What type of .308 bullet do I want to use for hog hunting within 100 yards?

Same for the .243 that a youth would be using on the same trip?

Or should I put something else in his young hands?

Thanks

If they are sighted in for deer hunting already just use that ammo.
If not buy the cheapest/best shooting ammo that your rifles like.

A stout one. Hide, tissue and bone among the scrofa family is rather dense.

Any .308 bullet will work on hogs. 125 or 150 grain Hornady flap base bullets work great. My favorite has been the 7mm-08 with 120 grain Hornady HP's. They are not hard to kill and you sure don't need premium bullets, regardless of all the "shield" hoopla and I have killed some big ones. I have killed several truckloads with .223, .22-250, .357 mag, shotguns with buckshot, 7mm-08 and .44 mag. The .223 was the least affective on the bigger boars, but still got it done with good shot placement. Flinch

Any 150-180 grain bullet. I like the 165 BTSP for most of my game hunting.

i use a 55gr 223 outta my ar so any 243 or 308 will work fine. its more about shot placement than cal. with hogs.

+1 on shot placement.

I've killed a number and seen even more killed with FMJ ammo in a .17 HMR. I wouldn't try that with the HP or plastic tipped .17's. Those little FMJ's penetrate pretty well.

If I was going specifically after hogs, I'd pack a little more horsepower.

One of my favorite hog guns is a custom Mini-14 with .223 match barrel.

DF

Use a tough bullet. I have bad luck with federal. Blue box.

About any deer hunting bullet from a .308 will work fine, same with 243.
Hogs are NOT bulletproof or even remotely close to it, despite what you read on the internet.
The last 20 or so I've taken were with a .223 and 55gr hornady SP's.

Bill

Shot placement..put it in the crease behind the ear or in it and it dont matter much.

I have popped a couple with 150 grain .270's. Never saw one run away. But that being said I had decent shot placement. As some have mentioned here that probably is more important than what bullet you use.

No argueing with that.

What this guy said.

If a well placed FMJ out of a .17 HMR will drop a hog, they're not bullet proof. The bullet must penetrate, though.

In the .223 custom Mini-14, I shoot 65 gr. Gamekings and 60 gr. NPT's. Both do the trick. TTSX's are also good on hogs.

DF

I killed my last one with 1 oz. of #5 from a 12 ga. at about 35 yds. head on in the face-----while shooting crows. Hog weighed about 90 lbs.; great eating size.

Don't over think this issue!!!!!

I have had no issues with 165 grain BT's at 2650 fps out of my .308 on hogs up to 300#'s so far. Shot placement has been typical behing the shoulder/boiler room shots. They do not make it very far with that round. 20 yards or less so far. I have not recovered one of those 165 BT's yet. I would look for any 150-165 grain bullet with the .308 for hogs. They are just not as hard to kill as everyone would have you believe.

Whatever you use for Whitetail will work just as good on Hogs

............+3......Aside from personal preferences any good 308 hunting bullet is fine. Also depends on what affect you`d like to have internally. Have used the Hornady SSTs/Interbonds, Nos A/Bs and Sierras.

Over the past two to three years or so, I`ve used the 168 gr hunting VLDs and a few 175 gr hunting VLDs with not only excellent results but no tracking needed either. MV used for both run from the low 2800s to low 2900s. Haven`t had any issues with thicker bone penetrations at shorter ranges.

A personal bullet preference which is usually in the minority. Regardless, I`ve never seen a more devastating and quicker killing bullet for the porkers.

I have yet to distinguish any shield when skinning one. But the legend continues.

I shoot a few hogs now and then.

Like others have said, bullet placement is the key.


Texas hill country hoglet, 270 Winchester, 130 gr. Ballistic tip

I aim for an imaginary spot two inches below the ear, on a line between the ear and shoulder. The black dot in the photo above would represent that. Do that and you sever the spine,
they drop and paddle. In other words, DRT. No tracking.

In the 308 I use the 150 gr Accubond (my current bullet of choice), the 150 gr. ballistic tip and the 165 gr. Sierra HPBT gameking.

In a rifle chambered for a 6mm (.243 cal) the 85 gr.,95 gr. or 100 gr. partition do fine. So does the Barnes 85 gr, TSX


240 Weatherby, 85 gr. Partition.

Best

GWB

If you want to take the trouble to skin a big old boar hog around 4 or 5 years old you will find it.
A shield doesn't start to develop until a boar is @ 3 and the older and heavier he gets the thicker and tougher it will be. It ain't armor though except against another hog.

That's been my experience, too. Young boars = no shield, older boars = you're darned right there's a shield.

The one exception was a bruiser that was well over 300# (the farm owner guessed > 400 lbs.) that had no nuts. (Some locals had castrated 20 piglets about 6 year prior, & turned them loose in the swamp.) That critter was dripping with fat, but had zero shield. Apparently, when their veins aren't coursing with testosterone, they're not building up shields through fighting with other boars. All they do is eat.

FC

Whatever you use for deer hunting will be fine.

I've killed a couple of big, old boars that had VERY hard 1.5-2" thick shields. They were really scared up from years of fighting (long tusks). Both were easily penetrated with 55 grain .223 bullets. Another thick one was easily penetrated with a 180 grain XPT bullet from a .357 at 75 yards (thickest and hardest shield I have ever seen).

Two others were easily penetrated with 110 grain TSX from a .270 (in and out holes). The biggest one I killed was over 500 lbs. and the shield was easily penetrated with a 120 grain 6.5mm ballistic tip. The shield definitely exists and is very hard, but doesn't seem to slow many bullets down. Flinch

That's right but oddly enough it can have the opposite effect on the growth of tusks. Cutting their nuts out seems to encourage the growth of big teeth. It also seems to effect the angle of them so they don't grind as much which can make them grow to a full curl.

I've seen two pig jaws with the bottom tusks curled right back to the bone in a full circle.

The Porcine sisters. Met them at a bar some years ago. Down near Naples, Fl, is that where you ran into 'em?

Thanks for all the responses. I hunted whitetail back in high school and haven't been out since (it's been a long busy time getting through school, working too much and raising a family) and a group of my friends are in the early planning stages for a hog hunt.

I'd like to go with them and want to make sure the deer rifle I have will get the job done and given the responses I think it should be - but better safe than sorry....

Based upon the responses to the thread, I'm expecting my Marlin 30-30 with 150-170 gr bullets to do just fine -- but in the pages of responses, this caliber was not mentioned. Is there something that I'm missing that makes the 30-30 insufficient for hogs or is it a function that newer calibers are just being used more than this old standby? The box of 150 gr Winchester I took to the range leave the muzzle at 2390 fps with a muzzle energy of 1900. Lots of ME drop at 100 yards as it is down to 1357 - but still seems like enough for a good sized hog.

As mentioned, it's been a long time since I hunted with this rifle and have no doubt the 150 gr Winchesters I picked up to verify scope zero may not be the best for a hog hunt - If you had a 30-30, what ammo would you take on a hunt for hogs?

Happy to be sent back to the drawing board (or better yet to my local Gun Store to pick up a better suited rifle) -

thanks -

Welcome to the 'Fire!

I'd take whatever ammo shot the best in your rifle, & prepare to have a great time!

Also, if your layoff from shooting has been as long as that from hunting, buy several boxes of ammo, and spend some time getting reacquainted with shooting your rifle from field positions. Especially offhand.

And send us pics of dead hogs!

FC

Your 30-30 will be fine no matter what bullet you use. As has been said it ain't so much the arrow as it is the Indian.
Not knowing just how you are going to hunt hogs may make a difference.
Using dogs you are going to be in pistol shot. Standing way off somewhere and snipeing them if they come out at 2-300 yards you may want a flater shooting rifle. Just depends.

It boils down to: Whichever eargeschplittin loudenbanger ya wanna have the most fun with!

If you can't place your shot accurately, at least be prepared to shoot a lot!

6.5x55. Incredible penetration. I cannot believe the stories I read about how tough hogs are and how bullets bounce off their shield.

Operative word there is "stories" another name for Bullsh*T

Can't wait until the hunting trip. They said, the hogs are around 150 - 200 lbs, and some are upward close to 400 lbs.

I believe your 30-30 would work perfectly.

I'm bringing my .308win.

I have had good luck with 165 NBT's and Partitions, I am guessing 50+ hogs.

Wish I was hog hunting in Texas!