The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting European Big Game Hunting How would you rate the .308 for use on a driven boar hunt?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| one of us |
I don't have any doubt it would do a fine job on some of the smaller pigs I've seen in some of the videos but what about using it on the larger boar? DB Bill aka Bill George | ||
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One of Us |
It will definitely do the job but penetration will not be sufficient on some of the much bigger boars. This is why we prefer the 9.3x62 or 9.3x74R here in Europe. In fact I'm just about to depart for 2 days boar hunting with my trusty 9.3x62  | |||
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| One of Us |
A colleague of mine just came back, he used a .375 H&H. Shot a big bore and blew a big hole in the offside. Five minutes later the beast jumped to life and charged. Second shot put him down for good. A larger caliber per MB would be much more suited to the task. | |||
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Another vote for the 9,3's. André DRSS --------- 3 shots do not make a group, they show a point of aim or impact. 5 shots are a group. | |||
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| One of Us |
It works fine just use heavy bullets, 95% of the boars are smaller. You dont need a new rifle to hunt boar. 3006, 7*64,300w,8*57, 308w are common calibers. 9,3*62 or similar are prefeded if you want a dedicated rifle for driven boar. | |||
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I have to disagree about poor penetration on larger boars. I have killed at least a 1/2 dozen boars over 225 lbs with a 308 and 165 grn TSXs and never recovered a bullet. Any 168 to 180 gr premium bullet at 2600-2725 will likely provide complete penetration and an exit would. I would shoot the rifle that fits you best and you are the best at with running shots. Mike Legistine actu quod 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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| one of us |
Agreed. A good .308 bullet in the right place will kill any boar alive. A 9.3 might be preferable, but not at the expense of a familiar rifle. | |||
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| one of us |
A .308 Winchester would not be on my short list of ideal cartridges for Driven Game although I know hunters that use it; the vast majority with 180 gr. bullets. If I selected it I'd go with 180-200 gr. conventional Round Nose Cup 'n Core bullets. Gotta agree that a 375H&H or 9.3x62 are my top two picks for producing results under lots of different conditions. Does that mean a .270 Winchester won't work? Well, the current series of Schwarzwild Fever DVD'S depicts huge success with just that cartridge. I had a 90 Kg Boar take 3 well placed shots from the .375 stuffed w/300 gr. RN Hornadys prior to doing the snout/chest-drop/bounce/flop trick at @ two shoestring lengths from my left foot. Pretty Friggin' exciting. I'd heard him in a hollow in front of me doing the Polka with a pack of dogs for about 20 minutes prior so when he finally trotted up the hill he wans't in a mood to be dicked around with. Does this happen all the time? NO, but you sorta worst case the scenarios when you attend Drive Hunts pretty much every weekend anda coupla weekdays from October to January. Lots of attendees do not participate in these type of hunts so often and simply bring along their every-day meat getters in .7x64, 7x57, .30/06 Sprg., 8x57 & .308 Winchesters; and they get their fare share of game, too. For those who fit the Drive Hunt "hunt/shoot alot" catagory I'd venture to offer these 3 cartridges as the ideal and also pretty much what folks show up with: 1. 9.3x62 2. 8x57IS or 8x57IRS 3. .30/06 Sprg. Cheers, Number 10 | |||
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Ditto ! My personal preference for driven boar hunt is definitely 9.3x62 but I would feel fine with my 30-06 and 200 gr. Round Nose bullet ! | |||
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It should work - use good bullets - no doubt on it... Wild boars are more then overrated...  but personaly I use my .375H&H on fox, roe deer and boar as well... (but not as I won´t trust something smaller - just as I have it and like it...) - but I have also taken boars with my .270 Win and a good Woodleigh 130grs bullet: all drop on the spot! So what should be wrong with your .308 ? | |||
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Be careful what you wish for...  | |||
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| new member |
I have shot 100+ different size wild boar with .308 Hornady SP 9.7gram bullets, no swet. More important than caliber is your ability to shoot running targets. | |||
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Lots of local hunters use the 308 in a semi auto, usually with heavier bullets than one would expect. It's hard to judge the effects of a single .308 round when there are three holes, so the jury remains out on that question. For my money and hide, being a more frequent drive hunter than some, I like big effects. I've got a nice little 30-06 dopple buchs that works well. A 375 or metric equivalent would be preferable in my opinion. I prefer the distance from shooter to target to remain in the realm of 10s of meters not 10s of inches. Gerry did you account for the forward momentum of that tusker as you were running backwards making lady like noises? Macs B U.S. Army Retired Alles gut! | |||
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| One of Us |
And that's really where the rubber meets the road....the worst case scenario. I vote for the 9.3x62 in a slick bolt action (Sauer would be my personal choice). I have also seen boar up close and personal...charging by me with Jagdterrier in pursuit. A bigger hammer..well applied..is better. | |||
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| One of Us |
the 308 is one of the best sized rifles you can have. Good punch. Low recoil. Fast recovery time. Good shooting. Mark | |||
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I laugh every time I see someone post that a .308 is marginal but that a 30-06 is good. There is NO practical real world difference on game with typical factory loaded cartridges. I have only shot a few wild boars in Europe (all with 30-06) but base my opinion on numerous Canadian moose and elk shot with both cartridges. 80-100 feet per second difference with the same bullets is not significant, especially at the distances driven game is shot at! | |||
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| One of Us |
With good bullets the 308 is certainly adequate for the typical driven boar with c35 kg. However, in the real world there is a real difference on the larger pigs between a 308/180 and the 30-06/220. Personally I use mostly 9,3x62 with conventional SPs in the classic weight of 286 grains. | |||
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| One of Us |
I shoot all my boar with a .308 shooting a 180g TSX bullet. Its a semi custom rifle which I'm very familiar with and home loaded cartridges. So its not just a question for me of whether the calibre is suitable, its the whole package including the hunter. Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened. Sir Winston Churchill | |||
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Hmm, Moose, kudu, zebra, several oryx, pronghorns, elk and quite a large number of wildboars have been dropped by folks in my family using a 308. Used RWS Unis, Crappy PMP and Barnes X. The more I use it the more I like it, but I like the 30-06, 338 Win, 9.3x62 35 Whelan and so on more. | |||
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| One of Us |
With a rifle you're comfortable with - you should be fine. If you have something a little heavier, you might be happier to anchor animals and not have to track them, as boar are notoriously tough and when full of adrenaline, they run... Personally, been shooting them with 300WM for ~15 years, with no major issues. Orvar | |||
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Given identical bullet placement, everything dies quicker with a 416 than with a 375 (9.3) than a 338 than a 308, than a 7mm-08 ... you get my drift. I have become a bigger fan of the 308 in recent years. Damn thing is outright deadly. 165 gr is the bullet my 308's seem to like. I have also witnessed the tenacity of the wild boar on many occasions. Everyone here has a point. Bigger seems to always be better with things that are dangerous. | |||
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| One of Us |
I have been hunting Romania for the past 14 years , 2 to 3 times a year, Turkey also. Boars from that of the world can easily go to 200kgs up to 300kgs. In our group , they use calibers from 7mm to 375. They die with smaller ones ......But they die much faster with a 375 or a 9x3. I use 375 300gr. Rws/Ks and i do not want to change. In my country or Spain it is very difficult to find boars above 120 kgs , but in Eastern countries they are considered " small" so also depends where you are hunting ! Obviously shot placement and feeling confortable with your rifle is extremely important. But generally speaking you will be more than fine with the .308 but shoot IN THE PLACE !!! Good hunting | |||
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If we shoot a boar three times with a 308 and it runs off, we blame the caliber. If we shoot a boar three times with a 9.3 or 375 and it runs off, we credit the boar. Just the way men's minds work. If you have any doubt before beginning a hunt and you fail to anchor a boar with a 308 you'll think "damn, I should have brought more gun" instead of "damn, I should have shot a smaller boar". For me, I think stalking and/or shooting from a blind is so different from driven boar that it's two completly different questions. The 223 is perfectly adequate from a blind much less the 308 but I'd think the 308/6.5/7MM families would be the starting point for driven boar. The common 8 x 57 with heavy bullets would be the best balance between shootability and power for my tastes followed maybe by my 9.3 x 57 with the standard 286 gr load.. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
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| one of us |
Quite true. Every bit of that statement. Especially the last part! | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting European Big Game Hunting How would you rate the .308 for use on a driven boar hunt?
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