Well it appears that I can either use a shotgun or a bow to hunt hogs on a nearby COE property. The largest shot size is a #2 so is this the best I can get?

Bismuth shot

Or will this get the job done?
.
Tungston shot

Shots will be directed at head neck junction at less than 25 yards.

Someone should sell a load that is composed of birdshot wrapped in a wad that won't open. Just sayin ...

That duck ammo is spendy since it's not lead, trying to be heavy like lead.

I was curious about your comment and looked around and found this in a Corps document...

https://www.swf.usace.army.mil/Port...ations/Final_Hunting_Guide_2018-2019.pdf

"Buckshot is prohibited anywhere on government property. Buckshot is prohibited due to increased public safety concerns. Shotguns with rifled slugs are allowed when hunting deer and feral hogs except at those lakes which restrict deer and feral hog hunting to archery only."

A shotgun slug at 25 yards is pretty devastating.

So, are you sure you can't use a slug? https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/carlsons-rifled-choke-tubes

Charlie

Yes no slugs on this property as deer hunting is restricted to the use of archery equipment.

Apex sells some predator ammo loaded with 2's in TSS that will work. Its pricey, but you are going to have to pay to get ammo that qualifies.

It is out of stock, but Hevi shot has some in stock, $44. for 10.

So I went down to the local Academy to see what I could find and came home with a box of Hevi-Hammer 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel/bismuth shot. This rounds claim to fame is it has a number of Bismuth #2's at the front of the payload. I have an old 55 gallon steel drum for testing and had already tested lead #2 on it from a Remington 2 3/4" load. It dented the drum but failed to penetrate from 20 yards. I tested the first round at 30 yards and some of the steel shot did penetrate the drum and the Bismuth appeared to be softer than the lead shot splattering apart. Tight pattern less than 18 inches across with the bismuth hitting around the edges randomly. I moved up to 20 yards and virtually every piece of steel shot penetrated the drum and every piece of bismuth failed to do so. Very tight pattern of a bit over 9 inches, my choke tube for this testing is a Primos Tight Wad .660 constriction. So I feel that if I center a load of shot on the hogs head from above or broadside he would have some real cognitive issues! Will keep shots less than 25 yards. Hog testing soon.

Is it illegal or to unsafe to cut the hull so that the whole wad and shot stays together and comes out the barrel as a slug? I've heard about that and seen videos but have never had the need to try doing it. That would let you use regular lead.

The only guy I ever saw do the cut shell thing used a paper hull and it was worthless, no accuracy and massive recoil for some reason.

The bore is smaller than the hull. Cut the hull, and you are squeezing the hull down the barrel. I would imagine much higher pressures. Possibly dangerous.

I believe the bismuth in that load is ballistically matched to the #2 steel pellet. That is the way their hevishot/steel duplex loads were. Either way there is nothing Heavy about it. bismuth is lighter than lead. If you can use #2 lead, that would be a much better load than that steel load. On the cheap Able Ammo has the box of 25 Rio #2 lead shells for $10, plus tax and shipping. Better, but pricey would be any of the 3 1/2" Tungsten #2 goose loads if you could find anyone online that still had them in stock. I have shot and killed hogs at very short range before with my 10GA before using my own #2 Tungsten handloads. One loophole I was aware with at least one location was the wording #2 lead shot OR non toxic shot with no size designation for the non toxic shot giving a loophole for any large non toxic shot below buckshot. Another allows you to take hogs while hunting something else with whatever means is legal for the something else your hunting. But read the rules in full context carefully for your area. Some people seem to take words out of context to try and justify what they want to do or assume they can just because the rules don't say they can't. Corps rules don't work that way. I have run across people before illegally hunting hogs or deer on public land with shotguns and slugs or buckshot when there was nothing in the area's rules that allowed anything but archery for those animals despite shotguns being legal for everything else.

Well they worded it right as far as non toxic shot goes. The steel did penetrate the 55 gallon drum, some even deeply denting the far side which is something the #2 lead could not do at 25 yards anyway.

Such a critter exists, after a fashion:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/what-is-a-cut-shell-as-in.96369/

Dunno whether a game warden would approve, tho…

So growing up my friend would take a 410 and empty the bb's and stick an arrow down the barrel. Shot himself a few deer that way.