Just a disclaimer before you view this post, there are some "internal wound ballistics" photos showing what the Hornady load did to some hogs this weekend.
This was my 1st outing with the 450 bushmaster, I'll have to say I'm pretty pleased with the performance. I do have a few issues I'd like everyone to chime in on though. The 1st is bullet performance, I know the Hornady load isn't bonded, and the hogs hit with it didn't know the difference, but should I be looking for something that holds together a bit better in the future?
The 2 recovered bullets were extracted from the big hog. One was in the flank (shot on the run) after we spooked it out of a hole, the other was behind the shoulder. We recovered the jacket from the flank shot as it didn't hit any large bone. The bullet from the shoulder shot broke 6 ribs and shattered the spine at the neck where it stopped. Shot was about 45 yds, DRT. Jacket fragment material was scattered everywhere.
The picture that is labeled small hog entrance, the bullet entered behind the shoulder and traveled the length of the hog exiting in from of the ham. Again, DRT.
Seems to me, that this load expands a bit too fast, I may be concerned with shot placement when encountering larger hogs, but I can't argue at the moment.