Pig hunting with the 243 Winchester, need bullet advice

[Jason]

I need some bullet advice. Like last year, we're hoping to get to go pig hunting sometime in late spring. My father-in-law wants to take his dear old 243 Win and his muzzleloader, with the former for the longer shots (most of them in that area) and the muzzleloader for the thicker stuff (so he can take something with a muzzleloader). The pigs in the area range from the size you could throw in a backpack to well over 300lbs. The one I got last year weighed in well above 300 with the head still on the ground, as that's the highest we could get it with the scale in line with the hoist. My shot with a borrowed 30-06 and bonded core bullet didn't exit the offside with a broadside top of heart/lung shot. That makes me a bit worried for him taking a big pig with the 243, his only centerfire rifle.

Since he doesn't reload anymore, I'll be taking his Sako Forester and the fired brass that he has and loading him up some ammo for it. Since I can get a set of dies and a box of bullets for the price of a couple boxes of loaded ammo, it makes more sense to have more control over what he shoots. I already have primers, powder, shellholder, etc. I just need to know what bullets you guys would recommend for pigs up to a few hundred pounds with a 243 Win in areas where the shots can easily reach 250 to 300 yards. Thanks!

[Trent]

I think the .243 is a very common pig caliber with good 100 grain pills.

[ldholton]

i would be thinking barnes tsx or ttsx followed by nosler partions, swift a-frame, than one of the many bonded bullets out there

[Innocent]

Jason, you have shot enough to know that you need to try different loads, some rifles don't do well with the heavier bullets.

Mary

[Jason]

Thanks, all. Mary, I can only test accuracy. I can't test terminal performance for lots of different bullets on game.

[Innocent]

You can't find some ferral cats??? Come to Florida we have plenty.

Innocent

[Jason]

A feral cat doesn't simulate a 300+lb pig very well.

[Jerry G]

I would go with a 90 or 100 grain Barns. They will shoot well in any 243. I assume you arn't talking about the old Rem 244 but the newer Win 243 with the faster factory twist.

You arn't telling me that a 15 lb cat isn't the same as a 300 lb pig are you? You can test terminal performance of a bullet by shooting into wet phone books or balastic jel. The phone books will give you a very good indication of how well the bullet stays together and how much penetration you can expect. That pig hide is tough but the bones arn't very strong. My dog could eat a pork chop bone faster than I could feed them to her but then again, a big rawhide bone would last a couple days.

[Jason]

I'm talking about a Sako Forester L579 chambered in 243 Winchester. I don't know what the twist rate in the factory barrel is, but could measure it and find out. It seems to be a really nice gun. I just want to make sure that my loads for it do the job.

[ldholton]

barnes no longer make a 6mm hunting bullet in90 or 100 gr. Their tsx is 85gr and ttsx is 80 gr . dont worry about the weight seeming kinda lite the will out penatrate anything on the market have 100% weight retintion. I have used them for about 8 years on various big critters in 243 260 257 rob. 7-08 and 308 and even .223 they simply work that being said nosler now make the e-tip and hornady makes gmx both are monolithic bullets like the tsx but i dont have any experiace with them but would think they would proform simialer. The barnes do usually shot very well in most rifles just do your home work on them you will find loading tips on them they do load a bit diff than most bullets running .050 off the lands is kinda the "norm"

[Trent]

A feral cat doesn't simulate a 300+lb pig very well.

Unless Florida has a feral tiger problem.

[Jim Beckley]

I just took a Javelina a couple of weeks ago with a Nosler Accubond, but this pig is about 250 less than the one you are after, I have a friend that used to go over to Paso Robles, Calif, to shoot one of those feral hogs, let me get up with him and post what bullet the guides recommended. I was thinking about going one time and he told me that the Nosler Partition wasn't recommended. My friend said that it was Crosscountryoutfitters that he hunted with, and I tried to go to their web-site with no success, he recommended a Barnes or something along that line that will give alot of penetration.

[Innocent]

Unless Florida has a feral tiger problem

Bobcats and some other larger cats that are sometimes considered to be panthers. Quite a few lions in 'captivity' as well

[Mt_Medic31]

243 should be fine for a boar. I know alot of guys that use them in La, but the hogs there don't get as big as you're after. So far as bullets, I heard alot about Bear Claw bullets, but I'm not sure they are made anymore. I use Hornady interbonds/interlocks for all my big game stuff, and have excellent penetration. To the point that I had to switch to A-max for white-tails as the interbonds were going right through. I know hornady makes a 100gr interlock boat tail that would proly be excellent in that platform.

[chainsaw]

Thanks, all. Mary, I can only test accuracy. I can't test terminal performance for lots of different bullets on game.

You might try the local newspaper distributor for a few stacks of old papers.pack a cardboard box with them and soak them with water.It works good and gives you an idea of what kind of mushrooming your bullets will do in an animal.