People:
Perhaps you guys will not mind too much if I throw in my two-cents worth.
First, if you care to take a look at another, lengthy thread addressing this very issue, take a look at
www.falfiles.com and "click" along the following trail:The FAL Files Forums » Discussion Forums » General Firearms Discussion » Russian Boar (and feral pig) Guns. Fairly entertaining and enlightening discussion.
To date, I have killed two large Russian hogs and one fairly large Razorback in Tennessee, and have personally observed another approximately 25 similar animals killed by my buddies. There is no question but that these are tough animals to bring down, and potentially dangerous if you take a poor shot. But from my experience, I have no doubt but that a .308, reasonably placed, will do the job, particularly if you follow hog shooting tradition and shoot, and continue shooting, until the hog is dead. There is no place for "admiring" the first shot, 'cause that may get you a quick trip to the emergency room.
Having lauded the .308, I personally have never used one to take a hog (but have seen it used with great success many, many times). Personally, my preference is for the big-bores, but that is because I like the big-bores for all my shooting. And I have never been enamored with bolt guns.
My first Russian boar was killed with a Marlin Guide Gun in .45/70. I was shooting a Remington 405 grain jacketed soft point (handload) at about 1500 fps. A fine combination. One dead 325 pound Taliban hog head on the wall.
My second Russian boar was killed with a Magnum Research BFR revolver in .45/70 using the same load as above, but traveling at approximately 1350 fps. Again, a very fine combination. For those of you not familiar with the BFR, you need to get on the Magnum Research web page and take a look for yourself. As nicely made a production handgun as comes down the pike. And at a price that will not permanently break the budget. And different from the 500 Smith, the BFR .45/70 handles well and is not too heavy to carry in the woods. In addition, recoil of this weapon is far more a "push" like a black powder load (unlike the Smith 500, which is like hitting the palm of your hand with a ball peen hammer...I owned one of those only long enough to run 20 rounds through it at the range).
The final hog, a Razorback, was taken with a scandium .44 mag Smith revolver; the first shot (through and through) was at the hog running at about 20 yards, and the finishing shot came a few minutes later at about 10 yards after the dogs brought him to bay. The heavy .44 mag load pushing a Hornady 240 xtp performed just fine.
Where we hunt in Tennessee, the terrain is rough and the woods thick, the hogs are generally moving, and the shots are taken close and quick. Any of the combinations above work just fine under those circumstances.
But in answer to the question whether a .308 will get the job done... no question in my mind but that it will. For what it is worth.
Boarhunter