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Pig load
- Thread starter tryinhard
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capt eddie
36 Cal.
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I am in the same boat. After looking at all the hogs that we shoot around here, I do not think that a RB would be the answer. If your hit the sheild and shoulder, I think that the ball will mushroom and not penetrate into the vitals, I am going to shoot conicals this Thursday night.tryinhard said:
It will be suitable, pigs aren't bullet proof. Use the same load you practiced with and is most accurate out of your rifle.tryinhard said:
I've killed a few hogs with 70 gr of 777 and 490.prb... I've since made the switch to Goex 3f and I'm sure it would do the trick as well. All mine were shot at 50 yrds or less.
Just my 2 cents.
Just my 2 cents.
Check out a thread I started in accessories called "roundball & bullet" just to give you some further insight.
I would not hesitate to use a .54 roundball on any pig but would absolutely restrict my shots to broadside at under 75yrds. The lungs pictured came out of a boar about 180 - 200lb. The good thing about pigs is that their lungs do tend to extend back past the shoulder joint quite a bit.
The bad thing is that especially on bigger pigs they are capable of surviving single lung hits. I have seen boars shot and dissected only to find a bullet or an arrow shaft still in one scarred up lung.
I would focus more on becoming an accurate shot than on projectile choice. One projectile I would not use is a hollow pointed conical.
Pigs are one animal I have heaps of respect for. I know of a few guys who have been ripped badly by mortally wounded boars. I am talking dozens of stitches and sometimes major surgery.
In fact I pushed one off my bootlaces just the other day. One of the worst things is they rip into the hunters legs and it is a matter of time before one gets that femoral artery. An Aussie guy got ripped a while back and on top of the injuries to his legs, one of his testicals got dropped out. Lucky they were able to reinsert it.
Another bolke I know had to get his calf muscle re attached. They are also the cause of many defensive wounds to arms and wrists.
Having shot more than my share, my opinion of boars is that you need to hit them hard enough that they are so mortally wounded that they can't think straight to launch a committed attack nor run off so far as to not be found. They are notoriously poor bleeders as all that fat can seal the wound. Good luck on your hunt and have fun makin bacon.
Oh yeah, I don't think head shots are a good idea at all. Too much can go wrong on a big pig. I have had head shot pigs come to life in my hands once too often. Not cool, but funny for your friends to watch!!
I would not hesitate to use a .54 roundball on any pig but would absolutely restrict my shots to broadside at under 75yrds. The lungs pictured came out of a boar about 180 - 200lb. The good thing about pigs is that their lungs do tend to extend back past the shoulder joint quite a bit.
The bad thing is that especially on bigger pigs they are capable of surviving single lung hits. I have seen boars shot and dissected only to find a bullet or an arrow shaft still in one scarred up lung.
I would focus more on becoming an accurate shot than on projectile choice. One projectile I would not use is a hollow pointed conical.
Pigs are one animal I have heaps of respect for. I know of a few guys who have been ripped badly by mortally wounded boars. I am talking dozens of stitches and sometimes major surgery.
In fact I pushed one off my bootlaces just the other day. One of the worst things is they rip into the hunters legs and it is a matter of time before one gets that femoral artery. An Aussie guy got ripped a while back and on top of the injuries to his legs, one of his testicals got dropped out. Lucky they were able to reinsert it.
Another bolke I know had to get his calf muscle re attached. They are also the cause of many defensive wounds to arms and wrists.
Having shot more than my share, my opinion of boars is that you need to hit them hard enough that they are so mortally wounded that they can't think straight to launch a committed attack nor run off so far as to not be found. They are notoriously poor bleeders as all that fat can seal the wound. Good luck on your hunt and have fun makin bacon.
Oh yeah, I don't think head shots are a good idea at all. Too much can go wrong on a big pig. I have had head shot pigs come to life in my hands once too often. Not cool, but funny for your friends to watch!!
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Wait - you're trying to get us to talk you out of getting another gun? Seriously?
I would not hesitate to shoot a normal hog (
I would not hesitate to shoot a normal hog (
As long as your whitetail load is accurate you will have no problems putting a hog down with a .54 round ball. Just remember that hogs aren't built quite the same as deer as far as the location of the heart. If you can put a RB right behind a hog's ear you've killed him. Here's a good picture of where to hit a hog; http://www.google.com/imgres?q=dia...w=205&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:82tryinhard said:
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Regardless of some things you may hear,hogs ain't bulletproof. Just don't try to shoot through the shoulder socket,sneak it in through the muscle of the shoulder or tight behind the shoulder quartering away and he's dead every time. Put it where it needs to go and you're makin' bacon!! However,as was said above,hogs do need respect when you're on the ground with them,don't follow up a wounded hog without using caution and you'll be fine. Happy huntin'!!tryinhard said:
I've been talking to a buddy at work about hunting his land for hogs. He has 120 acres near Pomme De Terre and says there are hogs everywhere. I am planning to use my TC Hawken with the Green Mountain .54 barrel. I've got the rifle sighted in with 60gr Goex 2F. Using a .530 ball over walmart pillow ticking.
I have not increased the powder charges because it groups so good with 60grs. After reading the other replies here, I think it would not be a bad idea to take the time and actually work up a load - see how she shoots with higher charges. Seams these hogs are tougher than I thought. I know if ya hit them quartering away and broadside in the boiler they should go down, but I can't count on that kind of shot.
I wonder if some balls molded with a little tin would penetrate a little better? Maybe they wouldn't mushroom out so much in the heavy body of the hogs? :idunno:
I have not increased the powder charges because it groups so good with 60grs. After reading the other replies here, I think it would not be a bad idea to take the time and actually work up a load - see how she shoots with higher charges. Seams these hogs are tougher than I thought. I know if ya hit them quartering away and broadside in the boiler they should go down, but I can't count on that kind of shot.
I wonder if some balls molded with a little tin would penetrate a little better? Maybe they wouldn't mushroom out so much in the heavy body of the hogs? :idunno:
How about using Wheel Weights to make a ball being sure to use enough patch so it will not touch the rifling.
The ball would be harder and should not flatten so much.
I have always been told not to use WW for round balls. :idunno:
A friend and I took out two 250 lb+ tame hogs with one 22 bullet each between the eyes and ears looking straight at us with my 10" Dan Wesson pistol.
The hard part was getting the hogs to stand still long enough.
The ball would be harder and should not flatten so much.
I have always been told not to use WW for round balls. :idunno:
A friend and I took out two 250 lb+ tame hogs with one 22 bullet each between the eyes and ears looking straight at us with my 10" Dan Wesson pistol.
The hard part was getting the hogs to stand still long enough.
I was thinking more along the lines of maybe 15% - 25% wheel weight and the rest would be normal soft lead. Just a little something to stiffen the lead up a bit and help it to mushroom less - maybe get a bit more penetration if you happen to hit a shoulder bone or other hard part of the animal? :idunno:
Stick with dead soft lead for your RB shooting. You want to make the biggest cavity you can in order to bleed out a hog quickly and put it down, which you will get using a .54 RB propelled by 60 grains of powder. Try not to think in terms of how much energy or velocity the bullet (round ball) is going when it hits the hog, just concentrate on putting it in the right place. This link will show you in graphic detail how far forward a hog's heart is compared to a deer; http://www.texasboars.com/anatomy.html
Notice that this shot did not hit the hog's heart, but it did destroy a good deal of the major arteries that supply the heart and dropped in it's tracks. Place the ball where it needs to go and get you a trophy hog! :thumbsup:
Notice that this shot did not hit the hog's heart, but it did destroy a good deal of the major arteries that supply the heart and dropped in it's tracks. Place the ball where it needs to go and get you a trophy hog! :thumbsup:
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Thanks Bull3540!! That series of pictures helped a lot! :thumbsup:
Glad I could help.
