Specialty Ammo For Hog Hunters And Depredation?

Here’s a quick shot for anyone who’s got a second to reply…

What do you think about a new round that’s specifically designed for hog hunters and depredation? It’s built around a specially designed, lead-free bullet that will provide serious expansion and penetration at the same time. It also uses a special powder blend to reduce muzzle-flash for night time depredation shooting.

I realize that most of you regular readers are recreational hunters (as opposed to dep hunters), but I’m still curious about your take. Is this something you could see a use for? Those of you who use premium bullets, would you consider this one?

Personally, I’m sort of ambivalent. I think it’s really cool that hog hunting has become so prevalent that a major manufacturer thinks it’s worth the effort and cost to develop a round specifically for swine killers. On the other hand, this status comes as the direct result of the spread of a destructive species that’s costing states and private landowners a lot of money.

As far as the ammo itself, I can’t say more yet. I haven’t even held one in my grubby mitts. However, next week I’ll have the opportunity to try this new round in real, field conditions on real hogs, and learn a lot more about the marketing plan behind it as well. I will let you know a lot more about this thing next week.

Reply

David

Posted October 6, 2011 at 10:52 AM

I am interested but from a different perspective. I like to hunt w/ a T/C Handgun with rifle calibers. I am looking for lead free bullets that give reliable expansion below 2000 fps.
- Reply
  
  Phillip Loughlin
  
  Posted October 6, 2011 at 1:11 PM
  
  David, that’s a challenge for the copper bullets, no doubt. I’ve heard all the marketing pitches, but from the folks I’ve talked to so far, expansion is still an issue with slow-moving shotgun slugs and muzzleloader bullets. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to use lead-free slugs or ML bullets on game, so I don’t know first hand.
  
  As far as rifle bullets from the TC, are you handloading to get those slow speeds? Never hunted with a TC, so I’ve got no knowledge of the issues that go with it. What lead-free ammo have you tried so far?
Reply

Ian

Posted October 6, 2011 at 11:45 AM

If I was trying to eradicate pigs, I’d probably use ‘em. But then again, I’d probably go get an AR 15 or something. Wonder how much they expand, and how much meat loss there is
- Reply
  
  Phillip Loughlin
  
  Posted October 6, 2011 at 1:06 PM
  
  Good points, Ian. For what it’s worth, this new bullet will be initially offered in .223 and .308 for ARs. I’ll be shooting them next week in AR-based rifles as well. I’ll know a lot more after that… and you can bet I’ll be sharing it here.
Reply

JAC

Posted October 7, 2011 at 9:26 AM

I’m loading GS Custom all copper bullets. I’m a big fan even though they are expensive as hooha, and that’s before paying for shipping from South Africa. If you’ve got a bullet that’ll perform as well, I’d be a customer. Meantime, David might try GS Custom, the hollow point is substantially wider than on the TSX and they are supposed to expand well even at lower speeds.
- Reply
  
  Phillip Loughlin
  
  Posted October 7, 2011 at 7:08 PM
  
  I hadn’t heard of the GS Customs, John. You like ‘em, huh? Unfortunately for those of us here in CA, GS isn’t on the certified list.
Reply

True

Posted November 1, 2011 at 6:22 PM

This is a topic of particular interest to me. Ive recently been granted access to some property that straddles the “lead-free” line. I’m loathe to re-zero my rifle when I’m hunting here vs elsewhere and back so I’m considering a wholesale switch to lead-free.

The rifle in question is a Rem 700 .308 if anyone can make an experienced recommendation on a 150-165gr commercial offering I’d be quite grateful.
- Reply
  
  Phillip Loughlin
  
  Posted November 2, 2011 at 6:43 AM
  
  There are a couple of options available to you right now, True. Different rifles behave differently with the same ammo, so my standard recommendation is to try different ammo and find the one that shoots best.
  
  Winchester offers a 150gr ETip bullet in their Supreme line. I’ve been using the 180gr ETip in my 30-06 and have been very happy with the performance. Winchester should also have a 150gr .308 in their PowerCore line. This is a much more economical load, but I haven’t had enough experience with it yet to make a valid recommendation.
  
  Hornady offers a 150gr as well as a 165gr in their GMX line. I have to confess that I haven’t used the GMX ammo on animals so far, so I can’t offer first hand experience. My handloads are pretty accurate, and other reviews are pretty good in general though.
  
  Federal is loading the Barnes bullet in their Vital Shok line. Barnes has been around for a long time, and the performance is proven.
  
  Sorry if that didn’t narrow it down for you, but it’s pretty important to find something that works well in your individual rifle.
Reply

True

Posted November 2, 2011 at 4:08 PM

Thanks Phillip,

I placed an order for the Win, Hornaday and Federal at the LGS today. None in stock…(seriously?). It’ll be a week or two until I can make it to the range but I’ll be sure to report back on the accuracy in my weapon.
- Reply
  
  Phillip Loughlin
  
  Posted November 2, 2011 at 9:17 PM
  
  Look forward to hearing about your results.
  
  But yeah, getting lead free ammo can be a real pain. A lot of places are out of stock, or can’t keep stock on the shelves. Demand is still well above supply.
Reply

True

Posted November 28, 2011 at 10:54 AM

Phillip,

I’ve now had this new Remington 700 in .308 out to the range twice. The first day was a bit of a rush and I didn’t have a chance to experiment with the lead-free stuff. I was able to zero it with basic 150gr target loads from Federal. My second trip to the range was more productive. Much colder day at about 48*. Again checked zero with the cheapo Federal before beginning.

Winchester 150gr “E-Tip” lead-free load: Shot two three round groups that all landed about 6″ up and left of previous zero. However, the groups were very tight so I re-adjusted the scope to “zero” which is roughly 1.75″ high at 100yds to result in dead-on at 200yds. Shot three more three round groups all at or below 1MOA.

Then things got weird.

Switched to the Federal 150gr “Barnes Triple Shock” lead-free load. Shot three, three round groups. The groups were all at or below 1MOA but…..they were all landing 8″straight to the left of the POI set with the Winchester.

Then…..

Switched to the Hornady 150gr GMX lead-free load. Shot three, three round groups. Complete disaster. The groups were around 4-5″ and they were landing 6″ left and 8″ high relative to the POI set with the Winchester. Thinking that perhaps the cold might be having an impact I put 6 rounds in my pocket during cease-fire while I changed my target. With the warm rounds the groups dropped to roughly 2MOA but were still landing 6″ left and 8″ high.

I was told by one of the salty old range masters that the “new” lead free loads have very different jacket formulations, hence different levels of friction within the barrel. His thinking was that barrel harmonic differences can cause dramatic differences in POI from one ammunition type to the next.

I don’t know enough to determine how plausible that is but I thought the result of the testing was interesting enough to chronicle.
- Reply
  
  Phillip Loughlin
  
  Posted November 28, 2011 at 2:52 PM
  
  I’m not sure about the specific explanation (barrel friction or harmonics), but that could be the case. What I do know as a fact is that different types and brands of ammo can definitely have very different points of impact. When I switched my .325 to the Barnes TSX, I had about a six inch elevation change and something like two or three inches in windage. With my -06, there is probably a total of four inches of difference between the 180gr ETips and the 180gr Barnes TSX. I haven’t tried the GMX in that rifle yet. In addition to changing POI, of course the group sizes vary signifcantly as well.

Specialty Ammo For Hog Hunters And Depredation?

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