Portage

Shot placement is 100% of the battle. Doesn't matter if you use a 243 or 308 as you just found out.

Mike01

Yeah, the .243 is much more then necessary for hogs. I mean, this year I dropped an 8 point in his tracks with a 100 grain power point. As others have said, no hog's gonna live long with a well placed bullet in his vitals.

CalNewbie

Here's what you need to do. Next time out give the .243 to you or your dad. Give your .308 to the guy shooting the .243. Let us know the results, as well as bullet selection. If its the caliber, that test should prove your point.

dkhamner

hey gentleman, i'm not trying to get a bad rap here and start an arguement. in texas in hall county of the texas panhandle you can spotlight legally. several years back it was againts the law to spot light where deer are known to roam, if you got caught spotlighting whether you shot a deer or not you were guilty of spot lighting deer. times have changed here. then we didn't have wild hogs at all. now the hogs are a pest and a nuisance to the farmers and ranchers. my cousin for one and i know many farmers that have had to replant several peanut fields because the hogs destroy the feild after they have planted. peanuts are expensive and insurance doesnt cover crop destruction by hogs. it is now legal to spotlight even though there are deer! trust my i've seen many huge bucks with a spotlight but i have no desire to shoot one. i do have good hunting ethics and morals. but on the hogs we spotlight, when we see them out in a peanut field or cotton field or hay grazer field 9 out of 10 times there already at a dead run for the pasture or crp grass. once they get there you wont see them again. this is the reason for the poorly placed shots. we have stopped the pickup and tried the long shot with the hogs running, yes we have shot some that way. when we do shoot like that its usually a very long shot in the spotlight, up to 400 yards. ipersonnaly have never seen a shot farther than that with a spotlight. when a hog is at a dead run you cant take your time and pay attention to your breathing and shot placement. with this being said, i personnaly with all the experiance that i have believe that a .30 caliber bullet is better for this type of hunting. this guy that was shooting the .243 is an expert marksman when he can take his time to shoot. i have seen hogs go down with a .243 or 6 mm. i have taken them down with these weapons. but the shots were the well placed not in a hurry shots. i have known for a fact most of the time when a hog no matter how big it is will not move far when shot with a .30 caliber bullet. even shot in the ham. and a ham shot is good when the pickup is rolling and the hog is running. again this hunting is legal in my part of texas, a FMJ is legal to hunt hogs with. i hope this answers a lot of questions. thanks

dkhamner

i agree with this 100%. but its not always possible to hit a running hog at long distnace in the vitals, when the pickup is still moving.

zrexpilot

and the truth comes out.........
Shooting at running hogs, at 400 yds and he blaims the caliber.
(Shakes his head and walks away...)

frizzellr

From a moving truck no less.

oldelkhunter

I think a .50 BMG mounted on a Humvee would be very appropo for those hunting applications. Just make sure you use tracers. Got to love those strafing shots

dkhamner

lol, i guess you have to be there to understand. i guess i do blame the caliber. in my experience at hunting hogs at night, when the hogs are running, a poorly placed shot by a .30 caliber bullet is a lot more likely to halt (maybe not kill) a hog. more times than not a hog shot with a smaller caliber such as the .243 a hog will get a way if not a vital shot. 95% of the time when we are hunting with a spotlight we can chase the hogs down before they get out of a field. this will usually result in running the hogs over with the pickup, (yes we have) or getting a close to medium range shot. man this is a tough crowd. i'd hate to be at your hunting camp telling hunting stories! if you dont have it on video camera your just a liar!

frizzellr

Perhaps we find you ethics a bit distasteful and your methods bordering on stupidity.