Well, I had a family affair in the pasture I needed to break up and finally got started tonight-

Here's momma-





Here's dad-



Been having a bunch of unexplained misses shooting off a rest at ranges under 100 so was going to send the thermal back in for maintenance but as I was getting ready to take it off the AR I felt play in the mount on the picatinny rail. So-took it off, thoroughly cleaned all the mount surfaces, and reinstalled the scope. Went to the range and zeroed and tonight I went out for a sit. 5 does came through, and then about 7:45 I spotted a pig or two off to the west, but couldn't shoot that direction due to cattle and horses across the fence. Watched, expecting them to make their way to the feeders but they were busy vacuuming up pecans in the bottom. I got out of the truck, got the shooting sticks, and started out what turned out to be a 45-minute fruitless stalk. As I was getting ready to cross the creek and close in, dad headed for the feeder. So, I sneaked back to the truck only to find he was in the pen trap. Dang--decided that was as good a shot as any and when I had a clear shot I popped him and away he went. Hammered him several times as he ran and he finally stopped about 150 yds off in a clearing. Hit him good this time but lost sight. So I crossed the creek with rifle, shooting sticks, scanner, and a flashlight and started a sneak towards his last position. Got to about 50 yds and he was standing there, head hanging. So, I shot him in the head and down he went for the count.

Here's what I found when I walked up:

Obviously one of my shots while running had spilled his guts.

But a dead pig is a good pig and this one is the large one.







Weight estimate based on girth and length formula is 186, but I am doubting that as I could hardly spin him 180 degrees to put the rope on him.

Now, if I can just get Mom before she drops, although she hasn't been on camera for a week so I suspect she had given birth and I won't see her until she brings her swarm to the feeder.

Glad you scored. Darn nice well-fed boar.

ADT Dusty!

What were you shooting him with that plastic 66?

hehe, gotta tease you a bit its been so long

happening.

George

TallyHo

Really wanted to pop the sow first, but the boar is a good start.

Nice boar!

Were the impacts on the boar where you intended, or do you think there still may be a problem with the thermal or mounts?

Not sure which thermal you have, but the mounts on some of them (and on some NV) are anything but solid and feel "cheap.". I actually bought an after-market mount for my Sightmark Wraith mini thermal, and it does not seem nearly as flimsy as the factory offering. It is made by American Defense. It has the quick-detach feature, something I'll never use, and was a bit costly at nearly $100. But it instills confidence and so far has allowed the unit to maintain zero perfectly.

Of course, things are different with ARs. Mine currently sits on a heavy-barreled bolt rifle.

Bobby-boar was so coated with wet mud I couldn't find any entry/exits except for the one in the guts - not even the head shot that dropped him. I didn't detect a stumble or flinch until the last running shot. Going back to the range to re-check zero Saturday. My thoughts are that due to the high scope center above bore, that my 1/2" high at 50 yd zero makes for a very high impact at 100 yds. Saturday will tell whether scope failed to retain zero, zero was too high, or there is a loose screw on the trigger.

My mount has the quick detach feature as well--I'll look into the type you have. Had the thermal on my M70 Featherweight .22-250 for awhile--changed it because of the near impossibility of getting off subsequent shots due to the height of the scope coupled with a right-handed rifle and left-handed shooter.

What are you shooting

quote:

Originally posted by dustoffer:
.... right-handed rifle and left-handed shooter.

That's me, too. I am right handed but left-eye dominant. Maybe that's why I like the Contenders so much lol...

Rolland—rifle is a Ruger AR in 5.56

I have an ar I built out of parts and pieces and uses a Ruger 1-8 barrel. What bullet weight are you using? I am going to try the 62 grain bullets and see how they fly..
If I can find a good place to hunt pigs in West Texas thought I might give it a try. My contact I had for Texas pigs passed a couple of years ago so I am still looking around.

Shooting both Hornady and PMC 55-gr soft points. I am right in the middle of trying to make up my mind about upgrading to An AR10 in .308 for more punch

quote:

Originally posted by dustoffer:
Shooting both Hornady and PMC 55-gr soft points. I am right in the middle of trying to make up my mind about upgrading to An AR10 in .308 for more punch

Those bullets are OK for head and neck shots but leave much to be desired on a chest shot on large boars. The shield and bone structure are tough on soft bullets like that. I really wouldn't be comfortable with them on any hog much over 100 pounds.

If you aren't shooting much over 100 yards, the 64 grain bonded from Nosler does very well and gives the necessary penetration to get to and through the vitals. They're about $40/100 from Shooters Pro Shop.

The tipped mono bullets from Barnes also would be better but aren't cheap, though they were recently on sale (Midway) for about $28 per 50. No matter if you went with 50, 55 or 62 grainers (assuming a 1:8 twist), you'll get good results from the TTSX line. With these, you can stretch the range a little -- maybe 175 yards or so.

Even the 65 grain Sierra GameKing is better, but forget about the 64 grain tipped GameChanger version. We tested it, and it does not penetrate nearly as well as the lead-tipped GameKing.

An inexpensive option if you can find them is the Speer 70 grain semi-spitzer. It's not very efficient for longer ranges, but out to 100 yards or a bit more, it penetrates quite well and does ample damage.

For a very short while there was a 70 grain Accubond, and it would have been perfect for your usage. But I have not seen them in several years now.

Bobby--thx for the tips on projectiles, but I got out of the reloading business several years ago. My first shots are always at the ear-hole so the .223 has been very effective.

I can't explain this rash of misses or non-lethal hits other than the loose mount I found and corrected or a bad zero. Going back to the range tomorrow to recheck at 50 yds and then shoot 100. If the zero has shifted, scope will be going back to the mfr.

And, most likely will be getting an AR10 in .308 cal and move to heart/lung shots.

No experience with it on hogs but an AR 10 in 358 Winchester might get some good stops with Barnes 180 gr TTSXs. Be Well Brothers, Packy.

Looks like I've eliminated a wonky thermal as my issue. Zeroed it last week and killed a big boar. Back to the range today and shot 5 more at the same target, same distance, same bench. The holes with vertical lines are from my first shoot, the ones with horizontal lines are todays shots.



Adjusted the zero down thinking it was too high, and moved the target out to 100 and shot again. Bottom group was first group, and I worked it until it was dead on. Discovered that the "click" on the zero feature is about a half inch at 100, thus the "all over the target shots"-the Hornady group of 3 measured 3/8" and the PMC group of 3 below it was 1/2". Better groups than I expected.
Calling it good and will be back in waiting one or more nights next week-



Report to follow

Looks like you're ready to get back out there! Am glad it was just the mounting system and not the thermal.

Well, I hit two last night and both hit the ground flopping. When I finished tracking and trying to shoot another runner, they must have gotten up and left as there was no sign other than a bit of blood.

So, I have an AR10 in .308 ordered to wear the thermal--shoulder and heart shots now instead of ear-hole shots.

-- heard about the ruger SFAR?
https://ruger.com/products/sfar/models.html

it's bsrely any larger than a standard ar, but 308 nato

jeffeosso--been shopping around looking at bunches of them and decided on the Palmetto State Armory model--they had them on sale - those with cosmetic flaws and with free shipping.