.243 load for hogs

[dieselman]

What is a good .243 factory load to use on wild hogs?

 

[melensdad]

Anything suitable for deer. Hogs are not known for being too hard to kill if you place your shots reasonably well.

 

[randyb]

any 100 grain jsp lby rem, win, or fed would punch the hog's ticket.

 

[WLW]

I use Barnes bullets because they are all copper and maintain 99% of their weight... expand into four distinct petals and create significant damage. I'd suggest studying where the heart is located on hogs before taking chest shots. Its front of the leg/shoulder area down low and not behind like in a deer. Best place to tap them is in the head. The neck anatomy is different as well and I've thought I had dropped a hog by shooting it in the neck, but only stunned it as I missed the spinal cord. Follow up shots required in that scenerio.

Killed more of those stinky things than I can remember. Never had much luck stopping them in their tracks with soft points as they shed a lot of their weight and that translates into not as bad of a wound cavity (exception would be head shots).

I now use a .308, but started hunting hogs years ago with a .243. It'll do it... just use a good bullet and good shot placement and you'll bag one.

 

[rugernut65]

lasi december i went to texas hog hunting they have like a gristle platebehind their shoulder i personally used a 2506 120 grn win power expanding pt it took 3 shots at 400 yard to bring down a 300lber 243s are best under 100yds not enough knock down power id suggest like WLW a 308 wont be wrong

 

[WLW]

lasi december i went to texas hog hunting they have like a gristle platebehind their shoulder i personally used a 2506 120 grn win power expanding pt it took 3 shots at 400 yard to bring down a 300lber 243s are best under 100yds not enough knock down power id suggest like WLW a 308 wont be wrong

Yep my brother popped one just behind the front leg at 150 yards (measured) with a 30-06 and it trotted off in the woods never to be found again. We known if we got it or not as the buzzards clue us in later in the day (morning shoot), or next day if its an evening shoot.

Watch Pigman on Sporstmans Channel he uses a Howa in .300 Win Mag and dropping them in their tracks. Of course heads shots can be had with much much less power but at a couple of hundred yards with no steady rest -- head shots are hard!

 

[bigmedicine]

I agree that with even a "standard" deer round that a .243 is borderline. If you are really committed to using the .243, WLW's recommendation is perfect - get some Barnes TSX rounds and you have an entirely different cartridge on your hands. Much greater penetration and NOTHING is making that bullet come apart. It will punch through where other's won't. Corbon makes a factory .243 DPX load with the Barnes bullet.
Now - I don't subscribe to the notion of using a standard deer cartridge for hogs. I've done everything right with a standard gun and ended up really irritating the beast. That said, I don't criticize others for their choices. I was able to put a set of XS sights on one of the recent releases of the Winchester 1895 "Big Medicine" rifles. I load my own rounds for the .405 (Barnes TSX) and that really gets their attention. At the end of the day, we all make our choices and need to hit what we are aiming at.
Good luck with your hog hunting - and don't let any tuskers get a taste of you!

 

[IndyMonkey]

lasi december i went to texas hog hunting they have like a gristle platebehind their shoulder i personally used a 2506 120 grn win power expanding pt it took 3 shots at 400 yard to bring down a 300lber 243s are best under 100yds not enough knock down power id suggest like WLW a 308 wont be wrong

I wish I could shoot good enough to take 400 yard shots at pigs and hit them with every shot.

 

[rugernut65]

practice practice and practice oh ya and more practice as in the mortal words of clint eastwood a mans got ta know his limitations