Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters RLN - Caliber and Killing Power

John:

Last night I read your article on caliber and killing power in the current RLN. Outstanding, as usual.

It brings up a question I've been wondering about for a while. The classic driven boar round in Europe is probably one of the 9.3 calibers. Other than Prince Albrect, the Boar Killing Machine, most hunters still use larger calibers. With modern bullet design, if there really isn't any reason to - other than tradition - why use large caliber cartridges if the results would be the same with smaller calibers and better bullets? I mean, in your article you talk about the absolute necessity of bullet placement (regardless of caliber/cartridge) and expanded penetration, so why wouldn't a bonded .243 Winchester anchor driven boar equally as well as a 9.3x62 or something like that?

By the way, tell Eileen "thanks" for the biscotti recipe. It looks pretty good!

Thanks again.

RM

Mike,

While actual wild European boars can be considerably larger than the average feral boar in America, I suspect the big reason many European hunters use 9.3's I suspect the main reason is tradition--especially in German-speaking countries. They're REALLY into hunting tradition, more so than many Americans. I dunno if a bonded 6mm bullet would do as well as a 9.3 on driven boar, but suspect a 7mm or .30 would.

As one of the official taste-testers for RLN, I can assure you the biscotti recipe IS good!

Thanks, John. How come? I mean, if it's about a stout bullet and penetration, wouldn't a bonded 6mm hold together and penetrate enough? Or does the expanded diameter and resulting wound channel come into play?

Are you guys talking in some sort of secret code? What does RLN stand for?

Yes, I want to know what RLN is also

Pigs are like any game whereby their state of alarm is a factor in bullet performance.

I have shot them using most every caliber from the .223 Remington to the .460 Weatherby, which all worked but the physically largest boar I killed had a body around 5 feet long and was unalarmed. I shot that with a Sako .243 handloaded with a paper thin jacketed Sierra 85gn HPBT. DRT. The largest tusks came from a boar I shot in Oz Cape Country where they pigs were savage and attacked even crows that decended on tha carcasses we littered the landscape with and as this boar ran across the track in front of us at about 20 yards, I drilled it with a 500gn Hornady out of my .460 Weatherby, with the bullet loaded to 2500fps as that was the limit for that bullet in reliability.

Having hunted with a few Euro blokes, tradition is definitely it. I have mates that were so engrossed in tradition they visited the Steyr plant in and selected the stocks, caliber and action on rifles being build for them there and the only cartridge selected that was not 9.3x62 was the .308 Winchester. These rifles were being built largely for sambar hunting, but would be used on all Aussie feral game.

John

If they are bigger and meaner, I would want a 7 mag. I’ve caught a lot of pigs. Even the little bitty one will charge the fence when you walk up on them.

We must not be with the popular kids....I’m clueless also! memtb

I did some research and answered my own question.... Rifle Loony News!

The answer is no. a 243 won't anchor a big animal with teeth as well as a medium bore rifle. A 9.3 has almost twice the energy of a 243.

blatant plug :

https://riflesandrecipes.com/

Sorry guys, I was busy with other things yesterday. Yes, it's the current issue of Rifle Loony News, linked by 338Rules above.

RM

I just read it yesterday, when I logged on and saw it was volume 9 issue 4. I could not believe the next issue is the10th anniversary of RLN seems like only yesterday I started reading it!

Yeah, Eileen and I can hardly believe it either. We'll probably be printing a paper collection of the second 5 years, since the collection of the first 5 years is still selling pretty well.

However, Eileen is thinking about raising the subscription price from $8 a year. After nine years the operating expenses have gone up some, even for an on-line magazine.

John;
Top of the morning to you, I hope that you and Eileen are warm and well on this blustery February Sunday. My goodness the woodpile is taking a beating this winter up here across the medicine line.

As I mentioned to you I very much enjoyed that article - not that I don't enjoy your other articles or anything, but some hit "something" within me and that was one. Like I said, it brought back the memory of the bullet proof meat mulie my late father and I got with a .338 way back in the day.

Someone mentioned the recipes and as the owner of a few of Eileen's recipe books I have wondered aloud to my good wife at how fast your metabolism must be John. I believe if I was recruited to be the official tester for even one of her books I'd have to be carted around in a wheelbarrow and weighed in at the meat cutter's instead of a doctor's office, you know?

In all seriousness John I can't think of a single one of Eileen's recipes we've tried that I didn't really, REALLY like....

Lastly whenever my subscription is due we'll just renew it for whatever price increase you all see fit. I believe when I renewed last time Eileen said I had the longest subscription that far, so there was something about hoping you both would still be writing then. Hey, I hope to still be around to be reading too, so perhaps it's incentive for all parties concerned!

All the best to you and Eileen as we head into better weather and longer days John.

Dwayne

John and Eileen,

I enjoy RLN and look forward to each release. The article on caliber and killing power was of particular interest as that is part of being a rifle loony. I am also looking forward to trying the biscotti recipe. Keep up the good work !

I encourage everyone to subscribe to Rile Loony News.

Thanks, guys!

Dwayne, this has been a loonnnnnnng winter, hasn't it?

If any of you guys are looking for a SUPER bargain, a subscription to RLN is only $8 a year and will get you ALL of the past issues for no extra cost!

Thanks for the recommendation!

I never was either; obviously not now either!