JShirley
January 4, 2004, 04:41 PM
Yesterday, I stalked around the hunting property for some time, before climbing in a stand in a corner that I've never hunted. There is a lot of visibility, but it's interspaced with trees in winter garb, without foliage.
It was almost dark, when I heard the deer coming. Rustle, rustle. I readied myself, swinging my Mossberg 500 in the approximate direction, and looking over my Ghost Ring sights. Rustle, rustle. It sure was taking a long time to get to me!
Rustle, rustle. Several minutes had passed by now. What I was hearing was obviously larger than squirrel, but I couldn't see a damn thing, straining as I was in the dim light. Could it be a hog?
Finally, I saw a football-sized lump waddle into view. Son of a gun. I centered up the bright orange blade in my sight, and fired a Remington Reduced Recoil at the little critter at about 22 meters.
I was rather surprised at the result. There was a massive wound where the shell was hit, with a slightly smaller cavity in the meat, but the slug did not penetrate through the 'dillo! I had hit the little guy about amidships, so he was still alive. I finished him with a .41 Silvertip.
On the way back, I heard a rustling in the brush. Hoping I might have a hog at hand, I swapped my Rem Slug for a S&B 00 round. Bringing out my Twin Task, I shone the light along the barrel, and stepped forward, only to see a round lump protruding from a hole. Geez, another armadillo. I blasted the little miscreant with 00 at 7 meters, and he moved no more.
Wandering back towards the scene of the crime today, more penetration testing was done with one of the Georgia Arms 260 grain .45 Colt loads, which would penetrate completely through broadways, but not length wise. What results have others had when shooting armadillos? I was rather taken aback that an ounce of lead had not shot through, but then, I believe that RR slugs have less penetration than most people think. I also wonder if the broad frontal area of the slug, combined with the fibrous shell, made for atypical results.
John
It was almost dark, when I heard the deer coming. Rustle, rustle. I readied myself, swinging my Mossberg 500 in the approximate direction, and looking over my Ghost Ring sights. Rustle, rustle. It sure was taking a long time to get to me!
Rustle, rustle. Several minutes had passed by now. What I was hearing was obviously larger than squirrel, but I couldn't see a damn thing, straining as I was in the dim light. Could it be a hog?
Finally, I saw a football-sized lump waddle into view. Son of a gun. I centered up the bright orange blade in my sight, and fired a Remington Reduced Recoil at the little critter at about 22 meters.
I was rather surprised at the result. There was a massive wound where the shell was hit, with a slightly smaller cavity in the meat, but the slug did not penetrate through the 'dillo! I had hit the little guy about amidships, so he was still alive. I finished him with a .41 Silvertip.
On the way back, I heard a rustling in the brush. Hoping I might have a hog at hand, I swapped my Rem Slug for a S&B 00 round. Bringing out my Twin Task, I shone the light along the barrel, and stepped forward, only to see a round lump protruding from a hole. Geez, another armadillo. I blasted the little miscreant with 00 at 7 meters, and he moved no more.
Wandering back towards the scene of the crime today, more penetration testing was done with one of the Georgia Arms 260 grain .45 Colt loads, which would penetrate completely through broadways, but not length wise. What results have others had when shooting armadillos? I was rather taken aback that an ounce of lead had not shot through, but then, I believe that RR slugs have less penetration than most people think. I also wonder if the broad frontal area of the slug, combined with the fibrous shell, made for atypical results.
John
