Thanks for posting up!

I loaded up some 30/06 and .270 with ballistic tips about 3 months ago, just for the heck of it, since some of my shots are long range [most, though, are under 75 yards]. The first pig I shot with the 30/06 was a lung shot, which is my preferred method of harvest since it is lethal and it wastes very little meat. I always aim just behind the shoulder since there is some good meat on the shoulder that I want to harvest. The pig was a medium-sized sow. The bullet entered on target and did not pass through. The near shoulder meat was ruined and it looked like a grenade went off in the pig’s chest cavity. The second pig was a small boar and the same thing happened—no pass-thru and ruined meat on near shoulder. The pig the other day was a smallish sow, maybe 100 pounds, and exactly the same thing happened—explosive damage, no pass through, and ruined near shoulder.

Now, what do you think would have happened if I had shot a really huge boar and hit the shoulder? I’ll bet I’d never recover that hog. I believe the bullet would explode in the cartilage shield and the hog, even if the wound eventually proved fatal, would manage to get away. Couple that with the fact that one hole leaves little if any blood to trail, and I think the Ballistic Tip may be, overall, a very poor choice for hogs.

I shot two mouflon sheep on Friday, up on the barren, higher slopes of Mauna Kea. Mouflons are maybe 90 pounds—110 tops—and are thin-skinned like deer. Neither bullet passed through and the near-side shoulders were ruined. And, each sheep managed to run about 50 yards before dropping and there was not one drop of blood on the ground to follow.

So, my assessment is this: The ballistic tips do too much damage to surrounding tissue, have poor penetration, and cost you meat, even if the animal drops in its tracks. They do not have the penetration for big boars, which I believe require a stout bullet that will pass through, leaving two holes and a blood trail.

I’m going Vancouver bull hunting on April 17/18 in the remote jungles of the Hilo Watershed. These bulls weigh up to 1400 pounds. You can bet I’m not going to use Ballistic Tips.

Aloha for now.

I have a cousin who has been contemplating moving to Hawaii, but wasn’t sure he could do it. Maybe now, after reading this, he’ll be more open to the idea.

I could sure handle killing a few pigs and turkey in the Pacific. I’m honestly not sure I’d want to live there, though.