What caliber of rifle should I use to hunt down Russian Razorback?
by admin on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 | 4 Comments
I currently have a shotgun and a .308 rifle for use. Also what other weapons should I take (ie edged weapons) as well as other gear?
i personally use the Remington 280. the 270. doesn’t have enough power but my 280. takes them out easily so go with the 280.
Back about 1972 or so, I was hired by a movie production company in California to do an archery sequence for their full-length documentary on hunting Sus Scrofa…the Russian Boar….in North America. They had hired the services of one of the most successful and best known boar guides in the state. He lived in the Carmel Valley at the time and very near the heart of great boar hunting in the state. He insisted that ALL of my arrows would have to prove to be razor sharp by shaving hair off my arm at his inspection. I had never shot a boar before with a bow, but had heard stories of the heavy cartilage shield of armor they have just under their thick hides and spreading over their shoulders and rib cage. The guide showed us slides of gristle shields that measured almost 4 inches thick. I knew I would be backed up by the guide and his center-fire, high-powered weapon of choice, so I went into the hunt unconcerned and trusting in his experience and expertise. The next morning, as I drew back on the big boar we found, I looked out of the corner of my eye to see if he were aiming too. He was! He was aiming a camera filming the filming. So was his wife. And the gun? His eight year old son was holding it for his dad. We got the boar, but only after I had shot all my arrows from a 55# pull Bear Kodiak double-recurve conventional bow. It made a great movie and careful editing makes it look like I made a terrific running shot…me running after the boar who was running away from me. Truth be known? We shot the boar with the bow, but “finished” it with a Winchester Model 94 in .30-30. From my experience then and since, your .308 will be a very GOOD choice for hunting these hardy, hard-bodied boar. You will be surprised when you go to skin it just how deep your bullet will have to penetrate just to get through a Russian’s thick hide and armor. He’s the toughest in North America, but your .308 is up to it. Hopefully, you will be too. ;o) Have a great hunt!
.308 would be fine, but you will also need to take a knife to gut it(something with a 5-6″ fixed blade) and if you are quartering it an axe would be handy and the thing you need most is comfortable hiking boots if you will be doing any walking over rough terrain with a heavy pack of water, emergency supplies and razorback
The .308 should work fine. I’ve taken one with a bow. I waited till it was quartering away and drove a 115gr. Muzzy broadhead behind the cartilage plate into his lungs and he went about 30 yards. Several of my friends have taken them with bows also. My brother took one with his 30-06 and another friend killed one with a 7mm08. Use a well constructed bullet and be careful with shot placement and you’ll be fine. Enjoy the fresh pork.