ANZAC Boar

[bsrecurve]

Gday all.

Here is a boar I shot on ANZAC day just gone. I thought that after our morning service in town it’d only be appropriate to take my recently acquired Lithgow No.1 mk.3 out and shoot an Aussy pig. I got this old girl off Painy not long ago and she’s seen better days – lots of use. But she shoots fine and works like a charm. My mate and I had done a lot of miles walking the place without seeing a thing. It seems the pigs are still very much spread out with all the feed and water still around. I finally saw the blackness of this bloke’s body under some scrubby crap he was tucked-up under. I fired into the middle as I couldn’t tell which end was which. He got up badly hurt and I ended up having to shoot him 7 times (yes – all into the chest) before he stopped kicking!!!
As well as the pig being a real fighter, I think it may have something to do with the highland ammo I was using. I have heard before that the pills are way too hard and don’t expand easily – the autopsy bore this out too. He was a very big young boar in his prime – fat on feed and in top condition. I haven’t shot anything bigger out here in terms of body size. He had been in a fight very recently with a nasty gouge on his front right shoulder (you can see it in the second pic). It was a great way to spend ANZAC day, and a great way to break-in (to me at least) a great old Aussy rifle.





and some other pics from the last few weeks.
Small boar:



Fat sow:



My mate with a good sized red-claw - when they're this big you get a good mouthfull out of the claw as well......

[Jacko]

Morning Brian, Good stuff mate - except for the 7 shots   Stir em up and Boars can be hard to put down. Are you going to reload for the SMLE. I know the Highland ammo's cheap but if it's no performing you may have no option.

Looks like you have a bit of ANZAC cheer up mate, had a few Rum Coffee's or is that just a glow after walking 10 K's. How was the ANZAC Service ?

Good to see the old SMLE's a shooter. Did the bore clean up or does it shoot fine as it was. As I've sold Troy my No3 I've been thinking lately of refurbishing another No 3 and re-barreling  it to 35 cal. Bit exy to do but over a period of time affordable. Add the Central Arms peep sight and I'd have an Aussie big game classic. With the .357 for smaller game and a .35 / 03 ? for larger game, It seems a good fit for me, something just a little bit different.

And for the kiddies, nice to see you and Tim wearing your hearing protection. Has he given the 45.70 and the IAC 12 gauge a run yet

That Redclaw is a beauty. You would not need many for a top feed, add a bit of Garlic, stir in some cream as they fry on the BBQ, MMMMMMMMMMMM

No luck with me getting out bush over Anzac weekend, Mingoola's booked for Labour Day weekend by the clown that backdoored us and work won't let me take some long service leave for a Hunt Gary and I planned mid week in 3 weeks, a few days before he takes off for life on the road as a Grey Nomad. Queens birthday weekend coming up, lets hope there's no more excuses or roadblocks. Chomping at the bit to get out bush.

regards Jacko

[bsrecurve]

yeah mate - he probably didn't need that many shots, but on later inspection it showed that the highland pills were just punching through with no evidence of expansion. and as for highland ammo being cheep - not out here mate. paid $35 a box - highway robbery!!!! i will do a bit of a stock-up next time i'm in brissy, as i don't really want to bother reloading for this gun. i am going to get some dies for the 7.62x39mm though, and have a play with some trailboss and heavy cast slugs....

Longreach has a good tradition of doing a parade and morning service - really good to see.

when i got it - i ended up giving the 303 a very prolonged and thorough internal clean with some solvent, and the copper just kept on coming.......
the insides of the bore are very rough anyway, so i thought i'd leave it how it was after the 5th soaking of solvent, and just store it with a patch of oil through her. it doesn't seem to bother the old girl though, although i am still yet to sit down at a proper bench and really see what she can do. i am now on the lookout for a nice No.4, and when i find it i may trade this mk.3 in for it - will see how we go anyway....

tim has had a few walks with both of those guns - i've convinced him to replace the scope on the 45-70 with a peep.

[Siskiyou]

Found your pig hunt interesting, one for the pig, and two for the 303.

I have three boxes of 303 reloads setting next to me.  I have them here because I typed labels for them before logging on to Graybeards.

I have been working up loads for the rifle, and I think I will settle on the following after another trip to the range”

174-grain Hornady RN with 46 grains of BL-C(2), 40 rounds.

150-grain Hornady SP with 46 grains of BL-C(2), 20 rounds.

It appears with the original sights the 150-grain load shoots tighter groups.  Down the road I will Chrony the loads for velocity. 

This is a nasty weather rifle so I will not be scoping it.  I bought it in 1962 and it is a Gold State Arms Jungle Carbine what I purchased in 1962.  I suspect a 4x scope would improve the accuracy.

The longest period of continuous use it had was when I loaned it to my mother who worked on a fire tower, with an unhealthy population of black bear around it.

Will keep an eye peeled for your 303 post.

[jshootr]

Very good read
hope to get to Australia some day, but I am getting old.
if I do i am going to contact you folks to take me out hunting, (don't worry I pay expenses)

when I was in Vietnam(told you I am old) I served with some great folks in the Australian Navy, Clearance Diving Team 3.

regards and keep up the good work.

Jerry
Cave Creek, AZ USA
retired US Navy   
 

[Jacko]

That's what makes the old SMLE the finest bolt action battle rifle ever made, they just keep shooting. You can't hurt em, they seem to get smoother the more you use em. They have been in continuous military use since WW1 and then some. 

I don't regret selling Troy my SMLE, it's in too good a condition to drag through the scrub, it belongs in a collectors gun safe. It's still sitting in my safe until the paperwork gets done but I am going to replace it asap with a customised sporter.

Have you told Tim about the Skinner peep's, set, forget rugged and dirt cheap! I'm quite happy with the Williams Foolproof on my Marlin.44 but the Tang I'm using on my Rossi is an absolute pleasure to hunt with. I will be hocking the Williams and putting a Tang on the Marlin soon as I paid for everything else 

$35 a box of 20 Highland cartridges stuff that mate. Hows that compare to the 7.62 X 39

regards Jacko

[bsrecurve]

yep - the old SMLE is a great design - i'm a die-hard fan now that i've spent a bit of time with one in the bush.
they have many advantages over a lot of other designs....

yes perry - Tim's keen on the skinner peep's, but first we're going to try a home-made job and see how it goes.

hopefully, if it doesn't rain this weekend i'll be able to finish off the front sight i've been making for the single-shot 22 rossi and try it out in the bush and shoot some groups.
I'm also hoping to try out the loads i made last night for the savage 10fp-hs .308
they are a 178gr hornady A-max (left-overs) under 10gr of trailboss - should be subsonic, quiet and hopefully stable and accurate - will report back. judging by all the info i've researched regarding sub-loads and trailboss it should work quite well - time will tell.

all this and hopefully a hunt on a new place with plenty of "big sweepers" as the cocky refered to the local goats.....
it'll be nice to actually climb a hill again, and i'll really "hunt" them properly this time - taking the 7.62x39mm baikal single shot.
50 yard shots and under.......

speaking of that gun and highland ammo - about the same time i bought the 303 stuff here for $35 a box, i got the 7.62x39mm stuff for $16 a box - that's like the old prices!!!!
so i bought everything they had - 6 boxes from memory.
i am well stocked up for the little single shot now...

[Drew Jaeger]

A very appropriate calibre for hunting feral schwein on ANZAC Day.  Good hunting and shooting mate.

[drdougrx]

U guys have wayyy too much fun!  Good for you!!

[kombi1976]

Ya lucky sod.
The rain does tend to spread the pigs out as it did on my last trip and I got nada.
Nice three-oh too.
Looks like those AIA rifles.

[BBF]

I'm feeling like I'm reading someone's personal mail

The Lee Enfield brings back memories. I, at less then 18years old as an imigrant kid with 18 dollars in my pocket bought one of them with a box of reloaded ammo no questions asked.