mchughcb
Well-Known Member
They are much tougher if they are covered in caked on mud.
What bullets for a Boar in a .30 06 Double Rifle
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They are much tougher if they are covered in caked on mud.
just to add another tuppence worth my go to rifle for wild pigs and warthog in South Africa and Botswanna was a BSA CF2 full stocked 30/06 loaded with factory IMI (Israeli metal industries) 168gr soft point this was a very accurate round that was good on other game without the need to re sight in
WildBoarHunter
Well-Known Member
Wild boar CAN be very tough animals. Even small yearlings can run away for miles after receiving a hit, that wasn't properly placed. I'd say it's 90% about bullet placement and 10% about bullet quality. But, as it happens many times with drive hunting, bullet placement on running game can present a serious problem, especially for the hunters that are not well used to this kind of hunting. And as for the big keilers, if they're not hit in something vital by a proper caliber and bullet, you can just forget about finding them. I've been present on many trackings with tracker dogs and we rarely managed to collect them in the end. I've heard that in some countries they don't even bother to track them, because it's considered a waste of time, as the chances of finding them are small. Anyway, these are just my observations. If nothing vital is hit and we don't collect them in the first few hundred m, we usually have a serious problem finding them.
If you are having it regulated to a bullet of your choice I'd look at a long standing brand in a long standing weight, loading AND bullet type. Something that "your Grandad" might have been able to buy off the shelf and something that your grandchidren will still find on the shelf. And WORLDWIDE!
So that's something that says Winchester or Remington on the packet Id say and something "cup and core" between 165 grains and 180 grains. And that still has enough velocity to be deer legal in UK and enough weight (10 grams) to be legal in Europe where ten grams is the legal weight as 150 grains isn't 10 grams. Now whilst 220 grains might be ideal....well, problem is it is a loading that is maybe in another few years time moribund.
Hope it helps. Effectively you are looking at IMHO a 165 grain loading. It ticks the boxes on weight, velocity, availability and will give longer flat range supposedly than will a 180 grain loading.
So that's something that says Winchester or Remington on the packet Id say and something "cup and core" between 165 grains and 180 grains. And that still has enough velocity to be deer legal in UK and enough weight (10 grams) to be legal in Europe where ten grams is the legal weight as 150 grains isn't 10 grams. Now whilst 220 grains might be ideal....well, problem is it is a loading that is maybe in another few years time moribund.
Hope it helps. Effectively you are looking at IMHO a 165 grain loading. It ticks the boxes on weight, velocity, availability and will give longer flat range supposedly than will a 180 grain loading.
Don't know what cartridge was used to regulate your rifle, but my bet is a 180 grain bullet.
The Remington 180-gr RN Core Lokt is the place I would start, then the vanilla blue box Federal 180 gr RN and Winchester white box 180-gr RN. I am partial to the Remington, as it shoots so well in all my .30-06s and my .30-03, and I handload the Hornady 180-gr RN to match it the Remington.
Sellier & Bellot loads .30-06 ammunition with the Nosler 180-gt Partition at a bit lower velocity than the Remington, but double rifles have long barrels and enough velocity without hot pressures, especially for shots inside 100 yards. They also offer ammo in a 180-gr RN polymer tip bonded bullet. Both are very reasonable prices, here.
The Remington 180-gr RN Core Lokt is the place I would start, then the vanilla blue box Federal 180 gr RN and Winchester white box 180-gr RN. I am partial to the Remington, as it shoots so well in all my .30-06s and my .30-03, and I handload the Hornady 180-gr RN to match it the Remington.
Sellier & Bellot loads .30-06 ammunition with the Nosler 180-gt Partition at a bit lower velocity than the Remington, but double rifles have long barrels and enough velocity without hot pressures, especially for shots inside 100 yards. They also offer ammo in a 180-gr RN polymer tip bonded bullet. Both are very reasonable prices, here.
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mchughcb
Well-Known Member
Im betting it could be any, if it's driven Boar odds are the runners will be shot too far back missing the vitals..
WildBoarHunter
Well-Known Member
That's correct. If you miss the vitals you have a lot of tracking to do. And sometimes they reach the border before you can get to them (we hunt close to the border). As for the calibers, the most popular for hunting driven boar here are 30-06 and 8×57 IS, but a lot of guys also use 7×57R, 7×65R, 7×64, 308 win... These are the most common. Some also use 270 win, 300 WM, 9,3×62 but these are allready somewhat exotic. But almost no one uses anything less than 7 mm...
WildBoarHunter
Well-Known Member
I've had one instance where a 30-06 bullet didn't penetrate. The hit was in the shoulder. The bullet was 150 gr RWS ID Classic. Too fast and too soft and so it opens up too much and as a result, can't penetrate adequately. You can see over-expanding on the pics. In such instances with bullets like these, total fragmentation of the bullet is possible. This one retained about 60 % of it's original weight. Very good shock efect though. Exit wound is prefered as it is very hard to track them if there's no blood trail. Especially with larger boar. I've had cases where the bullet penetrated and there was an exit wound, but still, amazingly there was no bleeding. The bleeding is stopped by the fat, mud and bristles.
I'm now using 308 win as there's not much difference between the two, apart from recoil. If you hit vitals it put's them down as quickly as 30-06 and if you miss the vitals you have the same tracking ahead of you. It is generaly best to hit them in the first third of the body. That usually brings them down very fast. Also spine shots (if the spine is broken, if the shot goes near the spine and the spine itself is not broken, they just fall and then after some time get up and get away and you never see them again)... So head, neck, shoulder or spine if you want a quick fall. With shots behind the shoulders they sometimes run for another 100 - 200 m. The worst are hits too far back or in the legs. It's very hard to find them in those cases. A lot of boar that we get have previous gunshot wounds and they just survive them. It's quite extraordinary.
I just now inheritated a rifle from my grandfather. It's an original military Mauser chambered in 8×57 IS. I'm gonna change the trigger and install a side safety and then I just need a riflescope with a wide field of view and then I'm all set up. This caliber is the king of driven boar hunting if you ask me. Managable recoil and heavy, tough, slow and wide bullets, that make excellent wound channels and exit wounds.
I'm now using 308 win as there's not much difference between the two, apart from recoil. If you hit vitals it put's them down as quickly as 30-06 and if you miss the vitals you have the same tracking ahead of you. It is generaly best to hit them in the first third of the body. That usually brings them down very fast. Also spine shots (if the spine is broken, if the shot goes near the spine and the spine itself is not broken, they just fall and then after some time get up and get away and you never see them again)... So head, neck, shoulder or spine if you want a quick fall. With shots behind the shoulders they sometimes run for another 100 - 200 m. The worst are hits too far back or in the legs. It's very hard to find them in those cases. A lot of boar that we get have previous gunshot wounds and they just survive them. It's quite extraordinary.
I just now inheritated a rifle from my grandfather. It's an original military Mauser chambered in 8×57 IS. I'm gonna change the trigger and install a side safety and then I just need a riflescope with a wide field of view and then I'm all set up. This caliber is the king of driven boar hunting if you ask me. Managable recoil and heavy, tough, slow and wide bullets, that make excellent wound channels and exit wounds.
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i have owned a couple of doubles in 30 06 & always found Woodlieghs the best. If you are reloading to get the best from these, you really need to find out what pills the rifles were regulated with. I would bet it's with either 180grn or 220grn RN projectiles. Woodliegh make thier RN pills closer to the old style than any others so I would start with these first before any other brand & see how they regulate.
Can't beat that real life practical experience can you mate? There are just so many "experts' with so little real life experience these days.
I shot a decent size Boar mid November that had a rather large wound most probably due to a hierarchy issues.
The wound was about 8 inches long by 3 inches deep, and not actually through to the flesh. This is how thickly covered in fat these beasts are, then there's the flesh to get through, oh and of course there's the bone that it's all built on.
This was a heart lung shot Boar at probably 40 yds and ran on a further 50 or so. No exit wounds but had smashed through the far rib cage.
I might try and post a picture one I get on the PC.
The wound was about 8 inches long by 3 inches deep, and not actually through to the flesh. This is how thickly covered in fat these beasts are, then there's the flesh to get through, oh and of course there's the bone that it's all built on.
This was a heart lung shot Boar at probably 40 yds and ran on a further 50 or so. No exit wounds but had smashed through the far rib cage.
I might try and post a picture one I get on the PC.
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