Texas Hog Hunt report

Dave King

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May 3, 2001
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Okay, I'm back.

First day back from Texas.

We shot two hogs but saw many more. I shot one across a large "tank" and my partner shot one on a winter wheat field.


I'll paste a bit I posted at AccurateReloading.Com

I did a little unscientific terminal ballistics test while in Texas, I made three test shots with MatchKings on a hog at 40 yards. It was about a 160 pound hog and I fired Sierra MatchKings through the hind quarters and through the chest. The 175 grain MatchKing fired through the hind quarters was at an initial velocity of 2650+-, I shot through both major large bones and the pelvis. The bullet/fragments exited the off side. There was evidence of fragmenting (as expected) as a result of the large bones. The exit wound was still quite large and there were lead fragments and the actal base of the MatchKing (just the flat bottom most part of the boattail). On the chest shot, the wound was very devastating with an exit wound was about the size of a chicken egg (medium grade A version). There was no indication of fragmentation on this shot.
I also fired a Lapua 155 Scenar match bullet throught he front shoulders of the hog breaking both bones. The initial velocity was 2840 for this bullet. The exit wound was about the size of a dime, no indication of fragmentation.

Once the hide was removed to better examine the actual wound characteristics it was evident that the external exit wound as viewed on the skin/hide was much smaller than the internal wound.

I had not previously shot animals at close range with the MatchKing but this single experiment seems to indicate that they can penetrate heavy bones very well.

Two hogs were shot with the 338 RUM and the 300 MatchKing. Both of these hogs died in very short order. Both shots were in the 300 yards area, 294 and 310). The 294 yard shot was a front shoulder and spine shot as the hog was quartering away on the shot. The exit wound was the size of a U.S. Nickel. There were bone (spine) fragments in the shoulder/spine shot hog, no evidence of bullet fragmenting.

The Outfitter was also interested in the results of the "Target Bullet" test on the hog. He was present for the test shots and was very impressed with the wound characteristics of the bullets. He pronounced that he DID consider them a good hog bullet after the test but had doubts before the test shots.

None of the fired projectiles were recovered. All bullets passed through and the only evidence of framenting was on the heavy bone shot of the hind quarter side-to-side shot.

I found no reason to discontinue using MatchKings as a hunting bullet!


We took alone a younger fella (21 years old) on his first hog hunt. We told him about the hogs and that it can be dangerous at times. HE FORGOT some of the lesson and opted to follow a huge hog into the cedars. He said the reason he followed it was that he wasn't sure the 308 Win he was carrying would kill the hog???
To make a long story short, he said he was alone in the cedars with this huge hog for about 1 hour and 45 minutes playing hide-and-seek. When he called us on the radio we was ON TOP of a large metal shed and complaining that he had ruined one pair of BVD underware!


txhunter

We came across two coyotes while down there, if you want you can go look at them, they're still in the same place we last saw them.
 
Dave,

Neat short range test of the matchking. That was one of my concerns. I have never used them before but was unsure of there close range performance in the 338 Lapua or the 308. That 155 Scenar, was that out of your 308? After out discussion on the phone when I was having scope base problems, I bought some of the 155 Scenars. Man they are flying nice, little faster than the 168 MK and with the same BC. Thanks for the tip.

Did Al go with you on this trip? How is he doing? I can never get through on his cell phone.

Matt
 
Matt

Yup, Al went along, he shot a nice hog and had some additional shooting but there was a time-space problem.

All the "test" shots were from the 308 Win at 40 yards. The fragmented matchking results were after some travel through pretty heavy bone.

The 155 Lapua Scenars are great bullets, fly faster than the 168's and have a BC equal to the 175 Sierra.

I'd have no worries about the MatchKing in 338, it'll kill whatever it hits if the placement is good.
 
Hi Dave King...Sound's like you had fun....Don't you know that a MatchKing won't kill a dillo...Or should I say PIG....
grin.gif
 
Dave,

Glad to see you spent our money well... Sounds like you had a god time..

Curious as to the construction of the 155 scenar bullets.. do you or does anyone know how thisck the jackets are?

I like the same BC of the 175 SMK..
 
Sounds like y'all had fun down here in Texas even learned the lingo..."tank" I'm proud of you. What part where you in . Must have been the east part. Cause those south Texas HAWGS don't take kindly to being shot with a little gun
grin.gif
. Very happy to have you back!!! Sorry you couldn't educate that young fella sooner
wink.gif
but, we all have to learn.
 
I was in Knox County, hunting in two general locations. One hog was shot West of Knox City and one North East of Knox City.

These were not feral hogs but Russians that have escaped from game farms years ago (as relayed to me).

WyoWhisper
I'll cut a Scenar and Sierra in half and measure them, probably later this week.


That Young Fella was surely suprised by that hog. He said it was about waist height and had LARGE WHITE TUSKS and passed close enough that he could have reached out and touched it with his hand. At that point in the hide-and-seek game, Jessie was tucked into the center of a scrub Cedar and in no position to shoot. He said he got into the center of the Cedar after he crouched down to crawl under the Cedar branches and was confronted by the hog coming directly toward him. He said the hog at that point was circling in an apparent attempt to "hunt him down".
 
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