Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game .270 first blood!

Thanks, guys.



I've been dying to write about it. Here you go with way more than you asked.

I piled out to see what Danice was going to do. She was pretty excited so I didn’t want to spook any of the pigs until she fired. Bill got out a tri-pod with a “V” on its top and went to a place where Danice could shoot without hitting any hanging debris. I think it’s called a “Bog-Pod” but I didn’t ask. When I saw her setting up on a pig straight out in front of her I quickly went several yards away to the left and sat down when I found a place where I could lean the rifle against a tree and me at the same time to make the 150 yard shot. I got the reticle of the Bushnell 6500 4 ½-30X50 set on 4 1/2X on a big one and waited. Finally she fired. Before the sound of her rifle died I sent a Barnes TTSX 110 grain at about 3,500 feet per second toward the big bore. The pig flopped over in the scope and kicked a few times. Turning to check if she hit her’s I saw it was down also. She was using a 7-08 firing 140 grain bullets. “Can you afford two, Caleb?” I asked. I didn’t know if he needed another for another client tomorrow. “Yea.” I walked over to another place and found another large one. He informed or warned when he saw where I was headed, “That big one is a bacon hog and is not a $550 show special. It is seven hundred bucks.” “Sue told me to get two big ones. I’ll take it.” Starting to get into a sitting position, Bill asked, “Would you like to use this?” and indicated the tri-pod. “Sure. It would be a new experience.”

Pleasantly surprised at how steady it was I got the reticle on the big one to make the 100 yard shot. If I was more on the ball I could have shot it in the neck. It slowly started to amble off. Not wanting to ruin any more meat than absolutely necessary, I waited for it to turn broadside or nearly so. Even the ribs on these brutes are good food. It stopped. Right beside another smaller pig. More waiting. It stepped away from the other pig but was not broadside. More waiting. Finally, as it fed on the lush green grass, it turned to the right enough for me to put another 110 grainer on its way so it would exit at the back of the far shoulder and completely miss the near shoulder. To my surprise at the shot it turned and ran directly away. I really liked the hold and mentally called a dead pig. I noticed it limping on the left front leg as it ran. It piled up about twenty to thirty yards further away. Caleb suggested we start at that one for photos and move to the others. Since the first one wasn’t going anywhere it sounded fine.

As we approached Danice’s pig Bill informed Caleb, “Someone has been poaching your pigs. There is another over there,” pointing at my other pig. “Rich shot right after Danice. That’s his other pig,” Caleb said. “Wow! I didn’t even hear the shot.” Reminded me of when I dropped a knife I was grinding and able to get my foot under it to protect if from damage on the concrete floor. I asked a math man what was the elapse time from slipping from my fingers to hitting my shoe forty-four inches below. He told me it took .4 second for the whole experience. For the shot I didn’t have to move anything except a finger. Maybe that took .3 seconds. What an athlete!