Thread: A good calibre on pigs

Originally Posted by Flyblown

They never run off wounded if you shoot them properly. With pigs, no question about it in my mind, the best way to kill them is to shoot them in the head. Big boars or fat heavy sows can take a fairly sizeable hit from a .30 cal and squeal and carry on and still run like fuck on 2 and a half legs. You have to nail the CNS. Lessons I’ve learned over the years is the mob is going to hurtle for cover at the first shot, it’s very hard to get onto subsequent pigs unless you’re somehow set up for driven style shooting and can intercept them on the run. Even shooting them over bait it’s hard to get more than one or two.

Hands down the best way to improve your tally is to target the largest sow with weaners and piglets in tow. Anchor her on the spot, don’t let her utter so much as a squeal. A head shot will have her down and thrashing on the spot, confusing young pigs, and some may not run very far, or if they do, they come back for a look. Even better is to have two guns on a countdown, to drop the two largest adults so the young don’t follow the next in charge into cover.

Pigs are a complete bastard to target in open paddocks because they behave differently to goats and deer, much more inclined to hit the gas pedal and not look back. And then stay away.

Great comments and information, thank you sir.

Originally Posted by Mr Browning

Great discussion, thank you for all the replies, tips, hints. The knowledge you guys posses is second to none, thank you.




No, currently I dont have a centre fire, but I have fired plenty over the years, so consider myself very comfortable with them to the point it is fucking enjoyable lol, is that wrong?. Not in my possession is my Dads old 303, its in storage in Invercargill, not sure its still shootable anyway.



Currently posses a shotgun, but no centre fires in my armory. Im hoping in some respects, if I get one, it will cover all.



It doesnt seem to be the "in" calibre anymore, but yes, whats wrong with one.



Yes, taking someone with me is an opinion, in fact hopefully I will. It should be down hill over farm land, maybe I can chuck a rope on it and ride it down lol.

Farmer very much wants them gone, I agree, wild pork is great, I grew up on it. But when you dont have the tools and means to pack it out, it is limiting what you can do about it. It might also be night time shooting.


Now, I was considering months ago to get a 243 to do some long range work on rabbits and hares, kind of glad I held off, it may be a little light on the big stuff.

Thanks again.

Cheers

Seems to me that 243 would cover it, usual caveats of good bullet placement applying.

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

I have seen a pig taken from Pureora Forest with what appeared to be a 30-30 projectile buried deep in the shield along with 6 .22 projectiles...all historic wounds...he was a gnarly old bastard but one behind the ear stopped him.

@Mr Browning. I would highly recommend you consider this in 308.
https://www.huntingandfishing.co.nz/...rifle-309.html

I set up one of these for a tyro using rem 150 grain corelokt. Sub 1/2 moa at 100m. Very good value for money . Just check action screws are both 50 " lbs and all scooe base screws are tight. These shoot extremely well. Floating bolt head and great adjustable trigger

Anything from 243 upwards with good constructed bullets. When I was culling second day on the job I run into a big boar about 25 yds below me, I hit him with a 50 gr Sako factory round in the ear hole and he dropped but stood straight back up so he got another in the Same place , this time he stayed down but was struggling to get up so I shot for the heart and that finish him. I have also seen a big boar take a 222 50 gr Sako in the shoulder as we were spotlighting one night. That boar never even dropped a step and kept on running never to be seen again, the shot was perfect as we seen the dust fly off a centre shoulder shot. 222 etc work but there are a lot better, a 308 with a good 150 gr bullet would see you right.

As has been said, a plane jane 308 will see you right. Unless you specifically want something a bit unique then there are options there too. But maybe not the ammo choice.

Originally Posted by mimms2

...obviously not!

Perfectly placed but inadequate caliber.

A hit with 243 for better in the place the bullet hit would have resulted in a dead pig, the 222 in this case failed.

You have a center fire. The 12 gauge. Solids good to 100+ a bit more. Semi option and no boar shield will stop those ounce loads. If you can line up 3 or 4 pigs it will go through them all. No 223 will do that and if they run a shotty is better than a rifle. Pigs disappear in thick stuff and light calibers are precision calibers. Good in the day not so good in a spot light when things are blurry and you need to hit the big bit. 22 calibers were designed to shoot vermin like rabbits. They do it well . Bigger calibers were designed to shoot bigger game. Was out shooting a week or so ago and there were a few goats about. One joker had a 7-08 and another a 223. Guess what one with chest shots and some not so good shots at moving targets dropped them the best and made a real mess of them?! 6mm + and do the job properly. friend who shoots more rounds in a year then most do in a life time has been thermaling pigs for farmers said his 308 using a lighter load of 150bt's seems better than his 6.5cm for on the spot dropping

Best way to kill a pig, shoot it in the head. .223 works just fine even on big boars

A friend shot his first pig with his 300 winmag when we were looking for deer 140 lb or so boar at 150 meters hit it just behind the ears, damn near blew it's head off, and bloodshot the meat right back to the end of the shoulders.
So it is possible to be overgunned.

Originally Posted by mimms2

And a .22 in the right place would have bowled it

Had you been there and seen what happened you wouldn't make a comment like that. As I said earlier the 222 struggled with 2 well placed shots in to the head via the ear hole on another large boar, the one you seem to think a 22 with a well placed shot would have killed was also a large boar and was hit well in the shoulder, the shield obviously soaked up the small projectile and he kept on running as if nothing had happened.
Over the years I have shot a lot of animals with the 222, 223 caliber and love those rounds but there are a lot better rounds out there for pigs, why would you want to risk losing animals for the sake of using an inadequate round. Most run of the mill size animals can be handled with those smaller rounds you only come unstuck on the big ones and then only sometimes.

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

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.