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I have had a few experiences with people I have either taken out or gone out with and this little caliber. They have either been really amazing or really BAD! I was just wondering how everyone else felt about using the 243 on pigs. Any of the guides, I would really love to hear your opinion, especially before I take another person out with a 243! | ||
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I'm not a guide, but I did a lot of hunting while I was stationed in Ca and I used nothing but a .243. I was mostly interested in the blacktails and pigs were an add on. I hunted mainly Northern Ca in the Mendecino National Forest and in Lake and Napa counties. A navy buddy of mine lived in Napa and knew a bunch of the folks that worked for the winerys. Wild pigs were pretty destructive to the grapes and the landscaping so we got to do a fair amount of hunting on the winery grounds themselves. Could'nt touch the deer on them (which was a bummer because there were some great bucks there) but we knocked over a lot of pigs. We usually took out the smaller hogs for BBQ'ing and the .243 worked fine if you placed the shot right. I usually tried to put a 100 grain slug at the base of the ear. Pigs dropped like they were electrocuted. We shot an occasional bigger hog and never had a problem. Based on what I saw, the .243 will work if you do your part, but there are undoubtedly better calibers available. I used what I had in the state, but if I had it to do again, I'd use a 7 Mag. Mac | |||
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I'm not a guide either, but I feel a 243 is adequate for pigs in the hands of a competent shooter. I would use a Nosler Partition or bonded bullet in case you need to take a shoulder shot. Isaiah 41:10 | |||
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I know a few of my competitors won't let clients use anything under .25 caliber. That's not my opinion or experience. I've had great experiences with clients using .243's and other 6mm's (6mm Rem., .240 Wby, 6mm x 284, etc.) My one caveat is that you must make sure they are using premium game bullets (Partitions, X's, etc.) of 90 or 100 grains. Using a Ballistic Tip, HP, VMAX or other varmint bullets would be a mistake for many pigs and many shot angles. My priorities for my clients are: Placement, Bullet Quality, then Horsepower... in that order. Personally I like to carry big rifles (.375 H&H + +) but they take a commitment of extra work and expense to learn how to shoot that really can't necessarily be justified for the average hunter. Bottom line: I would much rather have someone show up with a .243 (sporting good bullets) that they have confidence in and shoot well than a .300 Megastompasouras that they're afraid of and don't shoot all that well. Hope that helps. Feel free to email khamann@boaring.com with specific questions if I can be of service. Great hunting with great hunters, Kyler | |||
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I would prefer a 6.5 or larger, myself, because I'm a bit on the timorous side but so long as you have plenty of sectional density and good shot placement I see no problem. Sarge Holland's .375: One Planet, One Rifle . . . for one hundred years! | |||
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The problem I have with a .243 on hogs is the lack of heavy bullets available and the always present chance that that #300 boar may step out in front of you. For the average size hog killed the .243 is just fine. | |||
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Thanks to you all, and a Hppy Holiday. My problems came both with possibly poor shot placement. As you know I have commented frequently on shot placement not caliber when it comes to Cali pigs, but wow! The first time I had the opportunity to witness a problem (243 100gr Rem) was with a frontal head shot in Booneville, California. The bullet hit far enough up the forehead that it rocked the boar backwards onto his rump and then grounded. The problem is that he stood right back up and squealled and was looking for what just did that. I proptly knocked it down with two 180RN 30'06 bullets. The second time was more recently, and we were removing some pigs that had occupied a ranch. The owner was a widow and she brought the issue up to us. One of the larger hogs took two (243 100gr Grand Slam) behind the shoulder while quartering away at ~200 yards. Never stopped. We followed it up in some manzanita and killed it after it charged the terriers. Oh, by the way, a 338 Win Mag with 250gr Nosler Part is amazing on these hogs, but it is a little destructive when it hits bone! I only took it to test the new scope. | |||
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Three different guides/ranch owners have told me that when a hunter shows for deer or pigs they worry. They are of the same opinion "the 6mms will eventually let you down". I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone's favorite, just passing on opinions. capt david  "It's not how hard you hit 'em, it's where you hit 'em." The 30-06 will, with the right bullet, successfully take any game animal in North America up to 300yds. Get closer! | |||
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Well if you really want some fun go out and hunt them with 357 Mag revolvers. We had a hell of a good time once, but I also learned how to snout shoot a few chargers in the brush. | |||
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Having hunted pigs a bunch with KH...and shot I think a dozen CA pigs....of course that no good KH has seen a 1000 or so shot...it wlays comes down to shot placement and bullet penetration...penterate both lungs with anything from a 243 on up and it will die eventually i don't care wither its an elk or a pig...now it may run a 1/2 mile... so the net is...like KH said Mike Legistine actu? Quid scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I have a fair amount of experience whacking pigs with a 243 and other calibers. I conduct animal control shoots on the island of Niihau. It is commom for us to put down 200 to 300 porkers in a 2.5 day period. Please bear in mind that we intentionally avoid shooting the larger boars as they are kept for the "trophy hunters." The pigs we put down are between 40 to 125 lbs. The Niihau pigs is a smaller subspecies anyway. Due to the intensity of the shooting, shot placement goes out the window after the first shot. So, I have good experience reference of hits from Texas heart shots, frontal shots and foot shots. The 243 Win. was my cartridge of choice simply because of it's range of performance and was pleasant to shoot. It did not leave a sore shoulder after expending two to three hundred rounds in 2.5 days. Disregarding the most important shot placement, the 243's performance varied substantially with bullet type and construction, as expected. The relative high sectional density and small frontal area will make "harder" bullets punch thru like an ice pick if bone is not hit. The best "all around performer" is the partitioned bullet, like Kyler recommends, especially on the larger and heavier porkers. The most impressive terminal results I've seen are from RWS's H-Mantel 105 gr. ammo one of my hunters brought with him. Unfortunately, it is not readily available. He gave me his remaining 8 boxes, which I cherish. I have used the ammo in my worn out Ruger 77 and experienced the same impressive results. Geoff Shooter | |||
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Iused a 243 very few times because for culling feral hogs i use my 308 but my partner uses one on daily basis with very good results .I bougth a custom tagle mauser with a douglas premiunn baarrel now and im using it with good results www.huntinginargentina.com.ar FULL PROFESSIONAL MEMBER OF IPHA INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL HUNTERS ASOCIATION . DSC PROFESSIONAL MEMBER DRSS--SCI NRA IDPA IPSC-FAT -argentine shooting federation cred number2- | |||
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I think the 243 is a fine caliber, but it might just be marginal for boars except with people comfortable shooting it. I used to take pids with an old 26 inch barreled Win Mod 94 in 38-55 with max loads behind a 255 grain Barnes bullet. These things hammered the hogs, especially in the plates, but you should see the results on a snout shot when they are running up the trail in your dirrection. | |||
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The lodge where I hunt suggests a quarter-bore minimum. The guides are always curious about who is going to shoot what, and they seem more comfortable when someone is using a 30 cal. or larger. Hogs there average 200 lbs. with 280 and up not at all uncommon. The fellow that I always have as my guide has 27 years experience and has developed an appreciation for anything that effectively throws a bullet of 165 gr. or more. | |||
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The Guide that I use, CrossCountry Outfitters, out of Paso Robles, specifies a premium bullet must be used, ie partition, X bullet, failsafe, or A Frame. I have taken 3 wild pigs with my 240 wby mag, using 100 grain partitions, and my hogs didnt run any further than those popped with an 06. The guide I use makes you shoot paper at targets with your rifle to make sure you can in fact hit something. I think that is a smart practice on his part. Of course, a 240 wby is packing a whole bunch more steam than a 243, but I have no doubt with good bullets, they all get it done in 6mm size. The other thing this guide is big on is not hunting near brush, too many lost hogs, and takes them away from the brush, expects a boilerroom shot, no big deal, hog runs 35-75 yds and drops. I'm in the use a premium bullet group. Socialism works great until you run out of the other person's money...... | |||
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Aggie, One of the ranches we lease is very close to the ranch August Harden (of Cross Country) hunts. He's good people, I've know he and his dad Ray my whole life. I've also seen great results with the .240 Wby. As you said, with those velocities you have to use quality bullets. Kyler | |||
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Kyler, what is the condition of the pigs in that area? I know the drought played some havoc, but is there still good hunting around there? Yes, Auggie is a good guy, after I shot once at a target, he's never made me do the target thing since. Socialism works great until you run out of the other person's money...... | |||
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 The drought did a number on our pigs around here. They're building back after all the rain this last winter and if we can get a decent winter this year we could be back in good shape. I wish a few of these outfits hunting so hard would plant some crops to help out the sows raising piglets. When I was growing up in this area everything flat enough was planted in barley. We still try to help out with making sure there is barley planted for the wildlife but I see so many places have just switched to hunting and not planting anymore, it's not good for the long run. I've been in the business almost 20 years and I've seen two population explosions and two population crashes in that time. It's a cycle like most wildlife populations. Kyler | |||
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Next time I take a customer pig hunting I might look you up and use you. Nothing against Auggie, but hey, we chat on this thing........LOL I'd like to try out my new 260 rem with 129 Hornady's on a sow. I have an applicator customer in so cal who I need to put on a hunt in 06. Socialism works great until you run out of the other person's money...... | |||
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Glad to help you out Aggie. Our calendar is filling up for '06 so drop me an email when you know your schedule. Great hunting with great hunters, Kyler | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Hogs, Warthogs, Wild Boars, Javelinas Hunting Professionals Opinions on the 243 Win class on Pigs in Calif
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