270 Hog

[rickt300]

I went to the lease last weekend to fill the feeders and put newly charged batteries in them. One of the feeders had quit throwing corn because water had gotten in and molded the corn in the bottom of the feeder to a solid stinking mess. Had to clean it out and put a plastic funnel in. The other feeder was still throwing corn and there was a lot of hog sign in the mudhole next to it. Iput my friend Steve on this one and I parked my truck a ways from the other. I went to sleep in the truck and around midnite I went and got Steve to go to the cabin and get some sleep. He was in charge of the alarmclock and didn't get up, I woke around 7 AM cussing mildly. Got him up and out the door. I told him to sneak up on the feeder thru a treeline which he did. There was a hog under the feeder more than 30 minutes after daylight?! He shoots it with a anonymous 130 grain factory load at 50 feet. The bullet hits at the back of the ribs and tears up some liver but more importantly it really blows a big hole in the diaphram. Pig runs maybe 50 feet and expires. The bullet made it thru the ribs on the far side but did not exit. It did a lot of damage though and killed the pig but I definitly would prefer my bullet to exit on a 150 pound hog broadside. Possibly this was a 130 grain Power Point. I figure he will now become a 150 grain shooter now.

[ms]

He did good 130 or 150 is fine if he wants to shoot a 130 at hogs tell him to go with bear claw.

[rickt300]

He is one of those guys that borrows ammo or buys whats on sale at Wal-Mart.  His rifle shoots both 150's and 130's to nearly the same point of impact. He does shoot up all his last years ammo up just before hunting season and shoots a few from the new boxes too just for luck. His rifle is a Savage 110 package gun and it is an accurate rifle.

[Lou270]

Tough to make a decision based on one example.  I have seen "premium" 180 gr bullets from .300 Remington Ultra Mag not exit on small doe whitetail and a premium 200 grain bullet not exit on a broadside shot of a fork Muley buck.  That being said, there is nothing wrong with wally-world 150s in the .270.  I would recommend the 150 gr. Remington Core-loct load.  It's a roundnose, but still shoots reasonably flat.

-Lou

[Siskiyou]

I stepped up to 140 and 150 grain bullets in the .270 because I felt the 130 grain bullets were a little tender.  The main issue was tracking heart shot deer in heavy cover.  I wanted a better blood track left when there is an exit hole.  The standard 130 grain bullet will do a tremendous amount of damage and kill game, but we are not talking Hollywood drop them in the tracks kills.  Admittedly most deer were recovered within a couple of hundred feet of impact.  I developed fair tracking skills following up on heart shot deer from my brother's and my .270s. 

There are times a lot of blood will flow out of an entrance hole.  I just try in make recovery in my favor.

[rickt300]

In this case there was plenty of blood coming from the entrance hole. I like the 270 for deer and have used it for elk but for hogs in close cover there are better rifles.

[rickt300]

Well after thinking it over, the rifle killed the hog in less than 50 feet, which left a very easy to follow blood trail I will say the 270 worked just fine.