My Savage 99 .308 Winchester shoots nice groups with the Sierra 165g GameKing HollowPoint boat tail with a close to max charge of Varget and a 2600 FPS MV. My question is will this bullet be tough enough at that velocity for feral hog? Most of the hogs in these parts range anywhere from 150# to a possible 400#, but ones that large are pretty rare. I have sectioned a bullet and the jacket is fairly thick but I was a little surprised to see how a hollow point that large. Sierra claims this is a tough bullet, but I was hoping to get some practical experience.

I know there are other bullets that are certainly tougher game bullets, such as the TSX and Partition, but they didn't shoot worth a hoot in this rifle. The 180g Hornady RN shoots ok in this rifle, but it drops off very quickly.

What do you guys think - will the 165g GK be good enough or should I stick with the 180g Hornady load?

The NBTs out of Magnums work well here on hogs big and small, I don't think you will have a minutes trouble from those bullets at that velocity.

Good Luck!

Reloader

I'll be interested in seeing the results. I've read mixed reports on these forums on this bullet. Some have said it is as tough as Sierra claims--others have reported jacket core separations. I have some loaded up in various calibers and it has been very accurate--I just havent had the opportunity to take any game with them.

I was told, by Sierra, that they wer very tough. My friend tried some and found them a little tough for small whitetails. They will probably be fine for larger pigs or any shot through the shoulder. My dedicated pig gun is a 308 loaded with 150gn Power Points @2750.I don't know where you are hunting, but a 400lb pig is almost a myth . If I were to see one and wanted to shoot it,I'd try to avoid the shoulder plate. If you study the anatomy of a pig you will find that the vitals are lower and farther to the front than you might think. capt david

There are some huge hogs in Georgia and I am not just talking about the women . It's not uncommon for them to top 300# and you do here of a few that are a good bit larger on occassion. I would agree that there are not very many that tip the scales at the upper end but I want to be prepared for it in case I am stomping though the swamps and happen to see one

I usually end with the smaller ones - but that is fine too.

Not my choice, but about anything will work of a feral hog..They have never shown me any toughness, just stink!

Yo Buzz,

Good Funnie! Be careful of those GA Hogs.....

I also shoot (among other good bullets) the 165 gr. GameKing HPBT's Sierras in .30/06 Sprg. and load them for two hunting buddies, one in .300 Weatherby Mag and the other a .308 Winchester. I get suberb accuracy from all three loads and between the three of us we shoot a truckload of European Wild Boar a year with these bullets. They work great on Wild Boar here, so IMHO they ought to work just fine on a Feral Hog in the States. If you're getting good accuracy from this bullet, and shoot well with it - well, just get out there and bash some hogs!

Having said that another favorite bullet of mine for Wild Boar is the Hornady 180 gr. RN but I'm using it in a .30/06 Sprg., not a .308 Win. The Hornady's in a .30/06 Sprg. will shoot from stem to stern through a Wild Boar with a respectable exit wound.

I personally think that the .30/06 Sprg vs. .308 Win. velocity difference starts becoming meaningful at the 180 grain juncture (yes, I expect to take some stick for this) so I'd say stick with the 165 GK and get on with it.

captdavid's remarks on the mythical "Giant Feral Hog" are spot-on as well. We all hear stories about the Mammoth Feral Hog but in reality any North American Feral Hogs & European Wild Boar that tips the scales at over 200lbs. is a large porker. The largest sow I ever bashed weighed 130 Kg.(285lbs.) and Miss Piggy was a monster! She succumbed to a 165 grain NBT 'cause that's the ammo I had in the rifle at the time and she expired at the sound of the shot.

Regards,

Gerry

Captdavid,

I've seen the Texas hogs and yes they don't get really huge but, In areas that have swamp land and crop land they get rather large.

I took a huge boar in the crop land over in the Miss. River delta that was over 400#. That boar was very old and off by himself. He was so old his tusk were worn down very dull against his jaws. There's no telling how many corn fields he did damage to before he crossed my path.

I went on a hunt down in a swamp that had big hogs as well. I managed to take a boar w/ my .357 mag that tipped the scales at 350# w/ a set of 4" cutters. They do get big in some areas, it just depends on their food source.

You are right about big hog myths. Most old country boys will shoot a 200# hog and say they got a 300-400 pounder. While the big ones are rare, there is a few around.

Reloader

I'm kinda new to this forum stuff, but if someone could talk me through step by step of how to post a picture, I would be glad to post a picture of a hog that weighed 1100 pounds at the processors. The pictures were sent to me in an E-mail and I have them stored on my computer. There are 2 pictures, 1 with it on the ground and another of it in the bucket of a tractor. Unbelievable unless you see it. Shot with a pistol within 20 miles of Houston.

Just figured it out

Now if I could just figure out how to edit-paste the img code it would make it a lot easier. It's easy to edit from the photo site but there's no paste button on this post site.

Might need to upgrade to a 375 H&H for hogs this size, huh!!

That's one heck of a porker!

Buzz,
No doubt you've seen it, but here's a pic of that big Georgia hog that was printed all over the country in the national media. After the hog was killed, it caused such a stir that a new festival was established in Alapaha, GA called Hogzilla!

i like GK's
jeffe