So I post about my hunting itch and Rog posts a link to this article by Frank James.

Here’s what didn’t sit well with me:

On one of my gunwriting trips a well known gunwriter/hunting specialist recommended to me Federal Premium .223 Rem. 55 gr. Barnes Triple Shock (#p223s) for hog hunting as he felt it was the only .223 load that worked in his experience. So I purchased 5 boxes (100 rds) at a big box store in northern Indiana and loaded the M&P-15. I must no longer be high on the gunwriter food chain as the ATK ammo fairy doesn’t like me as it once did. It is just as well, because this load also proved to be a disappointment. Yeah, it killed, but it didn’t drop ’em. On our first night I intentionally picked out the smaller animals as the targets of choice because I have such a dim view of this caliber on hogs. Even the little ones ran off after being shot and I know I shot ’em because both the guide (using thermal imagining) and I through my PVS-14 night scope saw them stumble, roll and get back up again. After we left, the ranch emailed us to inform us they were still finding dead pigs in a hay pasture close to the first night’s kill zone. I am NOT impressed with this load for use on hogs and feel it was over-rated. If it were made in a heavier weight maybe it would work better.

That’s the very load I was going to use for hunting (Federal P223S). The above isn’t promising. The load is rated for deer, but deer aren’t as tough as hogs. Still, it gives me pause.

I wonder why the problem. My guess is too light a bullet, because I know TSX in larger, heavier bullets have no problem dropping hogs. As well, in the Frank James article he uses some Black Hills 77gr JHP’s and has no problem dropping hogs. Makes me wonder if say the CorBon loads with the 62 grain TSX (the only factory load I know if that uses the 62 grain TSX, or rather a factory load that uses something other/heavier than the 53/55 grain TSX’s) might work out.

But really… it just increases my want to go to 6.8 SPC. I know that’s suitable. I’ve seen the results from Bill Wilson on some monster hogs.

I know it’s a bad itch because last night in bed I’m using my iPhone and poking around the Bison Armory website.

I think that may be how I start out. Buying a good upper, keeping it minimal in accouterments for now (other than a set of iron sights since Bison’s stuff are all flattop), swapping the scope and lower, and going from there. I just finished talking to The Tax Man so now may be the time to get this rolling.

Any 6.8 users out there with any advice or recommendations?