270 Win. enough on big tuskers?

[The Gamshunter]

Hi fellow hunting friends,

I would have a question, which require your expertise.

I have a hunt coming up in Hungary on big tuskers. I have hunted wild boars before with my 270 Win. and did not have any problems (the load is "gecco express" in 130gr. or 8,4g european metric with an energy of 2263 ft.bs for 100 yards or 3013 J for 100 meter).

As I am going for wild boars, I will be stalking them in the evening in the forest with my night vision scope so that the optimal max. distance will anyway just be around this 100 yards/100m distance. More likely in the woods, max 50 yards...

Now the PH told me that my 270 Win could be a "little light" on the big tuskers and recommend me to use a 300 Win. mag. However, my scope is mounted on that particular 270 Win. gun and it would be too much of a hustle to use it on something else. What is your opinion on that?

Thanks for any useful opinions/recommendations.

Cheers,

 

[deewayne2003]

I believe that the .270win will kill any pig on earth with the right bullet.

I would suggest upgrading your ammunition to a 150gr bonded bullet.

 

[Flbt]

Hi fellow hunting friends,

I would have a question, which require your expertise.

I have a hunt coming up in Hungary on big tuskers. I have hunted wild boars before with my 270 Win. and did not have any problems (the load is "gecco express" in 130gr. or 8,4g european metric with an energy of 2263 ft.bs for 100 yards or 3013 J for 100 meter).

As I am going for wild boars, I will be stalking them in the evening in the forest with my night vision scope so that the optimal max. distance will anyway just be around this 100 yards/100m distance. More likely in the woods, max 50 yards...

Now the PH told me that my 270 Win could be a "little light" on the big tuskers and recommend me to use a 300 Win. mag. However, my scope is mounted on that particular 270 Win. gun and it would be too much of a hustle to use it on something else. What is your opinion on that?

Thanks for any useful opinions/recommendations.

Cheers,

I believe a good 150gr would be the best for the 270.
Having said that
I have used a 6mm Remington with 80gr bullets to take very very big hogs.
I have all so used handguns from 22 mag in a trap up through hot 45 colt. If I am hand gun hunting I really like the 44 mag.

Over the years I have known people that use 22 mag and up on big hogs.

So yes I would say the 270 would be fine for any hog you will likely run into.

 

[Red Leg]

Hi fellow hunting friends,

I would have a question, which require your expertise.

I have a hunt coming up in Hungary on big tuskers. I have hunted wild boars before with my 270 Win. and did not have any problems (the load is "gecco express" in 130gr. or 8,4g european metric with an energy of 2263 ft.bs for 100 yards or 3013 J for 100 meter).

As I am going for wild boars, I will be stalking them in the evening in the forest with my night vision scope so that the optimal max. distance will anyway just be around this 100 yards/100m distance. More likely in the woods, max 50 yards...

Now the PH told me that my 270 Win could be a "little light" on the big tuskers and recommend me to use a 300 Win. mag. However, my scope is mounted on that particular 270 Win. gun and it would be too much of a hustle to use it on something else. What is your opinion on that?

Thanks for any useful opinions/recommendations.

Cheers,

I would listen to your PH. I am a huge fan of the .270 (I own four) and I killed a fairly large boar with my PH"S a few years ago in Austria. However, I was using a bonded core 150 gr bullet. The speedy 130 gr bullet in .270 was created for the relatively long ranges (before the current craze) on deer-sized and mountain game in North America. It would be a fabulous choice for a chamois or ibex, but would be far from ideal at relatively close range for a large boar. I view a large boar the same as I would any dangerous thick skinned game - it is all about penetration.

Austrian boar taken with a 150 gr .270 round.

In Hungary, you have the opportunity to potentially encounter truly huge animals. A friend and I were just there in April and he took this beast. Over the last forty-five years or so, I have been around a couple of hundred European boar taken on various hunts in Germany, Spain, Austria, and Hungary, and this is the largest (body-size) I have yet seen. My friend was using a 200 gr bullet from a .300 and would have been far happier with a 9.3.

I would urge you to at least switch to a quality bonded core 150 gr bullet for the .270.

 

[Red Leg]

I believe a good 150gr would be the best for the 270.
Having said that
I have used a 6mm Remington with 80gr bullets to take very very big hogs.
I have all so used handguns from 22 mag in a trap up through hot 45 colt. If I am hand gun hunting I really like the 44 mag.

Over the years I have known people that use 22 mag and up on big hogs.

So yes I would say the 270 would be fine for any hog you will likely run into.

I am something of a connoisseur at battling feral hogs in my pecans here in Texas. I regularly use a thermal equipped 5.56. A European boar is a different animal and wired very differently. It might as well be a different species. It is my experience that enough gun matters.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I'll be back in Croatia hunting driven boar later in the year. Most of us typically shoot at least 30 caliber and bigger, .308, 30-06, 300 win mag. Many of the Europeans shoot their 8mm and 9.3 calibers. Most of the boar we see are average and not Big Tuskers, every now and then a real big one is taken and the size is shocking. In Hungary I understand that they have many more big tuskers and that your method of evening stalking in woodland can produce very big animals. European boar are tough animals.

I'm not sure how much boar experience you have but coming from Austria you must know other shooters who are boar shooters.

The ammunition you are proposing to use is listed as "fragmentation" but this may be just a term translation issue, it shows reasonable controlled expansion in the photos. It may have worked well for you in the past but now you are quoting "big tuskers in the evening in woodland", large boars in that part of the world can run in the 200-275KG in weight (up to over 600lbs).

The key is both bullet type and bullet weight. Personally I agree with your PH comments. If you have to use your .270 Win look for a quality bonded type bullet and use the heaviest bullet you gun will fire accurately. Maybe the Geco Express is a bonded bullet?

I would not want to lose a trophy "big tusker" in fading light in woodland. For average boar shooting I'm sure your .270 with Geco Express ammunition will work well 99% of the time.

I typically shoot 180 or 200 grain Swift A frame bullets in .30-06 or 300 WM. This year I may move up to 286 grain 9.3 x 62. Personally, if I knew I was going to be shooting very "big tuskers" at evening in woodland I would find a larger caliber gun.

Remember that a lot of European hunters are using various 8mm calibers, 9.3 x 62 or 9.3 x 74 for large boar.

Maybe your PH has a more suitable larger caliber rifle locally that can be used?

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Flbt]

I am something of a connoisseur at battling feral hogs in my pecans here in Texas. I regularly use a thermal equipped 5.56. A European boar is a different animal and wired very differently. It might as well be a different species. It is my experience that enough gun matters.

I would agree there different but you know a lot of ranch here in fl turned out so called pure Russian and let loose boars of that breed.
I have seen would would look like Russian ( razor back) for what there called locally and then what looks like a hog just gone wild.
One of the biggest was what looked to be a Russian that little 80gr 6mm in the heart did a fine job.
Yea it was big enough that I would not have mind something bigger.
It topped out my 350lbs scale and had the gristle plate . Had a guy with me that had never seen one up close. He ask how they could take the tusk cuts. Told him to try and put the knife through it he could not.
That was a big old rank boar.

 

[Flbt]

I am something of a connoisseur at battling feral hogs in my pecans here in Texas. I regularly use a thermal equipped 5.56. A European boar is a different animal and wired very differently. It might as well be a different species. It is my experience that enough gun matters.

Now with all that being said
I would not mind bigger especially if it was recommended.
I have used 338,358,45-70, ect on hogs.
But I would have no problem using a good 150gr 270 on any hog I have ever seen.
( and I don’t even like the 270)

If you can handle bigger and it will work for what your trying to do bigger works.

 

[375Fox]

I would take the guide’s advice, but if you want to use 270 I agree with the others stepping up to 150 gr bullets. I took this in Sweden 132 kgs with a 6.5x55, but it was also daylight and in open field. Interestingly in Poland my guides had 7x64, 270, 308, etc all relatively small cartridges they used for all hunting including boars at night.

 

[Flbt]

I'll be back in Croatia hunting driven boar later in the year. Most of us typically shoot at least 30 caliber and bigger, .308, 30-06, 300 win mag. Many of the Europeans shoot their 8mm and 9.3 calibers. Most of the boar we see are average and not Big Tuskers, every now and then a real big one is taken and the size is shocking. In Hungary I understand that they have many more big tuskers and that your method of evening stalking in woodland can produce very big animals. European boar are tough animals.

I'm not sure how much boar experience you have but coming from Austria you must know other shooters who are boar shooters.

The ammunition you are proposing to use is listed as "fragmentation" but this may be just a term translation issue, it shows reasonable controlled expansion in the photos. It may have worked well for you in the past but now you are quoting "big tuskers in the evening in woodland", large boars in that part of the world can run in the 200-275KG in weight (up to over 600lbs).

The key is both bullet type and bullet weight. Personally I agree with your PH comments. If you have to use your .270 Win look for a quality bonded type bullet and use the heaviest bullet you gun will fire accurately. Maybe the Geco Express is a bonded bullet?

I would not want to lose a trophy "big tusker" in fading light in woodland. For average boar shooting I'm sure your .270 with Geco Express ammunition will work well 99% of the time.

I typically shoot 180 or 200 grain Swift A frame bullets in .30-06 or 300 WM. This year I may move up to 286 grain 9.3 x 62. Personally, if I knew I was going to be shooting very "big tuskers" at evening in woodland I would find a larger caliber gun.

Remember that a lot of European hunters are using various 8mm calibers, 9.3 x 62 or 9.3 x 74 for large boar.

Maybe your PH has a more suitable larger caliber rifle locally that can be used?

Good luck on your hunt.

600 lbs?
Man that would have been fun 15 years ago with a knife.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I’ve shot several Bengal bush boars with my 7x57mm Mauser and 175Gr bullets. Some of these animals can tip the 300LB scale.

A .270 Winchester with the 150Gr Winchester Power Point factory load can also do it, provided that initial shot placement is extremely critical. For a stalk type hunt, you’ll be just fine.

In a driven boar hunt, I would prefer a minimum of .30-06 Springfield loaded with 220Gr Remington Core Lokts.

Interestingly enough, the smallest caliber I ever used for shooting a wild boar… was a standard .22 Long Rifle. He went down with one shot, but it’s definitely not something I’ll ever do again.

 

[pilar]

I’m a big fan of 150gr Norma oryox in 270win , a 140gr barns TSX also
As always shot placement is key ( in neck where the shoulder & neck meet)
Those big hogs have a thick shield covering the vitals, so a bonded bullet is advisable
On moving hogs, stationary I neck or ear hole them .

 

[analog_peninsula]

Is this a driven hunt, or hunting from a stand? It makes a difference. With pigs, draw a line between the eyes and the point of the shoulder. Any hit along that line will anchor your boar without difficulty. If you hit the pig behind the shoulder, the pig will run, even with a perfect double lung hit, no matter the caliber. The distance will depend on the lethality of the hit.

The .270 is more than sufficient with a quality bullet, but the larger calibers put larger holes on running pigs. On a standing pig, caliber makes little difference with decent shooting.

The following pig was hammered with a 300 grain .416 tsx moving 2800 fps mv and still made it about 75 yards. Of course, a blind man could have followed the blood trail to the downed porker.

416 hog

 

[Green Chile]

Personally, if I knew I was going to be shooting very "big tuskers" at evening in woodland I would find a larger caliber gun.

 

[grand veneur]

Hi fellow hunting friends,

I would have a question, which require your expertise.

I have a hunt coming up in Hungary on big tuskers. I have hunted wild boars before with my 270 Win. and did not have any problems (the load is "gecco express" in 130gr. or 8,4g european metric with an energy of 2263 ft.bs for 100 yards or 3013 J for 100 meter).

As I am going for wild boars, I will be stalking them in the evening in the forest with my night vision scope so that the optimal max. distance will anyway just be around this 100 yards/100m distance. More likely in the woods, max 50 yards...

Now the PH told me that my 270 Win could be a "little light" on the big tuskers and recommend me to use a 300 Win. mag. However, my scope is mounted on that particular 270 Win. gun and it would be too much of a hustle to use it on something else. What is your opinion on that?

Thanks for any useful opinions/recommendations.

Cheers,

Your question surprises me a bit. Are you a native Austrian?

No matter, this is about hunting abroad and with perhaps expensive hunting fees. Whatever is wounded will be paid for. Stalking at dusk and at night is not without risks. Sure, you can shoot wild boars with the cartridge 270 Winchester, the shot placement is as always important, but with the cartridge 300 Winchester Magnum and a heavy bullet you have more reserves if something not goes as planned. As it is so often recommended by many members on the Forum, you should above all listen to the advices of your PH. If not, it is possible that anything that does not go as planned will be attributed to your cartridge, that in the opinion of your PH, was too weak.

 

[spike.t]

After seeing what they can do to people .....I would go bigger....I used my 9.3x74r double on the driven shoots I did in Hungary....I wouldn't like to follow a wounded boar with a scoped 270 in daylight...let alone one with a thermal on it at night....i used iron sights for all my boar shooting..they're fast and aggressive, and can slice you up in seconds...those sharp tusks are like razor blades and they are powerful animals.....but if you are going to use it then as people have said use the 150grn bullet ..the norma Oryx I would have thought you would be able to find

 

[DieJager]

First of all trying to listen to your PH. Second bullet choice matters. You want a bullet that does massive internal damage and also exits. This in the case you have to do a follow up in dense forest, you want a good blood trail.

Lots of good options for that bullet, especially in Europe.

 

[FlowHamed18]

A .270WIN will kill any boar in Hungary... with a proper shot placement of course...

 

[grand veneur]

A .270WIN will kill any boar in Hungary... with a proper shot placement of course...

Not just the cartridge 270 Winchester, even smaller caliber cartridges will do the job. A friend of mine shot of his hunting area from a hochsitz a wild boar over 100 kg with the cartridge 6,5x65R because nothing else was available at the time. He was hunting roe deers and the boar was an opportunities. Good shot placement, but he had to search for the boar in the bushes at dusk. He found it, if necessary he could have easily looked for him with a dog the next day, but I would not take such risks abroad.

 

[grand veneur]

As a side note, the title is big tuskers, but the heaviest wild boars don't always have the biggest tusks. The heaviest wild boar I have shot was in Malaysia. We did not weigh it, but two of us could not move it. Since I once shot a wild boar weighing 140 kg, in comparison this wild boar probably weighed not far from 200 kg. Compared to the one that weighed 140kg, this one had much smaller tusks.

140 kg / Belarus

? / Malaysia