Another decent Boar down, .54 cal patched roundball

[Howie1968]

Hunted last night at my number 1 hog set up, shot distance 12 yards shot with my white mountain carbine .54 .530 ball .018 ticking patch. 80 grains Olde Eynesford 3F.
since September ive taken at least 40 hogs with traditional muzzleloading firearms. I hear so much about people using patched roundballs. Granted I got the kill 13 of the hogs I used 54 caliber and .530 roundballs 224 grains. ive yet to get a pass through on a hog shooting them in the heart/lung area. however I haven't lost a pig yet but very little blood and just enough to reach the vitals. they generally run about 50 yards I wont take a head shot
now the only 2 calibers I get consistant pass throughs are when I use my .58 with .575 roundball or when I use my pedersoli Kodiak .72
after doing several necropsy I find they flatten out and get into the vitals. here in east texas you really want a pass through to get blood on the ground because it is a thick jungle down here. ill give the roundballs another chance, im gonna re-sight my gun in today using 60 grains of olde eyensford 3f, to see if the bullet penetrates better slowing it down some.
I hunt for big trophy boars I seldom take a sow or immature boar.

 

[Patocazador]

ive yet to get a pass through on a hog shooting them in the heart/lung area.

Try casting your round balls with about 1/3 wheel weights along with 2/3 pure lead. This will harden the ball and maybe allow pass-throughs. However, it will decrease the 'flattening' of the ball and the size of your wound channel.

Keep up the fight and kill those hogs.

 

[Spikebuck]

I know that hogs are a nuisance animal and can destroy their environment, but sometimes I wish I was closer to a good place to hunt them. Sounds like a hoot. Congrats on all your success on them!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Well done but 80 GRN in a 54 is a rabbit load.

 

[Howie1968]

Well done but 80 GRN in a 54 is a rabbit load.

haha, all of my hog setups are 12-15 yards away. I think I may take up rabbit hunting. thank god I have a beagle. I use her mainly to track blood and a lap dog

 

[Howie1968]

Try casting your round balls with about 1/3 wheel weights along with 2/3 pure lead. This will harden the ball and maybe allow pass-throughs. However, it will decrease the 'flattening' of the ball and the size of your wound channel.

Keep up the fight and kill those hogs.

I may try that, thanks for the tip. that's what I want to do is prevent it from flattening. how do they load being so Hard. I know when Ioad with 530 ball and .018 patch it fits snug

 

[Okie Hog]

Congrats on killing hogs with patched round balls.

One day last summer i killed three large boars with .54 caliber patched round balls driven by 100 weighed grains of Black MZ powder. One 275 pound boar bang flopped, the others went less than 50 yards after being hit in the heart lung area.

My .50 caliber and .54 caliber balls usually exit 200 pound hogs but don't exit 250 pounders. i usually don't track them. Sometimes hear them crash 50-75 yards away.

Couple years ago i switched to 320 and 370 grain conicals. Saw no improvement in killing power over patched round balls. My guns did get badly leaded.

 

[Howie1968]

Congrats on killing hogs with patched round balls.

One day last summer i killed three large boars with .54 caliber patched round balls driven by 100 weighed grains of Black MZ powder. One 275 pound boar bang flopped, the others went less than 50 yards after being hit in the heart lung area.

My .50 caliber and .54 caliber balls usually exit 200 pound hogs but don't exit 250 pounders. i usually don't track them. Sometimes hear them crash 50-75 yards away.

Couple years ago i switched to 320 and 370 grain conicals. Saw no improvement in killing power over patched round balls. My guns did get badly leaded.

I believe if id shoot smaller pigs like you talk about you could get a pass through. However the big boars they die rather quickly. bu they run off. when I switch to no excuse 535 grain or the 600 grain conical in .50 hogs bang flop and sometimes I get a 2fer.

 

[Howie1968]

these are the size of hogs I shoot anything smaller I let them walk. these all came from the property im on, I get kills with round balls but just enough penetration to hit vita;ls

 

[Britsmoothy]

haha, all of my hog setups are 12-15 yards away. I think I may take up rabbit hunting. thank god I have a beagle. I use her mainly to track blood and a lap dog

The thing is a flattened ball make a lot of damage. It acts a little like a broad head tip.
Big game runs off, there ain't much we can do about it.
Getting them that close can you not neck shoot them?
ATB.

 

[Howie1968]

The thing is a flattened ball make a lot of damage. It acts a little like a broad head tip.
Big game runs off, there ain't much we can do about it.
Getting them that close can you not neck shoot them?
ATB.

sure I could neck shoot them

 

[jdw276]

sure I could neck shoot them

Glad that is a game camera and me NOT sitting on the ground. Geez, they are big in texas....

 

[Ranger Boyd]

Nice work! I only have one data point for you, but my .490 RB with 65 gr. 3F was a double lung pass through at 35 yds. Hog didn't make it 5 yds...

 

[Patrick Thomas]

these are the size of hogs I shoot anything smaller I let them walk. these all came from the property im on, I get kills with round balls but just enough penetration to hit vita;ls

Those are some seriously big pigs that y’all have on the east side of state!! Our Hill Country pigs don’t seem to get that big.

Pat

 

[Howie1968]

I believe the reason they are so big here is all the vegetation, East Texas woods are extrememly thick, especially since the huuricaines. my place is a mile from the neches river and have 2 major creeks running through the property. every time I shoot a big one another big one shows up. last year I killed 58 hogs the year before 67 im off to a great start this year

 

[Loyalist Dave]

WELL DONE, and Yummy!

LD

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well done but 80 GRN in a 54 is a rabbit load.

I don't know...., the doe I bagged a few years ago was around 100 lbs. and at 110 yards the the .530 soft-lead ball launched with 70 grains went right through her, broadside.

LD

 

[Britsmoothy]

I don't know...., the doe I bagged a few years ago was around 100 lbs. and at 110 yards the the .530 soft-lead ball launched with 70 grains went right through her, broadside.

LD

I said it tongue in cheek

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well we can't see that so far from you, on this side of the pond!

LD

 

[Howie1968]

I have no doubt about a roundball passing through a deer or smaller hog up to 150 lbs or so. a 7 year old boar will have massive shoulders and lots callous covering the vital ontop of the mud turning hard the hair getting through the callous then fat then meat and vitals and going back out through the other side. my .58 using a round ball can do that. a deer and smaller hog is a whole different animal then a big mature boar