Let's talk bullets

[fremont]

On the last pig I harvested, I shot a 180 gr. Barnes X boattail out of my '06. Spine shot that dropped a 150# boar like a stone. Thru & thru.

Curious whether people are focused on bonded type bullets for pigs. Many of the experienced pig hunters I've talked to rail

against those new-fangled polymer-tipped bullets (e.g., "they don't penetrate against the bone and protective siding of a feral pig!"), crimped bullets (e.g., Hornady Interlock, etc).

I do like bonded bullets, and am anxious to try a Trophy Bear Claw, or Norma Onyx in one of my next hunts. Also, specifically, have people used the Swift A-frame.

 

[Mel Carter]

I've tried the Trophy bonded bearclaws at the range out of my 300mag, couldn't get them to group as well as I liked. I've alway shot the Nosler Partitions, which I believe are just like the Swift A-Frame. Out of every hog I've shot with the partitions, they never took another step.

 

[Rancho Loco]

I love 180gr Remington Swift Scirrocos out of my '06...The most accurate off the shelf load I've found.
Even though it's polymer tipperd, it's a bonded controlled expansion type. Nosler has come out with the Accubond, which appears to be the same thing.

I've shot four pigs with the load, and lost one.

All recovered pigs had the same 3/8" entry hole, and the bullet had no problem going through ribs, shoulder bones and skulls.

The last pig (about 180lbs, 75 yd. shot), the bullet went through the ribs, blew up the heart, through the far ribs, and smashed the far shoulder bone into pebbles. When shot, the pig got spun around like it got hit by a truck, and then made a dent in the ground.

The boar I shot at Tejon (about 140lbs) was about 200 yds....I shot it when it was at about a 2 o'clock position going away from me. I shot it in the head - by going through the right shoulder, and the pig cartwheeled over a log, dead before it hit the ground.

As for the pig I lost, I honestly don't know what happened, or how to explain it except that I musta yanked the shot (certainly not unheard of...). With how the bullet performed on the other pigs, that seems the most logical explanation.

In the future, when I start reloading, I've pretty much decided to go lead free, and try the Barnes out...
Oh - one thing about the Scirrocos, they love to foul...Get a good copper remover.

 

[Rick]

I've had good luck with Hornady Interlocks, the old Nosler Solid Base and Partitions and even Remington Corelokts. These were used in a .300 Win mag and a .300 Wthby mag.