Buckshot is super effective at CLOSE range, but I am a bit doubtful of it's effectiveness at 40 yards.
Helicopter shooters are often shooting form about 30-40 FEET not 40 yards.
The problem I see with the OP's question is the issue of range. At 40 yards you must understand that even magnum shot with muzzle velocities of 1600 FPS is going to have striking velocity of only about 950 FPS. A 32 caliber ball weight only 49 grains. If you fire 9 of them it's probable that only 4 or so will hit at 40 yards. And those that do hit have a 50-50 chance at best of hitting something vital. A 49 grain ball at 950 FPS not very impressive if they hit liver, guts, one lung and so on.
Will the Hog die?
Probably.
But maybe not.
And if it does die I have some questions in my mind as to how fast it will happen, and how many will be brought to bag. Maybe that is not important, but maybe it is. Game laws in Belgium are likely to be a lot different then those in Texas.
I see the question as being parallel to asking "what is the best 30-30 load for shooting deer ---- at 600 yards?"
There is no doubt that the 30-30 is a good deer killer, but when you add the condition of being shot at 600 yards things fall apart, and the truthful answer is "none".
I am guessing the same thing applies to buck shot, hogs and 40 yards.
Now, I am talking strictly from knowledge of ammo and firearms. I am not going to be dogmatic here because in all my life, and in all the hunting I have done in many states, and in other countries, I have never killed a single wild hog.
So someone out there that has killed a lot of hogs with a shotgun at ranges of 40 yards is welcome to correct me. Real knowledge is better then theory every time.
Helicopter shooters are often shooting form about 30-40 FEET not 40 yards.
The problem I see with the OP's question is the issue of range. At 40 yards you must understand that even magnum shot with muzzle velocities of 1600 FPS is going to have striking velocity of only about 950 FPS. A 32 caliber ball weight only 49 grains. If you fire 9 of them it's probable that only 4 or so will hit at 40 yards. And those that do hit have a 50-50 chance at best of hitting something vital. A 49 grain ball at 950 FPS not very impressive if they hit liver, guts, one lung and so on.
Will the Hog die?
Probably.
But maybe not.
And if it does die I have some questions in my mind as to how fast it will happen, and how many will be brought to bag. Maybe that is not important, but maybe it is. Game laws in Belgium are likely to be a lot different then those in Texas.
I see the question as being parallel to asking "what is the best 30-30 load for shooting deer ---- at 600 yards?"
There is no doubt that the 30-30 is a good deer killer, but when you add the condition of being shot at 600 yards things fall apart, and the truthful answer is "none".
I am guessing the same thing applies to buck shot, hogs and 40 yards.
Now, I am talking strictly from knowledge of ammo and firearms. I am not going to be dogmatic here because in all my life, and in all the hunting I have done in many states, and in other countries, I have never killed a single wild hog.
So someone out there that has killed a lot of hogs with a shotgun at ranges of 40 yards is welcome to correct me. Real knowledge is better then theory every time.