The Annoyed Man wrote:
Two other questions... With the 6.8 SPC, is bullet placement on a hog as critical as it is with .223; and how is the commercial availability of ammunition?
Depends a lot on the hog and the terrain.
Smaller hogs can be dispatched quite easily, but the larger ones normally take more punishment.
“Shot Angle” is what dictates my shot “placement”. Secondary to that…is distance and terrain.
Where I live…hogs can run off into the most impenetrable mess of Green Briars, Black Berry, and Honey Locust you ever saw. Getting down on your hands and knees and following a wounded Boar hog through a tunnel in the briars quit being “my cup tea” sometime after my mid 30’s.
Any hogs we shoot….need to be DRT!
This hog if shot (where indicated) with any reasonable center-fire round will most likely drop in it’s tracks.
BUT….when angles change, those light fast moving bullets often don’t have what it takes to anchor the animal.
I am not saying they won’t “kill” but I can assure you this Boar (250lbs.+) is going to run if shot (where indicated by the yellow cross-hair) with any of the light weights.
A better shot IMO, (especially when using lighter bullets) is a high shoulder shot that breaks the spine (indicated in red).
In the photo above, I could actually slip a bullet in front of the shoulder and behind the jaw, but lets say the Boar is looking straight ahead. Most folks will go for the yellow shot (like on deer), hoping to drive the bullet to the off side shoulder.
That works fine, IF you have enough bullet weight, enough velocity and good bullet construction. A 5.56 or .223 ain’t gonna get it done! And personally, I’d take a pass with the 6.8 on this hog (for where I live).
The high shoulder shot (indicated in red) would work with the 6.8 (and similar rounds).
Older heavier boars actually have a shield of cartilage that covers their neck and shoulder area, this can cause problems for some fast stepping light bullets.
Hogs are not as “tough” as most folks think, they can be taken cleanly with good shot placement. The problem is: The average person does not understand Hog Anatomy. Many a hog has been shot in "the big middle", ran off and never been recovered. This leaves the shooter thinking "Man, those things are tough"!
They are NOT built like a deer! Hogs vitals are very much forward of that of a deer. Even in this chart…the vitals are not shown as far forward as they really are, and the heart lies extremely low in the chest (also inaccurate in the chart).
The key to quickly harvesting hogs is simple: ALWAYS shoot to the spine (between the jaw and just forward of the shoulder). This shot (assuming a reasonably powerful round)= DRT!
I know some folks are going to challenge these statements, (that’s o.k.). I am sure someone will point out that they have killed a hog with a .22 rimfire (so have I).
But… if you want to take hogs consistently (without doing the animal a disservice) then follow the advice above.
