Thread: A good calibre on pigs

Bumped into the farmer whos land I go shooting on yesterday, he was saying he is having some pig problems on his land. They come out of the forest on his boundary at this time of the year and root up his paddocks.

So, god help me, I dont want to buy yet another rifle, but as I have spent my life on small game, I really dont know the best calibre for knocking over pigs at I guess up to a couple of hundred metres if needed.

I have a few ideas, but would be interested in hearing what others use and think is good for the job. They wont be shot for food, it is pest control (cause Im not carrying the heavy fuckers a couple of kms out to the road). He does have from time to time deer and goats, so if I do decide to purchase, it should be pretty universal.

Realistically, it may not be worth the cost yet to do, I see to scope the place out for activity yet. But would like to do a cost analyses.

Thanks for any ideas, info, tips from members of our great community here.
Cheers

You don't need anything special, a standard bush hunting setup will do the job. .308 or similar calibres will knock them down dead and cover goats and deer as well.

It's definitely worth the effort and time to gut and carry the boned out carcass to the ute.

Wild pork is delicious

What do you currently have? .223 with barnes or partitions, a 243 or 250 with anything and any larger calibre is more than enough.

Whatever you use on pigs just remember "big is best"...30 30 fucks pigs up, I use a .375 Win cos it fucks them up even better...if you not gunna carry a pig you probably not gunna carry a deer so now you will have to invest in a quad...doesn't really matter what gun you buy cos if it don't work out you can always sell it on this site...cheap

.270 or any of the .30 cal will be more than adequate suppressed even better.

Do you currently have a centre fire rifle? If yes then just use that as you will be comfortable shooting it. Just be weary if it's a small caliber on large boars. The shield on a large boar can stop effective penetration from 223 bullets.

I hit an average sized boar in the neck with 308 168gr sierra matchking. It was pretty close at 15yards or so but those copper jacket hollow points do the job a treat. It blew a huge exit hole and he dropped like a sack of spuds.

Sent from my ELE-L09 using Tapatalk

Bigger is better when it comes to pigs, unless head and neck shooting.

Pigs hate being shot and don't stand up to it. What this means is that most any centrefire 222 and up is ok.
Don't shoot big boars if you can choose a smaller pig as they will likely be tough, smell and a hard carry. Really only good for bragging.
Shoot pigs in the head using the ear as an aim point. Pigs have short necks and their heads don't move much while you get lined up.
If you cant shoot the head then hard behind the front leg is OK. The neck is ok as well but not too close to the shoulder or meat will be ruined.
Gut and cool quickly. When home do skinning cuts on the ground and free the neck skin, then hang up by the nose and split the skin down the back bone. Pull the skin off in two halves. They only need a one day hang before bagging and freezing

Buck shot inside 60m
I see you said out to 200m - farmer mate shoot many back in 70-80's with 222

Wot you got in centerfire calibers already?

I'm sure we'll find summat suitable, unless they're all .22's.

Originally Posted by Phil_H

Sounds like we may be shooting in almost neighbouring farms under the forest there @Mr Browning.

While I am re-enforcing my pig trap before I dare take on the sizeable boar we have coming out of the forest I was contemplating going and sitting up in the paddock Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and night - yes, the cheeky buggers are even coming into the paddock during the day since we have had the lockdown.

Choice of calibre for me is going to be .308 as that is the largest and most effective calibre I have. But on that note, I was going to try and get rid of some of my factory rounds that I have sitting around, namely:
Winchester 180gr Super-X Power Point
Hornady 150gr SST
Hornady 165gr Whitetail
Hornady 178gr ELD Match

My guess is that any of these will be effective but does anyone recommend any round more suitable for the task than the others?

And different to you @Mr Browning, I am fortunate to be in a position where I can get the four wheel drive and trailer up to the paddock so will be retrieving anything and everything that we either shoot or trap....I know the farmer is definitely looking forward to her share of the bounty.

Cheers
Phil

all of those should be fine I personally wouldn't use sst's on anything as they have a bit of a reputation for blowing up but others may disagree

We have had the same problem on our farm for about 15 years now, I have always used a 223. Short action for quick cycling, reasonably quiet when suppressed and unless you are taking shots over 200 yards or targeting a big old stinky boar with a thick shield, it will kill them fine. If you do come across a bigger one neck and head shots will still work. They are often in good sized groups so you want to be able to shoot, reload and acquire a new target quickly with whatever you choose. Any caliber of equal of greater killing power than even 222 will be fine if you are confident with it in my experience. Hope that's helpful, I certainly feel your friends pain, the little buggers can absolutely destroy good paddocks in no time!

Avoid 223 , tits on a bull when it comes to shooting pigs reliably , seen a good few fuckups with 223 vs boars , I carted a sawn off bolt action 12g around for years or a 3030 but they were for bailed pigs , just get your self a 308 some heavier rounds and be done with it mow them down at any sensible range or if you wanted something old school how about a 44mag or something along those lines .