Hog Hunting and Bear too, WOW!
MMOMEQ-55:
Now that sounds like its gonna be a really beautiful rifle, however with champagne taste and a cheap beer budget I've always done most of my own stuff, gun work, powderhorns, ball&bullet casting, patch cutting, leather work and etc.
With regard to hog hunting here's a photo of my Lyman GPR-H .54 before I sold it. Although extremely accurate with the 425gr CSA style minnie it was just too long, heavy and unwieldy for the close quarters of the swamp environment. As you may note it also had an open top hooded front sight and a small aperture "flip-up" rear tang sight, which provided a longer sight plane, which helps greatly for long range shooting with good background lighting.
Having said all that, as you are probably aware there can be a slight negative side to peep sights, which became very apparent when this 478 pound Russian Boar emerged from the undergrowth WOT(wide open throttle) coming into view at 25yds, I shot from the hip(no time to aim) at approximately 8 feet. Actually I'll never know if he was charging me or running from the distant sound of a barking dog, the recoil torn skin on both hands and the 125gr of powder flash darn near set Mr. piggy on fire.
"Important Part", Even if I had heard him coming and had the big, long, heavy Lyman rifle shouldered I couldn't have found him in the peep sight against the dark background of the undergrowth.
Now that sounds like its gonna be a really beautiful rifle, however with champagne taste and a cheap beer budget I've always done most of my own stuff, gun work, powderhorns, ball&bullet casting, patch cutting, leather work and etc.
With regard to hog hunting here's a photo of my Lyman GPR-H .54 before I sold it. Although extremely accurate with the 425gr CSA style minnie it was just too long, heavy and unwieldy for the close quarters of the swamp environment. As you may note it also had an open top hooded front sight and a small aperture "flip-up" rear tang sight, which provided a longer sight plane, which helps greatly for long range shooting with good background lighting.
Having said all that, as you are probably aware there can be a slight negative side to peep sights, which became very apparent when this 478 pound Russian Boar emerged from the undergrowth WOT(wide open throttle) coming into view at 25yds, I shot from the hip(no time to aim) at approximately 8 feet. Actually I'll never know if he was charging me or running from the distant sound of a barking dog, the recoil torn skin on both hands and the 125gr of powder flash darn near set Mr. piggy on fire.
"Important Part", Even if I had heard him coming and had the big, long, heavy Lyman rifle shouldered I couldn't have found him in the peep sight against the dark background of the undergrowth.
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Damn... That's a big pork chop! 0 -
BamBamBam:
Now here's the rest of the story: That was the last time I hunted with the Lyman GPR-H .54 in the swamp, and the reason I promptly changed to the other quicker handling rifle with the brass scope. As you probably know there is a dramatic difference between a feral farm hog and Russian Boar, which was a swamp hunting lesson that I nearly learned the hard way during a previous hunt. The former always runs away, while the latter may not.
Even though it was a well placed, somewhat lucky, shot the Russian has a thick shield under the skin which protects their torso and is extremely hard to penetrate. The sobering fact was even though the blast, blew him to the side enough to miss me, he did not even break stride and continued on for another 40yards into the dense palmettos, resulting in the fastest reload I've ever down. Needless to say, the thick swamp undergrowth adds an element of blinded surprise to following a blood trail.
Fortunately as of last year the Mississippi DNR now allows an open carry pistol for self protection during muzzleloader season.0 -
Nice hog. I usually hunt with a Encore pistol with a 15" 375 JDJ barrel. I also will use my Marlin guide gun in 45-70. As you probably could guess I like big chunks of lead.
Having carried a M-14 with peep sites in the Marines I am partial to them. You do have a good point about a dark background. I might reconsider that point.
My first hog I was carrying a Ruger carbine in 44 mag. I put a couple in that boar's shoulder but only pissed him off. The guide placed one 30-30 to his head that did the job.
In the Carolinas we cross Walker Coon hounds with Pit Bulls for our hog dogs. Even with the Pit in him I lost a really good dog to a 375 Boar with very large tusk. They can be mean when cornered
The rifle I am having made is a few years worth of savings going into it. I never charge anything and simply save until I have the money to pay cash. One of the reasons my house is payed off. I could never afford to just go out and buy a rifle worth several thousand without saving for it first.0 -
Agreed totally, a head shot is first choice when it comes to a pig, otherwise the hunter may quickly become the hunted. In the swamp, with the very limited visibility of the thick undergrowth, it is always "advantage hog". Every time anyone ask if it is really that dangerous, then why I do it, my reply is always, "Someone once said that at my age it takes a lot to be exciting, besides old people aren't afraid to die".
Each winter I go down and hunt with the Cajuns in the swamp near Escatapa, MS, I only went with them once on one of their hog/dog runs. After putting me out at what they called a drag-over dry land area before daylight, returning that night to pick me along with my (3)three dead hogs up one said, "Mr. ya got iron!". I ask what he meant, he reply was, "The sound of those dogs really piss the hogs off, so we don't ever get out of the pirogues(boats). I now still hunt only during Muzzleloader season, however I haven't noticed a dramatic improvement in the pigs attitude.
For what its worth, the type 57 Lyman peep sight is great for targets, not so much for hunting. However I really liked the T/C style flip-up, but I've found that the brass scope is much better in dim light conditions and seems to get on-target quicker. In the past, on two rifles I tried the 32" brass scopes, one on a .45 longstock but the original scope mounts were not stable, it looked really good so I sold it at a gunshow. Later, on a .54 Mowery I changed to Unertl style mounts, though somewhat more stable the crosshairs could not handle the long tube vibration and/or shock.
Thus far I have not noticed a problem with the shorter tube scopes mount on a large bore, strong recoil rifle, however I still like the looks of the 32" long brass scope. Maybe by adding a mid tube mount might solve the stability/shock problem.0
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