With regards to #4 and #5 above.
#4 - I haven't pulled any apart to weigh powder or try to identify the type of powder (since that's just a guessing game). I figure I will just keep pursuing my own load and keep the factory for a base comparison and shoot up the ammo over the coming years as I can.
#5 - With regards to the lack of expansion, I have been thinking about this the last couple of days.
If in fact, Hornady's Sub-x round was designed to expand on meat at low velocity, meaning an extremely soft nose. I am guessing that slamming through the hide of a pig in one of its thickest parts and then shoulder blade (dead middle) of a pig is a bit on the extreme side.
To me, this probably destroyed the entire front expansion area of the bullet. I didn't see any jacket pieces anywhere but it may have just disintegrated the entire nose of the bullet ahead of the base at this point. This would have only left the base of the bullet (.45 caliber) to exit the other shoulder blade and opposite hide. If this is the case, and in my mind it is completely likely, then the bullet performed perfectly.....expansion against soft tissue with base penetration against hard objects.
If it had hit just meat it would likely mushroom down to the base and keep going as a somewhat intact unit shedding a few pieces as it went...however upon striking bone it shed the upper part but the base remained intact. Two should blade and hide penetration througha and through is impressive bullet construction that allowed it to pass through hide, bone, internals, bone, hide and keep going after leaving a nice hole all the way through. I doubt seriously that the rubber nose cone made it out the other side of that shot.
Now...I temper my above paragraph in my mind by saying...well is it really that impressive new technology? My .45-70 with a 405 (vs this 395g) at 1,250fps has done that for 100 years lol.
Herk