After a miserable start to the day, things got progressively better this evening -- enough so that I felt well enough to step outside with the 24" 7-30 Waters and see if a hog had finally decided to show itself. We've been seeing rooting for nearly a week in the neighbor's field but hadn't spotted any swine around here. It was only a matter of time...

A short while after the 10:00 news ended, I stepped out to my shooting rest and switched on the KillZone light. Nothing but a large 'coon and a possum could be seen. So I meandered over to the other side of the yard, laid the rifle across the rest there and flipped the switch. I immediately saw a hog, but he was facing me and caught the brunt of the light in his face, and even though the green LEDs tend to make game less skittish, he took off.

So I swung the light well ahead of him with hopes he'd run through the beam and give me an opportunity. It worked out even better than I had hoped. As he hit the fringe of the beam, he was broadside and slowed to a walk. I was about to take a shot as he turned and angled sharply for a quartering presentation, which I quickly took as he was nearing the brushline and about to be gone for good.

From 170 yards, I could hear the impact of the 120 grain Ballistic Tip as it pulverized his shoulder, ripped through the vitals and penetrated the 2nd to last rib before stopping under the hide, where it was easily recovered.

The recovered bullet, which starts out at a mild 2655 fps, weighed 86.1 grains. The core and the jacket were actually separated and found less than an inch from each other, but I am thrilled with the performance considering the hard impact and the fact that it penetrated around 18 inches or more before coming to rest.

I've also included a photo of the "shield" as I often get asked about it and whether or not it is just a myth. It is not. This boar was not very old and already had a substantial layer of cartilage covering his shoulder area. I cut away a section from where the bullet entered and also a section from where the bullet ended up. Notice the huge difference. On an old boar, that layer of cartilage can approach an inch and in thickness and will test the mettle of any bullet.

PS-Before anyone asks, the light is usually on the left side of the scope due to the Butler Creek covers. To be seen in the photo, I flipped it to the upright position.

that WAS one healthy boar!

Once again, a "failed" Ballistic Tip kills with a single shot.

Bobby, your hog shooting would be a lot more fun if you would use some premium monometal bullets. You could shoot the same hog a lot more times and enjoy the pleasure of following a "good blood trail" for quite a long way.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Once again, a "failed" Ballistic Tip kills with a single shot.

Bobby, your hog shooting would be a lot more fun if you would use some premium monometal bullets. You could shoot the same hog a lot more times and enjoy the pleasure of following a "good blood trail" for quite a long way.

You know, I tried REALLY hard to like and keep on using the 120 grain TSX and the TTSX because they shot so exceptionally well in my 7mm Bullberry. Yes, a few times they did OK, but there were others in which that was not the case. And when I shoot something, I expect it to be down in short order and not still breathing and needing a coup de grace when I walk or drive up to it, as happened quite a bit with the Barnes projectiles.

So I guess I am going to have to keep shooting those danged plastic-tipped Nosler "varmint" bullets a bit longer...

Todd-

Thanks. It's actually a Nosler 7mm 120 grain BT. These were factory over-runs for an ammo maker that Nosler sold as 2nds due to the blue tip. It's taken me a while to get used to seeing that blue tip in the carrier of my 7mms after seeing red all of these years.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Once again, a "failed" Ballistic Tip kills with a single shot.

Bobby, your hog shooting would be a lot more fun if you would use some premium monometal bullets. You could shoot the same hog a lot more times and enjoy the pleasure of following a "good blood trail" for quite a long way.

lol, someone knows me!

Excellent job Sir.

took a phone pic...

Great pics Bobby. Nice to see the details and that shield everyone claims is armor plate. Little pig like that would have quite a thick one if he'd lived to a ripe old age with lots of fighting.

Shucks, the tip colors don't mean much, they all shoot well I've found. When I built this little .17x28mm, couldn't find brass. Bought a few boxes of 5.7 loads from Midway and pulled the 40gr V'max down and reloaded them into .223's. They're Purple tips! color is the only difference. What really surprised me about these, they only had 5.0gr almost dust like powder. Rated at 2200fps with the .223"dia 40gr bullets. Same that arab killed those troopers with down there a few years ago.

After necking the 5.7 cases down I put red tipped 20gr v'max in them.

Glad you felt good enough to get out again.
Have you killed any pigs with those slugs I sent yet? Haven't seen any, just wondering.

Stay well,
George

Thanks, George. The boys have only been able to punch paper with them so far. I have them loaded for the heavy-barreled .308, and I rarely shoot it...but I might if they don't ha ha! They just don't have much time. Both were managers for their school's football team and were there for every morning and evening practice, and Andy then was manager for basketball, which ended last weekend. Had a bit of a medical scare with Grady in early January, but thankfully all turned out OK. And he is just getting over the flu, too. But hopefully soon they'll get more outdoor time. They will have free time in the summer but by then it's too miserable to be out there!

and another one hit's the dust.

Good Stuff.

ya!


GWB