slim_shady
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I had been waiting a couple of months to give these bullets a try on hogs. I've mentioned in the past there are times I hunt in areas where there are cattle & equipment. This frangible bullet has a non lead core and is suppose to break apart upon impact & I would hope they also would be less likely to ricochet considering there design.
My initial test was on a large potato. With a piece of plywood about 5 ft behind with pain white paper covering it I took 3 shots at the potato. Each time a hit, and yes the bullet did break apart, however there appeared to be a large section of the core that would remain intact and tear through the paper. Usually sideways as the tear in the paper was like looking at the bottom portion of a bullet from the side. Each hit had similar results.
The real test would be on a live hog to see if there would be complete penetration.
This last week my opportunity came up. Last Wednesday I received a report of a sounder of hogs in the pecan orchard next to one of our hay fields. Thankfully I have permission to hunt in the orchard. Once the sun was down and my belly full with dinner I was on the hunt.
Long story short I didn't see squat in the hay fields or orchard so just planted my self in a spot near one of two openings in the broken hog panel fence that surrounds the orchard. After sitting, looking, and listing for a bit, I walked out scanning the brush-line. After about 20 yards I saw something moving in the brush, and then I heard a grunt. It was on.
After another 30 yards of moving sideways along the brush-line I had an opening I could clearly make out a hog, lined up and pulled the trigger. He was down! Sadly the only "Barnes MPG" round I had was in the chamber, the rest in the mag were Hornady. A 2nd boar darted into the hay field and ran from my left to right. Bang Bang Bang. Im not sure which of the 3 shots hit him, but was able to recover him first considering his trail in the heavy dew on the short hay.
The first boar down was a clean neck/spine hit with an exit wound. Sorry I didn't take better pictures, nor open him up for a complete investigation. I was just looking to see if there was penetration. Also I had promised a friend I would call him the next time I got a hog, so I made the call. He was out in 30 to collect them.
Thursday night I decided to poke around the orchard and hay fields once again to see if the sounder was still around. Sure enough 3/4 down the main road of the Orchard they were strait north of me about 350 yards away. With nearly a full moon, and lots of crunchy leaves on the ground from last year my approach was slow and steady.
This time I had a full mag of the Barnes MPG bullets, and was ready for war with an extra mag in my pocket.
Thinking back I wish I had spent more time trying to figure out which might have been the lead sow, but had decided to take the shot on the one farthest right in an attempt to drive them left and into the hog fence. Had it worked it I would have had more opportunity to shoot. After the first shot I did take 4 more at other running hogs and heard one Thud. The first Sow was badly wounded and moving slow. I was able to run up 30 or so yards and put another into her after the others had run off. I found the 2nd sow 100 or so yards away. She had been hit in the high shoulder, Id guess a lung shot. Both hogs had exit wounds. Once again The bullet had not completely come apart upon impact.
My friend was happy to get another call to come pick up two more hogs.
Nothing Sat, Nothing Sunday. Fast Forward to Monday night. I had been keeping an eye out in another field 5 miles down the road, and had Dumped a bag of corn on the ground in a spot I had a feeder last year then planted a Covert game camera. My phone dinged at 9 pm, and it was the same boar that had shown up the night before at 3 am. Here we go.
It was nearly a full moon last night and mostly clear skies. I was able to drive up within 400 yards, begun my slow 300 yard stalk. For most of it I had a large piece of equipment in the field to hide behind during my stalk up until the last 100 yards.
The last 100 yards felt like it took hours. More then once in the past I had been busted and spooked hogs during a stalk in full moon conditions so I was determined to take this one slow. Once finally in position just inside 100 yards It looked like he was looking at me so I didn't waist time, I clicked the 2x zoom took aim at his neck and Bang Flop. Yep Yep Yep he's got that good old stankey leg going!
With my buddy on the phone again during the approach I didn't even snap photo after he said he was on his way. This guy was pushing 180 maybe 200. A solid neck shot into the spine, and once again an exit wound.
We've seen Todd take down a big hog with a .17. Sure with proper shot placement even a .22 will take down a hog, I was looking for a lack of penetration. Maybe Ill need to go to try spear TNT? Not sure. Todd / Brian If ya are up for it I still have two boxes of 100 each if ya want to try ballistics gel and fields tests. Let me know and Ill ship them off to ya.
My initial test was on a large potato. With a piece of plywood about 5 ft behind with pain white paper covering it I took 3 shots at the potato. Each time a hit, and yes the bullet did break apart, however there appeared to be a large section of the core that would remain intact and tear through the paper. Usually sideways as the tear in the paper was like looking at the bottom portion of a bullet from the side. Each hit had similar results.
The real test would be on a live hog to see if there would be complete penetration.
This last week my opportunity came up. Last Wednesday I received a report of a sounder of hogs in the pecan orchard next to one of our hay fields. Thankfully I have permission to hunt in the orchard. Once the sun was down and my belly full with dinner I was on the hunt.
Long story short I didn't see squat in the hay fields or orchard so just planted my self in a spot near one of two openings in the broken hog panel fence that surrounds the orchard. After sitting, looking, and listing for a bit, I walked out scanning the brush-line. After about 20 yards I saw something moving in the brush, and then I heard a grunt. It was on.
After another 30 yards of moving sideways along the brush-line I had an opening I could clearly make out a hog, lined up and pulled the trigger. He was down! Sadly the only "Barnes MPG" round I had was in the chamber, the rest in the mag were Hornady. A 2nd boar darted into the hay field and ran from my left to right. Bang Bang Bang. Im not sure which of the 3 shots hit him, but was able to recover him first considering his trail in the heavy dew on the short hay.
The first boar down was a clean neck/spine hit with an exit wound. Sorry I didn't take better pictures, nor open him up for a complete investigation. I was just looking to see if there was penetration. Also I had promised a friend I would call him the next time I got a hog, so I made the call. He was out in 30 to collect them.
Thursday night I decided to poke around the orchard and hay fields once again to see if the sounder was still around. Sure enough 3/4 down the main road of the Orchard they were strait north of me about 350 yards away. With nearly a full moon, and lots of crunchy leaves on the ground from last year my approach was slow and steady.
This time I had a full mag of the Barnes MPG bullets, and was ready for war with an extra mag in my pocket.
Thinking back I wish I had spent more time trying to figure out which might have been the lead sow, but had decided to take the shot on the one farthest right in an attempt to drive them left and into the hog fence. Had it worked it I would have had more opportunity to shoot. After the first shot I did take 4 more at other running hogs and heard one Thud. The first Sow was badly wounded and moving slow. I was able to run up 30 or so yards and put another into her after the others had run off. I found the 2nd sow 100 or so yards away. She had been hit in the high shoulder, Id guess a lung shot. Both hogs had exit wounds. Once again The bullet had not completely come apart upon impact.
My friend was happy to get another call to come pick up two more hogs.
Nothing Sat, Nothing Sunday. Fast Forward to Monday night. I had been keeping an eye out in another field 5 miles down the road, and had Dumped a bag of corn on the ground in a spot I had a feeder last year then planted a Covert game camera. My phone dinged at 9 pm, and it was the same boar that had shown up the night before at 3 am. Here we go.
It was nearly a full moon last night and mostly clear skies. I was able to drive up within 400 yards, begun my slow 300 yard stalk. For most of it I had a large piece of equipment in the field to hide behind during my stalk up until the last 100 yards.
The last 100 yards felt like it took hours. More then once in the past I had been busted and spooked hogs during a stalk in full moon conditions so I was determined to take this one slow. Once finally in position just inside 100 yards It looked like he was looking at me so I didn't waist time, I clicked the 2x zoom took aim at his neck and Bang Flop. Yep Yep Yep he's got that good old stankey leg going!
With my buddy on the phone again during the approach I didn't even snap photo after he said he was on his way. This guy was pushing 180 maybe 200. A solid neck shot into the spine, and once again an exit wound.
We've seen Todd take down a big hog with a .17. Sure with proper shot placement even a .22 will take down a hog, I was looking for a lack of penetration. Maybe Ill need to go to try spear TNT? Not sure. Todd / Brian If ya are up for it I still have two boxes of 100 each if ya want to try ballistics gel and fields tests. Let me know and Ill ship them off to ya.
