.243 enough for Boar?

Thank You!

This has made for very interesting and thoughtful reading ... I especially like hearing both sides and the cautions.

Ed: I have looked at the catalogs and the Hornady folks make a 100gr BTSP that they make a point of distinguishing as a hunting bullet and not the next weight up in their varmint line.

Thanks again,
Saands
 
Just my two cents.
I kill between 25 and 50 feral hogs every year. I use a .375H&H. Never had a penetration problem. I'll say this about the lighter 6MMs and such We seldom kill a really big hog who hasen't been shot some time in the past. Many of them have bullet wounds healed over in there shields. A hog shield is something that should be seen to be believed. I've dug bullet fragments out of their side many times I even found a mostley intact .25 cal nosler once didn't make it through the shield. So here is my take on this bullet placement is highly overrated. And here's why, a man cannot acuratley place a bullet on a running hog in the brush. You can put it in the front half but I dare say that you can't reliably call your shot within 6 inches in those circumstances. So my theory is to use a round that'll penetrait all the way through from any angle and hit the good stuff.
Last year we had a guy come down with his 25-06. After warning him that his gun may be a little light for our style of hog hunting (walking the brush for em) he informed us that he only made head shots. Well to save you the gory details he was sent over a hill to look for hogs after a few minutes we heard five shots in rapid sucession. After a few moments of reflection my partner looked over at me with a sly grin and said think all five of them was head shots.
A 243 is to light for big hogs. Unless your going to be hunting them from a stand and bait and can really pick your shots.
 
H&H hunter,

I'd like to do some of that type of hunting for big hogs. What state are you talking about? I'm planning another hog hunt soon so you've definitely piqued my interest.

Patrick
 
http://www.federalcartridge.com/andex2.html

Federal makes a 100 gr nosler partition that should have no penetration problems.I have shot two hogs ,both with the 308.One
was a nosler ballistic tip and the other was with win fail safe.Although pigs are generally A little thicker than deer,I don't really
see any great concern for a larger caliber than the 243 with proper bullet selection.I would bet the gentleman that h@h hunter
was talking about was either a lousy shot or was using the wrong bullets.I know several guides in the south that have farms set
up with bait and they have clients come in on a daily basis to hunt.They tell me with a proper hit that most any cartridge will do
in the .243 class up provided the bullet's are selected correctly.For what it is worth a hogs anatomy is a little different than
white tail deer. The vitals are a little more forward of the shoulder thus requiring a forward hold.
 
Agree with Ed. For up close and personal stuff I do like heavier guns. For popping them from stands and the California stalks, shot placement gets the first nod - with high SD and tough bullets.

Giz
 
This thread reminds me of a hunt some 38 years back. I had skipped school with some buddies to do some hog hunting just off US1, south of Jacksonville Fla, in Palm Valley.

We would up being hunted by a BIG hog. What a surprise when he charged out of the palmettos, and ripped my buddy's inner leg from knee to groin. We shot the hog with .30/30, a .357 Smith, and a 12 Ga with slugs. He finally died. My buddy almost died too. We held his artery closed off inside his leg with fingers, while rushing him to the hospital in Jax Beach.

Personally, after hunting hogs in Florida, Tenn, Ga and Virginia for over 40 years, I think that a .243 is not enough gun.

I have another good hog story concerning a certain diabolic porker up in Bottomless Bay, north of Mcclenny Florida. That one almost punched my ticket. Thank goodness for Mr. Bill Ruger's fine .44 Mag three screw Blackhawks, and the fine folks that made 2400 powder.
 
Having never hunted hogs, what do I know?

I'm just thinking that hog can run 25+MPH - I can't = :eek:, hunt them in fairly thick cover & I'd want something to break 'em down pretty toot sweet. To heck with killing one - I'd want to stop it & then worry about killing it.

.243's a sweet thang, no doubt, but I'd be thinking along the lines of a .308 or 12 ga/slugs.

Deer/elk run quite a ways when "dead" - but they run the other way - not at me. :p

.243 from a stand would work for me, but "in the bush," .... ? maybe stilts? ;)
 
Not to chage the subject, but what about a 25.06? I've been invited to do a little "hog erradication" on a Texas lease this spring, 25.06 is the only thing I have.
 
The .243 or .25-06 are great for open country or when hunting from stands. But when hunting in the brush I think you will need a more compact, faster gun.

A Winchester Model 94 Ranger Compact chambered in .30-30 would be better as you can come on to a target really fast and pour a lot of repeat shots quickly into a moving target.

http://www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/md94/m94_rangercompact.htm

A pump-action shotgun loaded with slugs may be good too. Perhaps one of those rifled shotguns with the sabot loads....
 
Salt,
I don't dis- agree that your choice of a 94 30-30 is a bad choice,I think it is a excellent choice!!!!!.I do however dis-agree that
you have chosen it for the wrong reasons.

First of all bolt action guns can be just as fast as a lever action gun with deliberate practice.It takes a little more technique to
manipulate the bolt. Once you get the basics down and practice it you will be just as fast.I have been to classes that teach
general rifle techniques.At these classes you see bolt guns and lever actions being operated in field like enviroments.At the
beginning of the class the guys with lever guns start out being a little faster but by the end of the week with lots of manipulations
and repetitions with the bolt ,the guys with the bolt guns are every bit as fast as the lever guys.

Second,caliber selection has no bearing on "brush guns".

Brush guns should be light and handy.Remington makes a model 7 that is about 1 pound lighter and has the same barrel length
as a 94 winchester.Bolt gun's with it's one piece stock design and less moving parts in the action makes the bolt gun a better
choice in the brush because it will withstand the elements better and is more rugged.

I think a lot of people are under the impression that a heavier round nose bullet will break through the brush better.This is pure
BUNK!Even a 50 cal bmg if hit by a branch will be deflected off course enough to completely miss the target.I have conducted
test in the field with caliber's from 223 up to 12 gauge slug placing targets at various distances past brush obstacles and found
that all of the caliber's deflect.Another thing that these test showed was that bullets regardless of shape or ogive will turn
sideways when hit by branches.

I like lever guns for certain things.It's flat design lends itself particularly well for storage in a vehicle or gunrack.It also comes in handy when mounting on a scabbard.I just feel that the
bolt action gun in many circumstances is a better choice.
 
I'll definitely second the notion that one should not use a varmint bullet in one's .243 when chousing after Mr. Hoggus Feralus. The usual "However," is the situation. If you're sitting in a stand, and can take an eye or heart shot with any certainty, the .243 will do just fine.

If you're working thick cover, a bone-breaker of a cartridge is better--and one which can break bone no matter what angle you hit that hog.

Whole-hog recipe: First, gut and skin hog. (Actually, first, acquire hog.) Next, build a fire pit and a second fire. When fire burns down to coals in pit (We're talking deep in coals, here), spread about an inch of dirt on the coals. Cover with roofing tin. Put hog on tin. Put more roofing tin on top of hog. Put maybe an inch or two of dirt on tin. Cover with coals from second fire.

Kick back, drink beer, pick guitar until hog's ready to be loved by you. Much better than any of Dimmy Jean's Puke-Poor SausLinkages down at the Hoggly Woggly Feed & Seed Emporium!

:), Art
 
Art, that sounds like a hell of a recipe. How long would you estimate that hog should sit wrapped up in foil? (it doesn't sound like a particularly convenient arrangement for checking it too often) Four hours? Eight hours? I prefer game meat to be well done.
 
Best as I recall, it was somewhere after six hours or so.

Checking on "doneness" is a two-fella job. One guy lifts up the cover-tin with a shovel. The other takes an old piece of plywood for a heatshield to kneel down and do a quick check.

The "Designated meat-checkers" should refrain from over-indulgence in beer. Don't burn the cook!

Art
 
Ca Dept Fish and Game does not recommend .243 for any pig over 90lbs. They have a downloadable guide to pig hunting on their website. It is quite informative, even includes recipes.
 
243 for Pigs: No worries!

I've hunted our little porcine friends up in the Northern Territory with my trusty 223, no problems at all. It's taken out pigs up to around 150 kgs+ which is okay for that calibre, so a 243 should hack it no problems. I've even used a .45 for sneaking up and knocking off sleeping pigs from around 3-4yds, that's even better fun!:D
If you are using a 243 in the usual sort of country that you find pigs, you wont be shooting over any more than about 100 yds, more likely less, around 30 - 50yds or so. You'll more than likely be hunting in company, so you can backup with a shotty loaded with SG's if need be, that'll stop anything!
Johnno;)
 
Well Mason, I never said that a round point bullet, or any bullet would deflect brush.

My point was that the range of engagement in brush country will be rather close and that the targets will be moving.

One needs a fast handling firearm for the brush and a lever-action carbine is better for such fast action than most bolt-action rifles.

Most bolt action rifles are built for long range precision rather than fast handling. Some bolt rifles are as short as the Winchester M94 Rifle, but they are not as compact as the M94 CARBINES like the Winchester M94 Ranger Compact.

Most people can operate a lever gun faster than a bolt, though it is true that one can practice with a bolt gun to match the speed of a lever gun.
For the average guy though I would recommend a lever carbine for fast handling in brush country as the shots will be close and moving fast.

All in all though the best option may be a pump-action shotgun with slugs or buckshot.
 
Salt,sorry !I think I read into your last post something that was not there.When I read your post "the .243 or .25-06 are great
for open country or when hunting from stands. But when hunting in the brush I think you will need a more compact, faster gun."
I thought you where suggesting that the caliber's where not good for brush hunting.My mistake!!!!

I cant argue about your choice for a pump shotgun other that the fact it is extremely heavy!
 
One problem with this sort of discussion is the hunter's intent. If you're after tasty meat, shoot a shoat of 40 to 60 pounds; most any cartridge will do.

If you're sport-hunting for full-grown feral hogs or Russian mixes, larger cartridges make life a bit safer. Up close and personal with a wounded hog isn't the place for ribbon clerks.

If you're a rancher who's fed up with hogs killing your lambs or kids--as in baby goats--or a farmer who's fed up with hogs making a field appear as though an insane backhoe operator went bonkers, a .22 rimfire in the guts will do. He doesn't care about "sport", ethics or fair play. Sorta like a housewife finding a nest of spiders in her pantry.

"Situational ethics", for sure.

Art
 
Last time I went on one of these 'eradication' missions we set up bait and waited in a blind after dark. I had a S&W mod. 57 .41 mag, two other hunters; one with a 30.06 and the other carried a 12ga semi-auto with buckshot. When the smoke cleared there was definate carnage. Maybe not the most ethical way to hunt but we were there to reduce the population.
40-60 pounders definitely make the best eating. Prep with spices, jalapenos & onions, wrap in foil, put 'em in a charcoal pit for 24 hours. Damn, I need a couple more of those!
 
Ingobwetrust,
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to you. we hunt in north TX around the Childress area. We have already killed several hogs in the 300+ lb catagory this year one of which was a good boar. Who by the way took 5 well placed 150 gr 30-30 rounds all behind the shoulder and 1 30-06 before he went to the light. I'm telling you guys when your dealing with big hogs it's a different story than the little ones. Use enough gun.
 
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