Not again.......! Feral Hog Control in East Texas

allaroundhunter wrote:

A bump-fire .458 SOCOM.......the only bad ju-ju it would make would be for Flint's shoulder

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You got that right! Even with some of the ‘lesser’ rounds it wouldn’t be any fun.

I just worked up a new ‘Heavy Hitter’ load for the SOCOM:

540 gr. WLNGC “Pile-Driver” bullet by Beartooth.






Not a lot of room left for powder once this bullet has been seated.




Maximum loads will rock your world ….so I guess whoever gets up first (me or the pig), is declared the “winner”.

Twmaster wrote:

Ok, not to sound too goofy here...
But isn't it a bad idea to have a gas checked bullet seated below the neck?

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Not a problem, believe me…I thought of that before loading them.

The Beartooth bullet has a BHN of (21) so we need right at 30,000 psi in order to obturate the base of the bullet.

The copper gas check (crimped on BTW) has a BHN of approximately (40), so over 50,000 psi necessary for it obturate (expand/change shape).

The SOCOM is limited to 35,000 psi (MAX) so its impossible for the gas check to “grow” in size. It can only be pushed into the base of the bullet which does obturate slightly with most loads.

As long as the gas check does not come off during the seating process (ever try to pull a crimped on gas check off) then I have nothing to worry about at the pressures I run.

So long as the gas check is reasonably square to the base, it has nowhere to go except against the base of the bullet. The high pressure from the gases insures this.

Typically…the speed of most modern propellants (while expanding) exceeds bullet speed by 3-5 times. Trust me…the gas check WILL be firmly planted against the bullet base.

As long as the gas check does not obturate (grow in size) while below the cartridge neck (bottle necked cartridge) then there is no concern.

Additionally, I do not roll crimp the cartridge into a cannelure, I use a LEE FCD to very lightly apply a “squash” crimp to the entire neck of the cartridge. Not enough to deform the bullet, just enough to create some tension.

Remember the entire cartridge case expands as pressure rises (it literally sticks against the chamber wall until pressure subsides and the brass springs back a bit). Internal cartridge specs are getting 'bigger', not 'tighter' under pressure, the exception being slight cartridge stretch towards the last part of the pressure curve.

No pressure spike will be created by the gas check in this cartridge…at the pressures I run.

There may be examples (with some loads), (in some bottle necked cartridges) where someone gets everything wrong and potentially creates a problem for themselves, but not here.

Good question though!

Flint.

I've read not to insert a gas check below the neck.

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Google it again...you'll find it is common practice (with certain caveats).

Anyway, we are getting quite off the subject matter. Thanks for your question, Mike.

AAH wrote:

Flint, how does the velocity and FPE of your new "heavy hitter" compare to rounds that you have previously been using?

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It's slower (no surprise) and muzzle energy is less than most other rounds I load for the SOCOM. BUT...don't let the energy figures (on PAPER) fool you.

The Pile-Driver will keep on going when the other bullets have given up, curled into the fetal position... and are crying for their Momma's!

At the velocity I load the P/D...it produces only 1876 ft. lbs of energy.

I also have a 100 gr. Aluminum bullet ...that leaves the muzzle right at 3,000 fps and makes just over 2010 ft. lbs of energy (a little more than the 540 gr. P/D), so on "paper"...its the winner, right?

But... we have that pesky little thing called Sectional Density.

In "real life" I sometimes pick the aluminum bullets up off the ground behind my targets, and never find one more than 2"-3" into the clay bank.

I had to dig 26" into HARD clay the other day to find just one of the P/D's, I gave up on the others.

But to further address your question, most of my loads (300 to 405 gr. bullets) churn up between 2300-2500 ft. lbs of muzzle energy.

Roughly the equivalent of the 7mm-08 (140 gr bullet) I was using before...but I get MUCH better results with the Big Bore.

Heavy, large diameter bullets....at moderate speeds, is just the ticket for hogs.

ANY hog under 200 yds. had better be moving for cover...and doing it quickly.

Flint.

L/C wrote:

Has every hog/deer/animal you have shot with the .458 SOCOM been a DRT?
Has anything moved after being hit with that behemoth?

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Every animal (to date) that I have hit where I intended...has been DRT.

BUT, I have had a few pigs run for a ways. NOT the ones that were struck where I was aiming though. Let me explain that statement:

I have had several instances where hogs were "lined up" (partially or entirely).

Sometimes I have waited for that happen and taken the shot, other times another hog moved into the sight picture just as the shot broke.

Additionally, one night when there was a low hanging fog, I shot a boar (it dropped dead) but also found a sow the next day... that apparently had been standing behind it. She had made it 10-15 yds. into the brush, I had no idea she was there at the time of the shot.

EVERY hog that was the 'primary target' has been dropped in it's tracks.

Additional/Collateral hogs...are not always struck exactly where I would like...but I have not failed to retrieve any yet.

The 458 SOCOM is a powerful cartridge and will dispatch hogs with ease PROVIDED they are hit well.

But, as with any cartridge, you can't hit hogs (or anything else) "around the edges" and expect good results.

The Deer, Coyotes, (and one Horse I had to shoot)...have all folded up immediately.

You are correct Scott.

I grew up in Austin and traveled nearly all of the Hill Country for 25 ys. and rarely heard of anyone (or any place) having a hog population.

A small group of Feral Hogs on Lake Travis near the town of Volente (as early as 1968) are the only ones I can recall.