I took my dad out to the range the other day and let him put a few rounds through some of my most recent acquisitions. It had been nearly 30 years since he fired an AR15 (actually an M16 for him), and he really enjoyed putting a few rounds through mine. He started doing a few double taps on the target at 50 yds and it occurred to me that the answer to the limitations of the .223 has been right in front of our noses all along- shoot em twice! I have no problem keeping two or three shots on a pie plate at 50 yds as fast as I can pull the trigger, and that's conveniently enough about the size of what I'm trying to hit on a pig.

Anyone else popping them twice?

I'm a firm believer in shooting until they stop moving. Ammo is cheap.

Are you talking about actual double taps or controlled pairs?

In a double tap, you have one sight picture but two rounds fired. The second round is fired as quickly as possible after the first round without a settled sight picture. If fired quick enough, the second shot can be in the pig before it has had a chance to move very much. Generally speaking, the shots should be within 0.2 and 0.25 seconds. The net result is often that the second shot isn't fired as precisely as the first shot may have been fired. Also, if the first shot is off target (missing the intended location), the second shot is not likely to be there either.

Controlled pairs involve one sight picture for each shot. This is slower than a double tap because the shooter has to way until the sights settle on the intended target area before pulling the trigger for the second shot. Since each shot has its own sight picture, the second shot can be as good as the first shot or even better if the first shot is flubbed.

Double taps are used for defensive purposes to help assure that an aggressor is stopped, but not necessarily killed. In self defense, there are no ethical considerations for making a clean kill. Controlled pairs provides the better opportunity for making a quick kill by gettng both shots to the proper intended locaion(s). Of course the downside is that getting a proper sight picture for the second shot will likely mean that the hog is already moving (if the first didn't down him) and so your followup shot will be much more difficult to land properly.



LOL, if I did that, I would like be able to get 30 rounds or more in the hog before it stopped moving. I have seen several that did their dirt dance for over 30 seconds and at least one took more than a minute. My first hog taken with 5.56 was dropped in place with a head shot. He went down, but started kicking. I counted to 15 and put a second shot in his head and the kicking continued and so after another count, another shot to the head. In the end, he had 4 cranial shots and 1 to the jaw. Now, if they drop with the first shot, I don't take another shot unless they start to get up.

So I am not sure if double taps are the way to go in order to make up for the deficiencies of the caliber. It might be more prudent to pick and choose your first shot well enough that you won't need a second shot.

I know the difference between a double tap and a controlled pair. If you can't put the first round where you want it to go, then you need to spend more time at the range shooting offhand. If the first round goes where it's supposed to the second round will follow suit. If you try to reacquire your sight picture your second shot will likely be on a running pig. If you're headshooting then it's a moot point.

Also, if a pig is "stopped" by a double tap, he'll be "killed" by a shot to the back of the head. I don't stand hunt, I spot and stalk, and the objective is multiple kills, which means getting as many rounds as possible into as many pigs as possible, not dropping one as it calmly eats corn.

Sadly, I have been to enough gun schools to know that this simply is not true, especially for the distance that you were talking about, 50 yards, and the skill of most shooters. Even at distances a short as 20 yards, most will gap their shots by at least 2-3 inches with a double tap. Very skilled shooters can do better, but folks maintain the skill level to put the second shot in the same place as the first shot of a double tap off hand at a distance like 50 yards.



Why not just pop it in the brain case to start with? If you have the skill to put the second shot of a double tap in the same place as the first shot, then you certainly have the skill to put a single round into the brain case.

The nice thing about brain shots is that the pig doesn't run and you don't spoil any of the meat. You should be able to do that at least for your first hog if you have a sounder.

Interesting that you don't like the idea of controlled pairs because the pig will likely be running after the first shot, but you are talking about shooting as many pigs as fast as possible. Once you start shooting, the pigs will start running.

Sometimes I take a brain shot, sometimes I take a heavy bone shot for the first round. I haven't tried doubletaps yet in the field, but I plan to this weekend. The running comment was directed to those who make a single shot at a standing pig then lower their rifle to watch where it runs. Why not pull the trigger twice? If it's a miss or a marginal hit, so what. If it falls within 6" of the first it's likely to either hit shoulder, spine, lung, or liver, all of which will bring a pig down better than a single shot to the same. I would say that the average shooter has a better chance of hitting a pig twice in this manner than by shooting once, reacquiring a sight picture, and attempting to hit a running target in dense brush. I know of very few shooters who practice leading moving targets with a rifle.

I'm not here to argue tactics, just making a suggestion. If you don't like it, don't do it.

That is my philosophy too. And "controlled pairs" is probably a more accurate term.

No, I specifically meant double tap. Controlled pairs imply a second aimed shot, I'm talking about pulling the trigger as fast as you can again after firing the first shot.

Try 'em both and post the results. They're just pigs...

Then most people shouldn't. Without good practice at the range and hopefully some real training most people can't.

I honestly don't remember the last pig I had run. When you shoot them in the brain, it's one and done. They may flop around a bit, but they never go anywhere.

That said, I'm not that good. I only pull the trigger when I have what I want sited and am as certain as my skills allow that I know where the round is going. I'm not pulling the trigger in hopes that the second round "happens" to go where I wanted/needed...

However, I am certain that many here on THF can put three in the same hole from the hip at 100 yards...

Sometimes I should have popped them twice! Have had several over the years get up and take off minutes after hitting the dirt never to be seen again.