Al Thompson
Moderator Emeritus
Morning all,
Just got back from a wonderful hunt in south Georga where deer were primary, hogs secondary.
Friday morning I bumped into a boar while packing my THR approved 870 candy caned with slugs and #1 buckshot. I had a right rear quartering shot on a decent sized boar (straight tail) at about 35 yards or so. He had his head behind a tree, so I hit him a bit furthur back than I would have liked, but did break his spine. That load was a Remington slug and it performed well. The boar started spinning in place. I sprinted up, shot him with the buck to clear the shotgun and then thumped him with the next slug at about ten feet. A quick 9mm to the head for insurance and then off to the skinning rack.
Quick caveat - I've killed something like 6 deer with #1 or 00 buck and have both seen and field dressed/butchered another 20 (+) deer smacked with buckshot. On deer, given the right range, this stuff works just fine.
Hogs, I've always used a rifle, so this was my first with a scattergun.
The #1 buckshot was worse than useless. I recovered one pellet in the body cavity and the rest never made it through the gristle plate or rib cage. If I had only used buckshot, he would have had a serious wound with no anchoring potential. I would have had a immorally wounded animal suffering due to my inadequate choice of ammo.
Word to the wise, buck is not the choice for hogs.
Just got back from a wonderful hunt in south Georga where deer were primary, hogs secondary.
Friday morning I bumped into a boar while packing my THR approved 870 candy caned with slugs and #1 buckshot. I had a right rear quartering shot on a decent sized boar (straight tail) at about 35 yards or so. He had his head behind a tree, so I hit him a bit furthur back than I would have liked, but did break his spine. That load was a Remington slug and it performed well. The boar started spinning in place. I sprinted up, shot him with the buck to clear the shotgun and then thumped him with the next slug at about ten feet. A quick 9mm to the head for insurance and then off to the skinning rack.
Quick caveat - I've killed something like 6 deer with #1 or 00 buck and have both seen and field dressed/butchered another 20 (+) deer smacked with buckshot. On deer, given the right range, this stuff works just fine.
Hogs, I've always used a rifle, so this was my first with a scattergun.
The #1 buckshot was worse than useless. I recovered one pellet in the body cavity and the rest never made it through the gristle plate or rib cage. If I had only used buckshot, he would have had a serious wound with no anchoring potential. I would have had a immorally wounded animal suffering due to my inadequate choice of ammo.
Word to the wise, buck is not the choice for hogs.