[HiWayMan]

I plan on going on my first boar hunt next spring and I would like some feed back on what to take. I'm trying to decide between my S&W 1000 semi-auto 12 gauge or my custom 1903A3 .30-06 loaded with a 200gr. RN.

I'll entertain all suggestions because hell I may get to go buy a new gun out of the deal.

[CZ-100]

I have taken wild boar with , 12G (slug), .30-.30, and my Colt Delta Elite 10mm.

Either of your choices would work.

[Smoke]

I'd take the '06, more range and very effective.

Slugs have their place, depends on country your hunting. Ever tried to lob a slug 200 yards?

Smoke

[Joey2]

Pig hunting here in Hawaii is a very popular. The most perferred gun is a lever action in 30-30 cal.

[moa]

I hear that in heavy brush country, an AK47 in Soviet 7.62x39 is popular.

Comparatively compact size and sufficient power, with the capability of rapid follow-up shots. Supposedly this is what is used in the Carolinas by some hunters for boar hunting.

[Stand_Watie]

HiWayman if you post this in the hunting forum you'll get so many responses in such detail that your head will hurt (from some serious hog hunters too). I'd use the 30.06 myself.

[WT]

I used a Colt Python .357 magnum revolver loaded with WW 158 gr JHP's. At 25 yards 1 shot worked fine for me. Bullet did not expand. Curled up on itself. Took a 200# or so boar.

[entropy]

I'd use the '06 of your two choices, but why would you handicap yourself with the 200 round nose? If you are shooting factory ammo, the Winchester 180 gr. Combined Technology round will be a much better choice. I'd handload the same bullet with a load tailored for your M1903A3.;)

[ClonaKilty]

I too have taken a boar w/ a .30-'06. It is more than adequate. I debated on using my 12 ga. but like others have suggested you want to be able to hit the pig from whatever range you're at. I've seen people take them with a .223.

By the way there is a myth out there that boar meat is "gamey," stringy, tough, and tastes terrible. Ain't so -- depending on what they've been eating, boar is more tasty than store bought pork (especially boar 200# or under). But wild pig has less fat so it's a little less juicy, but it's by no means "dry." Just don't cook it too long!

And post pics!

[Matt G]

Either would be fine, honestly. I've seen a decent sized sow drop to a single shot from a 12 ga., and I've seen '06 both work beautifully (good shot) and poorly (bad shot). I've taken a middlin' (200 lbs) sow with a single shot form a .22 Hornet at 80 yards.

Just be sure to hunt to your gun's capabilities, and to your own. Don't set yourself up to try a 30+ yard shot with a shotgun, or put yourself in a position where you're going to have to make snapshots on running targets in heavy brush-- that's a recipe for failure, and tracking a ticked-off tusker through cover. (ugh)

One of the neater hog guns I've seen recently was a No.5 SMLE Jungle Carbine with brass bead front sight and rubber butt pad on its custom stock. VERY fast for a bolt gun, with a 10 rd capacity of 180g bullets at around 2400 fps. Inexpensive, and good out to 100 yards or better.

[Stand_Watie]

By the way there is a myth out there that boar meat is "gamey," stringy, tough, and tastes terrible. Ain't so --

I think that there is a grain of truth in that myth - adult male russian boar do taste gamey etc. It's because of the hormones. Domesticated hogs are castrated young, or they'd have the same taste. Also as you rightly pointed out, feral hogs have lower body fat due to not being kept in a pen and allowed to stuff themselves on corn. Fatter meat tends to be tenderer and some people think (myself included) more flavorful. If you were to trap boars as piglets and raise them in the same manner as domestic pork I think they'd taste exactly the same.

I've got some venison and russian boar pork barbecue simmering in the crockpot right now:D :D

[Dr.Rob]

That '03 with a 200 gr. bullet may be overkill... which is better than underkill.

Dad killed his Russian Wild Boar with a Remington 760 pump gun and handloaded 165gr sierra game king. 1 shot, DRT.