just country
Well-Known Member
morning, 223, ear hole dead pig, never had one run.
the expression bang flop works great.
justme gbot tum
the expression bang flop works great.
justme gbot tum
Ar15 build - hog rifle caliber choice
- Thread starter kuduman
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Swinehunt74
Well-Known Member
Killing hogs here in Texas is an avocation that i have embraced. The last 15 yrs has resulted in a study of which caliber will put these hogs down best at ranges under 300 yds. Started out with 308, then over to 260(my fav for most hunting in Texas). After killing 400 plus pigs with those calibers, i still wasn't satisfied. Hogs are very tough animals, had too many run into next pasture (if not neck or head shot). Tried 7.62x39 next, using everything from Tula 8M3 hollow points to reloads with 123 SST for best results. 30 or 40 hogs later tried the 6.8 spc. Now listen carefully, over 1500 pigs later (not a typo), the 110 Ballistic in front of 27 gr IMR4198 would penetrate about 6 inches then detonate. Big pigs we shot in rear hip, with finishing shot as they tried to crawl away. Percentage of pig DRT increased unbelievable. I know some of you will call BS, Im here to tell you seeing is believing. Buy, build or borrow a 6.8 for next whitetail hunt, and lung (chest/heart) shoot with 110BT. Then you will become a true believer. We hunt cattle feed lots, and interdict pigs coming and going. Running unsuppressed, so we have to stay st least 1-200 yrds away from cows. Good news is that we have open pastures usually out to at least 250 yrds, so we have sounders with 10-80 pigs at a time, some nights as many as 4 groups have come thru us....Can anyone say target rich opportunities to work on moving targets. My experience with these calibers has SHOWN me that 6.8 rules. At least 100 hogs over 400 lbs, with a few approaching 500lbs. Remember, feed lot (unlimited caloric source). Every pig that was hit with this caliber didn't go anywhere, all less than 20 yds.......I have only target shoot with 6.5 Grendel, i guess in all fairness, will have to do some more research. Bummer, I have shot out to 1,000 yrds with a 12" Grendel though. Leave that for another forum........
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
Not sure what kind or how big hogs are where everyone is hunting, but the hogs where I come from are both tough and big and require a real hammer to bring them down. Having had experiences shooting hogs with many of the cartridges mentioned, I have learned that there is no substitute for horse power.
Small calibers just cant produce or transmit enough energy to knock them down rendering them unconscious or disoriented enough to give them time to expire without running off. In the palmettos of south Texas you can be within several feet of a wounded hog without knowing it and may find out the hard way that You didn't have enough rifle. And in many cases even a powerful cartridge failed to bring him down.
Any cartridge will kill a hog if it does enough damage, with time. But in realy thick cover time can be your enemy if you use/take to much to kill the hog. The armor on a 3 or 400 pound hog is extremely tough and can fend off many projectiles. The best example of this was a large hog taking a 30 30 round in the seam between the shoulder and the neck quartering to me. Only the second follow up shot in the back of the head stopped him. After Taking a better look the armor had stopped the bullet before it entered the boiler works.
I have also killed many with a 7 STW and had a few run off that were shot/hit well. As stated earlier, sometimes they just don't drop where they were shot but with the bigger calibers, it happens a lot less. Head and/or spine shots are far and few between where I hunt so larger cartridges are the norm. Night hunting in farm fields is different and hogs can be safely taken with smaller cartridges because of the open terrain and night vision that can tell you if you need a follow up shot or not.
I ruled out all of the 223s long ago after having to track and dispatch wounded hogs with a pistol or shotgun to stop a charge.
Hunt with what you want, but consider your self warned.
J E CUSTOM
Small calibers just cant produce or transmit enough energy to knock them down rendering them unconscious or disoriented enough to give them time to expire without running off. In the palmettos of south Texas you can be within several feet of a wounded hog without knowing it and may find out the hard way that You didn't have enough rifle. And in many cases even a powerful cartridge failed to bring him down.
Any cartridge will kill a hog if it does enough damage, with time. But in realy thick cover time can be your enemy if you use/take to much to kill the hog. The armor on a 3 or 400 pound hog is extremely tough and can fend off many projectiles. The best example of this was a large hog taking a 30 30 round in the seam between the shoulder and the neck quartering to me. Only the second follow up shot in the back of the head stopped him. After Taking a better look the armor had stopped the bullet before it entered the boiler works.
I have also killed many with a 7 STW and had a few run off that were shot/hit well. As stated earlier, sometimes they just don't drop where they were shot but with the bigger calibers, it happens a lot less. Head and/or spine shots are far and few between where I hunt so larger cartridges are the norm. Night hunting in farm fields is different and hogs can be safely taken with smaller cartridges because of the open terrain and night vision that can tell you if you need a follow up shot or not.
I ruled out all of the 223s long ago after having to track and dispatch wounded hogs with a pistol or shotgun to stop a charge.
Hunt with what you want, but consider your self warned.
J E CUSTOM
Over the last 5 years hunting hogs in Louisiana on our farm that has been overrun by big hogs; 430 pound being the biggest we have killed, I have learned very similar lessons to what JE has stated. I started with a 223 and unless shot behind the ear never found many hogs that I knew were hit. Maybe they ran off and died idk but I like to confirm that they are dead since I am hunting them to eradicate a nuisance that is destroying our land and hay pastures. 300 blackout was no better maybe actually worse. Shot 1 sow 7 times at 25-30 yards with a 300 blackout before she finally fell.
I now use either a desert tech mdr .308, a 450 bushmaster AR15, 12 gauge with buckshot, or one of my magnum bolt action rifles (300 wsm, 28 nosler, etc.) I like the 6.8 spc I really do but it's still not my preferred hog caliber even tho I do recommend it over 5.56 or 300 blackout hands down. This is just what I have come to learn over the years and hundreds of hogs we have killed on our 500 acre farm and my buddies 1500 acre property. If you all decide to go with .223 or 300 blackout or something of the sort that's fine it will kill them when hit right but I wouldn't go looking for any that run off wounded ... you may not like what you find
I now use either a desert tech mdr .308, a 450 bushmaster AR15, 12 gauge with buckshot, or one of my magnum bolt action rifles (300 wsm, 28 nosler, etc.) I like the 6.8 spc I really do but it's still not my preferred hog caliber even tho I do recommend it over 5.56 or 300 blackout hands down. This is just what I have come to learn over the years and hundreds of hogs we have killed on our 500 acre farm and my buddies 1500 acre property. If you all decide to go with .223 or 300 blackout or something of the sort that's fine it will kill them when hit right but I wouldn't go looking for any that run off wounded ... you may not like what you find
Joemac6324
Active Member
I have never had a problem with a 450 bushmaster killing anything from alligators, deer, hogs or anything else I hunt. I'm not sure why people think it has much recoil in a black rifle w/a muzzle break. You can easily track what you are shooting, without the crosshairs going everywhere. With Hornady black three hundred grain bullets, most animals never move again. Just basically put hogs down as fast as you can. Great cartridge for them. I'm not sure why anyone hunts them from hundreds of yards away, unless you are just incapable of moving in closer.
Joemac6324
Active Member
I have also killed them with green tip 223's. Easily penetrates the shoulders to anchor them in place. I love when they do that front flip.
gopherslayer
Active Member
6.8 with Hornady factory slinging a mono would work well on pigs.
Swinehunt74
Well-Known Member
CORRECTION on load for 6.8---25grs NOT 27grs of IMR4198.
Swinehunt74
Well-Known Member
Would like to add one more caliber to this discussion, I know he wants AR15 size calibers, but...338 Federal loaded with anything was the most devastating cartridge I have used on thick hided animals. 185's worked the best with fist sized exit holes on hogs.
Hey RangerWade,
I'm a big fan of the .338 Fed, too. But as you pointed out, that'll require an AR-10/SR-25 sized gun. Awesome deer/hog round though!
Still thinking if the OP wants hog power in an AR-15 sized gun, best options are .300 Ham'R, 6.8 SPC, or 6.5 Grendel.
I'm a big fan of the .338 Fed, too. But as you pointed out, that'll require an AR-10/SR-25 sized gun. Awesome deer/hog round though!
Still thinking if the OP wants hog power in an AR-15 sized gun, best options are .300 Ham'R, 6.8 SPC, or 6.5 Grendel.
Can you get factory ammo for that? (6BR)
KyCarl
Well-Known Member
I have 2 of the Black rifles both in .308/7.62X 51MM I have killed deer with them.
I'm sure they would kill pigs with plenty to spare!..Ammo is all over ..Cheap!
I'm sure they would kill pigs with plenty to spare!..Ammo is all over ..Cheap!
sea2summit
Well-Known Member
Pics/specs of this build please. What type of velocities are you seeing?
