I will comment in the capacity of someone who has hunted with buckshot for over 20 years, and taken maybe 20-25 whitetail and mule deer with the stuff.
*disclaimer: I haven't hunted hogs, but I hear they can be tough to anchor, and thick skinned*
I would NOT hunt hogs with buckshot if I had any choice. Individual "00" pellets would be considered "squirrel rifle" ammo if fired from a muzzle loader due to their low individual energy and poor tissue disruption. They do little more damage than a .22lr. The key to clean buckshot kills is to be close enough to put 4 or more pellets into the heart/lung/shoulder of a deer. This gives a max range of 25-30 yards for the 9 pellet "traditional" load, up to a maximum of 40 yards for the 18 pellet 3.5" stuff...IF IF IF the deer offers you a broadside shot. Not all pellets will fully penetrate even an adult north country doe, let alone a buck.
Now deer aren't considered "tough", nor are they thought to present any special penetration problems. Pigs are reportedly tougher and made of tougher to penetrate hide, muscle, and bone. I suspect they might not make it through to the far lung of a big hog, especially from quartering angles or longer ranges.
I do not think buckshot is a good choice here, and if I had to use it I would prefer to keep the range to about 20 yards, with "000" (.36cal/9mm) of at all possible.
*disclaimer: I haven't hunted hogs, but I hear they can be tough to anchor, and thick skinned*
I would NOT hunt hogs with buckshot if I had any choice. Individual "00" pellets would be considered "squirrel rifle" ammo if fired from a muzzle loader due to their low individual energy and poor tissue disruption. They do little more damage than a .22lr. The key to clean buckshot kills is to be close enough to put 4 or more pellets into the heart/lung/shoulder of a deer. This gives a max range of 25-30 yards for the 9 pellet "traditional" load, up to a maximum of 40 yards for the 18 pellet 3.5" stuff...IF IF IF the deer offers you a broadside shot. Not all pellets will fully penetrate even an adult north country doe, let alone a buck.
Now deer aren't considered "tough", nor are they thought to present any special penetration problems. Pigs are reportedly tougher and made of tougher to penetrate hide, muscle, and bone. I suspect they might not make it through to the far lung of a big hog, especially from quartering angles or longer ranges.
I do not think buckshot is a good choice here, and if I had to use it I would prefer to keep the range to about 20 yards, with "000" (.36cal/9mm) of at all possible.