2 Doods, 1 Gun, 3 Nights, 5 Pigs

[Bakester]

The last time my brother in law came out to hunt was two years ago. I was a noob pig hunter and actually had not even killed a pig yet. It was January and VERY cold. Our hunting at that time was limited to sitting in blinds over feeders all night with our standard scopes and green flashlights waiting for pigs that would never show up. For the trip I did manage to take one shot at a lone boar at dusk but whiffed. Other than that we were skunked.

Fast forward to now and its a much different story. #1, there are a lot more pigs than there was two years ago and 2, while still no expert, I have a whole lot more experience than I did and 3, THERMAL scope. He didn't want to rent a scope so we would share my gun.

We ended up with 5 kills (2 for me and 3 for him) and several thuds that ran off. BIL had a knee problem that limited his stalking ability so we were mostly just shooting from the road.

This first video, we were driving down the road with the gun out the front of the wheeler when BIL yells STOP! We were approaching my usual turnout so I had slowed anyway but BIL now whispers that there is a pig behind a tree almost directly in front of us. BIL has not experienced shooting a pig so rather than keep an eye on him after he shoots, he hands me the gun so I can witness his handiwork. Anyway great shot and good sized pig.

This second video, I had been watching this sounder come out of the trees and cross this field since October. I had been out about once a month since then and had seen them every time at just after sunset. I was just not able to get close enough for a good shot. Our third night out, we decide to get to our spot early. We had seen them come out at 6:50 the first night so at 6pm we are sitting on the well pad waiting. Like clockwork, here they come and they are heading in a direction that will bring them much closer than they have been in the past.

They got about 75 yards away and I lined up on the biggest sow at the front. BANG and a whiff. Finally connected with a couple before a jam. Cleared it and unsuccessfully emptied my magazine on a couple footballs.

As far as the jamming issues, thinking that I'll switch out the PSA bolt cause it does not seem to be the magazine problem that I thought it was. Cases are not ejecting properly. Maybe go the *** or Stag Arms route.

 

[437]

Can you describe the mals you are having? Failure to extract? Failure to eject? Double feed? FTF? The AR platform is pretty simple if we can get the method of failure we might be able to save you from dropping more $.

 

[Bakester]

Can you describe the mals you are having? Failure to extract? Failure to eject? Double feed? FTF?

Failure to eject. Happened twice over the 3 nights. One case was turned around 180º and stuck in the ejection port.

 

[437]

Ok well that can be a few things. I assume you keep the BCG/chamber/bolt cleaned up and it's lubed up? Could be a fouled up ejector spring or extractor. Fouling can do a lot to cause this one even carbon corroded chamber or short recoil with a fouled gas tube. The reason I would check these b/f jumping to a new bolt is b/c if it's a fouling issue in the chamber then a new bolt will likely give the same results. BUT it very well could be a funked ejector. When you push in on the ejector is it easy to push in? A little difficult?

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

I thought you had the big sow in the 3rd video! Jams suck!

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

Failure to eject. Happened twice over the 3 nights. One case was turned around 180º and stuck in the ejection port.

I had a PSA bolt that was machined too big...ejector was inconsistent in ability to get a good grab on the case. Shell casing should not be loose fitting in the bolt face. Holding the bolt in your hands, stick an empty in there and it should hold, then you can push down against the ejector and let go and casing should flip up in the air pretty high, shoulder highish if you are sitting, if ejector is weak or crud in there it won't flip up too high, if the bolt face is too big it will want to fall out.

 

[Bakester]

Appreciate the suggestions. I'll check it out before I order another. Seems to happen more in rapid fire situations if that makes a difference.

 

[slim_shady]

Congrats on the hunt!

 

[Ratdog68]

Lots of fun right there! Glad you were able to get BIL hooked well with that outing.

 

[gshock]

Solid boar in the first vid and good hogs down!

 

[theblakester]

Good times with the BIL! Congrats

 

[lonepunman]

Great introduction. Exactly my story as well. And you're a better hunter because of those low technology nights.

Solid spotting, communication, patience and placement on the boar at the tree. One and done, babee.

I find the group two video mesmerizing for some reason...could be the initial missed shot, the mass of hogs running at full tilt, the flashing low battery icon, the breath control while taking multiple shots at the two erratic orbs, the finishing shot on the kicking hog to make certain you didn't come away empty-handed, the clearing of the jam and running out of ammo.

There are tens of thousands of web videos of shooting hogs. This is probably one of the most realistic examples of what it's actually like.

 

[theblakester]

Well said lonepunman.. mine too!
I took my brother in law out several times before we were successful together in getting him a kill. Between, forgetting to chamber a round, having a blood trail- but no pig, not seeing any hogs, seeing several but not getting a shot, gradually upgrading equipment year after year/ hunt after hunt, and whatever other mishaps trying to communicate in the dark on the fly, he prolly hated hog hunting before we were ever successful together and he dropped a pig lol. But it was worth it! Good times. Good bonding. Hunting successfully with someone else at night isn't as easy as one would think.. especially with limited night equipment and limited experience using said equipment and different levels of night hunting experience per hunter.

 

[437]

Appreciate the suggestions. I'll check it out before I order another. Seems to happen more in rapid fire situations if that makes a difference.

Could be something simple like fouling and might be a true mechanical snafu, but no harm in trying a good clean up. I get it on cleaning if you don't b/c it's not for everyone. I'm a huge dork and I actually enjoy it, put on a podcast, beer, chill. If it's not your thing a good route I've put a few of my non-maintenance inclined friends on is Ballistol. If you can bathe the bolt/BCG with a good spraying b/f you shoot it can keep things moving. That said at some point the fouling monster will come for a visit and probably at the worst time ever if you don't clean it well occasionally(yes even with a piston design). Don't even have to take it out just spray into the ejection port, flip over and hit bottom inside mag well, charge it up a few times to mix the broth and go! I have an older FN barreled PSA I put thousands and thousands of dirty Wolf through it ran like a dream, solid it to my buddy and he keeps trying to kill it but it own't die! It's been drown in about 300 gallons of Ballistol at this point;)

 

[Bakester]

Picked up a BCM Enhanced extractor spring so we'll see if that makes a difference. Slightly cheaper than a bolt replacement.

 

[437]

Picked up a BCM Enhanced extractor spring so we'll see if that makes a difference. Slightly cheaper than a bolt replacement.

Are you having both failure to extract and failure to eject? What happens to the hot round sitting on top of the magazine? Does is lodge in the chamber below the spent casing? It's not a double feed with 2 live rounds right? I ask b/c a more powerful extracting action isn't likely going to fix a bad ejector problem and I thought that is what you were battling. If you are indeed having ejection problems BCM's spring is awesome I used them in my AR15's/steel cased crap worked like a dream! It's an inexpensive try so I say go ahead with it, but I was just trying to drill down on the exact method of failure.