I was wanting to start hog hunting Pretty soon. I have a 30812.5 inch which is pretty lightweight, but with a suppressor loaded magazine and 3 x 9 scope it still gets awfully heavy. I suspect it would be a little too heavy to stalk with on foot.

I really like 10 to 10 1/2 inch barrels in AR 15 because it gets me just the right amount of handguard length and it keeps the overall length and weight distribution better when a suppressor is mounted.

I would much rather lug around an AR 1510 inch, but is that enough power in 5.564 like your personal safety I would much rather lug around an A.R. 1510 inch, but is that enough power in 5.56 for your personal safety Like if you are not in a pick up truck but on foot and a hog either charges you or just happens to be fleeing right at you in the confusion?

But from searching around a little bit it seems like most hunters use 5.56, did a lot of people decide to abandon using 6.8 or whatever else just because the expense of ammo is not worth it?

I don’t know, I am just wondering if I should think about building 6.8 10” or if id be g2g w 10.3” 5.56 w proper ammo selection

A question from a Non NFA state (actually commie prick state),  comparing a 10" suppressor equipped AR15 to a stock 16" AR15, is the 16" quieter or louder than the suppressed 10" gun?

Move back? Never left in the first place. Must have missed the memo.

Yes. 10” suppressed is quieter than 16” unsupressed.

Hell yes a suppressed 10 inch gun is quieter than a 16 inch non-suppressed if that is what you were asking.

If you cannot even do a one stamp permanently attach silencer gun Then use a BF Meyer 249 flash Hyder or the JP 3 prong flash hider in a Thordsen BD180.  Studies have shown that good three or four prong flash hiders actually reduce sound pressure at the shooters year to a measurable amount even more than linear compensators and if you combine that with the blast deflector you will make for the least unpleasant level of sound with any given barrel length without a sound suppressor

http://www.vuurwapenblog.com/technical-issuesnotes/ar-15/ar15-muzzle-brakeflash-hidercompensator-comparison-part-2/

I went to a 7.62x39 upper for hogs.

I like the heavier .30 cal bullet in a lightweight AR platform.  Standard 16" barrel.

Got very tiring hauling the weight and bulk of .308 - 7.62x51 at piggie popping ranges (close)

Same

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. But me thinks you need to take what you got and go kill a couple of pig's and report back. Now something I have noticed. Year's ago you wounded a piglet sows fought. Now sows run away. I think the runners have survived and passed their genes on. Now that's in no way saying you can't screw a situation up. But a short  .308 is going to be hard as Hell to beat. The reason I use the  5.56 at night is it's what I have suppressed and steel case ammo is cheaper. I primarily carry a 6.5 Grendel during the day just for the range.

I have also shot a few with a Bow. Pig's have a tendency to bleed out faster than a deer. I think this is because they run a little hotter. So use common sense especially when trailing them up. Give them plenty of time to bleed out.

Ruger M77 .30-06
HK SLB 2000 .30-06
Remington 700 .308
Browning BLR .308
CZ 527M 7.62x39mm



AR-15 5.56x45mm

All have been used to hunt pigs and work fine.

How do you like the red dot on top with that PEPR mount? I have a PEPR with a Vortex 6-18 on it, and was thinking of adding a Viper or Venom red dot on top for close range for my first hog hunt this fall.

6.8mmSPC

6.5mm Grendel

grendel has cheap WOLF FMJ

I never left. I use a 14.5 with 70gr TSX. Works for me.

The Burris Fastfire is sighted in at 25 yards and works great.

Thanks! What size moa dot did you go with?

If I do another build (when) it will be grendel 10-12" barrel.  Probably the 10.5" unless I get/build a new ultra light Ti can.

The AR10 w/ steel 20 rd mag w/ 20rds of 155g, light, suppressor & 3x9 scope is 10lb 10oz, pretty light actually for what it is but feels bad w/ the can.  Can off of the mount is 14 5/8 oz.  If I drop the can & 3x9 and go to the T1 on the Fortis mount it goes to 8lbs 13.5 oz w/ the same loaded mag & light.  Empty w/ just the T1 & a front sight it is only 7lb 1.5 oz.  Mostly it just balances bad w/ all that shit on it.

I might shorten a little to 11 or 11.5" as well and get a lighter hand guard.  Even a 10.5" 308 has more power & velocity than 16" AK47, & better exterior ballistics.  I get ~2330 w/ 168 SMK out of the 12.5 barrel, about the same MV as AK Mil ammo from regular AK

Whatever it came with.

Never left the .223 camp.  The right ammo handles them fine

223 actually works pretty darn well.  308 will of course carry more punch (but as you mentioned there's the weight thing to consider...no free lunches).

Lots of folks choose 223 for the cost reasons alone...which is certainly a consideration.  Lately I find myself using 300 blackout most often.  I like the flexibility it offers.  It's really not the best at any one role (except maybe its role as a quiet rifle when shooting subs), but it does a pretty good job at several roles...all in 1 gun.  I have an 8" 300 upper but pretty much just use my 16" lightweight 300 blackout barreled AR nowadays even though it does get a little long with a can.  The 16" is very quiet with subs (which I like to use around my home place), and with supers (110gr Tac-TX) it packs a pretty solid punch (at least within moderate distances) without horrible bullet drop numbers.  I tend to believe that all else being the same, bullet diameter plays an important role in stopping power (it's not as simple as just comparing cartridges' energy numbers).

Here's a Barnes 110gr:
Attached File


Energy = 1/2*Mass*Velocity*Velocity
***I am going to normalize the energy values for the 308 and 300Blk based on the 223's value, so the 223 will be 1.0 and the others will increment up from there***
-->223 Energy  (55gr @3000fps) = 1.0
-->300Blk Energy (110gr @2300fps) = 1.18
-->308 Energy (150gr @ 2700fps) = 2.21

Energy wise, the 308 steals the show...and basically leaves the 223 and 300 in the dust.  However, there are some other formulas/methods out there that attempt to better evaluate a cartridge's killing power.  A lot of those rely on items such as a bullet's sectional density, diameter, and/or energy at a specified range.  Hornady has a scale called H.I.T.S., and there are a few others.  Do some research, give these a look, and judge for yourself.  The main thing is to get out there and kill hogs!!!!!

>>>I originally posted a response that dove into the Taylor Knockout Factor (TKO), but I have since researched that a bit more and found some inherent flaws with that approach that I had forgotten about<<<

@sparkyD brings up an interesting point...

I'm thinking he might be onto something here...

Lol fudds in a blind shooting a hog at dusk calling it hog killing.  Hell shoot 218 bee one hog at a time it probably works.

what do you suggest?

They're pest animals here in the Panhandle and in Southern Georgia. You want to give them a fighting chance? Deer hunting is much the same, as is dove, turkey, and duck hunting.

I've read here that 223/5.56 doesn't work. I myself wouldn't trust it.

Do you need to bring back the pic thread?

This is relavent to my interest. I have my first hog hunt coming up in a few weeks and am deciding what to bring.

I am leaning towards my 18” 308 AR with 165gr fed fusion

I also have a 7” 7.62x39, 10.5 300aac or 24,18,16 and 10.5 5.56 ARs which are all much lighter than the 308.

Are you stalking or from a blind?  The style also dictates platform

It'll never get tacked thus it will never really serve its intended purpose. Plus those here that have only killed maybe 2-3 hogs will continue to challenge real world results of people who have killed hundreds.

And I'm retired.

you have killed hundreds of hogs?

Pigs are routinely killed with pistols. .45 ACP is nothing compared to 5.56

I guess there is one feeder but we plan on stalking. Weight wise I should go with the 10.5 300aac and Barnes 120gr tsx. Will that be sufficient for WV hogs?

I'll step in and say yes, he has.  There used to be an epic pic thread, all 5.56 kills...

Yes that should do the trick.  Ammo type is key, and Barnes .223 or .300 TSX is a winner.

2 kills per bullet, one pig one wallet, ouch.
Attached File

I've killed a few with everything from a 22 rifle, 38 j frame, 9mm compact and full size pistols, various 1911's, AR's from 10.5"-18", MP5 variants, bolt guns, knives and even a rock from contact distance out to almost 500yds.

Once upon a time I had thousands of acres at my disposal and lots of firearms to experiment with and I tried to post proof of results here. My go to would still be a short barreled AR with a red dot. 55gr FMJ is all you need but 75-77gr OTM's would be a step up.

He has, indeed, posted many pics of dead hogs.

Can’t vouch for him personally, but I’d be willing to bet he’s legit.

It doesn't take long to get into the hundreds territory when you're actually trying to eradicate them. I think I used to have a picture of 22 in one skidsteer bucket load. Now the knife and dog's is exciting. I don't recall ever killing one with a rock, but I did use a good night stick once or twice. And they choke down really quick with the catch pole. Oh and one died from complications of being castrated on a hot day.  

I’ve killed a couple hundred myself, and I’m not very serious about it. I’ve got good buddies that a hundred hogs is just a normal month for them. They hunt 3-4 nights a week, and they never come home with less than 4-5. Many nights they’ll get double digits.

Yeah I’ve killed a pretty decent number myself....

I've killed 26 hogs this year, all with Hornady Black 75gr 223 loads, I know there are better loads on the market but it's always available at academy for about $12-16 a box and it's moa out of my gun. I've made shots as close as 10 yards to 150. I've only had four that have needed more than two shots to kill them and they were some really big ones that I made bad shots on. I try to hit them in the neck, behind and below the ear hole. So I'm sticking with 223/556 for my hog killing. I don't feel under gunned at all.

I have some of that hornady black, but I don’t think I’ve actually shot it yet. Need to get to the range.

Out of my Faxon gunner barrel it is moa. I've got 100 rounds of the Honardy Frontier 556 75gr on order, I hope it shoots at least 1.5 moa of it dose I'll switch to it since it's running about $10 a box.

The Hornady Black load is right at MOA in my rifle.  Pretty good for the price!

What kind of accuracy do you get out of it? I have never got a solid bullet to shoot even close to a lead.

yes 75gr is quite good. I've killed a ton of hogs. In any discussion like this you need to clarify between eradication (which is what I do) and hunting for meat etc. If I shoot a hog on a bad shot and it runs 200 yards and dies, that is not a bad day for me. It's one less hog. So for me .223 is overtaking .243 even on longer shots.

I just bought my ranch this winter and only get out ever two to thee weeks for a weekend. So for me it’s War on the devils. No pig meat for us, the wife’s allergic to pork so they are coyote and buzzard food.
I’ve got a wash on the back of the property and dump them in it.  I tried some Federal America Eagle red box 64 gr soft points this weekend and they didn’t perform as well as the Hornady black. I shot a large sow at about 60 yards and had to hit her four times. Hit her first in the neck and she went down then stumbled up and I did controled pair into her heart area then a finishing shot through the bottom of the mouth going up and out the top of the head.

I always have a 556 with me, so I shoot more hogs with that than anything else.

That said, if I'm specifically going out for hogs, I usually take a Grendel, 450 bushmaster, or 12g buck, depending on what kind of hunting I'm doing.  If I want something DRT, I try not to use 556.

I can't go back cause I was never there.

Anyone hunt hogs with a 10.3 or similar barrel in 5.56? Getting a mk18 upper in this week and wanted to try it out.

I have speer 64 and 75gr gold dots, mk262 clones, handloads using 77gr tmk running pretty hot and was thinking about buying some barnes tsx to try.

Barnes tsx are great.  Don’t have any exp with the gold dot 75gr, but do use a 90 for gold dot .  Has worked well for me. Hope this helps

I've been killing hogs with the 110gr Tac-TX for several years now. It does the trick.

You can say that again. 80 yards.

How would the Hornady 75gr BTHP do for this?