Deer & Wild Boar Calibre

[silver_fox]

Instead of buying two rifles for deer and boar what would you guys recomend as the ideal calibre for both species? .308 Winchester or .30-06 spring to mind from doing some internet research but your practical experience is the best recomendation.

Thanks in advance.

[beatingisbest]

.308 i'd say

[highseas]

whils i dont know about boar or calibers in genral i would say 308 too

[Traztaz]

A .308 will do both jobs, as will a 30.06 , or a 9,3x62, I have all three, When I go to a driven hunt to shoot quite possibly anything from fox to red stag I take the .308.Its a cool caliber and if you want to target species specific there are loads of bullet weights and charges available.Gecco target munition is my favorite, its accurate, soft nosed, and relativly cheap.It weighs in at 170 grain so will deal with all game from roe to boar , I have shot and dropped loads of deer and piggies with this round.

[jcbruno]

308,7mm08,6.5 sweed.270,30-06 would all be a good choice m8 even 243 if you are a good ethical shooter

[Popgun]

.270 for me

[Baldrick]

I've shot boar using 9.3x62, .375 H&H and .30-06. All three were very effective, but the first two calibres are too excessive for deer. The UK Home Office Guidance recommends the .270 and above for boar, and I definitely wouldn't want to shoot boar using a weedy little .243. If you haven't shot them before, you'd be amazed at how tough and well-armoured boar are. Boar have sloping skulls madem of thick bone, and a cartilage plate protecting their chest. You need to be confident that you can drop the animal with one shot, hence the need for large-calibre rounds.

 

Personally I'd go for the .30-06, on the grounds that most manufacturers cater for it, and the calibre will do what you need (plus more, such as Plains game).

[Traztaz]

9,3x62 is fine on deer as the bullets are so hard and so slow (Comparativly speaking) that they just punch a 9mm hole through the beast.I make less ballistic effect on the meat of say a roe with the 9,3 than I do with the .308.

[Baldrick]

I take your point, Traz, but try getting an FEO to accept that logic...

[Traztaz]

Luckily I am living in Germany and don,t have to do that, in fact I didn,t even think of it along thoes lines as they don't apply to me .Thinking of it that way would make me advise to go and test fire both .308 and 30,06 to see which he gets on better with.Both will do the job.