Best Hunting Caliber

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crazyboi12321

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I have been shooting and hunting for a while (Handguns, Shotguns) and i dont have any rifles. I wanted to know what caliber would be best to hunt varmint (Hares, Coyote) and also be able to take down a boar. I would like one rifle to do both. I know .308 has the necessary power to take down a boar but i wanted to know how it is with recoil like how many shots before you dont even want to shoot anymore, also if it is just overkill for varmint. I dont need the hides from them. The other caliber i was thinking about was .243 but when i was doing research i was hearing that its not enough to take down a boar. Any opinions appreciated. Thanks
 
If I could only choose one it would be the reliable Springfield 30-06. It has been around forever, you can downgrade it to a varmint round or upgrade it to a light magnum.
 
Yes, a .243 is fine on pigs. It might not drop them right away with a shoulder shot, but will do the job. I've seen many pigs kill with .223's. The pigs are just as dead as if they had been shot with a .416 Rigby.

Of course, with a smaller caliber you do have to worry more about shot placement and you don't always get the immediate stopping power you do with the heavier loads.
 
Hares and coyotes won't give you all that many shots, for starters. You're not shooting from a benchrest, either. Recoil is thus much less of a problem compared to prairie-dogging or benchrest target shooting.

I started out with a 1917 '06, steel buttplate and all, as a skinny 16-year-old kid. Yeah, that buttplate got my attention, but it wasn't that big a deal. A Pachmyr buttpad on a Bishop stock cured the problem. :)

IOW, no big deal on the .308.

I'd bet that a .243 with good 100-grain bullets would work quite well on hogs, aside from those of the "el gigantico" sort. I doubt that you would get enough shots, day to day, that the cost of premium ammo would be all that big a deal.
 
I don't hunt hogs, but I have a friend who uses a 12 gauge slug when hog hunting. If you already have the shotgun and you don't mind the thump from firing a slug, your current shotgun might take care of your need for a "big-boar" gun.
Then you could get a .243 to take care of the rest of your wants. Also, although I haven't seen any reviews, I think that PTR makes an HK91 clone in .243. Maybe a semi-auto .243 could also bridge the gap (quick second shots on hogs; accurate enough for distance shooting at coyotes).

That said, I'm +1 with Hoskins and his 30-06 suggestion.
 
For me I like the...............all around do-it-all,,,,,,,,,,,rabbits,coyotes,hogs, .270 win:p There's too many to choose from:rolleyes:


ya ya yaaaaaaa!:o
 
crazyboi12321 said:
The other caliber i was thinking about was .243 but when i was doing research i was hearing that its not enough to take down a boar.
Click to expand...

The .243 Winchester will kill wild boar fine, I saw my Grandpa kill a many of them with his and my Dad is often fond of using the 6 mm Remington(almost the same as a .243 Win) on deer and hogs. It will make a good first rifle, they are as a rule accurate and have a mild recoil.

Practice with it and next thing you know, you will be hitting those hogs in the eye. ;)
 
The 260 Rem or the 7mm/08 would both be a good choice and you can get them in a more compact short action if a bolt gun suits your fancy. May be a little easier to get ammo for the 7mm/08 and it is a fantastic cartridge.
 
Nothing is wrong with the 308. It will do everything you want. Every gun maker makes a rifle in 308 and it is very easy to find ammo for it. So you can't go wrong with a 308.
 
For shooting pigs, I would think a 223 or 243 would work fine with little to no felt recoil. If you end up hunting like a large deer or elk or bear then a .270,30-06, 7mm Rem. Mag., or a 300 win mag would be MUCH better.
 
I never hunted boars, but I can't figure out why you would consider stepping down in caliber to accomidate the varmint hunting. Get enough gun for the boars, and if thats overkill on the varmints, who cares? .308 or 30-06 gets my vote.
 
Oh Hell,

Why not the good old 7X57....It's certainly got seniority...over 100 years old...has killed everything from marmots to elephants and like the Energizer Bunny, just keeps on going!!!!:)
 
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