Thread: Shotguns & pigs

What round/shell do people prefer when pig hunting in the bush with shotguns?

Cheers

Slugs.
00 buckshot is ok if they are running toward you, or from a machine(helicopter), but running away pigs are out of range very quickly.

Slugs are the go for pigs, are you hunting with dogs? I always carried a .410 with slugs when I hunted in the Tokoroa pines, more than capable of knocking over a bailed pig.

Originally Posted by Hunter595

Slugs are the go for pigs, are you hunting with dogs? I always carried a .410 with slugs when I hunted in the Tokoroa pines, more than capable of knocking over a bailed pig.

I found 410 slugs useless on good size bailed pigs, maybe the ammo, always stuck with 20 gauge slugs, never let me down like the 410's.

one has to ask why would one bother with a shotgun on pigs unless that is really all one had -- lot and lots of suitable rifles out there - buck shot will drop pigs I have shot them out of a machine with it - but the meat damage can be substantial - a good single shot with a suppressor and low power scope i.e 1.5 or 2x in well 222 223 3030 44 all will do the job accurately - nothing wrong with open sights either - without sights and lets say a 20 gauge with solids one has to be damn close for an effective shot why bother

Solid slug under 25 yards buckshot has never thrilled me at all.

Buckshot and an extra tight choke or a slug but test your setup before shooting at critters as performance can vary from ok too dismal.
Ive just developed a load for the Lyman 525 pellet slug thats showing potential
60 yards through a smooth bore / scoped Remington 870

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

one has to ask why would one bother with a shotgun on pigs unless that is really all one had -- lot and lots of suitable rifles out there - buck shot will drop pigs I have shot them out of a machine with it - but the meat damage can be substantial - a good single shot with a suppressor and low power scope i.e 1.5 or 2x in well 222 223 3030 44 all will do the job accurately - nothing wrong with open sights either - without sights and lets say a 20 gauge with solids one has to be damn close for an effective shot why bother

Used shotgun due to rifle use pig hunting was prohibited in certain pine forests at the time.

Close up ie a foot or 2 I'd probably trust a 410 slug, but they only weigh 90 or so grains and could be more of an annoyance if not put exactly in the right spot. Most pig hunters I know don't aim, with one hand poke the barrel at the pig from as close as they can get and pull the trigger. Sometimes they reload and repeat.

At under 2 meters birdshot stays inside was and enters as a ball...we shot a few bailed pigs like that...needs must etc.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

At under 2 meters birdshot stays inside was and enters as a ball...we shot a few bailed pigs like that...needs must etc.

Yes, the shot load weighs 2 to 3 times more than a slug so that's also a huge advantage

.410 solids have been mentioned...a buckshot load is far more potent in the wee gun,but still rather hohum.

I use the Winchester 00 high velocity load for pigs in tight bush & scrub. It is a more sophisticated cartridge than most of the European buckshot ammo; it has a crimp closure and 9 hardened pellets in a granulated plastic buffer to help keep the pellets from deforming.
I do careful test shooting at big sheets of paper at varying distances from 20,25,30,35 and 40 yards to understand exactly what is happening. In Remington and Benelli shotguns I've found Modified/half choke to give the tightest patterns. Tighter chokes just blew the pattern wide open.

Even the best gun/choke/cartridge combo was only reliable to 35 yards. I have got real good at estimating 35 yards in the bush. If your bush shotty has no choke ie. cylinder bore - think 20 yards.

I put nine balls through n through a young white goat at ten yards. It still ran twenty plus yards. 18 lovely holes in the skin.... It surely did not impress. The yearling red at twenty yards copped one ball in head and two in neck when in corner of paddock in spotlight. So yes it does work. But solids are more...certain.

Smoked a very big boar late one night emptying 8 rounds of buckshot via the M1.*Gutted it. On the chain. Got back in. Power on. The pilot looked at me saying WTF. It was very heavy and the machine was swaying. Relieved pilot who buttoned it. Used a tractor with a bucket to put in on back of the truck. Monstrous shield on it. Got another huge boar on a river face again with the shottie. Hooked on with out gutting. My mate flew up and around corner to drop off for gutting. Huge boom. Like a box of jelly going off. It had fallen off the chain from quite a height. Never will forget that noise.