ORIGINAL: Gotbuck
Cayugad, I was recently on a hog hunt and lost mine as it did not penetrate the skull. I was using a 250 gr Shockwave Bonded bullet with 100 gr pyro and it did not phase him, right between the eyes. The guide found tracts and he said based on those, the pig was staggering and would be fine in a few days.A guy in our group shot a hog that weighed 289 and when they cut him up he had 2" of gristle on each side of his shoulders. He shot it with a 300 ultra mag in the ear and dropped it where it was standing at 100 yds.I think you could penetrate it only at a close range if the hog is large. A good eating hog is around 100 lbs and I think the shoulder shot could be made with better success. I was the only crazy one with a ML having one shot and walking through the woods. I am hooked on these beasts and it is quite the thrill for sure, especially hunting at night for these with a full moon and a symphony of howling coyotes.
So they think the shockwave hit the skull and glanced off... very interesting.How far away were you from the pig, and you said you were on the ground which might or might not help with the angle of the bullet. Maybe a tree stand is the way to shoot them from.
Foreheads on pigs and steers are thick and tuff. I've clobbered a few critters in my days between the eyes for one reason or another,with all sorts of things. Most of the time it takes them to their knees. That Shockwave must have glanced off. A cousin of mine shot a deer between the eyes once with a .270 and he knocked it out, but it was far from dead as he learned real fast.
That shoulder plate sounds like it could be a devil to shoot through. I still think a large conical could do it. I guess I will just have to get out there and hunt them things real soon. But maybe not with shockwaves...
