Minimum Calibre ???

Bestman

Well-Known Member
I was surprised to read this in Pete Moore's Mauser review in October's Sporting Sports.

"Personally I would go for one of the larger options as 308 seems unlikely to be considered boar legal over here".

I hope he's not talking about the UK as I have just got a .308 with a view to using it on boar at a latter date.

Anyone have any ideas?
 
A .308 is perfectly cable of accounting for Wild Boar.
I use 180gn normally but I have used, and known of others also, to use 150gn bullets.
I have also seen a 9.3 hit a Boar and it ran into the guy next in line who promptly despatched it with his .308 :rolleyes:
 
minimum cal boar

EMcC said:
A .308 is perfectly cable of accounting for Wild Boar.
I use 180gn normally but I have used, and known of others also, to use 150gn bullets.
I have also seen a 9.3 hit a Boar and it ran into the guy next in line who promptly despatched it with his .308 :rolleyes:
Does the cry "My bird sir!" go up ? :lol: :lol:
 
As the guns were stood apx 100yds apart it was obvious the Boar belonged to the .308 owner but the 9.3 owner disputed it and said his killed it but the adrenalin/nerves kept it going :eek:
It was an absolute monster too, the Boar I mean, not the 9.3 gun owner :lol:
 
On the eurohunt scene I believe the philosophy is that bigger is better for stopping large driven beasts.

Here where the hunting philosophy with rifles is much more about precision shooting, the use of lesser firepower (.270 lesser :eek: ) is 'fine' because it would assume that shots will be placed lethally.

I'm very sure that my .308 is enough for any beast here. ;)
 
Indeed , the diffrence will be the shooting situation .
- driven shooting
- a well placed bullet from a high seat at reasonable light at about 50 meters
- a crop protection shot , after a farmer has been seriously complaing for about 2 weeks and you HAVE to do something about .

I wouldn't like to feed the moose that are killed every year in Scandinavia with the 6.5X55 . Would an average sized boar be harder to kill ? I don't think so . A 140 grain Nosler Partition out of a 6.5 will certainly kill the average ( 30/60 kg ) boar with a well placed shot . In France there is a ban for military calibers , the same law existed in Belgium , but this changed recently . Tousands of boar in these countries will be shot driven with browning Bar rifles in 270 and remington 7400 in 280 . Are these perfect ? I don't think so . The 270 with a good bullet will certainly kill larger boar with a well placed shot .
In a 270 I would use 150/160 grain bullets like Nosler Partition , Sako Hammerhead , Norma PPC Vulkan , etc .... Certainly when the boar would be driven .

When the shot frequently is less well placed . Like shooting driven boar or at a boar which is in mais or other crops every bit of advantage you can get is welcome . A bit of extra frontal ( bullet) area and bullet weight never do any harm . For driven shooting a 8mm or 9.3 mm will be excellent . The same can be used for " still " hunting .
A 30-06 will make another great round . A good 180/200/220 grain bullet will penetrate the heaviest boar and kill them .
The same for a 308 . What normal sized animal will survive a well placed 180 grain bullet from a 308 ?
In any calibre , stay away from those soft bullets when the game would be larger . Use Partitions , Hammerhead , Super Hammerhead , Barnes X , Vulkan , Oryx , RWS EVO , TIG , TUG , DK , etc ....
In Europe the Brenneke TIG and TUG have always been very popular . This has a reason .
 
I have to correct myself a bit . The brenneke bullets have always been
( made ??? ) loaded by RWS . Both TIG and TUG are very popular here on the continent . Recently there came an end to the agreement between Brenneke and RWS . Brenneke still market ,under their own name , both TIG and TUG bullets . RWS now load similar bullets and call them ID Classic and UNI Classic . Both bullets are very effective on boar , but also on roe and red deer . The 30 calibre TUG will be a very clean bullet on most types of game .

About calibres for deer and boar . If somebody starts from zero , why not buying a 30-06 . This is fine for all situations . A 30-06 with quick detachable mounts and two scopes is the perfect allround tool for most conditions . One scope zeroed with a 150 grain bullet for long shots on the hill and the other scope zeroed with a 200 grain bullet for woodland and moving game . You can always start with one scope and get the second when finances get a bit better .
 
You can have an interesting debate as always over the best calibre for various quarry species but the answer to the original question is, as others have said, the recommended minimum calibre for boar in the UK is .270 so .308 is fine. You would probably be advised to get some heavier loads than you would normally use for deer.
 
I use .308 with 180 grn Norma Oryx for boar. Whilst the 9.3x62 is a great boar round don't think that a larger calibre will make up for poor bullet placement. Even with a good lung shot a boar can go 2-300 mtrs.
 
If I would have a 308 I would be the last to get another rifle . I just say , if you start from zero , why not using the worldwide accepted most allround deer/boar/antelope rifle , the 30-06 .
The 30-06 shoots the RWS 150 KS ( cone point ) as flat as the 270 ( in fact 6 mm lower at 300 meters ) and has the power to shoot heavy 200/220 grain bullets a bit faster and flatter than the 308 .
A 8x50 scope with a 150 grain bullet and a good variable ( 1.5-6 or 2.5-10 ) with a 200 grain bullet and almost all situations are covered .
 
have to ask this,

since the minimum uk recommended caliber for boar starts big (.270) does that mean there's hope for hunting with a 50 cal possibly???

Lets face it, 650gr might just nip the beast a bit.

dream on roe :rolleyes: i know
 
Hi Roe steak
I use a .375 for boar and my old mate John D M when he was in the UK had a .458 ok'd for boar so you never know???? :lol: :lol:

Wayne
 
A 458 is great if you are the same size as John D M but if you are a much lesser mortal like me you would need a gun bearer to carry it! 30-06 with 180 grains has always been fine for me.
 
WAYNE DAVIES said:
Hi Roe steak
I use a .375 for boar and my old mate John D M when he was in the UK had a .458 ok'd for boar so you never know???? :lol: :lol:

Wayne

I'm starting to think my .308 needs a big brother :D good info Wayne
 
It`s not that big Cornishman, I just liked shooting it, especially my style of pig hunting "up close and personal" and with 520 grain soft points, pig never ran far.
They don`t like it up em Capt Mannering :lol: :lol: :lol:
P.S. I tried to con Kim into carrying it one night, she told me where to get off and she was happy to carry the lamp. Can`t get the staff nowadays tut tut.... But @ 20 mnths old Samuels looking like he`ll be carrying it or me soon :eek:
 
Kim knows best but you know that because she tells you so.

Shall think of you next month when Blaser 3006 and I are out and about on your old patch.

Best to you all

Eric
 
I use 30.06 with 150grain rounds on the pigs down under. 308 or 30.06 is the fairly standard round most hunters would use. Some use lighter rounds, others heavier. Larger calibre rifles are usually better especially when the swine's have been enjoying a filthy mud bath and have an inch or rock hard dry mud all over them! YUK! The pic's I put up just before are of a 80kg boar taken with a .257 roberts which was a headshot. Another mate belted a small one at 30kg with a .223 and it dropped straight away.

Otherwise, if your chasing one on a 4wd, get close to them and hit them with a shotgun (second pic from before) or 30/30.
 
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