cloth thou sorry.

That was many years ago and was using hard bailing dogs, biggest 191lb. It is now the most popular biking area in NZ. There will still be the odd Whaka boar around I suspect. My hunting mate was the man and is still out there doing it at 68yrs, will walk and carry better than most. Was a fantastic mentor and a better friend.

happy hunting

Originally Posted by Bill999

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happy hunting

That overlay picture always annoys me when I see it, because its wrong. The heart and bottom of rib cage are much lower down than depicted and spine also is too high. You can shoot a pig in bottom inch of chest and hit the heart still.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

That overlay picture always annoys me when I see it, because its wrong. The heart and bottom of rib cage are much lower down than depicted and spine also is too high. You can shoot a pig in bottom inch of chest and hit the heart still.

yeah the leg bones also come out of the legs haha

i shoot them in the brain, they run too far with chest shots and it wrecks all my chops

Originally Posted by whanahuia

That overlay picture always annoys me when I see it, because its wrong. The heart and bottom of rib cage are much lower down than depicted and spine also is too high. You can shoot a pig in bottom inch of chest and hit the heart still.

most people I hunt with shoot them in the same place as deer and it ends up too high in the body/neck and only hitting the muscle above the spine causing non fatal injuries and it runs off
I try to remember that the spine is in the middle of the neck and always lower than I think it should be, but yeah the only thing the heart gets is the tip of my knife so i have no idea where it is when its alive

My old man has shot at a mob of pigs running accross his backyard hill section with a semi auto 22. He thought he had missed until a few weeks later he could smell a stink . Checked it out and He had a dead pig. Size about a 50 pounder. it would have run maybe 40-50 meters from where it was shot to collapsing.