Ballistic reports and hunting stories
Sept 28, 2024 21:17:17 GMT -5
James, KRal, and 2 more like this
Post by statelineshootist on Sept 28, 2024 21:17:17 GMT -5
Ballistic reports and hunting stories.
Well folks I’ve been in what some might call a bit of an ecological drought. I haven’t killed anything bigger than a jackrabbit in what feels like months. So on Friday when I happened on some pig sign, I was more excited than a politician on a private island.
I figured that if I could get these pigs located then it would be the perfect opportunity to test out some 240 grain “penta” Keith style hollowpoints that a friend had recently cast up for me. This load, out of my 4” Model 29, is running around 1,250 to 1,300fps and is very accurate.
Yesterday evening, as the sun got low and temperatures finally dropped off under 100°, I struck out. I glassed off behind a big watershed dam that is real marshy and a favorite hangout of our local swine, but found nothing. On up the creek though, I happened to spot three head, out in the open. They were an even half mile from where I was at, and the only way to get tight was to beat feet.
I closed the distance deliberately but quickly, and the pigs did just what I had hoped they would do. They went off down in the creek, and out of sight, allowing me to close the last hundred or so yards and remain unseen. As luck would have it, just as I got to a small patch of cat tails, two of the pigs ascended from up out of the creek and started making their way towards me. I crouched and waited. When they got to a distance of around 60 yards, I slowly stood, chose to shoot the bigger of the two boars, and took aim at the point of the shoulder. The pig was quartering to me and the angle looked good. I broke the shot and the pig squealed and took off, I shot again, missing high. The pig was off in the tall grass, but I trailed him up and found him sick but still standing. I got up to around 40 yards and took a hard quartering away shot, up into his paunch. The pig dropped but was on his feet and running in an instant, but this time broad side. A final running shot behind the shoulder did him in.
So what went wrong? Why didn’t the first shot anchor the pig. The angle was a raking one but should have been a quickly fatal would. I was curious, and an autopsy commenced.
The point of impact on the first shot was exactly where I wanted it. At the forward point of the shoulder. After laying his shoulder off and peeling the hide back, I could immediately tell what had happened. The bullet never made it into the chest cavity but instead traveled along the ribs, and damage was very substantial, shattering ribs, but it never did get into the vitals. Instead it sheared its petals and lacerated the liver substantially, with the shank of the bullet remaining intact. This is the bullet pictured on the left. Penetration was adequate as the bullet traveled a good 14” through the pig, but the angle didn’t play well with this particular bullet.
Although the bullet from the second shot was not recovered, the bullet from the third and final shot was found. It should be noted that the pig was slightly quartered away when the fatal shot broke. This bullet entered behind the shoulder, breaking a rib upon entry, then going on to clip the bottom of the spine, go through the off side shoulder, and come to rest just under the thick hide of the boar. Damage to the lungs was very substantial. This is the bullet pictured on the right, and exhibits more mushrooming and less fragmentation than the bullet on the left. This is due to said projectile passing through much more bone than the other.
All in all, the bullets did exactly what they were designed to do. And while I don’t believe they are ideal for heavy hided pigs at odd angles, they should prove to be excellent performers on deer sized game.
Well folks I’ve been in what some might call a bit of an ecological drought. I haven’t killed anything bigger than a jackrabbit in what feels like months. So on Friday when I happened on some pig sign, I was more excited than a politician on a private island.
I figured that if I could get these pigs located then it would be the perfect opportunity to test out some 240 grain “penta” Keith style hollowpoints that a friend had recently cast up for me. This load, out of my 4” Model 29, is running around 1,250 to 1,300fps and is very accurate.
Yesterday evening, as the sun got low and temperatures finally dropped off under 100°, I struck out. I glassed off behind a big watershed dam that is real marshy and a favorite hangout of our local swine, but found nothing. On up the creek though, I happened to spot three head, out in the open. They were an even half mile from where I was at, and the only way to get tight was to beat feet.
I closed the distance deliberately but quickly, and the pigs did just what I had hoped they would do. They went off down in the creek, and out of sight, allowing me to close the last hundred or so yards and remain unseen. As luck would have it, just as I got to a small patch of cat tails, two of the pigs ascended from up out of the creek and started making their way towards me. I crouched and waited. When they got to a distance of around 60 yards, I slowly stood, chose to shoot the bigger of the two boars, and took aim at the point of the shoulder. The pig was quartering to me and the angle looked good. I broke the shot and the pig squealed and took off, I shot again, missing high. The pig was off in the tall grass, but I trailed him up and found him sick but still standing. I got up to around 40 yards and took a hard quartering away shot, up into his paunch. The pig dropped but was on his feet and running in an instant, but this time broad side. A final running shot behind the shoulder did him in.
So what went wrong? Why didn’t the first shot anchor the pig. The angle was a raking one but should have been a quickly fatal would. I was curious, and an autopsy commenced.
The point of impact on the first shot was exactly where I wanted it. At the forward point of the shoulder. After laying his shoulder off and peeling the hide back, I could immediately tell what had happened. The bullet never made it into the chest cavity but instead traveled along the ribs, and damage was very substantial, shattering ribs, but it never did get into the vitals. Instead it sheared its petals and lacerated the liver substantially, with the shank of the bullet remaining intact. This is the bullet pictured on the left. Penetration was adequate as the bullet traveled a good 14” through the pig, but the angle didn’t play well with this particular bullet.
Although the bullet from the second shot was not recovered, the bullet from the third and final shot was found. It should be noted that the pig was slightly quartered away when the fatal shot broke. This bullet entered behind the shoulder, breaking a rib upon entry, then going on to clip the bottom of the spine, go through the off side shoulder, and come to rest just under the thick hide of the boar. Damage to the lungs was very substantial. This is the bullet pictured on the right, and exhibits more mushrooming and less fragmentation than the bullet on the left. This is due to said projectile passing through much more bone than the other.
All in all, the bullets did exactly what they were designed to do. And while I don’t believe they are ideal for heavy hided pigs at odd angles, they should prove to be excellent performers on deer sized game.
