Well, sometimes my inability to sleep is a blessing, though the hogs may not think so. I took this one sometimes around 4/4:30 a.m. We have a small sanctuary area for deer in which there is a feeder and other goodies for them, but once in a while, the hogs find it, too. I have an Elusive Wildlife Technologies green feeder light on it, but it really does not give off much illumination unless you are closer to it than I can get. (As the range increases and the perspective flattens, the apparent illumination becomes less effective.) Nonetheless, it does make shots possible when things fall into place. This particular dry sow did not cooperate and would only get into the fringes. I watched her for a good while, going back and forth between binos and scope to make sure I knew exactly what was heads and what was tails (really tough at night on a dark subject.) After what seemed an eternity, I sent a 150 grain Ballistic Tip from the FP10—LE2 .308 WCF downrange and immediately heard the distinct and audible impact. The hog was quartering away ever so slightly away from me. The bullet, launched at a sedate 2575 fps, entered just behind the shoulder (you can see the entry in the photo if you look closely), tore through the top of the heart, heavily damaged the lungs and exited perhaps 2 inches forward of the center of the opposite shoulder. Nonetheless, the hog managed to cover right at 50 yards before giving up the ghost. The range of the shot: app. 160 yards.

Nice meat hog myt friend,congratulations .

Todd-They've worked very well for me in cartridges like the .308 WCF, .309 JDJ and 30-30 AI. Through the taking of many animals, the 150 grain BT (and the earlier lead-tipped Solid Base) has never let me down. Ditto for a number of other Ballistic Tip offerings, but especially the 6.5/120s and 7mm/140s, which have successfully harvested dozens upon dozens of animals for me.

In medium-capacity cartridges, the BTs don't perform all that differently from the Accubonds

Thanks, Todd. But I have to admit that these aren't "hunts" anymore. My mobility is gone, and for the past few years, the critters I post are simply sniped from the yard. But before my health went south, I enjoyed nothing more than being out there one-on-one with Mother Nature.

You know, Bobby, every time you post a dead hog taken with one of your so-called "anemic rounds", it makes me smile. I remember all those guys that talk about how hard it is to kill pigs, how much lead they can soak up, and how it takes a 375 to penetrate that shield.

I find it humorously odd that you don't ever seem to have that problem!

Keep at it, my friend! (And I haven't forgotten my "44 promise" to you, just been having a bit of rough sledding lately myself. It is coming; please believe that.)

Good to hear from you, Doubless! Been wondering how you have been doing. No worries on the .44 stuff -- just get BETTER and get your health back to 100 percent. THAT is what is important! The kiddos are fine and have plenty stuff to shoot/practice with.

Anyway, I never located an Encore barrel like I had hoped but did find out that the area Academy stores have the H&R HandiRifle in .44 Mag, and whenever I can get my carcass feeling good enough to make the trip to Victoria, I plan on buying one of those for the boys. I already have a scope and rings set aside...

As to the hogs, I've learned even the big ones can't digest a properly-placed projectile. The one directly below fell to a 150 grain Combined-Technologies Ballistic Silver Tip from a 30-30 AI. And the brute at the bottom fell to the little 7mm Bullberry and a 140 grain Nosler Solid Base (old-style lead-tipped) launched at 2451 fps MV. It not only killed that piggie but exited as well. And I love how those cartridges are mild on the shoulder, too.

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
You know, Bobby, every time you post a dead hog taken with one of your so-called "anemic rounds", it makes me smile. I remember all those guys that talk about how hard it is to kill pigs, how much lead they can soak up, and how it takes a 375 to penetrate that shield.

I find it humorously odd that you don't ever seem to have that problem!

Keep at it, my friend! (And I haven't forgotten my "44 promise" to you, just been having a bit of rough sledding lately myself. It is coming; please believe that.)

I have seen them poorly hit initially, and then soak up a lot of lead. Every animal is a law unto itself. Placement and penetration is everything in my book, but I have seen them soak up lead -- more so than many other species of animal I have hunted.


Bobby, nicely done! Good to see you out whacking hogs! Anemic my $%*!!

Another good job and good story Bobby.

As for the comments????? about the choice of gun/caliber/bullet, anyone that has hunted long enough knows it is all about bullet placement and the choice of adequate equipment for the job at hand.

Guys, just to clarify: nothing I said was aimed at anyone on here specifically. But I have been around long enough to have heard all the stories about the battle shield turning 270 rounds, about having to shoot a hog six times with a 357 (in the head...?) to kill him, etc.

You fellows are just reiterating what I already said: a properly placed shot on a porker takes him down just as readily as any other big game animal.

FWIW, the last four pigs I shot were killed with 80-grain bullets out of a 223 necked up to 6MM. I just put the bullet where it needed to go. My choice of equipment was entirely adequate...

The 6mm-.223/6x45 is one of my all-time favorites. I absolutely love that cartridge, and my original build for it -- a Rem XP-100 with a 14" Shilen -- has been living a little north of Texas for about 15-16 years now, where a friend STILL puts up perfect scores with it.

Back in the 80s and 90s, I used it on varmints, vermin, deer and exotics and -- like Doubless and others have noted -- it's all about shot placement. And with that XP in 6mm-.223, accurate shot placement was never even an after-thought as it was one of the most accurate firearms I have ever owned.

More proof a magnum is not needed.
Thanks for sharing guys.
George

wimpy??? shot this hog( about 75 lbs) with a .30 cal air rifle at 40 yards. side brain shot, DRT. i took the scope pictures with a camera attachment, removed the camera, shot the hog.

Jerry, if that's not a shit eatin grin I've never seen one!!

Nice pics.

Man, that's the scope I wish I'd had in Fla. July '11. I could barely make out hogs about 75yds away w/naked eye but, not a chance of seeing anything thru the K-6.
Heck of it is, I know those pigs were much bigger than anything we saw after daylight. Maybe I should be thankful as it was a buck a pound over 150#.

Thanks for sharing these,
George

i used a Laser Genetics ND3 mounted on top of the scope with an illuminated reticle. the green laser( with variable beam width), lit 'em up. the illuminated reticle put the pellet on target. yep, it's amazing what you can do with a "pellet gun" these days! wimpy maybe, but damn effective on coyotes out to 75 yards and hogs( brain shot only) inside 50 yards. these picture were taken from my front porch. wild hogs are constant night visitors.

I've heard hogs will eat rattlers. IF that's true, maybe you should leave the pigs alone. Might help thin the snakes out a bit.

Is that true or not?

How's the snakes so far this year?

I just moved one of your local ladies into my place to help keep house. From Visalia, said she used to live around Fresno. I didn't get much of a laugh from her when I asked if she'd spent much time at the Texico though. Oh well, man's gotta try, right?

Thanks Jerry, up close those bigger air guns are killers. Never seen or used one yet.

Wish you well,
George

not true. we have a pet wild boar(neutered at about 15lbs) that now weighs well over 350lbs with huge tusks. he is dog tame- and scared to death of rattlers. last year he went nuts in his pen. when i went out to see what was going on, i found a 3' rattler. the hog was about to tear down the fence trying to get out. so far this year has been good. we have only killed 16 around the house and barn. normally by now the count would be over 20. in fact we haven't seen 1 in a month. maybe we are finally knocking the population back!

They may not in California, but they damn sure eat them in Texas.

Why is it people think that pigs do the exact same things nationwide that they do in one area.

Pigs eat snakes and do not care if they rattle or not.

CA hogs must be vegans. as many wild hogs as i have around my ranch, there shouldn't be any snakes of any type. yet i kill an average of 30 rattlers/year around the house and barn- in spite of having from 5-10 pigs come around every evening/ night to clean up the scratch feed my wife throws out for her chickens and turkeys. must be a left coast thing.....

Well done! I like your setup, jdollar.

I remember maybe 8-9 years ago, we had a feral cat problem near my place of business, so I decided to take care of things over the course of a couple nights. Using a Marlin 39A loaded with CB shorts, I had it sighted in at 20 yards and took out a number of "pests." Well, on the way home, I rounded the curve into our long driveway, and a rather large boar ran out and stopped in the headlights. After 2 nights of sniping cats, I only had one round remaining but thought "what the heck." The hog was perfectly still and only 22-23 yards away, and I planted the little CB short right where it needed to go -- and the result was one very dead piggie. After the shot, I remember frantically calling my wife and asking her to bring either more ammo or another gun in the event the piggie was down but not out. But there was no need as the bullet neatly perforated the brain.

Bobby:
That's proof you don't need a cannon to kill a pig. Just hit it right. Ten yrs or so ago a neighbor woman/cat lover got married n moved away and left 'em behind. I both shot and snared 26 in all. Almost never see a cat around anymore. These .17M2's do a JOB on 'em.

CHC: I've been told farm hogs have been seen eating rattlers not far from town here on the ex in laws place.

I tried one about 15 yrs ago that was big enough to get some meat from. Mighty fine chicken flavored meat. Ate til I nearly busted my gut. The whole thing from a 60"+- prairie rattler. Not many that big in this area. At the local rifle club range no less.

Jerry: They very big out there? Most here are less than 3', maybe 1" to 1 1/2" dia.
George

Ever get the chance, try grilling a rattler instead of frying it. To me it tastes a lot better. After I grilled one I completely stopped frying the things.

JDollar, there is another concept you might want to give thought too. We have a good many hogs around here, and we have a good many rattlesnakes also.

You are killing a good many buzztails, but if it weren't for them oinkers, you might be killing a hell of a lot more buzztails than you are.

Pigs/Rats/Coons/Bears and Humans are all omnivores and while their feeding habits/choices might vary from one region to the next, none of them will pass up a free meal if hungry.

well, we have killed as many as 78 in one year and for a 3 year stretch we averaged about 45.overall, though the average is 25 or so. the number of hogs really doesn't seem to vary directly on the property, since they come down off the mountain above the house every evening in roughly the same number. i sure don't want to get bit again and the vet bills for the 4 dogs that got nailed where huge. i really hope they are eating some of the snakes.

here is what a wimpy hog killing "pellet gun" looks like


.30 cal, air cylinder is filled to about 4000psi, and it gets 14 shots before refilling the gun cylinder. pellets weigh 51 grs at 960fps