.243 for hogs
 

I shot a lot of TX hogs w/ my .270 last year but am thinking of taking my .243 this year. Will prob. be shooting 100 gr. PSP Remington Core Lokts. I shot 1/2 of the hogs last year right behind the shoulder & the other 1/2 in the spine btwn the shoulder & ear. Most dropped w/o going far. W/ the .243, what shot would you recommend?

***Right near the ear with any centerfre and a good bullet and they'll go down for the count.

I was stationed in the San Francisco area for 3 years early in my Navy career. I got in good with some of the landscape guys on the vineyards in Napa and could shoot hogs at will. All I had in CA was a Ruger M77 in .243 that I used for both hogs and blacktails. The .243 worked on every hog I shot it with and I always used a high shoulder shot. But, I was shooting hogs for meat and didn't target any big pigs, mostly ones around 100 lbs.

On a side note, the .243 worked well on the blacktails too.

Can't say I agree with the "any" CF right behind the ear will work thought. With many other things, just what size hogs AND also what sex they might be matters, whether some think so or not. A very large boar will have a shield of 1-2.5" and will affect any bullet from behind the ear to behind the shoulder.

Figuring hogs of 100 pounds or so, zero problem with any decent .243 load. Figuring hogs of 200- 500 pounds, not so simple, especially if they are boars. I've killed a very large boar that had a thick shield of no less than 2.5" and that also turned two bullets, 270gr JFN .44 mag loads from a Marlin Carbine and then required 3 more shots to kill him.

Again, small hogs are NOT difficult to kill. Large boars can be a chore and if they are not dead as you get close to check, you may have a surprise you weren't counting on or prepared to face.

A hog does not have a shield near the ear! The shield is on their shoulder area for protection when they fight. Any well made bullet will penetrate in the ear area and take any size hog down. Hitting one on the shoulder with that thick shield they have as they get bigger is a different story because it will turn a smaller caliber bullet.

i agree with top. any shot near the ear with a good .243 will drop em

Since you seem to be the expert here, I'll let you explain to us how the shot, clearly shown by blood 2" behind the right ear did not drop this hog for the count. Picture also shows the bullet removed from that boar and shot #1. Bullet #2 was fired as he regained his feet after #1 and was directly to the middle of his right shoulder. It never even bled. Marlin M1894, Speer 270gr JFN (not HP) ammo.

Shots 3 & 4 were to his underside (no shield) after #2 knocked him down again and he was scrambling to again regain his feet. All these shots were from 45 yards. The last shot, #5 was made at 10' as he again tried to regain his feet. This shot was further forward on neck and ultimately killed him.

Shot placement should be the same. As I've said before, gunpower is overrated and shot placement is underrated

So, your recommendation on shot placement would be......:confused0024:

I get a kick out of those who have killed a bunch of "ham sammiches" with small caliber guns, but have never even seen a big old nasty boar, never mind messed with one. :confused0024:

***Very simple explanation! You don't shoot them high like that behind the ear. You shoot them and inch or two BELOW the ear on about the level that their eye is. You shocked and knocked him down with that first shot, but it was too high and not where it would kill him, thus leading to all the other shots after you pissed him off with that first one, LOL!