I am thinking of hunting wild boar in Texas, which I've never done before. All info and videos I see mention the calibers they use and I don't really hear about people using 30-06.
Is that just too high caliber for a boar?
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Why shoot a boar? Sows are more tender.– Llano RiverFeb 18, 2019 at 13:44
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@CharlieBrumbaugh I came here to remove the united-states tag since the question seems not specific to the US and just saw that you added it. Would you mind to explain why you added it, so I can understand how I should use those tags?– Paul PaulsenFeb 19, 2019 at 18:22
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@PaulPaulsen Because to me it seems like its specific to the US– Charlie BrumbaughFeb 20, 2019 at 3:47
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I believe any answers to this question that don't deal specifically with law around .30-06 will be appropriate anywhere wild boar are found. US might be relevant for US or Texas-centric answers, but it seems fine to leave the tag off the question.– Monica Apologists Get OutFeb 20, 2019 at 19:47
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1It depends. Are you planning to eat the meat, or are you culling feral boars that are damaging the environment? It you're not going to eat the meat then no caliber (that you can handle) is "too high."– HeadblenderFeb 20, 2019 at 22:52
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1 Answer
It's not that it would be too big of a cartridge, it's just that it's an old cartridge (introduced in 1906) that's no longer what the Cool Kids™ use.
308, for example, is lighter, cheaper, more accurate and while 308 will drop more that really doesn't matter except for really long range shots and then you would have the 6.5 Creedmore which is more flat shooting than both.
With better powders and more aerodynamic bullets, it's possible to get the same or better performance from cartridges with less recoil, which is something that almost all shooters prefer.
So a 30-06 will still work fine, it's just that most people have moved on to better options.
answered Feb 16, 2019 at 19:17
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1Worth noting that .30-06 is still a popular caliber for other game, such as whitetail deer or brown bear. Feb 20, 2019 at 19:50
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@Adonalsium its not that people don't use it anymore, its just that the type of people who post on YouTube are going to have the newer gear, a quick check brought up suppressed rifles with thermal scopes etc Feb 20, 2019 at 20:38
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The .30-06 is probably the most adaptable round because it has been around so long. You can get light and fast loads for long-ish range deer or heavier harder hitting loads for closer elk and make clean kills with each. If you want to buy one caliber for a particular use, you can usually get better, but if you only own one inexpensive rifle, a .30-06 Savage with accutrigger would be my choice because i can still hunt nearly everything.– DavidMar 24, 2019 at 22:09