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.430 SJS takes ANOTHER PIG!
Got a wild hair to go after another pig tonight. Took off around 10:00 and headed to the same field. The moon wouldn't be up for another hour once I arrived and besides, the clouds had moved in again. Would be a little harder to see tonight. But, once I got to the field, I saw 7 pigs in the far corner. Grabbed my gear and the .430 SJS and took off across the field.
It had rained heavily last night so the field was damp if not a little muddy in places. Good for the pigs. Good for me. With the wind perpendicular to my direction of travel, I headed right at them. They were moving to my right at a slow feed, so I set my course to intercept them. At 100 yards, I slowed down to a methodical pace and noticed another pig had joind the group. There were good conditions for a stalk. The wind was in my favor and the ground was damp and soft. But, it was a deathly quiet night! No bug chatter or strong wind. Just the occasional grunt from a pig to remind me I was in anything other than a vacuum.
At 56 yards, the lead pig of a lighter color, stopped feeding and looked my direction. I froze for a few seconds. She stared off into the blackness that was my direction and then put her head down and turned away back the direction she'd come. She wasn't spooked, but I feared she might have decided something wasn't right. So, as she walked to my left, I raised the rifle and shot her offhand.
BOOM! And she was smacked to the ground.
Quiet returned as the rest of the band trotted off the direction they'd come. Only an occasional squeal or displeased grunt notified me of their progress in exiting the field. Mine? Never moved a muscle. No grunt, squeal, or twitch. She'd hit the ground and never moved.
I approached and noticed I was a little high and back. Eh..........dark.........moving target........offhand...........dead pig............I'll take it.
The other thing I noticed was that it looked like an explosion had occurred inside her and blown blood, guts, and lung tissue about two feet behind her when she hit the ground.
And, the exit was as large as the entrance!
I'd taken her right through the spine as she quartered slightly away. But, the hydrostatic shock of impact had sent a shock wave through her thoracic cavity and abdomen and destroyed quite a bit of internal organs it would seem.
Retrieved my Game Cart and hauled her to the truck.
Have I mentioned how awesome this thing is?
The .430 SJS is proving to be an effective pig killer.
Back at the house, she weighed 103 pounds.
The entrance under the hide was MASSIVE!
The bullet passed through the center of the spine.
And though it didn't penetrate either cavity, I had gut, liver, and lung parts falling out as I flipped her over from side to side. It flat opened her up!
Exited slightly forward of the entrance.
With all the.............stuff..........coming out. Accompanied by the smell. And the fact I'd been able to remove all the meat without getting any visceral on me, the meat, or my truck. I was NOT going to open her up. I know it was a bomb in there............I didn't need it on my hands tonight. Just imagine lungs/liver/rumen all mixed in a blinder. There ya go.
Animal number 3 for the .430 SJS and I don't see it stopping. Dagnabbit! It's a Savage! But, the stinking think WORKS!!!! I found a Savage I like. It's handy. Carries and indexes well. And the cartridge just ROCKS!
I'm not saying I like/love Savage. Just that I like/love THIS savage. So, don't get any crazy ideas.
It had rained heavily last night so the field was damp if not a little muddy in places. Good for the pigs. Good for me. With the wind perpendicular to my direction of travel, I headed right at them. They were moving to my right at a slow feed, so I set my course to intercept them. At 100 yards, I slowed down to a methodical pace and noticed another pig had joind the group. There were good conditions for a stalk. The wind was in my favor and the ground was damp and soft. But, it was a deathly quiet night! No bug chatter or strong wind. Just the occasional grunt from a pig to remind me I was in anything other than a vacuum.
At 56 yards, the lead pig of a lighter color, stopped feeding and looked my direction. I froze for a few seconds. She stared off into the blackness that was my direction and then put her head down and turned away back the direction she'd come. She wasn't spooked, but I feared she might have decided something wasn't right. So, as she walked to my left, I raised the rifle and shot her offhand.
BOOM! And she was smacked to the ground.
Quiet returned as the rest of the band trotted off the direction they'd come. Only an occasional squeal or displeased grunt notified me of their progress in exiting the field. Mine? Never moved a muscle. No grunt, squeal, or twitch. She'd hit the ground and never moved.
I approached and noticed I was a little high and back. Eh..........dark.........moving target........offhand...........dead pig............I'll take it.
The other thing I noticed was that it looked like an explosion had occurred inside her and blown blood, guts, and lung tissue about two feet behind her when she hit the ground.
And, the exit was as large as the entrance!
I'd taken her right through the spine as she quartered slightly away. But, the hydrostatic shock of impact had sent a shock wave through her thoracic cavity and abdomen and destroyed quite a bit of internal organs it would seem.
Retrieved my Game Cart and hauled her to the truck.
Have I mentioned how awesome this thing is?
The .430 SJS is proving to be an effective pig killer.
Back at the house, she weighed 103 pounds.
The entrance under the hide was MASSIVE!
The bullet passed through the center of the spine.
And though it didn't penetrate either cavity, I had gut, liver, and lung parts falling out as I flipped her over from side to side. It flat opened her up!
Exited slightly forward of the entrance.
With all the.............stuff..........coming out. Accompanied by the smell. And the fact I'd been able to remove all the meat without getting any visceral on me, the meat, or my truck. I was NOT going to open her up. I know it was a bomb in there............I didn't need it on my hands tonight. Just imagine lungs/liver/rumen all mixed in a blinder. There ya go.
Animal number 3 for the .430 SJS and I don't see it stopping. Dagnabbit! It's a Savage! But, the stinking think WORKS!!!! I found a Savage I like. It's handy. Carries and indexes well. And the cartridge just ROCKS!
I'm not saying I like/love Savage. Just that I like/love THIS savage. So, don't get any crazy ideas.
"To Hell with efficiency, it's performance we want!" - Elmer Keith
Replies
Looks that way.
These 240gr XTP at that speed are devastating! Consider that the spine is a rather large and heavy bone, though segmented. The bullet put a serious hole through it.
Seriously, congratulations! That's some pretty darn good shooting!
Reason is, that meat looks good and I'm a yankee, never seen a wild pig.
How do ya fix it?
A couple years ago I shot a nice buck through the spine with a 240 JSP from Magtech. The shot was about 75 yards with my Ruger 77/44. The jacket separated and i found under the off side hide.
Dad 5-31-13
Because that has guts in the chest and lung in the guts I think I would fix it by dumping it in a ditch.
We cooked our feral pig just like regular pig. Ours had that much fat on them.
Dad 5-31-13
The main trick, in my neck of the woods, is in the processing. Get it on ice as quick as you can, and leach as much of the blood out as possible. Folks that really enjoy eating them usually keep them in ice water for several days, draining the water every day and adding ice. The blood will leach out and it will look like store-bought, after a while. Then, with a little tenderizing, you can cook it in most of the usual ways, and it will be good. Most folks here-about like them to be 150 lbs. or less, cook the tenderest parts like steak, smoke the hams and shoulders, and make patty sausage out of the rest. Some of them are so lean that you have to add your own fat.
Of course, they are such a scourge on agricultural interests that they are mostly treated like vermin, so a lot of them just get dragged off to feed the buzzards. Properly prepared, they taste good (to me).
Just like Bisley said above. I ice it for 2-3 days and then either grind it all or cut some into steaks or roast. Depending on the size.
My my freezer is so full now, I'm giving this one away. My friend took the last two we shot the other night.
I was able to keep the meet unspoiled as I removed the quarters and back straps without opening her up. All was good.
AKA: Former Founding Member
I used to love me some pickled pig feets when I was young. Don't think I could stomach them anymo!
Pork rinds are tasty and have 0 Carbs too!
Words of wisdom from Big Chief: Flush twice, it's a long way to the Mess Hall
I'd rather have my sister work in a whorehouse than own another Taurus!
Dad 5-31-13
once again most informative and entertaining write up, you should save these to add to your portfolio when you retire from your current position and write for a hunting mag.
thanks for sharing the experience.
Winter rye is planted in the field for cattle to be turned out on eventually. I shot the pig at the edge of the field where some clover is apparently growing.
That's about what it is!
Yes, the factory stock I coated with AlumaHyde II and you are correct..........no recoil to speak of.
They are all saved in the G&A archives. What could possibly go wrong?
Saved;)
Typical media. Leave out the rest of my statement.
Figures.
:-)
If I may, it seems in "overdriving" the speed of the bullet you hit bone and it deforms, losing significant weight and splattering and creating hydrostatic shock. It wouldn't surprise me if the internal damage was a combination of shock and fragmentation.
It works...
D
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