Post by Flatlander on Jul 20, 2009 22:17:11 GMT -5
Ferals have gotten to be so bad in Texas that I no longer consider it a successful hunt to just get one or two on the ground. It is not uncommon in the winter to come across a herd of fifty plus, of varying sizes.
Til this spring I had done almost all of my hog chasing with a Ruger #1 of some variety ... my favorite being a 1-A in 7x57 ... and a couple of times have had the opportunity to shoot eight times into the herd as they ran past me. Eight is a lot with a single shot rifle.
To heck with that.
I bought a Colt LE6920 - 16" carbine - and topped it with an Eotech holosight and a Troy folding rear, and a Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special 5" .45 ACP.
My brother never had been hog hunting. One evening after baseball he wanted to head out, so we did ... at the gate, I asked him if he had any cattle in the ranch while glassing the pasture. He said he didn't, and I pointed and said - "I believe those would be your hogs."
We stalked into about 150 yards and he asked me if I had a plan. I said "Sure ...we'll just go in there and kill all the bastards."
He loaded three cartridges into the tube of his Marlin 336 and away we went.
At 100 yards, I sat down, motioned for him to do the same, and pointed at the herd of twenty pigs spread out on the hill below us. "You take the right, and I'll take the left, and start shooting when I do," I said, and settled into a good shooting position.
I got the first pig in the red dot of the holosight and squeezed the trigger. He rolled over.
I swung over to the right. The second pig had just figured out that something bad had happened to the first one. I popped him, he rolled, and I swung onto the next one.
The third one was easy as well, though running. The fourth and fifth hogs took multiple hits on the run at about 150 yards before going down. The sixth and seventh took a couple of rounds each at about 225 yards and disappeared over the hill.
My brother sat there, somewhat awed by the carnage, and we went after the two wounded pigs.
We topped the hill and slipped into another pasture and there they were - one on my left, and one on my right.
I pulled the carbine up, shot the pig on the right with two quick shoulder shots, and swung onto the pig on the left. One shot at him and my bolt locked back.
I swung the rifle out of the way, as the hog was still on his feet after three or four rounds were already in him, and pulled my .45.
The pig on the right was still up, so I shot him one more time ... then put six 230 grain Corbon +P hollowpoints into the pig on the left. The booger soaked up every one of them with no noticeable effect other than to lower his head a little. Finally, with my gun empty, I was about to reach for my pocketknife and go in hand to hand with him, when FINALLY he walked over to a cedar tree and laid down.
The side we had been shooting at was facing up and streaked with rain. We rolled him over and got a real good look at porcine carnage. He had taken one hit that went less than 1/4" under his spine with no visible effect. The toughest hog I think I've ever killed.
In any event, the .223 is clearly enough gun, though I have since moved to heavier bullets (the Sierra 69 gr BTHP) ... then bought an Armalite AR-10 in 308 with ten 20 round magazines and put a Zeiss Diavari-C 3-9x36 on top ... and yesterday bought a Bushmaster Predator that I am going to top with a Leupold VXIII 3.5-10x40. The Baer is certainly enough gun and I am hard pressed to find anything better.
But I have taken to stuffing another 30-rounder behind my belt these days.
I have more fun out here than the law should allow.
Til this spring I had done almost all of my hog chasing with a Ruger #1 of some variety ... my favorite being a 1-A in 7x57 ... and a couple of times have had the opportunity to shoot eight times into the herd as they ran past me. Eight is a lot with a single shot rifle.
To heck with that.
I bought a Colt LE6920 - 16" carbine - and topped it with an Eotech holosight and a Troy folding rear, and a Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special 5" .45 ACP.
My brother never had been hog hunting. One evening after baseball he wanted to head out, so we did ... at the gate, I asked him if he had any cattle in the ranch while glassing the pasture. He said he didn't, and I pointed and said - "I believe those would be your hogs."
We stalked into about 150 yards and he asked me if I had a plan. I said "Sure ...we'll just go in there and kill all the bastards."
He loaded three cartridges into the tube of his Marlin 336 and away we went.
At 100 yards, I sat down, motioned for him to do the same, and pointed at the herd of twenty pigs spread out on the hill below us. "You take the right, and I'll take the left, and start shooting when I do," I said, and settled into a good shooting position.
I got the first pig in the red dot of the holosight and squeezed the trigger. He rolled over.
I swung over to the right. The second pig had just figured out that something bad had happened to the first one. I popped him, he rolled, and I swung onto the next one.
The third one was easy as well, though running. The fourth and fifth hogs took multiple hits on the run at about 150 yards before going down. The sixth and seventh took a couple of rounds each at about 225 yards and disappeared over the hill.
My brother sat there, somewhat awed by the carnage, and we went after the two wounded pigs.
We topped the hill and slipped into another pasture and there they were - one on my left, and one on my right.
I pulled the carbine up, shot the pig on the right with two quick shoulder shots, and swung onto the pig on the left. One shot at him and my bolt locked back.
I swung the rifle out of the way, as the hog was still on his feet after three or four rounds were already in him, and pulled my .45.
The pig on the right was still up, so I shot him one more time ... then put six 230 grain Corbon +P hollowpoints into the pig on the left. The booger soaked up every one of them with no noticeable effect other than to lower his head a little. Finally, with my gun empty, I was about to reach for my pocketknife and go in hand to hand with him, when FINALLY he walked over to a cedar tree and laid down.
The side we had been shooting at was facing up and streaked with rain. We rolled him over and got a real good look at porcine carnage. He had taken one hit that went less than 1/4" under his spine with no visible effect. The toughest hog I think I've ever killed.
In any event, the .223 is clearly enough gun, though I have since moved to heavier bullets (the Sierra 69 gr BTHP) ... then bought an Armalite AR-10 in 308 with ten 20 round magazines and put a Zeiss Diavari-C 3-9x36 on top ... and yesterday bought a Bushmaster Predator that I am going to top with a Leupold VXIII 3.5-10x40. The Baer is certainly enough gun and I am hard pressed to find anything better.
But I have taken to stuffing another 30-rounder behind my belt these days.
I have more fun out here than the law should allow.