You know the domestic gone wild type,that can be rather elusive/distant or rather nasty large and confronting at times.
Might be a rifle one might need to carry in varying terrain, and maybe zap a wild hog at times should one cross path.

257R-110accubond 6.5x55-130accubond sound about right?

270 Win works for me...

Close up I reckon you couldnt go past a 12Ga pump action full of SSG or similar buckshot...

I'm a 6.5 fan myself and dogs being light bodied critters, I would go for a light fast expanding bullet. The fast .22's would do the job as well.

I have killed dogs/coyotes with everything from 12 ga 00 buckshot to 300 WSM to 22 shorts. With proper shot placement, they are all just as dead.

My personal favorite is 300 WSM loaded with 150 gr ballistic tips. It does allow a slight margin of error and is MESSY.

the 6.5 will be bang on.
greg

I would be happy to use my .243 with 70 gr nos bt's.

A well-trained dog has got to be the world’s best hunting partner. However, I go WAY out of my way to kill every feral dog I see (+20 this trapping/calling season).

The CCI subsonic 22lr is quiet if the range is close and you shoot them in the head.
The 178Amax lets the air out of them real fast but makes a mess.
The Hevishot “Dead Coyote†will fold them past 70yds with a good choke.

The Accubonds will sure kill feral dogs but you are going to have some runners if you don’t break bone. If you can bust the on or off shoulder they wont go far and a feral dog will scream bloody murder until it expires.

I wouldn’t consider them dangerous game but they WILL attack you if cornered or injured. Pay the insurance.

quote:

Originally posted by PC:
I would be happy to use my .243 with 70 gr nos bt's.

If pigs are also considered I'd say the 243 with 85-90 grain partitions.

Some good news for a change. The Vic Gov't has finally seen the light, and introduced a $50 bounty on wild (Feral) dogs in the Alpine areas of Vic.
Should make some of the graziers on whose land or leases I hunt much happier.
Now to quickly get down to the 'dog tree' and recover the scalps...

Depends on the sorts of dogs that are in your area - if a few 'pig dogs' have interbred, they can be nasty critters... big, tough, and unafraid of humans. 22 would be very marginal at best (personal experience)

If they're the bigger size, I prefer the 243 and up...

Favourite is the 270, and I've been glad to have it with me on a few occasions.

Hmm.. If pigs weren't in the factor, I would say 22 Hornet/K-Hornet. Seems to be the under sung ticket puncher on N. American coyotes.. Knocks the crap outta-em without being loud enough to scare his buddies away. Minimum I guess I would go with due to the pigs would be 243Win.

Use a 25-06 with a premium 100 grain bullet. It will be fast, flat shooting, and adequate for dogs and hogs!
Jeff in Texas

6.5X55 is a great cartridge, but i would use the 100gr Nosler ballistic tip or the 85gr Sierra, or even the 95gr Hornady V-max. I think the accu-bond is a little tough for dogs but it will work.

In semi-open country that harbours dogs, I use my little 7.62x39 Ruger.

quote:

Originally posted by rugeruser:
Depends on the sorts of dogs that are in your area - if a few 'pig dogs' have interbred, they can be nasty critters... big, tough, and unafraid of humans....

Yes, it was mainly them type Dogs I was concerned about. I want them to hit the dirt very soon after I hit them!
plus enough gun so I dont have to track a wounded hog.
6.5x55-.270win AoK byMe!

I have a friend who works as a dogger in the Alps, he uses a .22lr for the ones in his traps, and a 300 WM for the ones he calls in. in case he gets a long shot.
Me? I jusy use whatever is handy, usually my Sambar rifle, a 30/06. If I am only after dogs, I usually take a 260 Rem Remington KS (my Fallow deer rifle). Seems to work OK.
I would guess that any of the cartridges listed above would do the trick.

243 win.

Some years back I come across a bloke that had shot alot of dogs, his preferred weapon was the 22 mag. He reconed that they were more likely to return to the scene of the crime if they wern't scared off by the noise of a centerfire.

He said, not much point blasting away at a running dog out past 70 or 80 yards, little chance of hitting it regardless of caliber, but with the 22 mag the dogs would regulary come back into the same area, not so if they were scared off, apparently ?

I have put several of those kind of dogs into permanent retirement. I think the 6.5 is perfect. lower in recoil than lots of bigger stuff but quite deadly. How about a 120 gr Barnes X or similar. Should be effective on boar as well. My only recovered X was a text book example. It could have been jewelry. Good luck. Packy

I have a number (4) of Tikka rifles, including a Varmint T3 in 6.5x55.

For virtually all domestic canines gone feral, a .223 would be all that you need.

If "pig dogs" have gone wild, you will certainly need more grunt, if only for self protection.

If you have the Swede, as I do, would be more than you need. But as so many shooters have .243, that would would do, just don't use a varmint bullet on " feral pig dogs".

This is not a problem that I have heard of before, certainly in Australia.