1st time Boar hunt...caliber questions

greengt88

Well-known member
Well ive decided its time to kill a nice russian boar...never shot a boar, or anything larger than whitetails under 200lbs...
im going to this place www.boarhuntingtn.com so you can see what im after.. a woolly mammoth lol.

As far as calibers i have, a bolt action .223, 5.56 AR, a .30-30 lever, and a 12ga 3.5" pump. i know alot boils down to shot placement.

Ive considered a larger cal upper for my AR...6.5 Grendel, 6.8SPC, .450 Bushmaster etc...but it will probably not be used much, so dont think its worth the investment.
Im also undecided on an AR optic, but thats a whole other discussion.
Any advice is appreciated
 
Ive killed a bunch with a 16" 223 with heavy bullets. Even killed some 300+# boars with 62gr Gold Dots.
I always go for a SemiAuto for hog hunting. I took my R700 308 one time and regret it.
My preferred setup now is a 16" AR in 6.8SPC with 105 grain Cavity Back Bullets.

Are you goin there just to kill one hog or goin for all out war on them?
laugh.gif
 
Of the choices you listed , I would take the 30-30. Most if not all these places charge for an animal dead or wounded.

That said , all the wild pigs I've killed have been with a R700 223.
 
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All you need is your AR, shot placement is the key. If your AR is accurate and you can control your nerves on the first one, a shot to the ear is all you need. Should you not have a shot at the ear go for the base of the neck, if not, then the spine.

The shoulder is not the shot!!! Pigs have a very thick shoulder blade or plate there and you may not stop it with a shoulder hit, the pig may die but not right there.

Good luck, have fun enjoy.

Marcos (elalto)
 
I'll throw my .02 cents in; I am assuming that you will be hunting closely to a feeder, so roughly 40-60 yards out. And if you are only going to adventure out like once a year to hunt hogs I'd take your trusty lever action 30-30 but hey it's only money, right? And if you have it; build an AR platform and pick any of those calibers that you stated.

I've picked the 6.8mm SPC II but I had it laying around when I put it together for antlerless season in southern Iowa but they took that season away a few years back so it became a safe queen until I moved to Texas and I have connected with 3 so far and only have lost 1 (a HUGE sow, that I should of put another slug in her).

Good hunting and have fun!
 
A few things. One, some of those hogs look like domestic. Pick yours carefully, especially for mounting. A long nose and one that looks like it's smiling(large cutters). Don't worry as your taxidermist can put in however big you want. A .243 round just below the ear will drop it right there. A .300 win mag in the boiler room and it will run. It will die but you will go 50yds looking for it. Look for one that appears to be much bigger on the front end than the back end too.My first one looked like a tank compared to the rest.
One of my better ones. .243 just below the ear.
I have used a 12ga with a 2 3/4" Remington Copper Solid slug and killed a 394lb bear with one slug. For an over a feeder shot, it should work.
 
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Yes i did notice they had meat hogs along with the boars...i emailed them today about it...i included pics of what im after, and they said no problem they have plenty lol. There is a distinct diff between the two....i def want the long humped nose, and long fur.
 
I had considered my crossbow also, but it doesnt group well qith the needed heavy arrows, it just isnt fast enough...worthless past 20yds.
 
Originally Posted By: greengt88Well ive decided its time to kill a nice russian boar...never shot a boar, or anything larger than whitetails under 200lbs...
im going to this place www.boarhuntingtn.com so you can see what im after.. a woolly mammoth lol.

As far as calibers i have, a bolt action .223, 5.56 AR, a .30-30 lever, and a 12ga 3.5" pump. i know alot boils down to shot placement.

Ive considered a larger cal upper for my AR...6.5 Grendel, 6.8SPC, .450 Bushmaster etc...but it will probably not be used much, so dont think its worth the investment.
Im also undecided on an AR optic, but thats a whole other discussion.
Any advice is appreciated


I would go ahead and buy or build a 6.8 SPC upper for the 556. (11 twist barrel) I think once you tried it you would find that it would get used more than some of the other rifles you own. IMO the 6.8SPC AR is the best choice for hogs.

Why pay for the hunt and limit yourself to a caliber that demands perfect shot placement for the kill? What if the trophy sized hog you want to shoot doesn't turn broadside and stand still for the ear shot? Once the hog is on the move you can forget about shot placement.

It's 80% of a 308 without the recoil.


 
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I think the 6.8SPC may be the most viable option, PA is going to allow the use of Semi-Autos (5rds) this season...so i could absolutely use it for deer as well.
Any reommendations on a complete upper?
My current AR is RRA Operator 3.
 
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Originally Posted By: greengt88I think the 6.8SPC may be the most viable option, PA is going to allow the use of Semi-Autos (5rds) this season...so i could absolutely use it for deer as well.
Any reommendations on a complete upper?
My current AR is RRA Operator 3.

I build mine so I'm not in the know on a complete upper. I have owned 10 and 11.25 twist barrels and I like the 11.25 better. I think the RRA 6.8 upper is a 10 twist.

I'm sure some of the guys on here will point you in the right direction or you can post a thread in the AR forum and see what recommendations you get.





 
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