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6.8 SPC vs. 500-pound boar

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Rancid Coolaid View Drop Down
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    Posted: October/11/2009 at 17:43
This weekend was my first chance to shoot at hogs with my 6.8 SPC.

To make the dying experience less noisy for the hogs (and because i do love to hear them squeal), I put a suppressor on the 6.8.

My first opportunity was while stalking.  I walked up to a gate and looked out over a hay field.  As I contemplated my next move, a very large boar walked out at my 2 o'clock, about 125 yards away, he was oblivious to me.  Shots were off-hand with a suppressed 6.8, topped with  a Trijicon 2.5-10x50 with red triangle post.

Shot 1 was perfect, just behind the left ear, he dropped like a sack of hammers; however, after squealing for a second, he jumped up and ran, full-tilt, for the opposite end of the field. As a fellow hunter put it, "it sounded like the 4th of July."  I loosed 7 more rounds (off-hand, on a moving target) before the boar finally hit the deck and breathed his last.  Eight rounds fired, 5 rounds on the animal, I'm left questioing the 6.8 as a "huge boar" caliber.

To me, the most surprising part of the incident was the sound the round made hitting the beast.  With the suppressor, no hearing protection was necessary (suppressed, the gun is about as loud as a .22LR rifle.)  After each round, I knew if I'd made contact because I heard a loud "thud" when the bullet impacted him.

An AR (with 16-inch barrel) is not what I'd consider a precision platform, the first round was dead-nutz, and still the animal ran (though with a modified sense of equilibrium.)  Seven rounds (and 4 impacts) later, he was down.  I usually hunt hogs with a 300WM and I have NEVER had a hog run from a 300WM round to the grape - then again, I've never shot a 500+ pound hog.
The value of this weapon to me is the sound signature (with the suppressor, the hog did not know from whence the bullets came, so he ran wildly, not toward, not away from, but everywhere.  I chose this platform because it favors groups of hogs and loosing lots of rounds fast - and because a 6.8 has much more power than a .223 and allot less weight than an AR10.

Whether I have chosen wisely or not, I cannot yet say.

I'll post when he's on the wall.




(I have pictures that show his true size (he looks smaller in these) but they show more gore, and this is a family-friendly site!)



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/11/2009 at 17:59
Jeff, hogs are just tough critters and they seldom drop in their tracks.  However, a head shot with any centerfire cartridge suitable for deer should drop them, so I'm surprised your first shot didn't do the trick.  I've shot dump truck loads of hogs, and every time I've shot them in the noggin with anything, they've dropped immediately.  If they are broadside, I aim for the space between their eye and ear.  That is the only shot that has always dropped them on the spot.  They almost always run a good distance when shot behind the shoulder.  Ironically, I shot a hog in the lungs last weekend with my bow, and it only ran about 50 yards; very uncommon for archery shot hogs.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/11/2009 at 18:40
Looks like you had alot of fun RC, what type of bullet were you using?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/11/2009 at 18:56
I dont have a 6.8 but I'm sure  you are right the .223 s would never do unless you were really close and got head shots.  That 300WM Tikka of yours sounds ideal.  Should be a lot of fun to play with the can though wish I had one in 30 cal .

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/11/2009 at 18:59
110-grain Sierra pro hunters at about 2800 FPS.


Yea, I usually put them in the ear (never had a hog run from a round in the ear.  I was just behind the ear, must have missed the brain and the spine.


Fun Fun Fun!


[edited for spelling]



Edited by Rancid Coolaid - October/13/2009 at 13:21
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RONK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/11/2009 at 20:21
 Huge beast!
 I think you're right; it looks to me like the first shot may have been a bit too far back and too high high to break the spine.
Did it exit?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/12/2009 at 10:45
Yea, clean exit a few inches behind the right ear., bullet went in and turned right, musta hit bone and deflected.


As I said, the AR ain't a precision weapon and I was off by probably half and inch, maybe a full inch.  I don't think that's terrible for a moving target, off-hand at 125 yards.  But it should'a been a better shot!

I'll never know if a .308 or a 300WM round would ahve dropped him on the spot, and that will bug me forevermore.


He was a big, big animal.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SD Dog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/12/2009 at 12:00
Your quest to make their final moment on earth less noisy is very noble, OK I'm jealous of the suppressor.   I don't know if I would quite call it a fail for the 6.8 as it is only 110gr, but for hogs that size it is going to take more than a stiff wind to knock them down.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/12/2009 at 13:06

I wouldn't give up on the 6.5, yet.  Sounds like just an unfortunate series of events.  Once a hog is wounded, it takes a lot to bring one down. 

At least you didn't have to fight off wasps...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/12/2009 at 16:32
Originally posted by Kickboxer Kickboxer wrote:

I wouldn't give up on the 6.5, yet.  Sounds like just an unfortunate series of events.  Once a hog is wounded, it takes a lot to bring one down. 

At least you didn't have to fight off wasps...
True.
 
I too hate wasps.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sgt. D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/12/2009 at 21:22
Originally posted by Rancid Coolaid Rancid Coolaid wrote:

110-grain Sierra pro hunters at about 2800 FPS.


Yea, I usually put them in the ear (never had a hot run from a round in the ear.  I was just behind the ear, must have missed the brain and the spine.


Fun Fun Fun!
 
If your gonna make head shots maybe load some fmj if you can get any. They shouldn't deflect as easy off the skull. Just a thought.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/13/2009 at 13:29

My usual shot is in the ear with a Sierra BTHP, I went with bigger load this time (110-grain vs 85-grain), not sure what I'll do next time.

My usual weapon is a bolt-action 300WM and I haven't had a hog run from a head shot with that gun (and only had one run, he was a double-lung shot, about 350-pounds, and he ran about  100 yards. I took that shot stupidly: black hog, black of night, black cross-hairs, thought I saw something, shot where lungs would be, not my smartest move, but he died all the same.)


I like the AR due to its capacity to put many rounds down-range rapidly and, with a can, the hogs don't know which way to run.  In a swarm of hogs, I anticipate killing several before they find cover.  


In the end, I am pleased with the result (he's at the taxidermist now and will be on my wall in several months - to my wife's extreme displeasure.)  Had the shot been with a suppressed (or unsuppressed) AR10, I doubt it would have been as precise as it was, 12-pounds is allot to off-hand with an aiming point in the 1-2 inch range.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ccoker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/29/2009 at 14:55
Try the 110g Barnes
while I haven't killed a pig that big, I have killed quite a few with the 6.8
you should join the 68 forums and post this

I know Bill Wilson (1911man) has killed almost 30 hogs with the 6.8 in the last few months
most around 180-200 and all one shot kills

he's digging the 6.8


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cowski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/26/2010 at 07:54
i know this is a old post but i had the same experience, with a 3006.i shot a big hog at about 300 yds i under estimated the range and broke his front leg.he was spinning and squealing ,so i shoot again ,but miss.then i walked to about 100 yds and shoot him twice through the ribs. this made him mad,he than charged me.i shot him in the chest twice ,never slowed down.i ran out of bullets .things were getting serious. i grabbed my gun barrel and made my best hank aaron impression my wife started the truck and jumped a ditch trying to save me from the hog. he then fell dead 8 ft from me . scared my wife to death ,she said that when i held my rifle like a baseball bat ,my wife thought my goose was cooked.still hear about that when she gets mad. anyway i had 6 shots with a3006,1 missed ,1 broke front leg under shoulder,2 through the ribs and 2 through the chest and he still ran a 100 yds toward me.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/26/2010 at 10:40
No doubt, they are mean, mean animals, and when injured, even more so.

Since the post, I have sold the 6.8 and stepped up to an AR10.  I often hunt with a stupid friend who likes to wander the woods looking for wounded animals, eventually he'll get me killed - I am hoping the AR10 prolongs life a bit.

In the end, I lack confidence in the 6.8 for anything over 200 pounds, it just isn't a big enough bullet.  I know shot placement is important, a .22LR can put a hog down when placed in exactly the right spot; however, since a miss of "that exact right spot" produces a pissed off animal with the intention of killing me, I prefer a bullet that "requires" a little less precision and strikes with a little more authority.

Don't misunderstand, the 6.8 was a good gun, I liked it, but I hunt where hogs might be 15 pounds (those are delicious) or they might be 500 - and you might see 1, you might see 20.  The AR10 is a nice "all around' option as it allows me to engage the 1 or the 20 with confidence.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/26/2010 at 11:04
IF, keywork IF, I had a place to hog hunt on a regular basis I would say my first choice would be the big bore AR like the 450 or 458 and even the 50 beowulf (if you can find ammo for the last one) then a 308 AR.  You hear so many glory stories about hog hunters with the AR-10 it be hard not be be confident with it. 
RC maybe spray some sweet molassas on your buddies back so if the wounded animal comes at yall it will go to him first! lol
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/26/2010 at 11:17
He's bigger than me, and I run faster, so no need for the molassas, I don't have to outrun the hog, just the friend.

I avoid the "big bore" stuff because they rainbow terribly at range.  I am confident in hitting small targets with authority out past ranges most can/will see hogs.

Now, if I were hunting rhinos in Africa...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/26/2010 at 11:21
I just always image hog hunting less than 200 yards, I haven't had the chance to do the kind of hunting yall do on hogs. My only expeience was on an island down in SC once when I was younger and they claim the largest they get there are about 150-200 lbs.  I will ask pops exactly where it was I was to young to remember.  I think I have a picture of a piglet I shot as we were leaving I will post if I can find it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/26/2010 at 11:24
I've taken shots beyond 200. (Land owners don't care if you wound them and they go of and die, they just want them dead, humanely or otherwise.)

Sometime, for grins, look at a 50 Beowulf from a 16-inch barrel.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SD Dog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/26/2010 at 12:35
How many hogs did you take with the 6.8?

Understand that the AR10/.308 combo affords you a heavier round, but have you seen a noticeable difference over the 6.8 for average size hogs? 

Agree, more is better when you don't know what you will see, 1 or 20, small or Holy Sh*t!.


Edited by SD Dog - January/26/2010 at 12:42
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