What bullet and weight did you choose for boar when using a .308 ?

For many years I have only had one rifle, not counting the .22. I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt in Europe and Africa, muntjac, red deer, wild boar (driven), moose, kudu, wildebeest and oryx have all been taken with 140gr bullets from my 6.5. None ever complained.

I‘ve recently retired and used some of my pension to buy a .308. Will the game really notice a difference between 150gr and 165 or 180gr? I ask because I genuinely don’t know.
 
I've shot over 20 boar now with 100grn .243. 😉
I was on a driven Boar shoot in Hungary not so long ago with a group put together by Sika98 and one of the guys along the line from me was in a prime position. The Boar were coming down off the hill and seeing us turned across in his direction at about a good 150 yards and he just bowled them over like skittles.
It wasn't until after we'd finished the hunt that I found out that he was using a .243 with 100gn soft points as he didn't have anything bigger !!
From a static position in a high seat I have seen, only on one occasion tho, a German friend shoot a nice 80Kg boar stone dead with a .222 using 55gn bullets he had intended using for Roe but decided to pop over and visit me for a cup of coffee instead.
 
150grain Federal Powershok. Very close range.

I have only ever shot a couple. Beginners luck 4 hours into virtually my first solo stalk. They were within a few seconds of each other...they were youngsters, and the second one came back to see why her sister had laid down. Both total bang flop, they lay down touching with their noses a couple of inches apart. It took the top off the heart with both.

Alan
 
I was on a driven Boar shoot in Hungary not so long ago with a group put together by Sika98 and one of the guys along the line from me was in a prime position. The Boar were coming down off the hill and seeing us turned across in his direction at about a good 150 yards and he just bowled them over like skittles.
It wasn't until after we'd finished the hunt that I found out that he was using a .243 with 100gn soft points as he didn't have anything bigger !!
From a static position in a high seat I have seen, only on one occasion tho, a German friend shoot a nice 80Kg boar stone dead with a .222 using 55gn bullets he had intended using for Roe but decided to pop over and visit me for a cup of coffee instead.
Ouch, so he broke their law then? Minimum is 6.5mm and so&so Joules "I am a spoilsport".
 
Ouch, so he broke their law then? Minimum is 6.5mm and so&so Joules "I am a spoilsport".
Yep, he sure did but nobody could tell the difference as the Boar went down with his bullets the same as being hit by any other bullet.
It was the same as some of the Germans using 147Gn bullets with the point ground down just enough to show the lead, I didn't ask where they came from but I recognised the metal container that they came in ;)
I used to use .22lfb hollow point to shoot rabbits, also verboten and not available in Germany at the time but available in UK.
Whenever I went back to UK on leave, .22 was rather more difficult to get then, they were almost rationed, so I got all my mates in UK that had .22 to get me their allowance and brought it back to Germany ;)
 
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Hi there

Anything 150grn or above for a nice rested shot where you can be confident of accurately bullet placement. As things go mobile you should be looking at the hard hitting round you can muster. I’ve only once used my .308 on driven and I used 180’s. Personally though if driven, I’ll always use a 9.3.

FN
 
The last boar I shot at night here at home was about 90kg. Dropped to a behind the ear shot. When i skinned it, it was the fattest boar I've ever shot with a thick layer of outer fat and well coated on the inside. For a not fully mature boar it had the start of a gristle shield developing over it shoulder area. In a couple of years he would have been a boar that you would not stop with a .243 or a soft .308 bullet on a driven hunt. Thats the type of boar I'm prepared for with my choice of ammo. That same ammo will also deal with the more common 40-50kg boar you encounter on a driven day.
 
I have used .308 for the majority of my uk boar stalking for a long time. I used to use hand loaded 150gr Swift Scirocco which were fine. Now use 165gr Accubond which are spot on. As Jagare has said, mature boar have very thick hides and shoulder shields which require a suitably tough bullet, hence my choice. Driven I use .30-06 with Norma Oryx which seem very good
 
150 g federal powershok drops them on the spot at feeding stations, never tried driven boar.
 
A standard factory-loaded .308W deer-legal bullet will be just fine, in my view, and I see no reason to have a different bullet for Boar. So that is what I take, when I spent another fruitless evening in my high-seat waiting for Boar....
 
I've shot 2 and both took 165 grain sst stone dead same round I use for deer havent had any complaints off anything one was neck shot one was heart shot
 
Biggest challenge with wild boar is huge range is size from a young yearling weighing 20kg, up to a good sized Keiler weighing 150 kg plus. I have shot a few pigs now and used my 7x65r with 173gr ID Classic or H-Mantle Bullets - they work very well - penetrate but also cause massive damage internally which puts pigs down. The H-Mantle is the preferred bullet of all my German Hunting friends as they kill quickly. And especially on driven hunts they want a quick kill on a keiler, as a wounded keiler can go berserk and take dogs and beaters once wounded. I have also used the 150gn Fox monolithic bullet - similar good effects.

The 308 or 30-06 is a very common hunting calibre in Germany on Boar and they work very well. And the H-Mantle is the preferred bullet, failing that a reasonably tough heavy for calibre bullet is what's needed. Many hunters will carry two types of ammo - especially when sitting up in highseats - one for Big pigs, and one for Roe, and small pigs. A really tough bullet is not ideal on smaller animals. Most are shot within 100m, and change in point of impact between bullet types is usually minimal and well with Minute of Animal.

But underestimate how tough the hide on a Wild Boar is - think rubber tyre type tough. And the shoulder plates are also really tough. And the kill zone is lower down and well forward so you really have to go through this to put a pig down. The other point of aim is behind the ear through the neck - again this is tough.

There is also a huge difference between shooting a pig from a highseat during last or first light, to shooting one on a driven hunt or under the moon. With the first you can pick and choose your shot. On a driven hunt or at night much less so.

Most of Europe is now going lead free and on boar a good monolithic bullet is ideal for the bigger ones - the challenge is that they can pencil through the little ones.
 
150 Gr Winchester PP`s

I have shot HEAPS using a single barrel Baikal .12G with ssgs ,solids and even 2`s when hunting heavy lignum walking dry watercourses in the dry season.
Walk the course and smack them as they jump from the shade.
 
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