hog hunting questions!!!!!!!!!!

[savageml10-2]

well hunting at beaverbogg creek soon i will be using an ml10-2 40 grains of 5744 and a 250sst my son is using a 54 cal 425grain great plains there are feral cross hogs first time going what should we expect?

 

[Anonymous]

what should we expect?

As far as what?

 

[Rifleman]

I would expect your sons bullet to put the hog down and as far as the sst, well I think it is too lightly constructed to use on big hogs.

 

[big6x6]

For HOGS, I'd swap to a 250gr .452 XTP. A 300gr .452 XTP would be even better. I don't know what the hunting conditions are where you will be hunting. Open terrain or wooded terrain. I suspect wooded. IF that's the case, shots are LIKELY to be VERY close. Close shots mean HIGH impact velocity. Your 250gr SST is a somewhat fragile bullet, as are all SSTs. Close shots make matters worse. I'd pick a different bullet.

 

[savageml10-2]

no problem i have the xtps in my rangebox i was curious it is very thick and i have seen barnlot hogs be real nasty just curious as to how agressive these wild ones are. and i may use a barnes 250 mz at 2100 fps we are ground hunting without dogs so i expect it will be entertaining!

 

[Doohan]

The Barnes are PERFECT!!!! IMO pigs are like any other game... they dont want to be anywhere around you! I didnt hunt over dogs and stalked.. they stayed a comfortable distance. My shot was a long one at 63 yds.. If you are using dogs you will be much closer!

 

[Joe Name]

I hunted over dogs at crooked creek lodge with my bow in 95. 2 lung shots at 20 yards and then he charged the group of 10 men and guide now that was EXCITEMENT.The vitals are between the shoulders so take a shoulder shot.

 

[schoolmaster]

I would take the Barnes bullet first, the 300 grain XTP second, the 250 XTP third, and the 250 SST Last.

 

[Blue-Dot-37.5]

i expect it will be entertaining!

Just ask Grouse. Oh yeah, he's the one that did the entertaining.

 

[Loggy]

well hunting at beaverbogg creek soon i will be using an ml10-2 40 grains of 5744 and a 250sst my son is using a 54 cal 425grain great plains there are feral cross hogs first time going what should we expect?

I have read mixed reports on the 250 SST. I killed a decent size Buck with the 250 SST & it did a hell of a job. Anglin shot thru the lungs plus took out some spine. Thats my report.

Also read reports of large bear taken with the 250 SST also. Go figure! :lol:


I think it all boils down to which quality ML bullet you are comfortable with as far as accuracy and being able to place in kill area where bullet needs to be placed.

I have had excellent proven results with BOTH the Barnes ML 300 grain Expander and the Hornady 250 SST. I personally think either will anchor a Hog if you make a decent shot. The Barnes Solid Copper Bullet obviously will drill thru heavy bone etc on a hog shoulder plate hit better than a SST in my opinion.

 

[big6x6]

I would take the Barnes bullet first, the 300 grain XTP second, the 250 XTP third, and the 250 SST Last.

Yeah, that's about how I'd put them. I'd probably list the 250gr Barnes and 300 .452 XTP as a tie.

I personally think either will anchor a Hog if you make a decent shot.

I couldn't agree MORE. However...RARELY is a hog just leisurely meandering along. Especially true if dogs are involved. The ones I have seen are nervous as all get out and it is usually VERY diffacult to place ones bullet EXACTLY were it is wanted. I certainly am not one to use a bullet that will just do the job, but I want one to be EXCESSIVELY competent! Saying that, with this sample of bullets, I would pick the better shooting bullet between the 250gr Barnes and the 300gr .452 XTP.

 

[Blue-Dot-37.5]

When picking out a bullet, I weigh the relative toughness of the intended target, the distance to the shot and the guesstimated velocity on impact. Then I try and get the bullet to group to my liking. I like the 250 SST on Whitetails, and with my load, the MV is 2250-2300 fps. With that said, knowing how it acts on Whitetails at that velocity, how far away the deer have been that I've shot, and recovering remnants of the bullets, I personally wouldn't use them on hogs or anything larger than the Whitetails that I'm accustomed to shooting. Now reduce the velocity, and that might be a different story. That's why I went with the Barnes .458" dia. 300 gr. "X" bullet in the Orange MMP sabot for my hog hunt. My shot was at 60 Yds as a group of hogs went meandering by the ground blind. But, not 10 minutes later, another group went by the ground blind at a range of 10 FEET. If I had the 250 gr. SST loaded, I would be worried about it blowing up on impact and not penetrating to the vitals on the closer hogs. I wasn't worried about that with the all copper Barnes. I shot the hog at the junction (skin fold) of the neck and shoulder, and it didn't take a step. It wiggled it's ear once after it hit the ground. The entrance wound was 1/2" sized, the exit wound was a bit larger than that, but it was a perfect "X". I will use another all copper Barnes for the next Hog hunt.

With that said, the Barnes MZ bullets were easier to get a good group from. I had to jump thru some hoops to get the 300 gr. .458 dia Barnes "X" bullets to group in my gun.

Hogs are a lot denser than deer, a hog the height of a large German Shepard will weigh 200# or better.................

 

[schoolmaster]

I have shot 3 hogs and all of them ran some distance. I used a .35 rem, a 300 mag and the 250 shockwave in my savage. The farthest went about 30 yards. My buddy shot one with a 308 and hit it a little far back at about 175 yards. We managed to get a second shot at about 50 yards head on. He shot this hog right between the eyes and it went down. It had not expired when we got up to it but could not get up. He put 4 more .357 slugs into its head to finish it. The moral is to put that first one where it counts. If you have to shoot at a bad angle a good penetrating bullet is the way to go. Barnes bullets rock in this kind of situation.

 

[Nutt189]

Has anybody tries the bonded 250gr shockwave? I saw a test they did with them on hogs and it looked like they performed very well.

 

[cayuga]

I was kind of curious about distances you encountered. At your gathering last year, what was the average distance of most of your shots? I sure enjoyed all the reports of the hunt and the pictures. Makes a person want to go hog hunting real bad.

Also what projectile were most of you shooting on that huge hog harvest?

 

[Grouse]

I was using the 300grn XTP with a short mmp sabot. I believe i used 44grns of 5744. I should of won the longest shot award :lol: :lol:

 

[Blue-Dot-37.5]

I should of won the longest shot award :lol: :lol:

And the best photo in the aerial category! :lol:

I used the 300 gr. Barnes "X" bullet. I was in a blind and the shot was 60 Yds. A buddy sat in the same blind a bit later and the shot could have been less than 10 feet, but ended up being about 70 Yds., but he wasn't using a muzzleloader.

Blue-Dot-37.5

 

[big6x6]

Wouldn't ya'll say the "average" shot was in the 20-35yds yard range? Some WERE even CLOSER! :lol:

 

[IndianaHunter]

Mine dropped right in its tracks using a 375SSB. I would presume that a .40 grain charge pushing a PR Extreme Elite or a Huntsman 280 would make quick work of a big hog.

 

[HokieHunter]

If your gun is already sighted in with the SST, switch to the Bonded Shockwave with your current sabots, and you should notice little POI change.

I like the Barnes Expander for just about anything, and I killed a hog on Friday with this bullet. For what it's worth, I grew up hunting hogs with a .22 LR. Not a great choice by any means, but it's what my Grandfather taught me to use as a boy, and I killed a tractor trailer full of hogs before I realized it didn't have to be that difficult.

The shoulder blade is about the toughest part of a hog, so, if you're going to take that shot, you'd better use a well constructed bullet. I agree that the SST is probably too light for this shot in particular. I'd go with the Barnes over the XTP.