Thread: Shooting help

Hi guys, last night I was out for a bit of pest control with the thermals and put a good stalk on a big boar. Got in to about 30 metres and sat down to take a shot. My gun is a tikka .308 1/8 twist with a shortened barrel and a large suppressor, sort of like a bush rifle. So I placed my shot right behind his shoulder and it felt rock solid, super steady and I thought I had him. When I let the shot off my heart sank as I heard it thud into the dirt and the boar ran off. Gutted.



So the reason why I’m asking for advice; the gun is sighted in for 100m, so I was wondering if the shot could possible have gone low as the bullet had not met it’s apex yet? I’ve shot animals from close with that rifle before, but never as close as that, and never with a thermal scope. So basically, I want to know if I’m just a shit shot, or if there’s some visual adjustment i could make in a situation like that.


Thanks in advance, Jasper

the thud you heard was bullet hitting pig...unless you found it in dirt??? go back and have a look today,pig shouldnt have gone far. you bullet path will be below Xhair buy no more than 1.5 inches...4cm as thats how far scope is above barrel...it will touch Xhair out at about 60,be fly shit above at 70-80 than touch again at hundy.... if you held true,you didnt miss.

oh and you DO NOT sit down at 30 yards away from a big pig...if it had turned on you,you would have been easy pickings...standing you may have reloaded and hit it at pointblank range..sitting you pig tucker....sitting your bullet path will be level....pig should be dead..go have a look.take the family dog for a walk.

Have you checked the rifle is still sighted in correctly?
A heart shot animal can run 100m or so before it drops, so I second MD's suggestion of going back looking for a dead pig (and take the rifle in case you find a wounded pig!).

I agree with mr duck. One time I shot a large boar with 160grain 2900'/sec mv just behind shoulder. It took off flat out and I found it stone dead a few minutes later nearly 200 yards away. Another time on a similar big boar he rolled over instantly dead; so always check tracks. You never know the reaction. Yet another shot head on. The bullet went up a nostril and scaped around the inside of the skull. That boar ran up a 6ft bank and into heavy bracken fern. Standing on the bank I could hear him a few yards away chomping his grinders. Took several minutes before he moved where I could see him and finished him with another shot. That particular one was with a 7*57 soft point bullet, the initial nostril shot taken at around 150 yards as he faced me.

I’ll try and get back there ASAP to have a look with the dogs, the shot was solid and the only reason i gave up looking was because he didn’t squeal and there was no blood to be found, although it was pitch black and I was searching with my headlamp. I really appreciate the info guys and I’ll give an update regardless of the outcome of my search.

I’d put money on you hitting it where you were hoping. Go back for another look. Big pigs can take a bit of putting down with a boiler room shot.


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we know it was a .308....but what load???? and did you go back and find the pig???

Thank god it wasn't a 270.
Probably would have gone through, circled round, skinned and detusked it then dropped close to hand for reoading.
Maybe.

If that thud was a thunk, you have a dead Boar, you just have to find him.

So sighted in at 100 , scope x hair 4'' above centre of bore at 30mtrs , you will be well low

Originally Posted by HILLBILLYHUNTERS

So sighted in at 100 , scope x hair 4'' above centre of bore at 30mtrs , you will be well low

you say what?????

as I typed out earlier..the scope is 1.2-2" above the bore...if zeroed at 100 yards,it will cross Xhair at about 60-80 be above till it dropps back through at hundy it wont be much more than half inch high at any point. the lowest point from Xhair path is at muzzle....

Next time im down there is Tuesday if I find it ill post a picture. The bullets are 165g polymer tipped, not sure about any more than that. I’ve shot a big boar with it before from a similar distance and it dropped like a sack of shit

There will be a dead pig waiting for you, you just have to stand next to it

so the above is rough best guess with figures....and gave it 2" above bore so worst case,eg high scope mounts. as you can see the red line is bullet path,the black line at 0 is what yo usee through Xhair centre...