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Stoopid Hawg Rifle

3K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  ballistics04 
#1 ·
On Thanksgiving I went hawg hunting with my Father and BiL in central FL. We have used the same outfitter for years. Always fun, always exciting and usually successful. This year was no exception. We had a blast. The kids cheered as we left and were tackling and arguing over the phone when we called to say we were coming home… “DID YOU GET ONE?!” Three as a matter of fact.

All that said, the rancher passed away two weeks before we got there. That was a real bummer to learn as we arrived at the property. He lived hard. Not a hard life, just hard fun. He had more stories than the three of us put together. We always swung by his ranch house on the way out to say thanks and decline a pre-noon whiskey, medicinal. Always hoping to help us with our health. Nice guy. His son has moved in to take up the cattle business and we hope, NOT to sell off the land for development. McMansions have been creeping toward the land for years.

We met up early because we didn’t want it to be an all-day affair. We helped uncover the Swamp Buggy and waited while it and we warmed up. It would turn out to be a really nice 68deg day but for Floridians, the 47deg morning was bone chilling. My BiL is from Michigan so he and I were howling as we listened to Dad and our buddy talk about the freeze creating glass cutting anatomy. We BS as we load firearms and catch up. The Buggy chug chug chugs until its warm and then settles in to a nice tractor-like grumble that apparently sounds a lot like the farm tractor and doesn’t really alert or upset the hawgs running the swamps, fields and preserve bordering the land. Once purring, my BiL and I carry the guns and cooler up to the 12ft platform on wheels that is this swamp prowler. It’s ugly. It’s crude. It’s filthy. And it’s awesome. There are two bench seats and two hard plastic captain’s chairs mounted higher than the drivers perch, allowing us to scout 360deg while we drive out through the muck to find hawgs. It feels almost like being on top of a fishing charter boat in the crow’s nest. The sway is like being on the water.

Dad always shoots first. He sits at the front bench seat so he’s got almost 200deg field of view. We try to film it but he is such an incredible snap shooter, we invariably miss videoing his shot as we are looking the wrong way when one breaks from cover. No exception. He’s really keyed up and almost 30mins in to it while we were looking left and right, a decent sized black sow breaks from underneath some dense Florida scrub and zig zags between other brush and short palm like bushes about 30yds in front of the machine. He grew up rabbit hunting with a .410ga single shot and is good. Still! He waited for it to zag and used a Marlin .35Rem and 200gn Core-Lokt to put one midway in it’s flank as it was quartering away. It ran about 15yds, mostly on pre-shot momentum and front flipped after its nose dug in to the soft muck. It kicked a little but not much. Being on a roving tree stand, the shot went down through lung and heart and out low just in front of the far leg. Nice diagonal shot. We rumbled up to it and despite protestations from the guide, my BiL and I jump in to the, thank gawd, not over the rubber boot marsh. We always like to grab Dad’s because he doesn’t want to hear the usual “it’s a monster” feel good patter. Not sure he wants to hear the “You shot Piglet” sass either but, hey. And if we spring in to action, he doesn’t have time to argue about him clambering down the ladder in to the goo. At 78, that is just a terrible idea. So, we throw the first one on the game platform off the back of the Buggy and climb back up to the safety of the clouds of Mosquitos we’ve stirred up. And off we go.

BiL is using a Marlin .30-30 with 170gn Federals SPs. He’s grown up deer hunting on his family land but usually gets his while working and walking around. He isn’t a sitter. He shoots really well with his shotgun and it is always fun to hunt hawgs with him when my sister and I get together every few years for a holiday with the folks in Florida. He moved forward to the front bench seat and we drove around for over an hour. Nuthin. As bad as it would be, we all agreed we should shut down the machine and sit for a little bit. Or bite. We waited for as long as we could stand getting eaten alive and then we started slowly rolling through the swamp again. Most people assume we tear around. One, you’d come out drenched and foul smelling. Two, no hawgs. So, we creep as best as you can on a shooting platform on tractor tires. And with patience and prayer, mostly that the sun will drive off the Mosquitos, another delectable bacon bite makes a break for it. Using a nice steady swing and an imperceptible lead, the BiL drops a mid-sized black boar with a between the ear and shoulder shot. He comments that the brush is harder to shoot through or around than the woods he grew up in. Again, our buddy maneuvers the buggy up close to the downed hawg and we climb gingerly down as it is a lot deeper looking than the first pick up. But swamp water does an ok job of cleaning off the hawg so it comes up clean-ish and we see the entry and exit. Again, good running shot!

I am shooting the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of or at least imo. Dad bought a Ruger American in .450Bushmaster which sounds like a caliber in search of a purpose. The thing is super light. It only holds four rounds which are as big as AND expensive as fingers. A buddy tried separating some fingers with a saw recently so I know the going rate of digits. Again, in my opinion, this isn’t the best purchase but whatever. I helped him put a Red Dot on it, sight it in at 35yds with the same POA/POI at 100yds and called it hunt worthy. So, I move up to the bench seat. Again, we drive all over the backwaters, fields and dense watery Pines looking for something to move. After two shots, we figured they might be on to us and we’d have to wait. The sun usually drives off the Mosquitos so we aimed toward a bright spot with a good view and maybe we’d see what our ladies put in the cooler. Halfway to our picnic spot a big boar burst out of the scrub almost directly below the brush guard and ran directly away from the front on the vehicle. It was so fast! I had Red Dot on butt dot with no other shot and no real idea of range. Everyone’s yelling for me to shoot it. The driver is in pursuit. I’m falling around in the front trying to get my knees and legs jammed against the rail to steady myself and then he turned full broadside to see what in the heck disturbed his nap. So, I put a 300gn SP just behind his ear. It instantly flipped that boar on its side with not a sound or move after. Ho Lee Schidt. We all high five and talk it over. Chattered like kids at recess. We guess at the range and then the boar’s weight. And the shot which was so easy with the Red Dot on dark boar. My BiL asks to see the rifle. I hand it to him and he hefts it, takes a look through the Red Dot, he ejects a round and rolls it around in his hand as you can see him figuring. He asks what it is again. Then the guide wants to see it. He hefts it, takes a look through the Red Dot and hands it to my Dad who’s giving me the “who bought a stooopid rifle” look on his face. Now, I’m fairly certain I could have done roughly the same thing with a .45-70 but the .450Bushmaster is legal in OH, IN and MI which is exactly why Dad got it. I didn’t know this. Straight walled cartridges are newly legal and that round is becoming really popular as a “magnum” or “modern” .45-70 in those states. So, I am still not a huge fan. Just a regular fan. It’s a great gun for me to borrow when we go hawg hunting. From now on. Dibs!

Now they do make the Ruger American in 7.62x39 and that has ME scheming and figuring. And I had my Dad get dies for it because goodness the .450Bushmaster is ‘Spensive.
 

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#2 ·
Thanks for sharing your hunt. Hope there are many more of them in your future for all of you.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Thanks for posting that story--congrats on the hunt! I have the Ruger American Ranch in both 7.62X39mm and in 450 BM. Neither rifle is much to look at but they are fantastic shooters. Once you start reloading for the 450 BM--its much cheaper but make sure you buy bullets meant for the 450 BM velocities. Stay away from 45 ACP pistol bullets built for much slower speeds.
 
#10 ·
Thanks. Any recommendations on appropriate bullets? It will be a few "months" before he runs out of factory rounds. But he collects each piece of brass like it's gold. I used to drive by your area once a week. Haven't had work there in a while but if I remember before hand, I might give you a holler and we could meet in person. I'd like to shoot your RAR in 7.62x39 before I go buying one. Maybe at the range down the road with the bear. If you're up for it. I had such a good time meeting gunscrewguy in FL with my Dad a few years ago.
 
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#11 ·
When he got the RAR and I did some research I asked him why he didn't just get an AR upper in .450Bushmaster and I swear he ran upstairs and ordered one. It's for sale now because it's the fastest way to burn through those these invented. SOOOO much fun.
 
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#8 ·
My son has a Ruger American in 450 bushmaster. He replaced the syn stock with a laminated from Boyds with a longer LOP. Slicked up the bolt and trigger. It's s little tamer than the 45/70's but not much. He's been bugging me for a pig hunt.
 
#12 ·
I enjoyed the story as well, it was a great read.
I got a friend that bought a AR in 450 a long while back....years. He's tried to trade that thing to me for at least everything i got in my safe at some point. I shot it once but i really didn't like it. but im a bit set in my ways on what i hunt with. I don't know if he still has it or not.
 
#15 ·
Congrats on a great hunt, thanks for sharing!
 
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