Hunting & Fishing Hogs are made of steel!

[Super Bee 950]

Last night I had the biggest boar I have ever seen come up to the feeder. The feeder is 100 yards from my shooting position. When I hit the red flood light, it got spooked and retreated about 25 yards to the tree line for about 5 minutes or so. Watching him on the thermal video, he was VERY cautious when he finally came into the open. Seeing a good shot, I hit him with a 168 AMAX. He started running toward me and I hit again. It took a dive into the tall weeds, and I thought it was the end of him. I fired up the Ranger, turned on the flood lights and he was no where to be found. I did find a hot spot with the camera where he fell, but he was gone. I couldnt find it this morning either.

We have several 300+ pounders on this place. I know shot placement is key, but I had two good hits with the AR10, so I still find it amazing that he was able to run off. Looks like I need to take the 300 mag next time.

I wonder if this is the hog that broke off my 5 foot long pig pipe with 50 pounds of feed in it, and pushed it about 100 yards to a ravine through 4 foot brush...

 

[OlsenG_360]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

maybe it's this big boy

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[secondstoryguy]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

If you shot him at less than 30 yards with an AMAX that might be the problem. I've shot a shit ton of larger hogs at spitting distance(15-25 yards), mostly with a .308. It doesn't happen that often, but I've seen some bullet designs(Nosler Ballistic Tips, AMAX, etc.) "blow-up" on impact leaving a nasty flesh-crater but not penetrating far enough to get to the goodies. These bullets are simply not designed to stay intact at short-range/high impact velocities on hardened-mud-caked 300+ pound hunks of bone and muscle. The problem compounds as velocity increases.

I usually use Barnes bullets or the Nosler Accubond family if I'm going to be stalking in close. They seem to be consistent performers.

 

[KYS]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Any regs for you guys using BTHP for varmint?

 

[Super Bee 950]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Hogs can be shot anytime, and with anything. I think a black powder cannon might be something fun to try....

 

[crumpmd]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: secondstoryguy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you shot him at less than 30 yards with an AMAX that might be the problem. I've shot a shit ton of larger hogs at spitting distance(15-25 yards), mostly with a .308. It doesn't happen that often, but I've seen some bullet designs(Nosler Ballistic Tips, AMAX, etc.) "blow-up" on impact leaving a nasty flesh-crater but not penetrating far enough to get to the goodies. These bullets are simply not designed to stay intact at short-range/high impact velocities on hardened-mud-caked 300+ pound hunks of bone and muscle. The problem compounds as velocity increases.

I usually use Barnes bullets or the Nosler Accubond family if I'm going to be stalking in close. They seem to be consistent performers.

</div></div>

I use match boolits......

 

[kyle1974]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

your bullet blew up and didn't penetrate is my guess. a .308 is plenty big enough, but not with an A max bullet...

 

[Billk]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

that fucker is under a tree with a high fever right now.

 

[secondstoryguy]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Opalvom: +1

I never feel bad when I wound one, I just like verifying the kill!

 

[apricot]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

definetly barnes bullets needed!!

 

[broke_again]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

I have seen hogs suck up some lead and then others that drop right away from .223, its weird.

 

[Super Bee 950]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

I picked up some bonded 180gr Scirocco II bullets to try out. Next is to mount the 4X magnifier to the AR10 to get better shot placement.

 

[TLong]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Head shots

 

[PatrickChewing]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

ABOVE = BINGO

 

[noahmercy]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Watched a guy send four 243 softpoints into a big piney woods rooter from about 15 yards and experience serious lack of penetration. Those fast bullets just turned inside out and came apart in the gristle plate. I ended up putting a 300 grain XTP into him from about ten feet with my Super Redhawk to settle his hash. He found fragments of his 243 bullets had gone as deep as four inches, but since the gristle was about an inch and a half thick, that wasn't enough to reach vitals. That was the point at which I realized bullet energy means very little...projectiles that reach the vitals and do damage to them are what matters, foot-pounds be damned.

Fast, flimsy bullets are no good for body shots on big piggies. Best advice I ever got was to use the same cartridge/load combo I would for bear. After whacking a few hogs and seeing many more killed, I think the advice is sound (head shots excluded...a rimfire will dispatch the largest hog in the world if properly applied to the cranium).

 

[ccoker]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

I do a lot of pig hunting

It's where you hit them and with what that dictate success or failure..

Shoot any of them right behind the ear with just about any caliber or bullet and it's game over..

Shoot a bigger one in the shoulder with a standard cup and core bullet, especially at close distance and the bullet will most likely come apart and fail to penetrate to the vitals

A hogs heart is located between the shoulders, low...
aim there with a tough bullet and the hog will most likely run even if you drill the heart and exit the far side.. it will be dead if you get the heart but they can still run and be hard to track and find, they may only run 50 yards but can be hard to find in thick brush.

Aiming behind the shoulders like you would on a deer and it will almost always run off, they may very well die but they may run for a good ways and be impossible to find.

My primary hog rifle is a 6.8 loaded with Barnes bullets, never lost one with it or a 44 mag pistol loaded with 250g hardcast.

I go for the just behind the ear shot and it drops them in their tracks, if I can't pull of that shot I go center of shoulder and low and expect them to run some so keeping your eye on it when you fire and watching where it runs is crucical, then waiting at least 15 minutes before going for recovery

 

[esorensen]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

I have used the Swift scirocco 180 with success in the .308. I average 2650 in my 24" AR10T. Nice bullets, although a little expensive, but if I was only shooting 100 yards, I'd use the A FRAME. It may not fly as good, but they offer terminal ballistics that are tough to rival. 44.2 gr Varget and CCI BR2 in NEW WIN brass. Six thou off the lands and it just barely fits in the mag. I haven't shot a pig, just coyotes, lopes and cow elk. Never recovered a bullet, but did all kinds of damage.

If you already have a load worked up for the 168, I'm betting you could substitute the 165 gr Swift of either flavor nicely. The Scirocco's fly real nice too. With a 200 yd zero, I can hold 5 mils with the reticle and hit a 735 yd 1' square steel as if it were only 100 yds. Tried that last year just before hunting to be sure of drops. Cold bore. You won't be disappointed.

 

[retrieverman]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

The polymer tipped bullet that I use on deer or hogs is Accubonds.

I have killed tons of hogs with 165 gr spire point Corelokts and 170 gr round nose Corelokts handloaded in a 308, and they have penetrated and killed fine.

 

[jcalaustx]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Hope to ear hole this guy soon.

 

[BERTMAN77MK2]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

450 Bushmaster,the Beowolf, or 458 Socom drop em in their tracks

 

[Shyty]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

I have shot quit a few hogs with everything from a 22 mag. to a 300 weatherby. Bullet placement is the key, on any hog. Small hogs under 125 pounds are very easy to dispatch. The bigger boars do need a tougher bullet but can still be taken with other bullets, just hope you ain't face to face with a 450 pounder when you decide to try a small cal. firearm or soft bullets!

 

[secondstoryguy]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

+1 When hunting in heavy brush I always carry something heavier due to an unpleasant encounter with a 375lb sow with piglets. She mock charged out of no-where and I unloaded on her with the .223 AR I was carrying. It did the job, but I'm not going to be in that situation again without something larger. My Glock 20 started going with me more too!

 

[danny.k]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

My "trackin" dogs and favourite hawg-rifle.

 

[Shyty]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

The S&W 460 in an encore prohunter w/16in barrel makes a pretty good meat tenderizer also.

 

[jasonk]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Super Bee 950</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I picked up some bonded 180gr Scirocco II bullets to try out. Next is to mount the 4X magnifier to the AR10 to get better shot placement.</div></div>

Please give me a hunting report on these ASAP, I was hoping to pick some up for elk this year. I've heard some good things already.

 

[vman]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Curious to know if the amax penetrated or not

 

[Super Bee 950]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

That hog hasnt shown up on the game camera so I have no idea.

 

[ncyotecaller]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

The hogs have gotten bad on my hunting lease, hoping to get one with my Strykeforce crossbow.

 

[Mdan]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

I keep a Marlin 45-70 with Lever evolution rounds handy for such a moment.

 

[jeffbird]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

308 175 SMK at 2630 works well for me. Here are some examples of placement with the 175 SMK that produce DRT and no suffering for the animal. First is to the head at the base of the ear works well and is the best choice. Second is if they are laying down. Aim in the middle of the base of the jaw and it comes out the the base of the skull topside. Third example is just forward of the shoulder to sever the spine.
Good luck this season.

 

[308crosshairs]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!


Good job Jeff...I wonder what scope you used to place that precise shot...just wondering.

 

[jeffbird]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

Thanks 308. Nightforce. The Unertl is still waiting for its rifle.

 

[RHW]

Re: Hogs are made of steel!

I agree with the above posters on aiming just back of the ear and down a couple of inches. I learned this the hard way after hitting a 200lb+ pig just back of the shoulder quartering to me with a 7mm Rem Mag, 160 Gameking at 80 yards.

The pig was rocked when the bullet hit, but still managed to go about 400 yards. We opened him up and the 160gr GMK did its job, traversing the body cavity, taking out the liver and breaking 4 off-side ribs. Still there was no blood trail so it was hard to find the pig, especially in the thick river bottom land.

Since that time, I now aim for the behind the ear and a little low - that drops them in their tracks DRT.